Jacks, Marcy - Eli's Reluctant Mate [DeWitt's Pack 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

DeWitt

’s Pack 5

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Eli Martin has sunk into a severe depression after the death of his
brother. He hides his grief behind cheap liquor, and he hardly
cares that his alpha is considering banishing him from the pack.

Until he meets Chris Lefroy, the gorgeous man with the
multicolored eyes who offers Eli some of his humanity back.

Though Chris feels something for Eli, he is insistent that he is
straight, and wants nothing to do with the dangers of being mated
to a werewolf, while Eli is suddenly finding himself wanting to
become the man he knows he can be, and whom he knows his
mate deserves.

Eli is forced to come to terms with the fact that Chris will be in
constant danger if he stays, always a target of the wild
werewolves. Eli struggles with the idea of whether or not it is
responsible of him to convince Chris to stay, lest Chris pay the
ultimate price.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal,
Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 32,361 words

ELI’S RELUCTANT MATE

DeWitt’s Pack 5

Marcy Jacks

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

ELI’S RELUCTANT MATE
Copyright © 2012 by Marcy Jacks
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-519-9

First E-book Publication: November 2012

Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED:  This  literary  work  may  not  be
reproduced  or  transmitted  in  any  form  or  by  any  means,  including
electronic or photographic reproduction, in  whole or in  part, without
express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of Eli’s Reluctant Mate by Marcy
Jacks from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you.
Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or
group  has  resale  rights,  auction  rights,  membership  rights,  sharing
rights,  or  any  kind  of  rights  to  sell  or  to  give  away  a  copy  of  this
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The  author  and  the  publisher  work  very  hard  to  bring  our  paying
readers high-quality reading entertainment.

This  is  Marcy Jacks’s livelihood.  It’s fair and simple. Please respect
Ms. Jacks’s right to earn a living from her work.

Amanda Hilton, Publisher

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ELI’S RELUCTANT MATE

DeWitt’s Pack 5

MARCY JACKS

Chapter One

The first rule of surviving as a werewolf was to stay away from all

the  normal  people.  Werewolves  weren’t  allowed  to  be  overly  social
with  humans  beyond  what  was  necessary.  It  created  too  many
complications  if  some  human  got  too  close,  too  chummy  with  the
werewolf in question, and they started to figure things out.

The only reason for being in the same room with someone not of

the paranormal variety for more than an hour was for the basics.
Buying food, clothing, or if a mate was scented nearby.

The second rule was that werewolves weren’t allowed to get

drunk in bars, partly because it was linked in to the first rule, and also
because it called into question the behavior of the wolf getting
wasted.

Werewolves were fast healers with amazing metabolism, making

it difficult to get drunk, but enough alcohol down the chute and
anything was possible.

It was a risk because of the way the alcohol impaired judgement

and thinking. People did stupid things while they were intoxicated,
and a werewolf could not afford to be stupid in front of humans.

Last week, Eli, being too far gone to notice, had taken off his

clothes and transformed into his wolf after last call had been

Marcy Jacks

announced and he’d been getting ready to head home sometime after
midnight. He’d thought he was alone as he did it behind the bar, but
had been too drunk to scent that kid nearby.

Eli hadn’t even known about him until his alpha, James DeWitt,

woke him up the next day with a bucket of ice over the head and a
newspaper shoved into his face, telling the story of how a teen boy
had cried wolf after getting drunk at the local bar.

Luckily the writer had been more interested in putting the bar

owner on the spot for selling to minors, and nothing else was said
about the werewolf the drunk kid had supposedly seen.

Eli had never seen James look so pissed, and with his scarred face,

it wasn’t hard for him to appear angry.

James had always been a softy, however, and Eli had been let off

with a warning, which Eli was promptly ignoring as he downed the
last of his Blue and signalled for another.

The new bottle thrust into his hands was cold, and the beer went

down his throat the exact same way, which was welcome on a
scorcher such as this.

It seemed the heat outside was doing its best to overthrow the

power of that weak-ass air conditioner, because it was fucking hot in
here.

At least the heat was a better subject to think about than his dead

brother.

Oh Christ, he’d just thought of him again.
Eric, I’m so sorry.
Not nearly drunk enough. Eli threw his head back and let the beer

slide down his throat. He’d need another one of these quickly if he
was going to get hammered.

The bartender came back and cleared away the empty bottles,

shaking his head and muttering about where Eli put it all.

The man had been a loyal servant as far as getting the drinks went,

because Eli had always been quick to offer up the payment for what
he consumed.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Now, however, he’d long since ran out of any money he’d

managed to save, and Isaac had refused to loan him anymore.

Eli was on a bar tab, and he didn’t give a shit if he ever managed

to pay it back.

Something hard poked his shoulder.
Eli ignored it and opened his next bottle with his teeth, spitting out

the cap.

At first he thought he’d imagined the tap on his shoulder, but then

it came back, and he had to acknowledge the annoying feel of it.

He tilted his head enough to see what was up behind him.
The angry face of some guy Eli had never seen before glared

down at him.

Eli went back to his beer.
“Hey! You look at me, you fucking freak.”
Nope.
The guy didn’t try to grab his shoulder or anything when Eli

ignored him, but instead he went and sat down on the stool next to
Eli’s.

“My kid tells me you’re the guy who was getting undressed in

front of him.”

“Your kid’s a liar,” Eli said, unfazed. It had been forever since

he’d bothered himself with taking anyone to bed, and never had he
done it with someone who looked remotely underage.

“You’re gonna regret saying that, you fucking pervert,” said the

angry father. “Don’t know what you drugged him with, making him
see shit like that, but he tells me you were taking off your clothes
right in front of him.”

Oh. That kid that Eli had accidentally transformed in front of.
Well, shit.
“The fuck is your problem?”
“To be fair, I didn’t see him there,” Eli said, still not bothering to

look at the guy.

“You piece of shit.”

Marcy Jacks

Something hard smashed into the side of Eli’s skull. White

exploded behind his vision and then colorful dots as he was thrown
from his stool and landed on the filthy wooden floor.

Maybe he was a littler drunker than he’d originally thought.
The guy that punched him stood over him now, and Eli’s inner

wolf didn’t even give a shit that he was being dominated by some
pissant human.

The bartender shouted something at them, but the aggressive

human ignored him. “If I ever see your face around here, I’ll get a tire
iron and some of my buddies and we’ll fuck you up.”

Eli laughed. The spots had left his vision, and even though he was

still the one on the ground, he didn’t so much as have a headache
from the blow to his head. “I doubt you and your buddies could do
more than tickle me.”

He didn’t care that someone was trying to dominate him, but he

did relish the idea of a fight. He could take this little weasel out back
and tear him to pieces. He could imagine it was Deacon’s face on the
guy’s head, the man responsible for killing Eric, one of the men
responsible anyway, as he ripped the man’s arms from his sockets.

The guy’s fists clenched up, and Eli could hear the way his heart

starting beating in that erratic way that happened when adrenaline was
pumping through his veins.

He wanted a fight, too.
That’s right, idiot. Come and get it.
“Wait! Wait!”
Someone, some skinny little idiot, actually ran between them,

blocking the big guy from Eli’s view, and he could have killed the
little bastard for that.

The smaller man―and he barely looked like he was even

that―held his hands up, trying to calm the bigger guy with his fists
still clenched in front of him. “Come on, you don’t want to do this.
The guy’s drunk and he’s down.”

The angry father jabbed a meaty finger in the smaller man’s face.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

“Mind your own fucking business, you little weird-eyed faggot!”

What?
Eli shook his head, trying to clear it, his own adrenaline falling

back to nothing now that a fight no longer looked imminent. He tried
to get to his feet and failed spectacularly.

“Look at him. He can barely stand. If you kick the shit out of him,

you could get in trouble for that. You can’t exactly say you were
defending yourself from him.”

Eli saw red again at that comment. That little son of a bitch!
Eli blinked a couple of times, trying to scowl up at the both of

them, but instead he saw the disgusted look on the father’s face as he
stared down at him, right before he spat on the floor next to Eli’s
hand.

“I ever see your face again, I’ll kill you,” he said, stomping off.
Whatever.
Eli turned his glare onto the young man who had come between

him and a fight he really could have used, when his heart and lungs
stopped cold.

He blinked a couple of times, rubbing his eyes with the palms of

his hands just to be absolutely sure.

One eye was the darkest chocolate brown Eli had ever seen. The

other was the deepest of blue.

Now he understood why that angry son of a bitch had called him

weird  eyed.  Eli  inhaled  the  scents  of  the  bar.  They  were  weak.
Probably  because  the  alcohol  was  fucking  with  his  nose,  but  he  did
smell  it  once  he  started  looking  for  it.  Beneath  the  stale  scent  of
tobacco,  wooden  booths,  alcohol,  and  sweat,  was  the  sweetest  thing
that had ever wafted up his nostrils.

The young man was beautiful, too. He looked like he was in his

early twenties, with nice skin and dark-blond hair that was cut short
with hints of gel-induced spikes.

Eli had just found his mate, a man―a man!―and Eli was

stumbling drunk, on his ass, and bleary eyed.

Marcy Jacks

“You know him, kid?” the bartender asked.
The blond man shook his head, still looking down at Eli with that

pity he was starting to hate. “No, never met him before. Do you want
me to help you get home?” he asked, addressing Eli at that point.

He was a little hero, too. Brilliant.
“I’m fine,” Eli gruffed, pulling himself up to his feet. The stupid

ground beneath him heaved, and he nearly keeled over. He would
have had Blondie not grabbed him by the arms and pulled him
straight again.

They were nearly the same height, but Blondie was still just a

little bit shorter. There must have been some muscle in that slim
frame because he pulled Eli’s arm over his shoulder. “Take it easy.
I’ll get you where you want to go.”

“I’d be careful with that one, son,” said the bartender. “He’s been

known to start up some trouble with other people as of late.”

Eli was never tipping that man ever again.
“I’ll be okay,” said Blondie, who, with some minor difficulty,

fished his wallet from his back pocket and put some bills down on the
bar.

“Will that cover his drinks?”
“I’ll put the rest on his tab.”
Fucker was probably going to just pocket the money and put the

whole thing on Eli’s tab regardless. Eli was going to have to have a
conversation with this man, his mate, about not trusting people so
damn much.

Especially with eyes like those.
“Okay, thanks.”
Eli could barely do anything but sag as he was led out of the bar.
They walked for maybe ten minutes, which were excruciating on

his eyes with the sun blazing down on them. Christ, he wished he
could go back to the relative darkness of the bar so he wouldn’t have
these needles piercing him in the corneas.

Eli muttered directions, but they must not have been very clear

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

because Blondie ignored him and kept on walking.

“Highway 22,” Eli said again, louder this time, and his ears hurt

for it.

“What?”
“Drop me off there. I can get back home from there.”
Thankfully, Blondie didn’t try to fight him on that. “If you say

so.”

“What’s your name?” Eli asked and then prayed he wouldn’t

forget it. He would need to find this man again after he’d sobered up.

There was a slight hesitation, and Eli feared that his mate

wouldn’t want to divulge too much personal information to a drunken
loser like him.

Clearly, Blondie was a human, but despite that, he must have

been, at least on a subconscious level, aware of the strange pull
between them, because he did answer. “Chris.”

“Chris what?”
“I’ll keep that to myself for now.”
Fair enough. Eli had never seen Chris in town before, and he had

been coming down here a whole lot more than was necessary, so he
must be new.

Still, small town like this, Eli had a first name and a description,

that was all that he should need if he wanted to find him again after he
sobered up.

“You shouldn’t be walking around here by yourself,” Eli said,

managing not to slur. “It’s dangerous.”

Chris smiled at that. “So I’m told. But I’m a big enough boy,

don’t worry.”

Not big enough for the things that would be stalking him once any

other werewolf or werefox or were-anything got a look at those eyes.

Maybe he wasn’t born with them, though. “What happened to

your eyes?”

“Didn’t think you’d notice that,” Chris said. “They’re just like

that. I can see just fine. I don’t know. I was born with it.”

Marcy Jacks

“Oh.” It was natural then, not some product of being blind in one

eye or any such thing.

Eyes like that, in the shifter communities, were considered

extremely good luck. Not for the person who had them, but for the
were who took the individual with the bicolored eyes as a mate.

Of course, that wouldn’t stop other weres who knew they weren’t

mated to him from trying to seduce him, if only to capitalize on that
luck a little. It wasn’t exactly unknown for the more unfriendly were
types to try and rape someone who had eyes like that either.

And lately, this area was crawling with those types of weres.
The town was small, and getting to the outside of it took almost

no time at all. Five more minutes and they would be right at the turn
that would lead then to Highway 22, and Eli could go down it, get to
the hidden unpaved road that led back to his pack land, and then fall
into bed. Sobering up shouldn’t take him very long. He’d nap for five
hours and that should be more than enough for the alcohol to run its
course through his system.

He’d be dreaming about his mate tonight, he knew that much.
Of course it couldn’t be that simple.
Something with the power of a moving train smashed into them,

knocking them off their feet, and Eli slid across the rough pavement
with all the grace of a rag doll.

He heard Chris’s shocked yell, and he tried to get up before a

grimy boot pressed down on his chest.

He looked up, blinking against the sun that was behind the figure

attacking him, and he scented wild werewolf all over him, along with
at least one other.

“Well, well, look what we have here. Didn’t I kill you already?”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Chapter Two

“Didn’t I kill you already?”
The words had Eli sucking back a sharp breath, especially when

the man leaned down to squint into Eli’s face, and Eli recognized him
as one of the wolves that had attacked his pack all those weeks ago.
Two months. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

“It is you!” The wolf hooted, slapping his knee. “Christ, I was

sure I’d sliced your neck clean off!”

“That was my brother,” Eli seethed through his teeth.
The man frowned at that and adjusted the cap on his head. “That’s

disappointing. Was hoping it meant we could survive things like
that.”

That’s right. These guys were new wolves, transformed only for

the sake of becoming peons in Deacon’s new pack.

They must still be learning about their new abilities.
“I can teach you about all the ways you can die,” Eli said.
Unlike with that human from the bar, Eli’s wolf was making itself

known. The mind and soul were willing. The body, not so much.

The were above him seemed to recognize this, and he laughed.
“You can barely keep your eyes open! What do you think you’ll

do to me?”

“Hey, Lloyd, you should see this guy right here,” his companion

called.

Shit! That other wolf. Eli damn forgot about him, and he was

looking into Chris’s eyes.

“Get the fuck off me!” There was the sound of a scuffle, and the

distinct found of flesh smacking against flesh as Chris was slapped.

Marcy Jacks

“You hold still now and let me see those peepers one more time.”
Would the sight of those eyes bring out some kind of instinct in

these  new  weres?  Eli  had  always  thought  that  the  good-luck  thing,
and  the  urge  to  collect  on  that  luck,  was  always  something  that  had
been  taught,  passed  down  through  the  teachings  of  older  weres  and
wise  women.  That  other  wolf  sounded  a  little  too  interested,  a  little
too hypnotized by the colour of Chris’s eyes for Eli’s liking.

There was another scuffle as Chris fought, and this time, the

sound of flesh coming down on flesh was harder as that other wolf hit
Chris, attempting to make him hold still.

Eli tried to get up. “Don’t you―!”
That booted foot pushed him back down, and the motion of his

body coming up and getting shoved back to the pavement was so fast
that Eli had to turn over and retch.

At least the boot disappeared off his chest.
“Jesus Christ!” Lloyd cursed, disgust sounding clearly in his

voice.

That was fine by him. Eli got to his hands and knees and puked

the rest of the alcohol out of him. His mouth tasted like shit, but he
felt surprisingly better when he finished. He was still drunk, but now
the world wasn’t spinning around him, and the nausea was gone.

He looked up and watched as that other wolf, that motherfucking

asshole, forcefully turned Chris onto his stomach and then pressed his
knee down between his shoulder blades as the younger man tried to
fight back.

Of course he could do nothing against them. That was a werewolf,

and he was just a human, and not even a big human at that.

Something about the eye-color thing must have been instinctual,

because the guy on top of Chris started scrambling with the belt of his
pants.

“What the hell are you doing?” Lloyd asked, dismissing Eli

entirely to go and see what his friend was up to.

The scrappy-looking friend swiped his hand out before Lloyd

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

could get too close. “Get away from him! He’s mine!”

Lloyd put his hands up, backing off. “All right, all right. Didn’t

know you were into that kind of thing.”

He turned just as Eli punched him in the jaw, having gotten to his

feet when the two dipshits were distracted.

He’d hoped Lloyd would be a good boy and just die or something,

but that was the problem with killing other werewolves. A hit like
that, that would’ve taken out a human without a problem, would just
tickle a were, even young ones like these two.

Lloyd was thrown off his feet though, and Eli transformed, letting

the change come over him, so fast, faster than he’d ever been able to
do it. His clothes shredded even.

He jumped on top of his prey. Lloyd brought his arm up to defend

his face against Eli’s jaws, but that was a mistake, and he screamed as
Eli bit down and pierced the flesh, finding the hard bone and
crunching onto that, too.

Kill you. I’m gonna kill the both of you.
Another wolf smacked into him, throwing him off of Lloyd’s

struggling body.

Eli still managed to take a long strip of skin away with him, and

Lloyd shrieked like a girl.

That only seemed to spur on the friend all the more into avenging

his injured companion, and he and Eli rolled, paws and legs kicking,
claws trying to dig under the mass of fur that each had to slice skin,
teeth biting.

Eventually those dagger-sharp teeth did manage to get around one

of his front paws.

Eli yelped and rolled, and somehow he managed to get a lucky

shot in on the wolf’s nose.

His attacker immediately shrieked and backed off, melting back

into a man and clutching at his face.

Eli saw the damage and nearly puked again. The guy’s nose was

hanging from his face by a strip of skin.

Marcy Jacks

He went over his friend Lloyd, who had gotten to his feet and was

clutching at his shredded arm. The two of them were too occupied
with their own wounds to bother with shooting Eli the customary
angry glare that the losers sent to the victors. Together they ran off.

Eli didn’t doubt he’d be seeing them around again after they’d

healed up. They’d want revenge after what he’d done to them. Their
inner wolves wouldn’t allow them to rest until they had it, especially
now that that one wolf had gotten a look into Chris’s eyes.

Eli fell onto his side, the ground almost shooting up and smacking

him on his furry shoulder. He released a wolf grunt, wondering why
everything was becoming all swirly again when he’d puked up all that
alcohol.

Had that little bastard gotten him, and Eli had been too hyped up

on adrenaline to notice?

Shit, wouldn’t that just suck. His brother murdered and he hadn’t

even gotten the chance to kill the guy who did it, and now he was
going to lie here like roadkill and die, right after finding his mate.

Swell.
He let his body shift back into normal, forcing the change and

shift  into  his  bones  until  the  rest  started  to  handle  itself.  If  he  was
going  to  die  here,  he  was  going  to  do  it  as  a  man.  He  didn’t  want
some  animal  control  shit  coming  to  pick  up  his  wolf  corpse  and
throwing his body into a furnace.

Tunnel vision came onto him, and he was pleased to see his

bleeding paw shed its thin, short hair and turn back into a bleeding
human arm, but right before the black completely took over his
vision, a pair of sneakered feet, crunching on the rocks and dirt on the
pavement, came into his line of sight.

* * * *

Chris ran when that guy trying to take his pants off finally jumped

off of him and transformed―transformed!―into an enormous wolf,

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

and then started attacking that other huge wolf that was ripping the
living hell out of their other attacker. Chris didn’t catch sight of that
man, the big, handsome, if extremely drunk man who he’d been
trying to help get home.

He couldn’t just run down the street, though. What he saw, people

changing into animals, was the most amazing, most frightening thing,
he’d ever seen.

Chris ran to the nearest set of shrubs he could find and got behind

them.

It was like watching a dog fight, and Chris had seen YouTube

videos on animal sites for preventing abuse, so he knew what it
looked like.

For a few seconds, it was hard for him to tell the difference

between the two gray wolves rolling around, biting and clawing and
snarling at each other, until the one wolf nearly had his nose chopped
off and turned back into that fucking prick who had been pawing at
Chris.

He couldn’t help but watch as the guy handled his severely

bleeding face and think, Good. Chris had zero sympathy for the guy.

He and the other man, whom Chris could only assume was also a

werewolf, ran off together after having their asses handed to them.
Chris was amazed they could walk at all. The blood loss alone should
have been enough to put them down.

Then the only wolf left behind just keeled over. Chris worried that

he’d died until he saw the hair slowly shed away, leaving only pink
human skin behind, and that man, the one Chris had been trying to
help, appeared in the wolf’s place.

He got out from his hiding place to go and make sure he was

okay.

He definitely wasn’t. The man’s eyes were bleary and barely

open, and he groaned in what was definite pain and confusion. There
was a long slash mark that bled freely down his face. It began at the
right side of his forehead before ending on his left cheek. There were

Marcy Jacks

also several huge puncture marks along his arm, and they were
bleeding even more than that.

Chris couldn’t leave him here. It may or may not have been

intended, but this man had saved Chris from rape at the least and
death at worst.

He lifted his T-shirt off of his shoulders and wrapped the thin

material around the man’s arms. Hopefully that would stanch the
blood flow. There wasn’t much he could do about his face, not until
Chris took him back to his room.

Somehow he doubted that there were hospitals for people like this,

and he put his hands under the man’s armpits, and using all of his
strength, Chris hauled him to his feet.

“Don’t die on me.”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Chapter Three

Getting that man back to the motel room Chris had rented had

been absolute hell. If Chris thought the guy weighed a lot back when
he was still carrying himself―barely―on his own two feet, it was
nothing compared to how heavy he was when completely
unconscious.

That, and it was the middle of the day, and Chris didn’t want

anyone to catch him dragging a naked man around. The locals
probably wouldn’t look too kindly on that.

He had to drag this guy through the bushes and trees, keeping off

the roads and any trail that looked like a person might walk on.

He was sweating clear through his clothes by the time he returned

to the motel. He already had his key, and the parking lot wasn’t
exactly a ghost town, but there was only one other truck there apart
from his own shitty vehicle. He had to risk it.

Chris wiped his brow free of the building moisture, bent over to

grab his heavy load, and dragged him across the lot as quickly as he
could.

Please don’t let anyone see me. Please don’t let anyone see me.
He had his key out, in the lock, struggled with it for a few too

many seconds that nearly gave him a heart attack, and then was
finally inside.

He dropped his two-hundred-pound cargo with a loud bang

against the carpet, and Chris was too busy wheezing for breath to do
anything about it as he slid down the door. He wasn’t much sure he
cared at this point either.

No. He did care. Otherwise he wouldn’t have taken a complete

Marcy Jacks

stranger with abnormal powers back to his motel room. The safest
thing would have been to have left the guy on the side of the road.

The trickle of blood pooling on his carpet, and Chris’s bloody

neck and shoulder from where the guy’s cut-up face had rested, made
him ashamed for even thinking such things.

First things first if Chris was going to have the energy to nurse

this guy back to health.

He ran into the tiny adjoining bathroom, grabbed one of the

stained  towels,  wet  it,  and  started  scrubbing  his  neck  and  shoulders,
removing the blood. The cold water felt so good on his hot skin that
he decided fuck it and turned on the cold  water tap from  the shower
and  got  under  the  icy  spray,  not  bothering  with  taking  off  his  pants
and barely taking the time to kick off his shoes.

He only allowed himself ten seconds in there, if that, letting the

water rush over him, cooling off his body, and rinsing out his mouth.
At least now he wouldn’t pass out from heat exhaustion.

He jumped out, dried off as best he could, and then went to see to

his patient.

Christ, this guy had seen better days, and he was going to have a

couple of nasty-ass scars after all his wounds healed several months
down the line.

He found the first aid kit, took the blankets and sheets off the bed,

and heaved the guy onto the mattress.

Despite his injuries, his breathing and heartbeat were still strong.

He thought once more about calling an ambulance but again pushed
the thought away.

He owed this guy his life. Chris doubted he would want to go to a

hospital, considering what he was.

Chris tended to the wounds and stitched up his arm. For the face,

he didn’t think the slash there was deep enough to warrant stitches, so
he just cleaned it out with some alcohol. Then he applied more
bandages and creams and decided that would be that.

Chris sat back in the chair he’d pulled up, exhausted and hot

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

again. He heaved a sigh at the work it took him more than an hour to
accomplish, and then he ran his hands through his hair.

God, he was tired.
The bed was out of the question, so it was better to just sleep

where he was. Not that he had much of a choice in the matter of
where he slept. His eyelids were as heavy as though there were rocks
tied to them, and they just kept right on falling shut.

Before he drifted off, it occurred to him that this man was a real,

live werewolf. Or maybe he was a shapeshifter. Didn’t werewolves
only transform under a full moon? Whatever. He definitely wasn’t
normal.

Dean had said he was going to be in this area, right before Chris

lost  contact  with  him  forever.  Dean  always  had  been  into  dangerous
things  since  their  parents  and  sister  had  been  killed  by  those  wild
animals.  Maybe  this  man  might  be  able  to  help  Chris  in  finding  out
what happened to him.

* * * *

Eli had no idea how long he’d been out for, but he did know that

he had a killer headache. He brought his hand up to his head, hoping
to dull the pounding, and then he noticed the wrap around his arm as
well as the pulling sensation on his skin beneath.

What the hell?
There was also a bandage on his face. He could feel it there and

even see bits of the white stuff at the very corners of his vision if he
looked down enough.

Chris, his mate, was sleeping in the most ugly-looking brown

chair Eli had ever seen. His neck looked like it was in a painful angle,
but his chest was rising and falling in that hypnotic way that could
only mean he was just resting.

This place he was in, Eli looked around, definitely a motel room.

And since this highway town was so small, there was only one motel

Marcy Jacks

this could possibly be.

Chris had brought him here and tended to his wounds.
Still, that pulling feeling was getting on his nerves. Eli unwrapped

the bandage from around his arms and found the culprit. Stitches.

Well, fuck. The good news? He’d been passed out when they were

being administered, otherwise he would have flipped out at the sight
of the needle.

The bad news? He now had stitches he needed to try and pull out.
He got to working on them. He was naked on top of the bed.

There were no blankets, or even sheets covering him, which,
considering the heat, had probably been a good thing. Had Chris been
looking at him while he’d been out of it?

Eli looked over at the sleeping man, and then down at the stitches

he was doing his best to tear apart. Maybe he hadn’t been looking.
This work looked a little too well done for Chris to have been
distracted by anything else.

He picked at the thread with his fingernails and then with his

teeth. They weren’t the kind of stitches that a normal doctor or nurse
would apply. This looked like the kind of thread someone would use
if they were sewing a hole in a pair of jeans. Eli knew the difference
because the pack’s wise woman, Old Maggie, was always on hand
with some good quality stitching. Both for the flesh and for any
ripped up clothes that inevitably occurred in a pack of werewolves.

Finally he got the stitches out. His wound had already closed,

leaving a pink line with those tiny pinprick holes. Even that sort of
healing was a little bit too fast. Maybe he should be a little more
grateful for the stitching.

“What are you doing?”
Eli looked up. Chris’s eyes had come open, and his body was very

much alert and awake now as he looked at Eli and the handiwork he’d
just done, strewn about the bed.

Eli looked down at the bandages and bits of thread on the mattress

then back at Chris. Eli was naked. Chris was only wearing a pair of

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

jeans. Never in all his life had Eli ever felt the urge to have sex with
another man, but this was his mate, and the instinct to claim, mate,
fuck, however you wanted to call it, was there, and it was strong.

He shifted his legs, trying to will down his penis and hoping that

Chris wouldn’t notice. At least he was a human. That meant he
wouldn’t easily smell the change in Eli’s body.

“I heal quickly. The stitches helped close the wound a little faster,

but I don’t need them anymore, and it was starting to itch.” Eli held
his arm out so that Chris could see for himself.

Chris leaned forward, his eyes glued to the pink line. “That’s

impossible,” he said.

He’d seen Eli transform. He’d watched as Eli fought off those

other werewolves, and then he brought him here to nurse him back to
health. He knew it was possible, but Eli decided not to push it.

“Does anyone else know I’m here?”
Chris hesitated and then shook his head. “No. I tried to make sure

no one would see use when we came in,”

Eli nodded. “Thank you for that.”
“What are you?”
The inevitable question that usually came when humans

discovered there were things in the world they thought had only been
the product of some twisted writer’s nightmares.

This man was his mate, Eli reminded himself. If he revealed what

he really was, he would have the law of his pack on his side. “A
werewolf.”

Chris seemed taken aback by that. “But I thought werewolves

only changed under the full moon and were all ferocious and couldn’t
control themselves when they did transform.”

Eli shook his head. “That’s the odd case. Wild werewolves are

usually like that, and most of the time they can’t even control
themselves when in their human forms.”

“Wild―?”
“Shh!” Eli raised his hand for silence, his ears picking up a sound

Marcy Jacks

from just outside their door. Sounded like an empty can or something
being kicked around.

“When you brought me here, did you travel along the streams?”
“What streams?” Chris asked.
Right. He was new in town, and that response certainly answered

Eli’s question.

He slunk over to the door, still naked and trying not to notice the

way Chris blushed and hid his eyes under his hand as he passed. Eli
looked through the peephole. He saw nothing.

That didn’t guarantee that Lloyd and his man hadn’t gone back to

their pack and decided to return with some reinforcements.

Eli didn’t smell the men, and he had their scent for sure. He would

never forget it. Maybe it was just some soda can blowing in the wind.

He didn’t want to take the risk. “Where’s the phone?”
“On the nightstand. Did you want me to go out and, I don’t know,

find you some clothes or something?”

Just the way he said it let Eli know how uncomfortable Chris was

over Eli’s nudity. The rise in his heartbeat also told him that it wasn’t
because he found the male body repulsive. Not by a long shot.

“Probably best you don’t leave here after what happened. At least

not yet,” he added quickly, finding the phone and picking up the
receiver.

Chris swallowed. “Because of those other men?”
Eli looked at him straight on, remembering the way that one slimy

fuck had tried to rape Chris. “Yes.”

“But I have nothing to do with any of this!” Chris said. “I’m not a

werewolf.”

“No, but you have the night-and-day eyes,”
“The what?”
Eli could barely concentrate on dialing the number he needed to.

Instead, he walked over to Chris and got down on his knees in front of
him. “Night,” he said, pointing at the one chocolate-colored eye, so
dark it was nearly black, then at the bright blue one. “Day. The weird

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

thing about the name is that, even if you had one eye that same dark
brown and the other hazel instead of sky blue, it would still be called
day-and-night eyes by my people. Having dual-colored eyes is a good
luck symbol for werewolves. It means you’re blessed by Romulus and
Remus. Maybe it’s more instinctual than I thought, too. Either way,
any wild wolf without morals is going to want a piece of you.”

Chris reached up with his hand, touching the skin just under his

lower lash. “But…”

“Don’t think about it right now,” Eli said, getting back to his feet

and moving toward the phone. “I need to make a call so we can safely
get out of here.”

“You’re a werewolf,” Chris said, and Eli heard him getting to his

feet. “Do you want a piece of me, too?”

His voice was defensive. Not good.
Eli looked at him then noted where Chris’s eyes were pointed, and

he shifted around to keep him from staring too long at Eli’s erection.
“Yes, but I won’t hurt you. I would never do that.”

“Why?”
Jesus Christ! Eli wet his lips. “Because I’m not like that, and

neither are my friends. You traveled in a way that those other wolves
can follow our scents here and bring reinforcements if they want. I
need to call my pack alpha and tell him to come and get us.”

Eli had the phone in his hand again when that kicked can sound

came again. This time they both heard it, because Chris’s head
whipped toward the door.

“There’s someone out there,” he said. Those mismatched eyes of

his were alert, and he looked to Eli as though asking, What should I
do?

“Stay there,” Eli whispered. “Don’t make a sound.”
Chris swallowed and nodded.
Eli walked naked over to the door again. He looked out the little

peephole, and this time, a shuffle in the bushes, just on the outskirts of
the parking lot, caught his eye.

Marcy Jacks

The sun was setting, however, and the shadows were long, making

it difficult to see who exactly was out there.

Goddamn it. He was still hungover. Whose scent was that?
“Who’s there?” Chris whispered.
Eli signalled him for silence then motioned to the door lock. Chris

nodded, getting the message loud and clear.

Lock the door behind me.
Eli stepped out. He wasn’t too worried about giving some old lady

a heart attack or anything with his nudity, because, despite how shitty
his nose was working at the moment, he couldn’t smell any humans
nearby, but he was definitely catching that distinct dog smell that
came with being a werewolf.

As to the individuals, however, he had no idea who they were.
Eli quietly shut the door behind him, and he heard the click of the

bolt sliding home as Chris locked himself inside.

Not that it would help him if Eli couldn’t stop whoever these

wolves were from getting to him, but it would buy him some time to
call for help, and hopefully that would be enough.

Eli kept his eyes on the prize, those shifting shrubs just over there,

where he knew his enemies were hiding. They would see him coming,
but he marched over with his back straight, itching to transform and
attack.

When he made it over, he lifted his hand, his fingers clawlike,

ready to bring it down in a killing swipe.

Someone popped out and jumped back, putting his hands up to

keep Eli from attacking. “Hey! Hey! Relax, it’s me!”

Eli couldn’t believe it. “Isaac?”
“No shit! Put your claws away!”
Oh. Right.
He lowered his hands. The second he did, a heavy fist punched

him on the back of his shoulder. “You prick!” It was Adam, and he
didn’t look very happy. “Where the hell were you all this time? We
thought you were kidnapped or something.”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Eli stiffened. “We?”
He looked over, and it seemed that nearly the whole pack of

alphas appeared, all of whom had been hiding in various places
around the parking lot. Andrew, Gordon, Lyle, Nick. Everyone was
dressed in their regular clothes, meaning they hadn’t shifted and run
here but had stayed in their human forms.

Even James. Out of everyone, he looked the least pleased. His

scarred face was turned down in a frown. “We came looking for you
and scented your blood and the blood of other werewolves minutes
from our road. We followed it here and have been trying to get your
attention. We were just about to charge in there and get you. What the
fuck is going on?” James paused then leaned forward and sniffed. His
nose crinkled. “You smell like you’ve got alcohol leaking from your
pores.”

All things considered, his alpha had a reason to be pissed. He

might as well tell the truth, seeing as he couldn’t hide the fact that
he’d been at a bar.

“I had a couple of drinks and was just heading home when two of

those new werewolves Deacon turned found me. I fought them off
and came here to heal up.”

Eli didn’t bother with lifting his arm so that James could see the

healing scar. His eyes were already looking down at it, and the
bandage on Eli’s face was still pretty noticeable.

“I smell a human in there,” James said, nodding his head toward

the motel. “Should I ask what you’re doing with him?”

James, as tactfully as he could, merely glanced down at Eli’s still

half-hard cock, before turning his eyes back up and looking at Eli’s
face.

Eli cleared his throat. “He’s my mate. I haven’t told him yet

though. Christ, I don’t think I even told him my name yet.”

Mentioning that he’d found his mate and using the word he in the

same sentence, didn’t bring about much of a reaction, except all the
men seemed to look at each other.

Marcy Jacks

When James found his mate in Corey, he’d had to go and speak to

their wise woman to see if something like that was even possible.
Two male mates was just such a rare occurrence, especially when, up
until recently, it had been assumed that one only found their mate
because nature was telling them it was time to have pups.

Currently, there were four male couples in James DeWitt’s pack

who were mated.

Eli and Chris would make the fifth mated couple, once he told

Chris about them. He wondered how the other man would take it.

James sighed. “All right, there’s nothing I can do about it if he’s

your mate. I’m assuming he’s also the one who gave you that?”

James pointed to the bandage on Eli’s face, and he nodded.

“Right. I was getting ready to call you, and because he’s human, he
wasn’t sure what I was or what attacked us until I told him, and when
he brought me here, he left our scent open to be hunted.”

“How do you think we found you?” Adam asked.
“Christ, even I was able to track you, and I don’t have a

werewolf’s nose,” Isaac said.

“Your scent was all over the place,” Andrew said. The guy rarely

spoke about anything, so for him to point that out was just too much
for Eli.

Irritation bubbled inside him at their comments. “Yes, well, he

was never trained to hide like we were. James,” Eli said, turning to his
pack alpha. “One of those weres that attacked us, they saw his face.
They have his scent and they know what he looks like. They’ll be
sniffing him out.”

James nodded, understanding immediately. “He won’t fight if we

take him with us?”

Eli shook his head. He would make sure that Chris understood

perfectly what was at stake here. Chris needed to hide now, or those
other wolves would track him down, rape him, and kill him, maybe
not even in that order. “I’ll explain to him that it’s important he comes
with us. I’ll make sure he understands.”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Eli had never done that thing before that some mates could do to

each other, where one could gently manipulate the emotions of the
other.

Now would be a good time to learn, however, if Chris did decide

he didn’t want to travel with a group of dangerous creatures he didn’t
understand. Eli wasn’t ready to part with him just yet.

“All right. Go in, get him, and come back home. I’ll have a talk

with you privately there.”

Of course. Eli wasn’t out of the woods yet for going back to

drinking in the bar.

“There’s one more thing, James.”
“What is it?”
“Chris, he has day-and-night eyes.”
James’s eyebrows lifted, and he turned to look toward the motel

door with its big gold numbers, where Chris was still hidden.

“Well, shit.”

Marcy Jacks

Chapter Four

Chris jumped at the knock at the door. He looked through the

peephole and quickly unbolted the door. He was surprised to see the
man he’d taken in wearing a pair of jeans.

“We need to go.” It was all he said as he grabbed Chris by the arm

and yanked him out.

“Hey!” Chris tried to fight the guy off. Seriously, he didn’t think

he was that small of a guy, he did have muscle on him, but even using
all of his strength he couldn’t pry his arm out of this man’s grip.

“Stop that. You’re going to bruise yourself,” he said, halting

suddenly and looking Chris in the eyes.

Too weird. “I have my stuff back there. My wallet and cards,

everything.”

“My friends will get it all for you.”
“Your friends?” Chris looked over and saw all the men suddenly

hanging out on the parking lot. Each of them varied in size, but they
were all huge as far as Chris was concerned. Some of them looked
downright scary, like professional hit men with their sunglasses. Was
that guy wearing gun holsters?

Chris would have looked a little closer, had his attention not been

taken by the gray wolf behind the shrubs, head bent, orange eyes
glaring at Chris.

Jesus Christ! It was another one of them.
Without realizing it, he tried to back away. The man holding

Chris’s  arms  shook  him  a  little,  grabbing  his  attention.  “Listen.
You’re  not  safe  here.  These  men  are  part  of  my  pack.  They’ll  help
keep  you safe until we can figure out what to do about those wolves

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

who saw you.”

Chris looked back at the group of men standing before him. He

didn’t feel much too safe in their presence either. Not with the curious
way they were all looking into his eyes.

Chris could still feel that other man on top of him, holding him

down, trying to remove his pants and pull out his erection.

Chris shook his head. “No way.”
“Chris.”
“Forget it. No way. I’m glad you’re okay and everything, but I’ll

be fine on my own.”

“You can trust these men.”
“I don’t even know who you are!” Chris shot back, and again he

tried to pull his arm out of the man’s grip, and again he failed.

“My name is Eli Martin,” he said, and Chris became still and

quiet. Not because of the tone Eli had used when introducing himself,
finally, but because of the pleading way in which he was staring at
Chris. “That’s my name. My brother was Eric Martin. He was my
twin and my best friend, and those men that tried to fuck you and kill
me, they killed him already. That one wolf saw your eyes, and he has
your scent. They found us here without any problems at all,” Eli said,
pointing with his hand to the whole group of his friends. “And after
what I just told you about your eyes, you’d better believe they’ll come
looking for you, too, to get back at us for what I did to them.”

Chris’s heart pounded, and he swallowed hard. He was never the

brave sort of guy. He didn’t even much like survival horror video
games, or roller coasters, but he had seen what he had seen, and he
knew Eli was being perfectly serious.

“Please,” Eli said, his eyes, those dark, kicked-puppy eyes,

pleading with him to not fight him on this. “Come with me.”

Chris couldn’t believe he was about to do this, but he reminded

himself of Dean, and now, knowing that Eli also had a brother
murdered by werewolves, well, maybe it wouldn’t be too difficult to
get him to help Chris find out about his brother, seeing as they shared

Marcy Jacks

that sort of bond between them.

“All right,” he said.

* * * *

Eli was glad Chris decided not to fight him on going to Eli’s pack.

Though it had been a bitch to open up about his brother in front of the
rest of the alphas like that, they all knew about Eric. Christ, they’d
been there when he was murdered, but saying it out loud like that, in
front of them, and knowing he had that kind of pain in his voice,
wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on.

He’d been happy, however, when Chris made sure to walk

especially close to Eli during the walk back to pack land. He
wondered if Chris had been aware he was doing it, that he was
looking to Eli for protection. Well, he had been doing it, and whether
Chris knew it or not, they were mated.

All Eli had to do was tell him.
That was going to have to wait. The second they got back to pack

land,  which  after  carefully  watching  every  step  they  all  took  just  in
case  they  were  about  to  run  into  an  ambush  or  something,  took  way
more  time  than  it  needed  to,  Eli  ran  to  his  cabin  to  be  alone.  He
barked  orders  at  Adam  to  find  Chris  a  decent  cottage  and  a  decent
room to stay in as he ran.

Adam flipped Eli the middle finger as he ran away, and Eli

couldn’t be bothered with turning around and beating the living shit
out of the man for the offense.

Nope. Before that could happen, hell, before his little meeting

with James could happen, there was something that he needed to take
care of first, and it had been killing him all day.

Eli’s cabin was one of the newer ones that Isaac was being

commissioned to build, and despite the fact that it had three bedrooms
that were more than big enough to be shared with other members of
the pack, he lived here by himself.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

No one wanted to hang out with a depressed drunk all the time,

and that suited Eli just fine. It meant he didn’t have to hide his booze
very well from prying eyes, and he could keep the place in whatever
condition he wanted.

At the moment, it looked like shit. He could never bring Chris in

here until he got this place cleaned up.

One step at a time, however.
Eli ran into the bathroom and kicked the door shut behind him.

Thank  God  Andrew  had  shifted  so  that  Eli  could  have  something  to
wear.  It  was  one  thing  to  be  walking  around  with  Chris  standing  so
close  to  him,  but  it  was  entirely  another  to  be  naked  and  Chris
walking  so  close  to  him.  With  his  scent  right  under  Eli’s  nose  that
whole time, Eli’s dick swelled painfully more and more.

Had it not been for the jeans, he was sure Chris would have

looked down and noticed at some point.

He hadn’t, and now Eli had to take care of this or else he wasn’t

going to be of any use to anyone.

He pulled down the jeans, and they were like a second frickin’

skin. The hot weather, combined with his sweat, and the fact that
Andrew had a boney ass, meant he had to peel the cotton off his legs.

He got them down as far as he needed, and he wrapped his fist

around his cock, his eyes sliding shut at the immediate jolt of pleasure
as he stroked himself.

Fuck, that was good.
Eli rested his hand against the wall, leaned down, and pumped

himself, his breathing hitching with every stroke.

It was good, but not quite what he wanted.
He reached under the tiny sink and pulled open the little

cupboards under there, reaching for the bottle of skin cream he kept,
though not for his skin.

He squirted a little into his hands and rubbed them together to

slick his palm just enough, and the next time he grabbed his cock, he
nearly came.

Marcy Jacks

“Fuck! Chris,” he moaned.
He’d seen Chris with his shirt off. He knew what his chest looked

like, so there was no fantasy where that was concerned. He imagined
himself licking that chest, the ridges between his smaller muscles,
pulling one of those little brown nipples into his mouth.

Chris would screw his eyes shut, spreading his legs, inviting Eli in

to claim him.

No, Eli pictured himself turning Chris over, putting him onto his

hands and knees, touching his hole with his tongue, making Chris
buck and moan before Eli stilled him by putting his hands on Chris’s
hips and thrusting his slick cock inside and―

Eli groaned as he came, shooting into the toilet bowl.
He rested his face on his arm, giving himself a minute to catch his

breath before finally releasing his dick and pulling the toilet seat
town.

He cleaned up and showered, throwing the borrowed jeans into his

ever-growing laundry pile. He took the bandage off his face before it
could have the chance to get wet. There was a little blood soaking
through it, but otherwise, the slice had closed up.

Those blades the weres were using couldn’t have been silver,

otherwise he would have been sick and his wounds wouldn’t be
healing all that quickly.

Thank God for small miracles.
He sat on his unmade bed and rubbed his hands through his hair.

Christ, was this what it was like to have an unclaimed mate so close
by, but holding off on taking them?

They said that humans, despite being human, were capable of

experiencing the same emotional and physical needs as their lycan
counterparts when they were close to their mates.

Please God, let Chris be feeling these things, too, Eli silently

prayed, his cock already twitching as the faintest thought of Chris
naked and calling to him entered his mind. He didn’t know how much
longer he’d be able to hold off on just taking the other man, or else he

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

would go insane if he had to stay this horny and needy all the time.

* * * *

“I’m banning you from the bars,” James said when Eli finally

managed to get his ass out of his cottage and go and see him. “If I
ever find out you went there without just cause within the next twelve
months, I will banish you from the pack.”

James had been angry enough as it stood, considering Eli had

been late to show up, and whether Eli had found his mate as a result
from going to the bar or not, the fact stood that he had disobeyed ten
times too many, and now James clearly had enough.

He had a couple of bottles hidden under his kitchen sink anyway.

He could take sips from them now and again whenever the reminder
of Eric’s death got to be too much, and slowly, he could wean himself
off the stuff.

He had to get sober now that he’d found Chris anyway.
“Yes, sir, of course.”
James looked at him skeptically. He wasn’t the sort of leader to

admonish  his  alphas while sitting behind  a desk.  No, they were both
standing, and James had his  back to  his new bookcase, and his  arms
were  crossed  as  he  stared  at  Eli.  “You’re  giving  me  your  word  on
this?”

Eli nodded. If he was careful with the amount he had, he could

probably make it last for a couple of weeks. That should be more than
enough time for him to get his ass on the wagon. “Yes, sir.”

“And I’m not going to find out you snuck on down to town to buy

more booze?”

“No, sir, definitely not.”
“Good.” James uncrossed his arms and stood straight. Eli got the

message that he was being dismissed.

“Go find your mate now. Corey and Tristan were with him, last I

heard, trying to get him used to us, but he’ll be needing you.”

Marcy Jacks

Eli blushed. This was where things got awkward. “James, how am

I supposed to claim him?”

James’s brows went into his hairline.
“I know how to fuck him,” Eli clarified. “But how am I supposed

claim him? Will he be for it if I just go up to him and, I don’t know,
throw him over my shoulders or something?”

That actually sounded like it would make for really good sex. Eli

could go up to him and, caveman-style, just grab Chris around the
waist and walk off with him.

But Chris was still a human. Regardless of the fact that they were

mated, and that Chris was probably feeling the same things Eli was,
there was the great big, glaring fact that he probably wouldn’t
appreciate being hauled off like that.

“Hm,” James said. “I don’t know. Corey was a werewolf himself

by the time we claimed each other, so his case is a little different. You
might want to ask Tristan or Isaac about that one.”

Considering all the money he owed to Isaac, Eli wasn’t too

concerned about asking him for anything.

“You’re both adults,” James said. “He’s your mate, so he is

sexually attracted to you at the very least. Just go up to him, offer him
a drink, non-alcoholic, and explain your situation or don’t, I don’t
think it matters, and you should have him in bed soon enough.”

That was right, and Eli couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it

before. “Okay, thank you, sir.”

“Eli?”
Eli halted before he could turn around and make his escape.

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever had sex with another man before?”
Eli wasn’t embarrassed by the question. This was his mated alpha

asking him this, so it wasn’t like the question hurt his sense of morals,
thin as they’d been recently. “Yes. I am gay. I just never thought I’d
mate with a man.”

James nodded, looking thoughtful. “It does seem to be happening

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

an awful lot lately.”

And Eli thanked God for that. With all the shit he’d had to deal

with lately, having a woman he wasn’t interested in thrust upon him
would  have  sucked  to  high  heaven.  Of  course,  being  mated  to  a
woman  would  have  made  him  interested  in  her,  enough  to  produce
pups,  and maybe they  would  even  get  along  as  good friends, but  Eli
just wasn’t interested in women that way.

Maybe Romulus and Remus were just taking a little pity on him.

They sent him a male mate, and he was also something decent to look
at, too.

“I’m going to go and find Chris.”
“He’s in Nick’s old cabin,” James said, and Eli left to claim his

mate.

Marcy Jacks

Chapter Five

It was beginning to drive Chris a little crazy how mellow

everyone was acting, considering they were all beings that shouldn’t
exist. Corey seemed like a friendly guy, though Chris wondered how
his hand got to be so badly scarred. It looked like a fire burn over all
of his fingers and the hand itself. He didn’t mention it, however, and
Chris didn’t think it was his business to ask.

Tristan was funny. Somehow he managed to tell a story that

would make Chris laugh, even though he was in a campsite filled with
werewolves and no one from the outside knew where he was.

Wasn’t like he had anyone to report back to anyway.
Despite these worries, Chris slowly found himself relaxing around

the pair of them, even when they began talking about the fun they had
chasing rabbits through the trees and pouncing on a family of
squirrels in their wolf forms, like that was normal for them.

They both gave Chris curious glances from time to time,

especially whenever Chris locked eyes with them. However, they
didn’t try to pounce on him or anything.

Maybe it was because they had their own significant others. At

least, that was the impression Chris got whenever Corey or Tristan
spoke about men named James and Isaac.

Didn’t mean they weren’t occasionally acting strange about

something.

If Chris didn’t know any better, he’d say these men were

babysitting him.

“Would my eyes really bring me trouble? With other werewolves,

I mean.” It was still strange, having that word pass his lips.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Werewolves. This was going to take a little getting used to.

Both men looked at each other. Corey was the one to answer.

“Mostly this will only apply to unmated weres. There is something
instinctual about it, though.”

“Yeah,” Tristan said. He was sitting on the bed, his ankle crossed

over his knee. “I mean, I’m looking at you, and I kind of want to hit
on you, but I don’t want to throw you down on the bed or anything
like that.”

“Most of the unmated weres here will probably try flirting with

you to get some attention,” Corey said. “The mated ones will be
curious, but a few of them will probably try shaking your hand or
something.”

“To see if that will pass on any of my good luck?” Chris asked.
Corey shrugged. “From what I understand, basically, yes.”
Chris didn’t feel very lucky. He didn’t think anything about his

situation was lucky at all. Nearly getting raped by some huge bearlike
man, who was actually a werewolf capable of ripping him in half if he
wanted to, and then having to come here for his safety to hide from
anyone else who might make a try for him…

It definitely wasn’t the way he’d hoped to spend his time

searching for his brother.

“So,” Tristan said, clearing his throat. “What do you think of Eli?”
“Eli?”
“The werewolf you rescued,” Corey said, as though Chris could

have ever forgotten him. “That’s a pretty cool new way to meet new
friends.”

Chris didn’t think so, nor was he even sure that he’d even rescued

Eli, considering the man was healing just nicely on his own anyway.
Admittedly, Chris was still struggling with the memory of Eli walking
around his motel room naked, like that was the most natural thing in
the world to be doing.

It still heated his blood with embarrassment.
Both men in front of him seemed to see this, and Chris realized

Marcy Jacks

that he was blushing, and they were smiling about it.

Only one thing they could be thinking about right at this moment.

“No, no. There’s nothing going on between him and me. Not
happening.”

“Sure,” Tristan drawled, grabbing one of the beers that had been

put on the nightstand for them. He took a swig from the bottle, still
somehow managing to keep his eyes on Chris and that knowing smile
on his lips.

“Okay, I get it. It’s my eyes, right?” Chris asked. “Well, I did drag

him back to my motel, but I was only doing that to try and help him.
Nothing happened in there, and nothing ever will,” he said.

“Really?” Corey asked, his brows raised.
Chris hoped he wouldn’t come off as a jerk, especially since these

two men were obviously part of the other team. “I’m not even gay. I
mean, is that why you guys are asking about him?”

Had Eli spoken to these other wolves, staking his claim? Is that

why everyone would rather send him curious glances rather than just
introducing themselves like normal people?

Chris wasn’t afraid of people who were gay. Far from it. Even he

was able to recognize beauty in its male form, and Eli had lots of that
in spades, but if either of these men were under the impression that
there was something going on between him and Chris, well, Chris was
going to have to set them straight on that front.

Both Corey and Tristan looked at each other thoughtfully.
“Hm,” said Tristan.
“Well,” Corey said, looking back at Chris, “the two of you will

get that all settled. Sorry we jumped to conclusions.”

“But what about―”
Corey elbowed Tristan in the ribs quickly, and Chris’s suspicion

meter started sounding alarms inside of his head.

He needed to think, to get his head on straight for when Eli did

return for him, especially if he thought he was going to claim Chris as
his, or however it was the werewolves termed it.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

“I’m going to take a quick walk.”
Tristan and Corey got to their feet. “Great, we’ll go with you,”

Tristan said.

More evidence that these men were here as guards rather than as

friends.

“I’d rather go alone.”
They both looked at each other again in that way Chris was

growing to despise. “Uh, look,” Corey said. “I’m sure you’ve
probably already guessed that we’re here to watch you, but it really is
for your protection.”

Chris liked to think of himself as the sort of guy who was capable

of being calm, even when he wanted to blow his top. “Okay, can you
explain that to me? I thought we were safe here.”

“We are, relatively safe, anyway,” Tristan said. “But attacks have

been known to happen here when weres from other packs try to take
over the land. There was an attack here two months ago, and it
affected quite a few of us.”

“So, it’s not safe here,” Chris said.
“It’s safer for you to be here, where you can be watched, instead

of strolling around the woods by yourself, where a wild were from
another pack could be lurking,” Corey said. “And it’s safer for us, too.
You’re still a stranger to everyone out there. For all anyone knows,
you’re a spy send by a hunter or something.”

“I’m not a spy,” Chris said, the anger rising inside of him.
“And we believe you,” Tristan said. “But it makes for better

common sense if we don’t let you roam free around the place. We still
have to be careful.”

Christ, now how in the hell was Chris supposed to argue against

that? He couldn’t. Their reasoning was too solid for him to fight
against it. Any thought-clearing meditation he did, it would have to be
done in the presence of these two men here.

“Fine, let’s go then,” Chris said, getting to his feet and heading for

the door.

Marcy Jacks

It might irk him, but he really needed to stretch his legs. Maybe

when he met Eli next, these two would be allowed to give them some
privacy.

Chris needed to make sure that Eli understood that there would be

nothing happening between them, but he also trusted the man enough
that he wanted to ask him about Dean. Him and no one else.

If Eli had some feelings for Chris, whether they were based solely

on the color of his eyes or not, then maybe he could count on Eli to
help him dig up some information.

And if it turned out someone here was responsible for Dean’s

having gone missing, well, then he would just have to hope that Eli’s
feelings stretched far enough that he wouldn’t want to see Chris
vanish the same way his brother had.

* * * *

Eli didn’t find them in the small cottage, but the scents of all three

men was strong, meaning they’d just left minutes before he’d arrived.

It made following their trails too easy, and Eli came upon them

walking through the trees several yards away from the nearest house.

His protective instincts flared, and he was nearly upon the group

of them before Tristan turned up from whatever they were looking at
to see the anger on Eli’s face.

He backed up a step, his hands raised. “Whoa, man, relax,”
“What the hell are you two doing bringing him out here?” Eli

snapped. He didn’t care if Corey was James’s mate either. He was
going to yell at him, too. “There’s other wolves prowling around who
want a piece of him, and you bring him this far past the tree line?”

“We’re not that far out,” Corey said, looking beyond Eli to where

the brighter clearing of cottages could still be seen in the distance, out
from under the heavy canopy of trees.

If Eli strained his ears enough, he could still hear some of the

children playing while the other omegas did their chores. He couldn’t

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

make out exact words, not from this distance, but the noise, and the
sight of their home, had probably given these two omegas here the
false sense of security that had allowed them to come out this far.

“It doesn’t matter,” Eli said, refusing to be placated. “Other alpha

wolves have come this far in before. They’ve snuck in further, and as
long as he’s here, they’re going to think they have a reason to attack
us.”

“Shouldn’t I leave then?” Chris asked. “If I’m going to be causing

these kinds of problems, then―”

“No!” Eli snapped. “You can’t leave. You need protection as

much as anyone now that they’ve seen you.”

Seen your eyes, he wanted to say. If Chris really was some kind of

walking good-luck charm to whomever claimed him, then any were
who saw him would want him. They would kidnap him, try to force
him to become part of their packs. They would change him against his
will. Some would rape him.

Just the thought of that other wolf on top of Chris, trying to take

his clothes off while Eli had been lying there, almost too weak to even
do anything to save him…

It made him see red. It made him want to run off and hunt down

that son of a bitch right now and finish what he’d started.

Relax. Stay calm. Eli took in a deep breath. You’re just having a

strong reaction because your mate is right there. He’s safe for now.
Nothing is hurting him.

Corey and Tristan looked at each other and then at Chris.
“Maybe we should leave you two alone,” Corey said, walking

around Eli and heading back to the cottages.

“Yeah,” Tristan agreed, following behind him.
With the way he’d acted, Eli half expected Chris to put up some

sort of protest at being left alone with him. He said nothing.

“You and I need to talk,” Eli started, hooking his thumbs into the

pockets of his jeans.

“Yeah,” Chris said. “Did you go around telling everyone in this

Marcy Jacks

camp that I’m yours?”

That made Eli pause. How could he have―?
Right. Corey or Tristan must have said something. “I did. You’re

my mate, so I wanted to make that clear to everyone before someone
decided to be cute and try seducing you.”

“I’m not your mate,” Chris insisted, a frown pulling down on his

face.

Now Eli was the one to frown. “Yes, you are. I would know.” And

so should you, he wanted to say.

“Look, I get that my eyes mean something to your people, but I’m

not some…I’m not going to just sit here and let you claim dibs on me
like I'm a frickin’ toy for you to grab.”

Eli wanted to grab him, all right. He wanted to grab him and shake

him. “You don’t understand. When I say you’re my mate, I’m not
saying it because I looked at your eyes and decided it. I’m saying it
because it was decided for me. For us. We’re each other’s perfect fit.”

Supposed to be at any rate. This conversation felt anything but

perfect at the moment.

Chris was giving him a calculated look. “Like, soul mates or

something?”

“If that’s how it’ll make it easier for you to see it, then yes.”
“I’m not gay,” Chris said.
Eli didn’t believe that for a second. He heard the way Chris’s

heart had sped up when they were back in his motel room and Eli was
walking around naked. His blood had heated, his heart had pounded,
and his breathing had ever so slightly picked up. That wasn’t the
reaction that came from simply being embarrassed at having a naked
man in your presence. Not even the most prudish of men could say
that.

“How would you know?” Eli said.
“How would I―? How would I know if I’m gay? Because I

would know!”

“Uh-huh, have you ever kissed a man? Fucked one?”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Chris’s face bloomed a bright red before the most ferocious snarl

marred his perfect face. “That’s not your business.”

That’s right. Get angry with me. Get your blood pumping again.

“I’ll take it that means yes. So what’s your story? Religious? Daddy
doesn’t approve of homosexuality, so you had to hide it?”

“Shut up!”
“Maybe you’re just afraid of being labelled. That’s okay. Nothing

to be ashamed of. I’ve known a lot of guys who―”

Chris rushed forward and shoved him. “I said shut up!” Chris had

probably put as much of his strength as he was able to into that push,
but Eli barely fell back a step. “You don’t know anything about me!”

“I know you’re either lying about being gay because you’re

ashamed of it, or you’re bisexual and just like to pretend that those
drunken nights in college didn’t mean anything.”

Chris looked ready to punch him. He raised his fist to do it, which

was trembling in anger.

He lifted his fist up above his head like a girl. Had no one ever

taught him how to fight?

“You know, if you want to punch me and make it count, you

should lower your arm.”

Chris blinked at him, some of his anger being replaced by

confusion, but only some. “What?”

“Your fist,” Eli pointed at it. “Lower it, lock your wrist, and put

your knuckles out. Throw all your weight into the swing and you’ll
get a stronger impact.”

Chris lowered his fist, apparently deciding that Eli was making

fun of him. “Fuck you.”

He tried to turn around and storm off, but Eli grabbed him, swung

him around and planted a kiss on him.

Chris fought him, but it was weak at best. Eli held them tightly

together, keeping his hand behind Chris’s head, holding their mouths
together.

He’d hoped that Chris would eventually…he didn’t know, melt

Marcy Jacks

into it, or something. But Chris kept right on fighting him.

He put his hands into Eli’s hair and yanked. Eli moaned. The pain

seemed to heighten the delicious sense of having his tongue in Chris’s
mouth, of having their bodies pressed so closely together.

Chris got hard, and Eli felt his erection pushing against his own

groin.

Finally! Yes! There it was. He’d hoped that kissing him would

bring out Chris’s inner instincts to mate. Eli pushed him down into the
soft moss, and as much as he enjoyed Chris’s hands in his hair, it was
beginning to hurt.

He pried the fingers out of his hair before pulling Chris’s hands

above his head, holding them down, exposing the smaller man to him.
He dove down and kissed him again, enjoying the way that Chris
squirmed in pleasure beneath him, and Eli rocked their hips together.

He groaned, luxuriating in the keening noises Chris made, and he

did it again, pulling back briefly to get a look at his mate beneath him.
There was lust in Chris’s eyes as he looked up at him, and Eli smiled
and kissed him again.

That felt so fucking good. His mate, he was finally claiming his

mate.

Eli put his hand under Chris’s shirt, feeling his chest, his beautiful

chest. He needed to get this annoying thing off of him.

He pulled his mouth away and released Chris’s hands so that he

could work on the buttons of the shirt. Clothing here was easily ruined
and sometimes difficult to come by, considering how often a
werewolf destroyed their clothes. Eli wanted to make sure Chris
would have something to wear after this.

But Chris’s hands came back down, and they pushed at Eli’s

stumbling fingers as he attempted to gently get the shirt off.

“Wait. Stop it. Stop!” he yelled.
It was then that he’d finally gotten Eli’s attention, and Eli froze up

at the fear he saw in Chris’s eyes.

Chris shook his head. “Don’t do this. Please…”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Begging. Chris was actually begging Eli to stop, as though he

were afraid that he had no choice in this matter, that Eli would take
that away from him.

It occurred to Eli, in the worst sort of earth-shattering clarity, that

Chris really didn’t want him. Eli had thought…he’d been so
sure…but he was wrong, and now he’d scared the hell out of his mate,
and destroyed any chance he ever had of being with him.

“I–I’m sorry, I―”
He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how he could have

been so mistaken. He lifted himself off of Chris and was crushed by
the way the other man scrambled out from under him.

“Chris, I―”
Chris punched him. Cracked him right in the nose, and though

Chris yanked his hand back and cried out from the pain of what he’d
done, Eli’s head was still thrown back, and he heard a nauseating
crunch inside of his nose.

Maybe it had been a mistake to teach Chris how to properly throw

a punch.

On the other hand, he did deserve it.
When Chris continued to shake his hand out, Eli reached for him.

“Let me―”

“Stay away from me!” Chris snapped. He jumped to his feet and

ran away, and Eli sank back into his bubble of misery.

If he could have ended his own existence with a thought, he would

have done it. Jesus Christ, someone had tried to force themself on
Chris less than a day ago, and Eli had to be that rough with him. Chris
had never been responding because of lust. That had been fear and
adrenaline to make his heart thump like that and give him his erection.

God, he was so stupid.
Maybe he could go to the other man, apologize, and explain how

it was just his instincts that made him act the way he did, that he
didn’t mean to scare him like that.

But then he’d be lying, because it hadn’t been just that. He’d

Marcy Jacks

wanted the other man, so much so that he got stupid and pushed when
Chris wasn’t ready.

Eli released a deafening roar, his clothes stretching and ripping as

he shifted into his wolf, breaking free from his human skin. He
howled into the air, a long, mournful sound filled with all the self-
loathing he could put into it.

There was only one way Eli knew of that was good for helping

him to forget his shitty life when he screwed up like this, and unless
the trees magically produced his favorite drink, he was going to have
to use the second best method.

Eli went for a run. He hadn’t been watching which direction Chris

ran off in, but his nose was telling him that it wasn’t back to the
houses.

Eli had to find him and bring him back before he got into any

trouble.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Chapter Six

Fuck it. He would take his chances with the wild werewolves of

Brampton before he went back to that place, where he knew Eli would
be waiting for him. That psycho motherfucker and all his talk of being
mated and belonging to each other.

Chris was so mad he wanted to punch something else, but he

didn’t want to injure his hand any more than he already had. The
knuckles throbbed and the skin had split open from where he’d hit the
other man.

That guy had a face that was as hard as rock. He wouldn’t have

thought so, considering it hadn’t felt that way at all when they’d
kissed.

Chris settled for just running and seething. The next time a man

transformed into a wolf and was injured in a territorial fight, Chris
was going to go about his day like he never saw a thing.

Unfortunately, Chris had never been a gym class kind of kid, and

the same was true as an adult. He had to stop and catch himself on
one of the heavy trees. He was sweating so much it was dripping off
his face. He couldn’t remember the last time that had happened to
him. He’d kill for water.

He sat there for a good one minute, catching his breath and still

growing all the more thirsty.

The problem with sitting and thinking like that was that he was

able to remember that all of his things had been taken from the motel
and were back at that camp filled with werewolves, who all thought
he was some kind of good luck charm.

And Eli was there.

Marcy Jacks

Three times in his life, Chris had to feel the power of a larger man

holding him down, trying to get his clothes off. The last time was with
Eli, and thankfully he’d had the self-control to stop the second Chris
had asked him to. The time before with that other no-name werewolf,
whom Eli had fought off and who was injured for it―he was not
going to feel guilty about that. The time before that―

He didn’t want to think about it.
The worst part was when Chris had gotten hard for Eli. As the

other man pressed him down and kissed him, his body reacted to it.

He liked to think he was smart enough to know when his body

was working under the influences of fear or adrenaline, but it had
been neither of those things.

He’d liked it when Eli had kissed him. It had felt kind of nice, he

supposed. Maybe he could admit to that much, but how was it he
could even like something like that? After everything that had
happened to him, was it possible that Eli was right and he really did
have an attraction to other men?

Well, only Eli, he supposed. He’d certainly never thought of

anyone else like he did that man.

He had to stop that thought and take in a deep breath, thinking

back. Eli wasn’t being violent with him when they were kissing. He
was being a little eager, definitely, but Chris had enough experience
to know the difference passion and violence.

He couldn’t lie to himself about this. It had been the reaction of

his body to scare him, not what Eli had been doing.

He had to go back. Chris looked up and around and realized how

far away from the pack he was. He had been warned about being by
himself. Werewolves were officially real, and part of their belief
system said that a person with multicolored eyes was a good-luck
charm that they had to have.

That one wolf had tried all right, and Chris wasn’t able to fight

him off on his own. Eli had to save him that time. If he came across
another one of those werewolves while he was by himself out here…

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Chris pushed himself away from the tree. He would go back, and

he and Eli were going to talk.

“Well, hello, hello.”
Chris jumped. He’d rested well enough, but the unfamiliar voice

was enough to have his heart thumping around again as though he’d
just finished running around the block ten times.

Three men, all of whom were huge like the last two had been and

wearing  frayed  denim  and  dirty  cotton  T-shirts.  The  one  in  the
middle, by far the cleanest, with a soldier-like buzz cut for hair, was
the one to speak, and he looked into Chris’s eyes with an unnerving
interest,  and  he  knew  that  all  three  of  these  men  were  werewolves.
“What have we here? Little Stewie was right.  You are something to
see.”

Shit. Chris turned tail and immediately ran. A hyena-like laugh

followed behind him before he ran smack into the hard chest of one of
his pursuers. He fell backward, landing hard on his back, and the wind
was knocked clear out of him.

They were fast. He hadn’t even seen that one get in front of him.
He didn’t even have the chance to suck in a breath before one of

them was sitting on his chest, and now he really couldn’t breathe. He
tried to push the man off of him, but his arms were grabbed and
pushed down into the dead leaves and dirt by one of the other men.

“Let’s see those pretty little eyes of yours,” said the man on top of

him,  and  Chris  got  an  up  close  look  at  the  filthy,  blunt  fingertips  as
they  came  down  on  him  and  pried  his  eyelids  apart.  For  a  hair  of  a
second,  Chris  was  able  to  forget  about  the  fact  that  he  couldn’t
breathe,  as  he  was  too  focused  on  being  grossed  out  by  the  man’s
brown fingernails.

“He doesn’t look so good,” one of them said. “He looks like he’s

turning blue.”

“He’s fine,” said the man squishing down on Chris’s chest. “Look

at those eyes. That’s a pretty shade of blue right there if you want to
see some real blue.”

Marcy Jacks

“No, really, look at him. I don’t think he can breathe.”
“He’s right,” said the first man, the one with the buzz cut and

authoritative voice. “Get off of him.”

Thankfully, the command was obeyed, and Chris was able to roll

onto his side and cough a couple of times. It took a minute for his
lungs to start expanding and contracting again, but when they did, he
screamed as loud as he could.

It wasn’t that loud at all, unfortunately. “Help!”
“Christ, someone shut him up. We’re not that far away from the

other pack,” Buzz Cut said, and that dirty hand was suddenly pressing
down on his mouth, squeezing his jaw.

Chris bucked and kicked, trying to get the other man off of him.
The guy only moaned a little. “Keep doing that, precious. Feels

nice.”

Chris abruptly stopped.
“So he’s good luck, eh?”
“Supposed to be for whoever takes him.”
“I’ve got him first, so I get to fuck him first.”
“Correction,” said Buzz Cut, “I do. You will wash your filthy

body before you even think about putting your cock into any of his
orifices.”

Chris fought against the urge to cry like some helpless girl. What

the hell was wrong with him? He and Dean were never that close to
begin with, so why did he have to go looking for him? Why did Chris
have to come to the one town in the whole world where everyone
wanted to gang-rape him?

The blade of a knife was suddenly pressed under his right eye, and

Chris went blind with panic.

“Get that away from his eyes!” Buzz Cut snapped.
“But the eyes are what’s lucky,” said the other man, the one not

holding his filthy hands over Chris’s mouth. “I know how we can
pickle them. We can keep them with us all the time.”

The man on top of him made a disgusted sound. “I don’t think

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

he’ll look as pretty with no eyes.”

“Indeed,” said Buzz Cut. “Leave them where they are. You might

destroy any luck they have if you remove them from the host.”

Thank God the blade of the knife was pulled away from Chris’s

eyes.

Not so great was when the man on top of him started fumbling

with Chris’s belt.

He squeezed his eyes shut. Not again…
Something hard whacked into the back of the guy’s head, and he

squawked indignantly at Buzz Cut. The stronger man only glared
down at him. “I said I was going first.”

“But I caught him!” the other man complained.
Buzz Cut glared down at him, and Chris could’ve sworn he’d

heard the other man whine like a kicked dog.

Corey and Tristan had explained this to him. They said that even

though there was always more than one alpha in a pack, there was
always one alpha to lead the others, and he was the one who had to
frequently put the others in their place, otherwise risk losing control.

James DeWitt was the leading alpha of Eli’s pack, and it looked

like Buzz Cut here was the one in charge of these two.

“You can carry him back to our camp,” Buzz said. “That’s as

much as you will handle him until I say so. You don’t even like men
anyway.”

“No,” the man agreed. “But this is different. He’s different.”
Chris squirmed as the guy’s meaty hands began caressing him

again. Buzz punched the guy upside the head again, making him cry
out and stop.

“Keep your filthy―”
A gray blur smashed into Buzz’s side, cutting off whatever it was

he was about to say. As one, the two other men ran after him, trying
to help him.

Chris got up and saw the way the huge wolf was tearing into

Buzz’s neck and shoulders until blood spurted like water from a

Marcy Jacks

broken pipe.

It was the same wolf from before, when Chris had been attacked

the first time. It was Eli.

“Look out!” he yelled as the two other men transformed. The one

changed so quickly that his clothes were shredded in the process. The
other  actually  took  the  time  to  remove  his  shirt  and  pants  before
getting  down  on  his  hands  and  knees.  For  some  reason,  the  change
seemed  to  come  onto  him  much  slower,  and  Chris  could  practically
watch  the  tough  hair  growing  from  out  of  his  pores  as  his  muscles
grew.

Buzz was done for. Chris didn’t think he was getting up again,

and Eli turned just as the other wolf leaped onto him, and a new fight
began.

One-on-one was one thing, but Chris didn’t know how Eli would

fare with two wolves jumping all over him, biting and clawing at him
until he was dead like Buzz down there.

Chris found a heavy rock in the earth, picked it up, and ran up

behind the other half-transformed man.

He didn’t notice Chris coming until it was too late, and Chris

smashed the rock down on the wolf-man’s hairy forehead.

There was a sickening crunch, and the moss growing on the rock

made it difficult to grip, and he dropped it right after making impact.

The guy was definitely dead, his limp body in some strange in-

between of man and wolf, a huge indent in the head.

Another dog whine sounded, and the body of the wolf that Eli had

been fighting with dropped limply to the ground.

Chris stayed on his knees in front of his own kill, staring at the

wolf in front of him.

Eli had blood all over his face, and he was panting heavily. He

didn’t pass out like the last time, though.

Maybe he spoke too soon. Eli stumbled and fell over, his body

shifting back into a naked man. It was strange how used to seeing his
body Chris was becoming.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Though his legs were shaking like crazy, his entire body still

pumping adrenaline, he managed to make it over to Eli’s side. He was
careful not to touch him.

He was definitely awake this time. Probably just exhausted. His

breathing said as much. “You all right?”

No. “Fine.”
Eli nodded then bit his lower lip. His jaw trembled like he was

about to start crying. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You were right. I shouldn’t be out here by

myself.”

“Not for that.” He managed to laugh a little while fighting back

tears. “James is gonna want to talk to you about that. I meant before.”

Chris inhaled deeply. “You didn't do anything wrong. It was…It

was me. Let’s get you back home.”

“I would never hurt you,” Eli said.
“I believe you. Come on, try and get on your feet now. I don’t

want to drag you all the way again like the last time.”

* * * *

They made it back safely enough, and the first thing Eli did was

pull himself away from Chris and hobble back to his own house
before anyone could come up to him and start asking questions.

Mostly he just wanted to be alone with his shame. Chris had said

that Eli was forgiven, and for some reason had said he was the one to
blame. He’d probably only said that it was okay because he felt
grateful that Eli had come for him and fought off those weres.

Meanwhile, Eli had been the reason Chris was attacked again to

begin with, and Eli doubted he would have been so lucky as to defeat
all of them if Chris hadn’t snuck up on that other were with a rock in
midtransformation.

Let Chris tell James what had happened. Eli wanted to be alone.
He slammed the door to his cabin and went straight for the kitchen

Marcy Jacks

cupboard under the sink. He grabbed the first bottle he saw. It was a
little more than half full. It would have to do.

Just as he lifted the bottle to his mouth, he caught sight of one of

the framed photos of himself and Eric, still propped up on the counter
from when Eli had put it there the last time he’d been home.

His hand shook around the bottle as he looked into the smiling

eyes of his brother. Eli smiled, too, and he and Eric were proudly
showing off their fishing catches to the camera.

He reached out and flipped the photo down, not wanting Eric to

watch him drink himself stupid. Even though it was only a picture.

He took a long swallow of the whiskey, letting it burn all the way

down his throat and into his stomach.

You should have been his mate. Not me, he thought, putting his

head back and taking another long swallow.

He sat down in one of his kitchen chairs. Both the table and the

two chairs had seen better days.

Eric was always the most sensitive of the two of them. On the few

times when they went out, sometimes sharing the men, or women,
they picked up, Eli had always seen the gentlemanly way Eric had
treated his partners, even when he’d had his dick in their mouths.

He never would have misread the signs Chris was sending him as

badly as Eli had done. He never would have been that rough.

Don’t think about it. It’ll be okay soon. Don’t think about it.
“God, I wish I had some ice for this shit.”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Chapter Seven

“Well, it’s not like you’re officially part of this pack yet, so I can’t

exactly punish you for running off like that when it was explained to
you the dangers that would be lurking out there,” James DeWitt, the
pack leader in charge of this camp of werewolves, said. Words like
that were supposed to be comforting, but it was the way he said it, and
the tone he used, that made Chris feel a whole lot of shame for his
actions.

He was a grown man. He should have known better than to just

run off like that, and he felt the need to apologize. “I’m sorry that one
of your friends was put in danger because of what I did.”

James looked at him, and that scarred face of his made it difficult

for Chris to tell whether or not he was being glared at. “Why did you
run off? No one here has threatened to hurt you, as far as I know, nor
would they. Intentionally,” he added, hastily.

Chris pressed his lips together, forcing himself to keep his eyes

locked onto the man in front of him. He was not weak or small or
helpless, and he wouldn’t act like he was either.

“Corey tells me that he left you with Eli. What happened out

there?”

Chris almost took a step back in his shock. This guy didn’t

politely beat around the bush. He wanted an answer, so he asked for it
straight out. “That’s not your business.”

“No?” James folded his arms, but Chris got the feeling that he

wasn’t being challenged. Measured up, most likely. “By your
reaction, I’m going to assume that he attempted to mate with you and
finish your bonding process. You got scared and ran. Am I right?”

Marcy Jacks

“No!” Chris snapped. “We are not mated, and there’s no bonding

going on between us.”

James’s brows, what little of them there were, shot up. “Did no

one explain this to you?”

“Eli might’ve mentioned something about it,” Chris muttered.

“But I’m not a werewolf. I don’t mate.” Not with other men.

James rubbed his face with the palm of his hand. “I can see this

wasn’t explained to you properly.”

“You can’t force me to marry anyone, or to stay here,” Chris said.

It wasn’t a good idea to get defensive in front of this man, and he
knew it, but he just couldn’t help the way his fists clenched up.

“No one is saying that. And being mated isn’t the same thing as

being married.”

“What’s the difference?” Chris asked, genuinely curious.
“When you mate with someone, there is no divorce.”
Great.
James laughed at him. “You just went pale there for a second.

Don’t worry, though, it isn’t all that bad.”

“Uh-huh.”
“Look.” James approached him and put his arm around Chris’s

shoulder, all best-buddy-like. “Corey was a human when I found him.
The species hardly matters.”

That threw Chris off. “Seriously?”
“Well, no one is ever going to mate with the elephant at the zoo,

but the humanoid species, as far as I know, won’t matter.”

“Humanoid…there’s more like you?”
“We’ll just stick with werewolves for now, and as far as

werewolves go, when we sniff out our mates, we tend to lose a little
of our control.”

Chris recalled the way Eli had kissed him and the hard press of the

other man’s body as he pushed Chris down onto the ground, grinding
their cocks together. Eli hadn’t been the only one to lose a little
control. Please, don’t let me be blushing. “Yeah, I got that.”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

“Well, just so you know, I’m sure he didn’t mean to scare you.

For a werewolf, the urge to complete the bonding is strong.
Sometimes it can even impact the health of the wolf in question if
they ignore it too long.”

“It can?” Chris shouldn’t be caring about this. He shouldn’t be

allowing James to butter him up the way he was, but he couldn’t help
but be worried for Eli, especially with the way the other man had
hobbled off to be alone once they’d returned to clearing of houses.

“Well, nothing too severe ever happened to me aside from having

the sweats at night,” James said. “But for Corey it was different. He
was human when I met him, but, ah, let’s just say that he wasn’t when
I brought him here. Don’t worry. No one will transform you if you
don’t want them to, but Corey was a special case.”

“Okay.”
James cleared his throat. “Anyway, I wanted to give him some

time to get used to me, and the fact that we were mated, because, like
you, he was under the human impression that something like that just
wasn’t possible. Little did I know that it was affecting his ability to
learn how to shift into his wolf, and that wasn’t good for him.”

Chris looked up at James’s face, and he really looked at the

scarring that was there, and he thought about the scarring on Corey’s
hand.  James’s  scars  looked  like  deep  pockmarks,  like  someone  had
gone  after  his  face  with  an  ice  chipper  or  something,  while  Corey’s
hand  looked  like  he’d  dipped  it  into  a  deep  fryer.  Were  those  the
products of not mating? Could that happen to him or Eli if he didn’t
just  admit  that  he  found the  other  man  attractive  and  spent  the  night
with him?

“I can see you’re still hesitating,” James said, gripping Chris by

the shoulders so that they had to look each other dead-on. “I don’t
know who it was that hurt you.”

Chris stiffened.
“But I promise you, Eli isn’t like that.”
“I can’t just jump into bed with him,” Chris said.

Marcy Jacks

“I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to just give him a chance,

get to know him a little bit. Maybe because of your eyes, just being
around him will be enough, and he won’t be…”

James didn’t finish. He looked like he was struggling for the right

word, and Chris didn’t want to help him find it.

Maybe if he was around Eli a little more, his lucky eyes would see

to it that Eli didn’t get insane blue balls and expire from lust.

Right, Chris’s magical lucky eyes. “Are you sure my eyes are

supposed to bring luck? I haven’t been feeling too lucky lately.”

James chuckled. “I doubt they bring much more luck than any

lucky rabbit’s foot would. I think it’s really just part of the allure.
Your eyes attract werewolves, so whoever mates with you is
considered the luckiest wolf on the planet.”

And according to everyone, that was Eli.
He still wasn’t too sure about this, but Eli did save his life again,

so…

“Do you know where he is?”
James sighed. “From what I was told, he was seen stomping off to

his cabin. You might want to give him the night alone, unless you
want to see him in one of his less than better moments.”

Considering Chris had met Eli while he was drunk and about to

get his ass kicked in a bar, he had an idea of what James was talking
about.

Poor guy had lost his brother and was mated to a chicken like

Chris. That would drive anyone to drink.

He nodded and agreed to speak with Eli the first thing in the

morning. Whatever it was that was happening between them, they
would need to find some way of settling it.

“Oh, and uh, sir?” Chris said before he left. Calling James by his

first name seemed a little too informal, considering they weren’t
actually friends, but he didn’t look that much older than Chris for him
to be addressing him as Mr. DeWitt.

Sir didn’t sound much better, but there was no taking that back

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

now.

“Yes?” James looked up from a small stack of papers, looked like

legal stuff, on an old wooden desk that was in a bad need for
varnishing.

“I was going to ask Eli about this, but all things considered…”
“What can I do for you?”
He asked it so casually, as though doing Chris any sort of favor

wasn’t a problem for him at all. Chris relaxed.

“My brother. He’s gone, too. I think he might be in trouble, or

dead, considering some of the things he was into. Usually he would
call or something to check up on me, let me know he was fine, once
every couple of weeks or something, and I haven’t heard back from
him in several months.”

“All right. He was last seen around this area?” James asked.
“Yeah. I didn’t think I would find anything at first, especially

since he usually moved around a lot, but now that I know there are
wild werewolves around…” Chris let James finish that one off for
himself.

“Right, you want to know if we’ve heard anything.”
Chris nodded.
“All right, what was his name?”
“Dean Lefroy. My older brother.”
James’s neck seemed to get a little tighter than it had been before.

“I’ve heard of him.”

“Really?” Chris hadn’t expected it to be that easy. “Do you know

what happened to him?”

“He’s dead.”
The words were like a blunt object ramming into his gut. “You’re

not one for candy-coating it are you?”

“Are you going to be okay?” James asked.
No. Chris had suspected all this time, but the actual realization

was having more of an effect on him than he thought it should have.
“What happened? When?”

Marcy Jacks

James wet his lips. “Were you aware that he was a hunter?”
“What? Well, yeah, sure. He had his license and went out all the

time to catch things. We did that as kids.”

“I don’t mean the kind of guy who hunts rabbits or buck. I mean

he hunted werewolves. My kind.”

James pointed at his mean-looking face. “He gave me these scars,

and he tried to kill Corey.”

Chris was frozen in sudden fear. “Did you―?”
“I was the one to kill him, yes.” That chummy air that James had

about him was entirely gone now as he and Chris looked at each
other.

Chris swallowed. “Are you going to kill me?”
“You haven’t done anything to purposely harm my pack, so no.

You’re mated to one of my alphas, whether you like that or not. If I
meant you any harm I’d have to go through Eli first to get to you. If I
were to kill you right now, he would just try to kill me later.

“I won’t hurt you, or try to,” James said. “But seeing as you’re

related to one of the worst hunters I’ve ever met, I will have to keep a
strict eye on you from now on. No more walks out into the trees with
my omegas.”

“Right,” Chris was only too happy to agree so long as it meant he

was able to leave. He practically ran out of the small office and bolted
out of the cottage.

It was stupid, but he wished he knew which one of these houses

belonged to Eli. If he was one of the main reasons James was going to
give Chris some slack, then, drunk or not, desperate to have sex or
not, Chris would stay as close to him as possible.

As it was, the only remotely safe place he could return to was that

tiny little one-bedroom cabin that had been offered to him. He locked
the doors and prepared to wait out a long night of making sure that no
one busted inside to exact any revenge for a crime his brother had
supposedly committed.

He and Dean had never been close enough for Chris to think it

Marcy Jacks

Chapter Eight

For the second time in his life, Eli was jerked awake by the

horrible sensation of melty ice splashing down on his head.

He came up in a rush, still partly asleep and thinking that he’d

fallen into the Arctic Ocean and was drowning or something.

The sight of James’s enraged face made him wish that that had

been the reality he was waking up to.

James pointed his finger into Eli’s face. “You swore to me.”
The light coming in through the window pierced his eyelids and

went straight through his skull, giving him the worst sort of pulsing
headache.

He’d finally managed to pass out on the couch, but only after

depleting the last of his stock of booze. He pulled the thin sheet he’d
been using over his head with a groan, but that barely did anything to
shut out the painful light.

James wasn’t having any of that, and he snatched the sheet out of

Eli’s grasp and threw it away. “I’m speaking to you. What do you
have to say for yourself?”

Eli kept his eyes shut, holding his hands over the lids to keep all

that awful fucking sunlight away from him. “That you told me you
would banish me if I went down to the bars, not if I drank from what I
still have here.”

Another set of soft footprints came into the room, followed by

heavier ones. “They all look empty. That should be the last of what he
was hiding.”

“I didn’t find anything either.”
Old Maggie. The pack’s wise woman. Eli still had enough sense

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

in him to be ashamed of her having to see him like he was. As for
Andrew, well, he didn’t much care.

Eli sat up, and he managed to do it well enough on his own. Most

of the alcohol must have gone through his liver already. He needed to
take a piss something awful though.

“Ma’am,” he said.
She pointed a wrinkled finger at him. “You do not speak to me in

that condition,” she said, her aged face looking almost as mean as
James’s.

Then she pointed to the bathroom. “Go wash yourself. How do

you expect to make a good impression on a human mate if you look
like filth?”

He needed a shower. He definitely agreed with her there. He

nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

She made a hmph sound and walked away, wrinkling her nose at

every single dirty dish that he had laying around. Old pizza boxes on
the floor from back when he was still trusted enough to go into town
to order food. Ants and small vermin scattered as she kicked the
box―Andrew jumped when a mouse scurried beneath his feet―and
then she turned to glare one more time at Eli.

His face heated, and he had to look away. He turned to James real

quick. “Am I banished?”

James looked like he was struggling for patience. Or that maybe

he  was  struggling  to  not  just  throw  Eli’s  ass  out.  This  was  the  first
time  James  had  seen  the  inside  of  Eli’s  cottage,  and  now  the  other
man  had  a  good  idea  of  why  none  of  the  omegas  wanted  to  be  his
roommate.

“I did give you a pretty wide loophole, so no. But I want you

sober.  If  you  need  an  escape  or  need  to  forget  about  the  shit  that’s
bothering  you  lately,  either  take  up  a  book  or  go  running,  find  a
hobby,  anything.  You  are  not  getting  drunk  anymore  while  I’m  in
command,  period,  and  you’re  never  having  anything  with  even  the
least bit of alcohol in it for a year. Got it?”

Marcy Jacks

Eli nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” James motioned to the general area surrounding them.

“Clean this place up and open some windows. Your mate’s been
asking to see you all morning.”

Eli was stunned. “He has?”
“Yes. He’s Dean Lefroy’s brother.”
“Dean―” It took Eli longer than it should have to put together

exactly who that was. When it clicked, his eyes went wide. “Shit.”

“No kidding. He claims he was unaware of Dean’s profession as a

hunter, and I’m inclined to believe him, but I’m still having him
watched.”

“Who’s watching him?” He looked to Andrew.
He must’ve been glaring because the alpha raised his hands and

moved back a step. “Don’t look at me. I’m not doing it.”

“You are. So get your ass up and clean this place up before he gets

here,” James said. “I might’ve convinced him to give you a chance,
but it’d take a miracle with the place looking like this.”

Eli was already up and running to the bathroom. He was going to

shower the stench of alcohol off of him and get this place clean as fast
as possible.

He didn’t believe for a second that Chis was anything like his

brother, so Eli felt there was nothing to worry about on that part.
What had him smiling even through the pounding migraine in his
skull was the fact that Chris wanted to see him and that he was going
to give the two of them a chance.

* * * *

Chris had been asked politely to wait just a little bit longer, for the

fifth time, when he decided he couldn’t handle it anymore. He asked
Tristan which house Eli lived in, and the other man, seeing that he
was pissed off and didn’t want to be put off anymore, pointed the way
with a sigh.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Chris understood what the holdup had been at the sight of four

ugly, plump, garbage bags sitting just outside of the door, waiting to
be taken away.

The door opened, and Eli stepped out with yet another full

garbage bag, and he dropped it on top of the others―it sounded like
there was glass inside it, bottles most likely―before looking up,
noticing Chris approaching him.

“Hi,” Eli said.
Okay, relax yourself. Just relax. “Hi,” Chris said.
Eli looked behind himself to the inside of his house then shut the

door before Chris could see whatever it was that had the other man
looking so panicked.

“I was hoping I’d have another hour before inviting you over.”
“Cleanup duty?” Chris asked.
“Something like that. I haven’t exactly paid much attention to the

finer details of house cleaning for the last little while.”

Since the death of his brother. Chris knew it without anything

more being said between them.

They both stood there, shuffling their feet like a couple of

awkward kids, neither knowing how to make the first move.

Chris decided to be a little brave for once in his life and just do

something first. “Want some help?”

“Help?”
“Yeah, I could, I don’t know, do your windows or something.”
Eli smiled at him. “Sure. I guess it’s not so bad anymore that if

you see the inside you won’t think I’m a complete slob.”

The emphasis Eli put on the word complete made him laugh, and

he started walking toward the door. “I was never great at it either. I
doubt you’ll shock me.”

Eli pushed the door open, stepped inside with all the glee and

energy of a kid inviting his first crush to his house for the first time,
and he even held the door open for Chris, too.

What Chris noticed first, and what he was most happy with, was

Marcy Jacks

that when Eli shut the door behind them, blocking out most of the
natural sunlight, Chris didn’t feel any of that panic that he thought he
should have. Especially since they were cramped together in such a
small hallway.

No, this felt okay.
“It’s all just down here,” Eli said, walking on ahead. Chris

followed.

The next thing he became aware of when they got to the kitchen

was the smell of orange-scented cleaner. Nothing in here looked too
bad. Maybe the stove needed to be wiped off and the floors swept and
mopped, but that was about it.

Of course, all those bags outside did mean that it had looked a

whole lot worse in here before Chris had come along.

“You sure this is okay?” Eli asked. “Wasn’t exactly how I would

envision a first date.”

Chris looked at him at the word date.
Eli blushed, scratched the side of his head, and refused to return

Chris’s stare.

Give it a chance. Remember, give it a chance. Eli was trying, and

he was good looking. Chris had never been able to convince himself
that he wasn’t a little attracted to him. He did have the body lots of
people spent hard gym time to get.

“It’s fine. It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other.”
Eli smiled at him, a reluctant thing that was still filled with

gratitude.

He had a nice smile, Chris realized. And good teeth.
Chris picked up the broom. “I’ll start over here.”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Chapter Nine

Eli thought they were making great progress. Slow, but still great.

Eli had gone from being the scourge of the pack, dirty, loud,
depressing, to the envy of all the single men and women who lived
under James’s care.

Eli felt great, too. It had been only five days, but he was clean and

sober, with a gorgeous mate who was slowly coming out of his shell.

Chris had let Eli hold his hand the other day. Eli had a better idea

of where he wanted Chris to put that hand, but they were doing baby
steps here. Even if those baby steps left him grasping his cock in the
shower by the end of the night, it was still well worth it.

Five days was hardly enough to go from being a full-on alcoholic

to sober and trustworthy, however, so he didn’t complain when James
told him he would have to sit in meditation with Old Maggie for one
hour three times a week.

It had been something he’d been hesitant to let Chris know about,

even though the first time they’d met, Chris had seen him out of the
bag.

It was one thing to be drunk, but he didn’t want his mate to be

afraid that Eli had a problem with it, too.

Of course, Chris was smart enough to figure it out on his own and

had apparently known it from the time they’d met. He was good about
it, too, and if anything, it brought them a little closer.

“I drank a lot when I was a kid after my parents died. I know it

can make things easier for a little while. Not hard to get sucked in,
though.”

They were both lounging on Eli’s porch. He’d pulled out the

Marcy Jacks

wicker rockers that he and Eric had once used when they were feeling
like soaking up the sun. Now, instead of shooting the shit with his
brother, Eli relaxed next to his mate.

There was something nice about this, if a little strange. They were

both essentially grounded, and neither was allowed to leave pack
territory for the next little while. Eli for being a drunk and needing to
recover, and Chris because James still wanted to make sure that he
wouldn’t turn into a psycho hunter like his brother had been.

Eli had no doubt in his mind that Chris was nothing like his

brother. He and Eric had always been similar, but it wasn’t just blood
that did that.

“Can I ask you how they died?” Eli asked, taking a swig of his

Diet Pepsi. Even now he was thinking about how much better it
would be if there was something a little stronger inside of it, but he
was still doing his baby steps thing.

Chris sighed. “Animal attack. Wolves.”
“Oh. Oh,” Eli said, realizing what kind of wolves Chris was

referring to. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t even put it together myself until after James

spoke to me,” he said. “It was the only thing I could think of that
would make Dean turn to something so violent. He figured out it was
werewolves that killed our family, and I guess he went insane over
it.”

Eli didn’t want to agree or disagree on that subject. Psychotic

killer or not, the man was still Chris’s brother, and Chris, although
accepting of the fact that Dean had to die or else he would have killed
everyone here, was still hurting over the loss.

Eli struggled to think of something else to talk about, anything to

lift their spirits.

The fun part about being put under arrest like they were was that

Eli didn’t have to do any of his chores. His entire purpose was to
watch over Chris, and Eli still thought that James did that on purpose.
A nice way of making them spend time with each other.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

However, today was the day that Eli was going to make his move.

He wanted to set the right mood.

“I know we’ve been kind of stuck here for the last couple of

days.”

“I’m not complaining,” Chris said with a shake of his head. Eli

knew he was thinking about the attack when he ran away.

“I know, but I was thinking that I might ask James if I could take

you to our pond.”

“Pond?” Chris looked at him curiously now, and Eli wanted to fall

into those mesmerizing eyes.

“Yeah. There’s a pond here. It’s just on the edge of James’s land,

and  he  and  another  alpha  were  fighting  over  it  for  a  little  while―”
With  good  reason,  considering  the  healing  powers  the  water  had.
“Drinking the water can heal us faster, sometimes, and that’s why that
other  alpha  wanted  it  so  much.  But  he’s  gone  in  hiding  now,  and
James owns all the land. The alphas take the pups out there once in a
while  to  play  around.  No  one  can  really  go  by  themselves  anymore.
It’s really nice.”

Chris smiled at him. “That does sound nice. The others will be

there, too?”

They had to be. Although the healing pond was, and always had

been, within the pack’s territory, it was now too dangerous for anyone
to go alone, even with the alphas that James had positioned to guard
the water.

Those wolves were to stay hidden, changing up shifts with other

alphas every eight hours or so just in case Deacon ever came back and
tried  to  get  at  some  of  the  water  himself.  That  water  was  the  only
reason  why  that  pain  in  the  ass  was  still  alive  and  creating  wild
werewolves  who  killed  Eli’s  brother  and  were  currently  terrorizing
Eli’s mate.

“Usually most everyone goes in one big group, and enough alphas

stay behind here to make sure the houses remain safe.”

“Okay, sure. I’d like to go with you.”

Marcy Jacks

Did he sound so easy about it because there would be other people

there  and  he  wouldn’t  have  to  worry  about  being  alone  with  him?
Granted, Chris was alone with Eli all the time whenever they were in
his  cabin  together,  but  that  wasn’t  the  same  as  being  alone  at  the
pond,  with  no  one  else  in  a  shouting  distance.  Here,  there  would
always  be  other  people  still  wandering  about.  Omegas  who  did  their
chores, alphas exercising, and the pups who chased each other around.

The sun was setting. The sky was transforming into a light shade

of lavender. Eli had always liked the sunsets. Eric had once accused
him of being romantic like that, and he’d punched his brother in the
eye for the offense.

He’d been right.
“It’s going to be a nice night,” he said. The crickets were already

chirping, and a few lightning bugs were already making their
appearance.

“Yes,” Chris agreed. “There’s Venus.”
“What?”
Chris pointed. “That star right there. That’s Venus.”
There was only one star out right now, so it was easy to find.

“Huh, didn’t know that.”

The moon was already up in the sky as well, full and majestic, but

not glowing so brightly since the sun was still up.

Just the sight of that moon made Eli want to howl. It also made

him want to mate.

“Maybe I should pack it in, call it an early night,” Eli said, getting

up from his rocker. The pull of that full moon called to his blood, and
with Chris standing so close, it was gonna be torture before the end of
the night.

“Oh, uh, you want me to head back?”
Of course not. I want to fuck you. “I just…no, it’s the moon, is

all.”

Chris looked mildly alarmed. “I thought the full moon didn’t

affect you.”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

“I won’t shift or anything like that. That usually just happens to

new wolves. But I haven’t mated with you yet, and, well…” He
decided to let Chris fill in the rest for himself.

Chris’s face turned a pretty shade of red right before he looked

away. “Oh.”

“Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Eli hurried inside, shut the door,

and was pulling his shirt off in an attempt to stall the heat he felt
coming on. It was going to be a long night.

* * * *

Chris got up from the comfortable rocker he’d been sitting in and

started back for the cabin where he was staying.

He wasn’t exactly naive enough to think that Eli was just going to

be taking a cold shower and that would be the end of it for him. He
was going to be touching himself, and he was going to be thinking
about Chris as he did it.

The thought made him blush, and not for the first time in the last

five days, he really wished he wasn’t such a coward.

“Oh, hey, Chris.”
Chris stopped and turned. The sudden sharp thumping in his chest

calmed and returned to a normal beat once he saw Andrew.

The alpha was leaning on the side of one of the cabins, his bent

leg up and foot resting against the siding. He had his hand, and the
soda he was holding, resting on his upturned knee.

Chris smiled at the sight of him. He turned and walked over to the

other man. “Hi, Andrew.”

Andrew had a cooler beside him, and he reached down and pulled

out another soda, lifting it from the sloshing ice, and handed it to
Chris. “Calling it a night?”

“Yeah, soon I guess,” Chris said, flipping open the tab. He’d just

had something sugary with Eli, but he was still trying to make friends
here.

Marcy Jacks

Andrew nodded and took a swig from his can. “Yeah, full moons

can get a little crazy around here.”

As though accenting the man’s point, there was a long and loud

moan that sounded from one of the cabins. Chris didn’t know where it
came from or recognize the voice.

He lifted the can to his mouth for a drink, hoping to hide the rush

of heat to his cheeks.

If Andrew noticed, he didn’t say anything.
“You don’t seem affected,” Chris said, suddenly realizing that

Andrew was out here with a cooler of cold drinks, and not inside with
a mate.

Andrew shrugged. “Don’t have a mate.”
Chris didn’t know the other werewolves very well, but he had

hung out with Andrew a time or two when he wasn’t with Eli. From
what he’d learned, Andrew wasn’t exactly a man of many words. For
the most part.

He hadn’t said a lot, but the tone of his voice suggested how

unhappy the fact that he had no mate made him.

Now Chris felt kind of bad. “Don’t you…I mean, doesn’t it bother

you that you don’t have a choice. That someday someone will come
along and that will be the end of it for you?”

Andrew took another drink from his soda can. He stared at it when

he responded. “No. I’m looking forward to it. For the most part.”

“The most part?”
Now Andrew did look at him. The other man smiled a little, and

when a howl and a moan sounded from another one of the cabins, he
even laughed. “A little nervous to be honest. I think it’s great that so
many of our gay or bi males are finding mates with other males. My
only worry is that I won’t be among them.”

“You’re worried you won’t find a mate?”
Andrew sighed, looking up at the coming stars. “It’ll happen

eventually, so I’m told, but I’m not bisexual or just curious about it. I
am gay. Now that I see all the guys finding mates with their own sex,

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

I want that, too. I don’t want to be mated to a woman. Up until
recently, I thought that was going to happen no matter what. Now…”
He trailed off.

“I just think the others are really lucky to have what they have.”
Chris shouldn’t feel as bad as he did. Even though he had

something  that  Andrew  really  wanted,  and  was  afraid  he  couldn’t
have,  that  was  no  reason  to  feel  bad.  Just  because  he  had  started  to
wonder  what  it  would  be  like  to  go  to  bed  with  Eli,  and  had  been
thinking of doing something about it but hadn’t, was no reason to feel
guilty.

He still wanted to cheer the man up a little. “Well, I’m supposed

to be good luck, right?”

Andrew grinned. “Sure.”
Chris felt like an idiot, but said, “I gift you with enough luck to

find a male mate.”

Andrew laughed.
Chris did, too. “Yeah, that was pretty dumb.”
“But funny. Thanks.”
Chris nodded. At least he got the man smiling. “No problem.”
Andrew pushed away from the wall they were leaning against and

stretched his hands over his head. “Think I might go for a run. You
should head inside soon, before the mosquitoes come out looking for
a snack or something.”

Chris nodded, looking up at the sky now, as though he would be

able to see them coming. “Yeah. Don’t like them too much.”

“Little vampires, they are. You take care.”
“You, too,” Chris said, watching as Andrew headed for the tree

line. He was an alpha. He would be all right.

He stayed where he was for another minute before he put the lid

back over the cooler.

Chris took one step toward the cabin where he was supposed to be

staying then stopped.

Biting his lower lip, he turned around and headed back to Eli’s

Marcy Jacks

house.

* * * *

Eli had known what the full moon would do to him, being so close

to his mate but still having not claimed him yet. The problem was that
he’d forgotten that the full moon was tonight.

It was bad enough that he sometimes heard James and Corey

going at it since his cabin wasn’t all that far away from theirs. Every
mated wolf in the pack would be rutting like rabbits tonight.

Eli stopped pacing like a caged animal in his kitchen. He needed

to prepare himself an ice bath before the fiery temperatures his body
was producing made him pass out.

He doubted that would be enough to make his dick go down

though. He’d already had it in hand twice after Chris left, and it was
still rock solid and pulsing.

He was just about to get into the bathroom again, and this time get

naked, when he heard the click of the door. Eli had forgotten to lock
it, and he expected to see…He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it
definitely wasn’t Chris.

“What are you doing here? You should go.” Go before I do

something we’ll both regret.

Chris still had his hand on the door handle. He was looking down

at it, as though contemplating his own actions, before he looked up
and met Eli’s eyes.

What he saw there made Eli so hopeful it was scary. Then Chris

lifted his T-shirt over his head, revealing that beautiful chest Eli had
wanted to see so badly since that time in the motel.

Eli’s whole body went stiff. His cock, already erect for what

seemed like hours now, just made a little longing twitch. “If you don’t
leave right now,” Eli said, “I can’t be responsible for what I’ll do.”

Chris wet his lips―was he purposely trying to tease him?―then

nodded. “I know. It’s okay.”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Eli didn’t wait for any more permission than that. Hell, he didn’t

want to give Chris the chance to change his mind.

His mind and body went into instinct mode. He ran to Chris. The

other man opened his mouth in surprise, but Eli got to him before he
could say anything, and he pressed his mouth over Chris’s, stifling
any shocked sound he would have made.

He held the smaller man tightly to his chest, pressing them

together. His inner wolf wanted to howl in delight. Finally! Yes,
finally!

He fought to maintain some sense of control. He wanted to make

sure that if Chris sent him any signal, any sign that he’d changed his
mind, that Eli would be able to stop.

But Chris wasn’t fighting him off. His arms didn’t wrap around

Eli’s shoulders like he would have preferred, but neither did they try
to push Eli away either.

There was the most tentative push back, however, with Chris’s

mouth.

Too fast. Eli was moving too fast, giving Chris no chance to

participate, but he couldn’t stop himself. This was going to be rough,
filled with all the wanting and yearning that Eli had suffered with for
nearly a week now.

Still, at least he wasn’t telling Eli to stop.
Eli pressed his tongue into Chris’s mouth, delighting in the taste.

His blood sang when Chris widened his mouth to make for an easier
entrance, and Eli felt the distinct feeling of Chris’s slick tongue
pressing back against his.

Try to slow down. Try to slow down. But he failed miserably when

Chris gripped his shoulders.

He wanted this. His mate wanted this, and Eli would be denied no

longer.

He was vaguely aware of the noise of shock Chris made when Eli

grabbed him around the waist and lifted him off of his feet.

He carried Chris down the hall to his bedroom, and in his haste, he

Marcy Jacks

kicked open his bedroom door.

Did it just fall off the hinges? It didn’t matter.
They both fell onto the bed, and Eli ground his still-clothed cock

against Chris’s groin. He moaned, pressing his face into Chris’s neck,
kissing his flesh, feeling the other man’s skin as their chests rubbed
together.

“Slow down. Slow down, Eli.”
He thought he was talking to himself again, but those were Chris’s

words in his ear, and this time, when he gripped Eli’s shoulders, it
was to push him off just enough for them to look at each other.

“Christ, your skin is hot,” Chris said then looked into Eli’s eyes.

“Your eyes are like a wolf’s.”

Were they? Eli couldn’t tell, even as he looked at his reflection in

Chris’s mismatched eyes, admiring the different colours.

Okay, control, get control. This was getting serious now. Chris

had agreed to be here, and he was going to let Eli finish the claiming,
but that didn’t mean the other man was any less frightened. Eli had to
get control of himself.

It was a struggle, but he managed it. A little.
“They’re normal again,” Chris observed. “Your eyes.”
“That happens when my inner wolf tries to take over.”
Chris looked like he wanted to ask more questions but said

nothing else. Their positions were hardly fit for another lesson on
werewolf instincts and history.

“Just—” Eli heard the sound of Chris’s throat working as he

swallowed. Nervous. He was very nervous, but his heart was
pumping, and Eli could feel Chris’s erection through the jeans he
wore. “Slow down a little. Not used to this.”

Eli didn’t doubt it. He’d never met a man so afraid of sex before.

How the hell was he supposed to claim his mate, on a full moon night
no less, while making sure his animal side didn’t try to take over the
show?

Eli got up off him.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Chris looked a little stricken.
“Wait right here,” Eli said. “Be right back.”
He made sure he didn’t take long as he ran into his bathroom,

grabbed the first bottle of lotion that his eyes landed on, and then
jogged back to his bedroom where Chris still waited for him.

Eli had to stop at the sight. His mate was sitting on Eli’s bed,

leaning back on his hands, his chest exposed, mouth plump and pink
from kissing, and his hair gorgeously dishevelled.

Eli really did feel like the luckiest man on the planet.
“What’s that?” Chris asked, nodding to the bottle.
Eli took the time to look at it. “Skin cream.”
“Like taking care of your good looks, do you?” Chris asked, a

playful smile on his face.

“More likely one of the female omegas left it behind after they

moved out.” He squirted a little of it into his hand and rubbed his
fingers together. It would serve.

He looked down at Chris, and then gave him the bottle, then took

off his jeans. “Lube your fingers with that.”

Chris’s eyes popped open wide. “Me?”
Eli climbed into bed with him, naked, his body still hungry and

twitchy  for  Chris’s  touch.  He  wanted  to  put  his  cock  into  Chris’s
body,  wanted  to  fuck  him  again  and  again,  but  now  that  his  human
mind  was  logically  thinking,  he  had  to  act  before  the  moon  got  too
high and he completely lost it again.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever had sex with another man before, but

my first time, I didn’t like it by a long shot. You’re too nervous to do
it like this, and when I get into mating mode, I won’t be too worried
about whether or not you’re enjoying yourself at all.”

“But—” Chris looked helplessly at the bottle in his hand. “I don’t

know how to make you like it either.”

Eli smiled at him and kissed him. “Trust me. I’m going to like

anything you do to me tonight. I’ll show you the basics and leave the
rest to you.”

Marcy Jacks

He did, and somehow Eli’s little minilesson on proper sex only

served to make him want it all the more, and when Chris finally got
his pants off, tossing them onto the floor, Eli could clearly smell the
other man’s musk. It was proof that he wanted this, too.

Chris took his lubed fingers and pressed one into Eli’s hole. Eli

had gotten onto his hands and knees to make this as easy as possible
for the both of them, but he hadn’t been kidding when he said he
would like anything Chris did to him.

That one finger was enough to make him moan in need, and Chris

hadn’t even touched his prostate.

Chris jumped at the sound. “You sure about this?”
He asked as though he thought Eli had faked the noise just to

encourage Chris on.

Eli’s body was on fire now, everything inside of him thumping,

his blood rushing like a hot river of lava through his veins. He needed
this. He had to mate. Needed to do it, to have Chris’s cock inside him,
even if his body wasn’t prepared to take it yet. “Yes! Yes, just fuck
me!” he demanded.

Chris, however, seemed determined to take his time, and whether

he knew it or not, that was sheer torture for Eli.

As Chris inserted a third finger, Eli began pressing his body back

against the digits, fucking himself on them, and the tips of Chris’s
fingers came very close to rubbing against that spot inside of him.

Not a full on touch, but the electric sizzle was still there, and Eli

groaned, his heavy cock pulsing between his legs, demanding
satisfaction.

“Fuck me, right now!” he demanded. He’d seen what Chris’s dick

had looked like when the other man had taken off his pants. He was as
big, heavy, and thick as Eli. Maybe slightly more so. If Chris would
just hurry it up and put that thing inside of him he would come with
no problem at all.

And then they would do it again and again.
“You’re not ready yet,” Chris said. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

The fact that he was taking so long preparing him was hurting

him! Couldn’t Chris see that?

It annoyed him that he had to do it, and it was a shot to his alpha

pride, but, desperate times, and all that. “Please. I’m ready. Please
fuck me, I can’t take it anymore.”

There was a hesitation of maybe one second. It felt more like an

hour,  and  that  was  a  helluva  long  time  for  a  horny  man  to  have  to
wait.  Finally,  Chris  removed  his  fingers,  and  Eli  heard  the  slight
groan  from  behind  him,  and  he  looked  to  see  Chris  lubing  his  cock,
gripping it from the base and sliding the lotion to the top of the shaft.

Chris’s face twisted in pleasure as he stroked himself. That was so

fucking hot.

Chris shifted his knees, still gripping his dick, and Eli felt the

blunt tip nudge against the entrance of his asshole.

Chris said nothing more. His mouth fell open, and he moaned as

he pushed in then tried to stop after about an inch or so. He probably
thought he was giving Eli a chance to adjust and work his anal
muscles around the intrusion.

He was having none of that.
Eli pushed out as he, without any warning to Chris, pushed back

against his dick.

They both moaned as Chris was unexpectedly fully sheathed. He

gripped Eli’s hips, pressing his forehead down against Eli’s back,
trying to catch his breath.

Eli had to squeeze his eyes shut. His balls tightened, and he felt

that inward rush come upon  him that signalled his  orgasm  was  near.
He  grabbed  hold  of  the  base  of  his  prick  and  squeezed,  groaning  in
the  sheer  fucking  ecstasy  of  it.  He  would  not  come  yet.  He  wanted
this to go on for a little longer.

“Move. Move,” Eli growled, already pushing back against the

other man.

Chris groaned at the movement and then started pumping his hips.
That was what he was talking about! Eli moaned, his elbow nearly

Marcy Jacks

giving out and making him fall on his face into the pillows, but he
kept a hold of himself. He pushed back against Chris’s fast thrusts.

He heard the way Chris breathed, listened to the sound of his heart

beating as he fucked Eli as hard and fast as he could.

They were claiming each other, and Chris was powerless to resist

it now that it was finally happening.

“Oh! Fuck!” Chris cried out.
Eli’s sentiments exactly. He had no choice. He had to let go, to let

his animal side take over, and that was exactly what he did.

He let go of his dick, allowing his orgasm to rush through him,

and continued to wail and moan in absolute pleasure as he pulled
himself up onto his knees to grip the wooden headboard of his bed.

His fingers splintered the wood. Chris’s hands came around his

chest, holding him close and pinching his nipples. Everywhere his
mate’s hands touched was a pleasure point. Eli’s whole body was on
fire. His dick was full again, and he desperately wanted to come
despite already having spent himself.

He ground his hips down on Chris’s dick, pushing it deeper inside

of himself, luxuriating in the feel of it touching his inner walls and
prostate. In. Out. In. Out.

Chris kissed his neck, still breathing like he was running a

marathon. “I’m gonna come inside you. You’re mine.” He growled,
the pumping motion of his hips speeding up to an impossible rhythm.

Eli growled and pushed back against him. The bed was creaking

violently now under the pressure of both of their bodies. It was always
an old piece of shit anyway. Eli was going to have to replace it after
this.

Chris moaned, the thrusting motion of his body becoming slower

but harder and then jerky as Eli felt the warm rush of fluid spurting
inside of him.

It was enough to throw him over the edge.
Though he should have been able to go on for longer than

that―many more times, actually―Eli’s body clocked out on him.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

Perhaps it was because he’d finally joined with his mate, his

human mate who couldn’t go ten times in a row like a werewolf
could, so when Chris sagged against Eli, his cock becoming soft
inside of him, Eli’s body must’ve taken that as a hint.

Luckily it was too hot to sleep with the blankets anyway, so all the

stuff they ruined, save for the sheets just covering the mattress, were
thrown onto the floor.

Eli lay on his back, his eyes shut and sleep pulling him away. He

could still feel the presence of the full moon outside, but now it was a
comforting feel rather than a torturous one.

He just about drifted off when he felt Chris’s touch on his arm.
His eyes popped open to see the other man looking at him

expectantly. Wordlessly, Eli lifted his arm, allowing Chris to sink
down on Eli’s chest, the both of them snuggling close, their legs
twining together, despite the heat.

“Thank you,” he heard Chris say before drifting off.

Marcy Jacks

Chapter Ten

Eli had created a monster.
Whereas before Chris had been shy and just barely willing to

spend time alone with Eli, now he was insistent on locking the door to
Eli’s cabin to prevent any unwanted guests, shutting the windows to
keep them from being seen or heard, and putting Eli on his back at
every possible moment.

Not that he was complaining in the beginning, and the knowing

little smirks that were sent his way after going several hours without
being seen by anyone were a huge boost to his ego.

But now that his wolf was more than settled, Eli had grown

curious.

Chris was a young man, hardly a teenager, but still at an age

where he should of had some experience with sex.

With the eager way he acted and the needy behavior he displayed,

Eli was prone to think that Chris had never had an orgasm in his life
before Eli came along.

He asked him as much the next time they were alone. James had

given the both of them permission to travel with the group of alphas
and omegas to the pond for swimming, and though they were dressed
for a day out, shorts, T-shirts, sandals, and whatnot, neither were up
for swimming.

Eli should’ve expected the defensive answer Chris gave him. “I

wasn’t a virgin or anything, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“No, I didn’t think that,” Eli lied. Truthfully, the thought had

briefly entered his head. It had been what he’d hoped for. It was the
preferable scenario over what Eli suspected.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

“It’s just that you don’t act like someone used to having sex.”

That, and Chris still showed a slight fear of letting Eli top him. The
last time Eli tried, he’d been so careful, and yet still Chris had
trembled beneath him, his body actually shook with fear, and Eli was
forced to stop.

Chris might say he was ready, but Eli could tell otherwise, and

now that they were properly mated, Eli wasn’t being controlled by his
instincts so much that he couldn’t tell when Chris was frightened of
his touch.

“I didn’t much get around before you.”
At least there was that part about it. Those words coming out of

Chris’s mouth still made Eli feel strong and powerful, like Chris
really was entirely his, even though someone else had had the other
man at least once before Eli.

“I just wish you still weren’t so scared of me, is all,” Eli said,

throwing away the stalk of grass he’d been playing with.

“I’m not afraid of you anymore,” Chris said. “I never really was.

Not really, I was just…”

Chris didn’t continue. This was the last touchy subject between

them, and it was driving a wedge between them as wide as though
they’d never made any progress at all.

It wouldn’t be such a big deal for Eli had he not been born an

alpha, and his inner wolf was beginning to growl at the constant
reversal of positions.

Another big issue was something Eli had yet to share with Chris,

and that was the constant danger the other man would be in so long as
he had those pretty eyes of his. Eli worried that he wouldn’t be able to
protect his mate all the time from the other wolves who would want
him, and because Chris still showed a reluctance to giving himself
over fully to their bonding, Eli worried over whether or not the other
man would leave.

Another thing that bothered him was the idea of if it would be

responsible or not to try and stop him.

Marcy Jacks

“You used to swear up and down that you weren’t into men, and

now I can barely get into the shower without you following me
inside.”

Eli sensed Chris’s mortified anger spiking the moment the words

were out of his mouth. “Wait,” Eli reached out and grabbed hold of
Chris’s wrist before he could sulk off. “I didn’t mean it like that. I
just…dammit, you know how I meant it.”

Chris looked at him and then at the group of children splashing

around in the pond, being overseen by the protective alphas. He and
Eli were sitting in the shade of the trees, but James had forbidden
them to stray too far.

“My first time with another man…” Chris swallowed, and Eli felt

his pulse grow quick from his wrist. “It wasn’t something that I
wanted. Can we just leave it at that?”

Eli struggled valiantly, he really did, to keep from asking anymore

questions. Chris had basically just told him that someone had raped
him. Eli had suspected sexual abuse, but to know for sure…

It really was a testament to his willpower how he managed to keep

his mouth shut. He wanted to ask who had done it, how long it had
been, and if he’d been hurt. He didn’t ask those things. One day Chris
would give him the details, and then Eli was going to go hunting for
the piece of shit who did it.

Eli pulled Chris back down to sit with him, and Eli wrapped his

arm around the other man’s shoulders, keeping them close. He kissed
Chris’s hair.

“I’m sorry I pushed it. You can have as many secrets as you like.”

For now. “Take all the time you need, I can be patient.”

Chris snorted, nudging Eli in the ribs. “Yeah right.”

* * * *

They’d returned home to the cabin that had become theirs and

theirs alone, and considering Chris’s hesitation to be topped in bed or

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

to lose any form of control while they were naked and alone, Eli was
pleasantly surprised when Chris pushed him against the wall of the
kitchen, got down on his knees, and put Eli’s dick in his mouth.

Holy fuck. Eli grabbed Chris around the shoulders and, as gently

as he could, thrust his hips in time with Chris’s bobbing head. He
would ask no questions. He knew better than to look a gift horse in
the mouth, and his inner alpha was loving the attention.

Chris seemed to appreciate the steady pace Eli was taking him

with, and when he looked down, their eyes met, and Eli could see the
curiosity in those multicolored depths.

It occurred to him that this was probably the first time Chris had

ever given anyone head before. He was going to have to give him
some hands-on lessons, but for the moment, the only thing he would
be able to offer was some instruction.

“Use your tongue around the base. Fuck, yeah. Keep your mouth

tight when you get to the head.” Eli groaned as Chris proved to be
very good at following instructions.

It was steadily getting hard to not just thrust his cock between

those pink lips as hard and fast as he could. He released Chris’s
shoulders when the other man made a small pained sound.

“Sorry,” he said. He hadn’t meant to grip so hard.
Chris just smiled up at him, and with his mouth still around Eli’s

cock, it was the most beautiful sight Eli had ever seen.

Then it was back down to business as Chris grew steadily

confident in his new skills, and Eli’s head banged against the wall as
he threw it back and moaned.

This was just what he’d needed.
He wanted to come inside Chris’s mouth so badly, to have him

take everything Eli had to offer, but he again reminded himself that
Chris was new to this, and he should make an attempt to warn him.

“Fuck, I’m coming. Ugh, Chris!”
He grabbed the other man’s shoulders again and tried to push him

off, but with their positions it was difficult to actually push him off,

Marcy Jacks

and Chris was determined. Eli couldn’t hold back anymore, and God
help him, he tried.

There was nothing Eli could do but grab hold of his mate and

empty himself into Chris’s mouth.

Well, the other man certainly learned his lesson as he was forced

to pull back from the rush of fluid down his throat. He coughed and
gagged a bit, but otherwise was fine and managed to catch his breath
on his own.

“Told you I was coming,” Eli said.
“Ha-ha.” Chris wiped his cheek with the back of his hand,

removing all traces of what he hadn’t managed to swallow. “Wanted
to try it. I didn’t think it would be that hard.”

Eli reached down and grabbed him, and after throwing the other

man over his shoulder, he carted him off to his bedroom fireman-
style.

He enjoyed the shocked noises Chris made at the new position,

but would enjoy the pleasurable wails he made even more when Eli
taught him the proper way to suck a man’s dick by leading through
example.

* * * *

“Can we go back to the pond?” Chris asked. “I like it there.”
Chris had been asking this a lot lately. If Eli managed to get

permission from James to go, this would be the third time this week.

Not that he could blame the other man for wanting the change in

scenery, what with the lack of any difference in scenery in the main
camp.

Eli smiled and kissed him, they were still in bed, naked, and

letting  the  cool  breeze  from  the  early  morning  waft  in  through  the
open windows. He couldn’t deny Chris what he wanted. Eli was going
to  have  to  ask  James  if  that  was  normal  of  a  mated  alpha  after  he
asked to  go back to  the  pond. Of course, James wouldn’t  always be

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

able to spare the extra alphas to go with them as guards, just so that
the pair of them could relax by the water.

“I’ll see what I can do. Going to go swimming this time?”
“Maybe,” Chris blushed as he stared up at the ceiling. “What are

the odds that we’ll get to be alone while we’re there?”

Eli sighed. With several days having gone by since the last attack,

Chris had grown complacent and seemed to think that the danger was
over or at least had dwindled enough that it was safe for just him and
Eli to go off by themselves.

No matter what Eli said, he couldn’t seem to truly convince his

mate that he was important, and that he would always require
protection, and that Eli wouldn’t always be strong enough to give it to
him.

More of that fear bubbled up in Eli’s head. Chris was becoming

antsy here and with good reason. Any normal human being wouldn’t
want to be cooped up on such a small piece of land, never having the
freedom to go wherever he wanted to go.

When he discovered that was the way it would always be, Eli

wouldn’t stop him when he finally decided to leave and go
somewhere where no wild and dangerous werewolves lived.

“I doubt it. Why?”
Chris still avoided eye contact with him. “No reason. Just thought

we’d get some time alone.”

Time alone was always good. Eli wondered what he was up to.
“How many werewolves did Deacon make?” Chris asked,

changing the subject suddenly. “It can’t be that hard if he’s still doing
it.”

“I’ve never changed anyone before, so personally, I don’t know,”

Eli said. “From how I understand it, though, it’s as simple as just
scratching someone while in wolf form. Or biting, if you want the
process to go any faster.”

“And then they just turn into wild werewolves?” Chris asked.
“Only if they don’t have another wolf around to teach them how

Marcy Jacks

to  behave.  It’s  too  easy  to  just  let  ourselves  go  in  the  beginning,  to
want to be more wolf than human. For myself now, it’s no problem at
all.  I  don’t  even  think  about  it.  But  my  brother  and  I  were  born
werewolves,  not  changed,  so  I’m  betting  the  experiences  aren’t  the
same.”

Corey, James’s mate, had nearly gone wild due to his sudden

change. Not only that, he’d also suppressed his inner wolf without
knowing it, which was just as dangerous as letting it go entirely.

“But, say if you were to change me, there’s a chance I would go

wild?”

Eli looked at him then shifted onto his elbow to better see Chris’s

face. “Do you want me to change you?”

He never lost that blush, like just asking was embarrassing or

something. “I don’t know. Maybe if you did, I wouldn’t be so helpless
all the time. I hate it.”

“You would still need protection,” Eli said. “I can already tell you

would be an omega wolf.”

“Well, even then, I would still be fast enough to run away. And if

they caught me, I could defend myself long enough for you to come,
or maybe even get away on my own.”

Eli had to admit the idea held appeal. Turning Chris into a

werewolf would practically guarantee that he couldn’t leave, and it
would only serve to strengthen their bond. As two bonded
werewolves, they would even be able to communicate telepathically.

That, and Chris was right. As a werewolf, he would be faster and

stronger, able to better sense when danger was coming. He wouldn’t
be at risk one-hundred percent of the time like he was now.

Why the hell not?
Eli got to his knees. “Are you sure? You want to do this?”
He would have to ask for James’s permission first, but if Eli told

him the reasons, he didn’t think his alpha would be against it. In fact
he was positive that James would be more than for it.

Chris smiled shyly up at him. He nodded then opened his mouth

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

to answer when a loud wolf howl sounded outside, and then the
growls and whines of pain started.

Those could be explained away with the roughhousing the other

wolves  were  constantly  doing,  but  Eli  heard  the  undercurrent  that
Chris did not. He caught the sounds of many padded feet running onto
the  land,  the  alpha  wolves  charging  to  meet  them,  and  the  scuffling
sound  of  nails  scratching  in  the  dirt  and  teeth  biting  into  hair  as  the
fights started.

He got up and out of bed quickly, and only then did Chris seem to

take note that something was off.

“What’s wrong?”
Eli heard it coming, and he got in front of the window. The

curtains were closed, so hopefully the attacker wouldn’t be aware of
Eli standing there.

“Get under the bed and don’t come out until I say so.”
“What?”
The window shattered, and razor-like glass flew around Eli in a

thousand large and small crystallized pieces as the snarling wolf
leaped through.

Eli put his arm up just as those jaws clamped down, and Chris

yelled.

Marcy Jacks

Chapter Eleven

Chris screamed as he watched Eli get thrown down into a bed of

shattered glass by the wild animal who jumped through their window.
The blood spurted next, and just as Chris recalled Eli’s command for
him to hide under the bed, he thought, Fuck that.

Chris jumped out of bed, still completely naked, and he ran behind

the wolf that currently had his lover in a death grip. Eli had put his
arm up to defend his face, but now his arm was in the mouth of that
raving wolf, and it was being torn to shreds.

“No!” Eli yelled at him when he caught sight of what Chris was

doing.

Though he felt compelled to turn back and run, or at least make an

attempt to obey Eli’s earlier command―which in itself was only a
product of their mating―Chris ran behind the wolf.

The gray mass of snarling hair was too busy trying to yank Eli’s

arm  out  of  his  socket  that  he  didn’t  notice  Chris  approaching  from
behind.  Not until  Chris  grabbed the creature by  the ears, digging his
fingernails  into  the  sensitive  flesh,  and  yanking  back  as  hard  as  he
could.

The result was instant. The wolf released its hold on Eli’s arm as

it bucked back in pain. Chris felt some of the skin tear up and collect
under his fingernails when he scratched too hard, but he had no time
to reflect on that as the wolf twisted around and shot out its claws
along Chris’s chest.

He didn’t feel any pain. The wolf missed!
“Chris? Chris!”
Chris only heard the alarmed shout as though it had come from

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

down a long tunnel. He felt a warm, wet something cripple down his
chest, and he looked, expecting to see wolf drool or something.

He saw red. Blood. He didn’t understand why his eyes were

playing tricks on him like this. It looked like it was squirting from
several gaping slashes on his chest, going from the top, all the way
down into his stomach, where the slashes got to be deeper.

That couldn’t be right! He wasn’t hurt!
The wolf whined, its tail cowering between its legs before it

jumped back through the window, disappearing.

Chris had scared it away. Good.
Then he keeled over.
Eli caught him before he could land on the hardwood floor, and

then Chris really started to feel the pain.

That had been so fast. Less than ten seconds, and now he was

going to die.

Eli shook him. “Chris? Chris! Stay awake!”
“I’m fine,” he said, but Eli ignored him, heaving Chris into his

arms and running out of the bedroom.

From Chris’s position, he could only make out things that were

happening above him. First the slightly cracked ceiling of their cabin.
Then the blue sky, and then the faces of the other members of Eli’s
pack gathering around him. Their faces ranged from sick horror, to
sympathy, and then sadness.

“James!” Eli shouted, even though his alpha was standing right

there. Eli was panicking. “He’ll be okay, right? That other wolf
infected him, so he should start healing soon? Right?”

His voice became more and more desperate the more he spoke.
Chris’s vision was starting to go fuzzy now, but he could still

make out the way James clenched his jaw and bit on his lower lip. He
looked behind himself and called for someone to step forward.

Old Maggie came into view. The pack’s wise woman. Chris felt a

sense of calm at seeing her. She would tell everyone that he was fine,
that all Chris needed was some sleep, bandages, and chicken soup or

Marcy Jacks

something.

She scrutinized the wound carefully, and Chris’s eyes became

heavier and heavier. Eli shook him again.

“Stay awake! Baby, please, stay awake. Don’t die on me.”
Eli was crying now. Chris could tell by the way his voice broke,

and the gentle, tickling splash of warm tears on Chris’s face.

“His bowels were nicked,” Old Maggie said, and then she shook

her head in a decidedly nonencouraging way. “I have nothing that can
save him from that.”

“No!” Eli screamed, mirroring Chris’s thoughts.
“The pond! I’ll take him to the pond.”
“He may very well not make it that far,” Old Maggie said. “And

those wild werewolves are still surrounding us.”

Chris didn’t care. He didn’t want to die, and he did his best to

convey those thoughts to Eli.

Eli looked down into his face and must’ve seen that. “James?” his

voice was begging.

Luckily, he was on board. “Andrew, take Nick and Adam and run

ahead. Take down anyone you see that we don’t know. Isaac, pull
your guns out. You and Morgan can cover us.”

The sound of a gun barrel clicked. “Will do.”
Chris was already starting to feel the world shaking around him. If

he’d wanted to fall into a peaceful sleep before, he didn’t now, since
everything was too uncomfortable as Eli ran with him in his arms.

Chris had been told about the pond’s strange healing powers, but

he’d never bothered swimming in it before. He really hoped that what
Eli and the others said about that water was true and that he could
hold on just long enough to make it there.

* * * *

Eli could hear the growls and howls of the wild werewolves as

Nick, Adam, and Andrew hunted them down.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

But there were far too many of them for just three alpha wolves to

take down on their own. There were also the wolves that stayed away
from the fighting, the ones who peeked their heads out through the
shrub to watch as Eli ran as quickly as he could with Chris’s limp
body bleeding profusely in his arms.

Maybe they didn’t attack because James was currently in his wolf

form, running beside Eli and growling at any wolf who got too close,
and then there was Isaac, who pointed his Glock and let off a random
shot into the bushes to scare any wolf away from coming too close.

Maybe they just felt guilty that it was their attack that caused

Chris to be in this condition to begin with. That other wolf had
certainly fled quickly after he’d seen what he’d done.

The pond, normally seeming only right in their back yard, was

suddenly a thousand miles away, and as Chris grew paler, Eli became
more panicked.

He shook the other man when his head lolled and eyes rolled to

the back of his head.

“Chris!”
We’re here, James said, using the inner voice that all alphas could

use on their pack members.

Eli looked up. It was as if he’d stumbled into paradise. Adam,

Nick, and Andrew were already there. Some blood matted their fur
from the attacks of the other wolves, but they stood strong, their
hackles raised up high and lips pulled back, snarling at any wolf who
dared to come within their circle.

There were so many werewolves. What had Deacon been doing?

Putting them through an assembly line?

Eli ran for the clear water and jumped in. The pond wasn’t

immediately deep, so he was forced to splash around some as he went
further and further in, until the cool liquid completely covered Chris’s
body and his own.

Chris’s heartbeat became small and frail as a newborn bird’s. For

one heart-shattering second, he feared that it had stopped completely,

Marcy Jacks

before he heard it one more time.

Come on, baby, you’re here. You’re going to be okay. Eli pushed

them up for air and took in a deep breath when they broke the surface.
He only left their heads above the water. Everything else was to
remain below.

Nicked bowels. That meant that all the waste from Chris’s body

was pouring into his wound, his veins, down his legs, everywhere. It
was poisoning him from the inside. But this water had cleansing
powers. They didn’t know where it came from, but this water was
pure somehow, it would clean out Chris’s wound and heal him.

They tried bringing Eric here. Eric and the other alphas who’d

died that day. They had hoped that the same powers that had brought
Deacon back from the dead would do the same for them, but it hadn’t
worked.

This was different. Eric and the others had been dead for several

minutes before they’d gotten them to the pond. Chris’s heart was still
beating when Eli jumped into the clear pool with him. He was going
to live. He was!

Eli looked behind himself to see James and the others all staring at

him, waiting for the verdict. The shocking thing was the way the wild
werewolves did the same. There were so many of them. Dozens. If
they wanted to, they could ambush the lot of them and take this land
for their own, but they stood still, eyes glowing as they stood, staring.
The fighting had stopped in favor of seeing to the safety of the man
with multicolored eyes.

Eli looked back down at his lover. Chris’s face remained pale, but

his body was growing cold.

That was just because of the cool water lowering the temperature

of his body, Eli told himself. He put his hand over Chris’s chest, to
assure himself that the other man’s heart was beating.

He felt nothing.
The water around them had become stained with red, and Eli

didn’t take his hand away, still searching for that elusive beating.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

It was there. It had to be there. Come on, baby, I know you’re still

alive. You’re not dead.

One of the wolves behind him howled, and a human hand touched

Eli’s shoulder.

He jerked away. It was James. He’d entered the water to come and

get him.

“He’s gone. I’m sorry, Eli, but he’s gone.”
“He is not dead!” Eli shrieked, shaking Chris in his arms. “Come

on, baby. Open your eyes. You’re okay. I know you are. Wake up!”

James didn’t touch him again, and no one else entered the water to

come and get him. More wolves howled, and Eli broke down sobbing.

His mate, his mate that he was supposed to protect was dead, and

it was entirely his fault.

He stood in the water for what seemed like several minutes before

he finally got his sobbing under control. Eli pressed his face into
Chris’s hair, and then he released Chris’s body, letting the water take
him until he disappeared within the red haze that had bloomed in the
pond.

Romulus and Remus take you.
He wanted nothing better than to let himself sink under with

Chris, let himself drown, because his mind and body were both ready
to give up. He wouldn’t struggle for air, and if he did, he had the
strength to fight his body’s need for oxygen. It wasn’t like there were
many people that would mourn him.

In one strange moment, the epiphany hit him. Eli had nothing to

live for. His brother, his only family, was gone, and his mate was just
taken from him, right before his eyes, and not even the healing power
of the pond would bring him back.

What had he done? What horrible thing had Eli done that he was

to be punished like this?

He let go of the thought of drowning himself. James would never

let him do it anyway. Instead, Eli turned around and waded out of the
pool of water. It was bloody again, just like it had been the first time

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Marcy Jacks

Deacon had been thrown in. The water would clean itself. It always
did.

Some of the blood stayed on Eli’s skin when he finally emerged

from the water.

Isaac stepped forward. He looked like he was about to say

something until Eli glared at him. He didn’t want any sympathetic
words from anyone.

One of the transformed werewolves stepped forward. A large

brown wolf, with shame in its eyes and bloodied ears.

His head was down, and tail between his legs. Eli snarled as he

recognized the reason for all of his pain.

“You…you killed him!” Eli charged forth, ready to bash his fist

into the skull of the werewolf, who stood in place. He cowered but
didn’t move away, as though awaiting punishment for killing a man
of lycan legend.

Eli had every intention of beating the wolf’s skull in and not

stopping until he was either dead or that hairy body was twitching on
the ground.

Even that satisfaction couldn’t be his. The other wild werewolves

beat Eli to it, and they all jumped on top of the injured wolf in a
massive ball of teeth and fur and claws.

The werewolf whined and cried, attempting to defend himself for

only a minute before the body stilled, but the other wolves continued
their attack.

Blood and ripped flesh flew about as the wild wolves feasted on

their former ally. Eli watched, aware that he should be sickened by
the carnage, but he felt nothing but disappointment and loss.

His heart hurt.
“Come on,” James said, putting his arm around Eli’s shoulder. Eli

realized he was still naked when someone took their coat off and
handed it to him, but he shook his head. He didn’t want it.

“I’ll take you home,” James said.
Everyone walked with a slight hunch in their shoulders, and no

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

101

one  bothered  looking  back  at  the  little  massacre  that  was  going  on
behind  them.  With  Chris  gone,  those  wild  wolves  would  have  no
reason  to  attack  DeWitt’s  pack  anymore.  They  would  go  their
separate ways.

Eli would go with James, but only to keep the others at ease. He

had no intention of staying.

102

Marcy Jacks

Chapter Twelve

He came up for air gasping. Choking and coughing, Chris

floundered around in the water, searching for a solid surface to grab
on to.

Eli!
Chris never grew up near a lake, or any source of water, and

because of that he couldn’t swim. He didn’t like going into the water
for just that reason. He was choking, dying. Drowning.

Eli, help me!
Something grabbed Chris by the back of the neck. It felt like sharp

teeth, like those of the many werewolves Chris had seen since he first
came to James’s pack. His heart lurched in panic, but the teeth didn’t
bite down hard enough to rip his skin, only to pull him slightly out of
the water so that he could breathe.

Try to, anyway. Water was still in his lungs, and Chris coughed

and gasped, choking it up until he finally realized he was being
dragged away.

Where was he?
He understood when his feet touched down on the smooth rocks

and soft sand beneath the water. Chris was being taken back to dry
land.

He was promptly dropped onto his chest in the grass, and the scent

of it filled his nose.

He felt like he was coming out of an ocean rather than a medium-

sized pond, and he wanted to kiss the sweet-smelling grass.

Dry land. Thank you, God.
Chris turned over. His vision was blurry from being under the

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103

water, but he could still make out the massive shadow above him. It
was definitely in the shape of a wolf. He could tell by the way the ears
pointed. He reached out to touch it.

“Eli?”
The shadow promptly vanished, and Chris’s vision cleared. He

blinked several times up at the orange sky. The sun was beginning to
set.

Then he smelled something other than grass. He smelled blood.

Lots and lots of blood. The scent was so strong it was nearly
overpowering. Chris had never smelled anything like it.

He rolled over and saw the source, and he nearly puked.
In the middle of the grass was carnage. Absolute frickin’ carnage.

It looked like someone had improperly skinned an animal alive. Strips
of fur and hair lay everywhere, and blood and all sorts of pieces Chris
couldn’t name were all that were left.

A black crow stood over the wreckage, eating what it had found,

but there was no way the crow had been able to consume so much.
Chris knew that there should have been way more pieces of a body
left behind.

His first horrified thought was that this was Eli, but then, no, the

smell gave it away. Something about this, he didn’t quite know what
it was, but there was something in the smell that told Chris that this
was not Eli.

His mate was not here.
Chris’s insides shifted. He gasped in pain as everything inside of

his ribs seemed to relocate and light on fire.

His wound! He reached down to make sure that nothing had

spilled out of him, but there was no longer a gaping hole in his body.
The three slashes had been replaced with stinging scratches that hurt
to touch, but when he pulled his hand back there wasn’t even any
blood. It was like he’d been scratched by a cat and not a wild
werewolf.

Something inside his body cracked, and Chris cried out, falling

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Marcy Jacks

onto his sides in pain. What was happening to him?

Something itched on his hands, and when he looked, he saw all

the hair growing from the pores of his skin at a speed that should have
been impossible. His eyesight changed. Suddenly he could see all the
tiny ants working to collect the bits of meat from the dead werewolf
and bring it back to their colony. The smells he picked up before
intensified. Not only could he smell the blood in the air, but also the
sweat of the men who had been here before, who left very much alive
only a few hours ago.

Then Chris knew no more as everything changed, giving over to

the animal side of him that fought so hard to come out. He threw his
head back and screamed, but it came out as a long howl.

* * * *

Eli had gone back to his cottage but then recalled the scene that

would be awaiting him in his bedroom and stopped.

James, knowing what he was avoiding, ordered the omegas to

clean up the mess and bring Eli a pair of jeans he could wear.

He didn’t want to stay here. Just the fact that he’d come back

without Chris, and everyone who looked at him knew why, drove him
insane.

So he left.
He expected an argument or a warning about avoiding the bars,

but James never said a word. The alpha put his hand on Eli’s
shoulder, squeezed, and then wordlessly let him go.

Eli’s mission was simple. He was going to find one of the many

wild werewolves roaming around the woods, and he was going to
pick a fight with him. He would do it again and again if he had to,
until one of them finally managed to kill Eli in retaliation.

Revenge couldn’t even be his, so he would take out his

frustrations and end his own existence, joining Chris with Romulus
and Remus, all in one shot.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

105

It was actually very perfect.
The first wolf was easy to find. The mindless fight they had all

gotten into, eating one of their own allies, had brought out more of the
animal than the man in all of them. They would be stuck in that state
for some time to come, and they would be sticking around DeWitt’s
pack land, still mourning the loss of creature they had fought so hard
for a piece of.

Eli kicked off his jeans, shifted, and charged. The idiot never

knew what hit him, even though Eli was still healing from the attack
in his bedroom, and the scent of his blood should have been a
giveaway. It was too easy, and Eli had his neck twisted around before
the other wolf was able to do more scratch him across the nose, and it
wasn’t even a good scratch at that.

He would have to give them more of a warning the next time.
He did. The next wolf bit down on his ear and clawed his chest

before he was down for good.

The third wolf winded Eli more than hurt him, and Eli killed him

with little trouble at all.

Why were these wolves so easy to kill? Even as Eli gave them

chances to fight back, he still put them down with minimal effort.

Maybe it was the adrenaline inside of him. Maybe he just wanted

to kill the werewolves responsible for Chris’s death a whole lot more
than he wanted to die.

For now at least.
Eli was tired, hot with sweat, and he needed something cold to

drink more than anything. He shifted back into a man and let himself
fall back against the base of a tree.

He chuckled to himself. Maybe he could just sit here and waste

away. He could die of thirst, and the effect would be just as good as
the one he’d been after to begin with. Death.

He even thought he heard Chris calling his name a couple of times

during his fights. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. Unless
Chris had decided he was going to haunt Eli for his own part in

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Chris’s murder.

It would certainly serve him right.
Maybe he did die. He wasn’t sure, but there was a period there

where everything seemed like a hallucination, reminding him of the
first time he’d ever gotten drunk or tried smoking the green leaf.

Another wolf entered his hallucination. It growled at him, and Eli

grunted back.

Could it be the spirit of Romulus or Remus, here to punish him for

not protecting his mate? Or was it a wild wolf out to avenge his
friends? Not likely. Wild wolves weren’t known to have much pack
loyalty, if any at all.

This one had probably scented the blood and was just looking for

a fight.

The wolf barked at him, and Eli blinked dreamily at it, coming

fully awake. Not a ghost, this was an actual werewolf.

It came closer, and Eli didn’t move.
The face of the smaller wolf shifted from angry and defensive to a

cautious curiosity as it approached.

Not an alpha then. An alpha would have come to Eli as though he

were its own personal meal. The size of the wolf also suggested that
this was an omega.

Strange. Omega werewolves didn’t usually survive after going

wild. Who was this?

The wolf came way too close, getting all up in Eli’s personal

space, and he pushed the head of the animal away when it dipped its
head to sniff at his crotch.

“Do you mind?” Eli snapped.
That light brown head came up, ears pulled back, the eyes both

offended and hurt.

The eyes were what made Eli sit up straight, despite the searing

pain in his back. He grabbed the wolf by the scruff and pulled it closer
until they were nose to nose. Eli’s vision was still hazy, and though he
couldn’t blink it away, no matter how much he tried, there was no

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107

mistaking the color of those eyes.

“One dark brown, the other blue.” Eli barely dared to hope.

“Chris?”

The wolf twitched his tail and licked Eli across the nose. Eli

laughed and sobbed at the same time, throwing his arms around the
hairy shoulders of the wolf lest he disappear on him.

Eli’s chest hurt as he wept. He couldn’t seem to properly catch a

breath as his happiness consumed every part of him, even his lungs,
leaving little room for air.

He ran his fingers through the coarse wolf fur of Chris’s hair,

kissed his perfect ears and the top of his head.

Chris wagged his tail like a puppy who had found his master, and

he knocked Eli onto the ground, licking his face and neck.

Eli finally caught his breath and managed to laugh. He grabbed

the fur around Chris’s neck and yanked the new wolf off of him.
Chris’s mouth was open, tongue lolling in a dog smile.

“Can you understand me?” Eli asked. It was common that a first

transformation put the werewolf in more of an animal state of mind,
rather than human, but Chris yipped at him.

That could mean anything.
Eli looked him in the eyes and concentrated. He needed to

communicate with Chris, get him out of this form. Do you understand
me? he asked again, using the link that all mated werewolves had.

Chris’s ears perked, and he cocked his head to the side, as though

attempting to understand what that sound had been inside his head.

Then his body shifted.
He was changing back. Eli held on to him tightly as Chris whined

and lay down on soft grass. The shift went through him relatively
quickly. After twenty seconds all his fur had either been shed
completely off or had shrunk back under the pores of his skin.

Eli touched that skin. It was warm now and tanned a healthy

colour from both sunlight and health.

Chris blinked his multicolored eyes and looked up at him, and Eli

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wanted to weep all over again.

Chris touched his face, and Eli’s jaw trembled.
“Don’t cry,” he said.
Eli wanted to laugh. “Don’t cry, he says. After my mate dies and

is brought back to life, how can I not cry?”

Chris kissed him, and Eli tasted the tears from both of them. He

pulled Chris onto his lap and plundered his mouth, thrusting his
tongue, tasting him, touching him, assuring himself that this was real
and that Chris wasn’t about to vanish on him.

Eli had to force himself to pull away. “You are real? We’re not

both dead and in the other life?”

“As far as I know, no.” Chris grabbed Eli by the ears and pulled

their mouths together again.

Eli couldn’t help himself. They weren’t so much kissing as they

were claiming each other, and his body reacted. So did Chris’s.

He was about to push Chris off of him. His mate had just come

back from the dead, and considering the shape Eli was in, this was not
the ideal place for them to celebrate.

Chris felt his erection, however, and started grinding his hips in a

circular motion, brushing their cocks together.

Eli groaned, and pathetically enough, he came, splashing his

warm fluids onto both of their stomachs.

“Shit!” Eli cursed, wiping away his cum from where it had landed

just a little too close to Chris’s healing wounds. There was always
something erotic about having his cum on the skin of a lover, it was
another way of claiming that person, but Eli didn’t want to do it at the
risk of infecting Chris’s scratches.

Chris hardly paid him any mind as he continued humping Eli like

he was in heat. He grabbed Eli by the hand and lowered his palm to
his cock.

Eli took the hint and stroked him. Chris had never been this hard

for him, and Eli felt the veins bulging in the other man’s prick.

“Come for me, baby, mark me as yours.”

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109

Chris’s movements sped up. He wrapped his arms around Eli’s

shoulders and thrust against his hand faster. His eyes squeezed shut,
and he moaned in short bursts.

Just those sounds were enough to fill Eli’s prick once more, and

the jerky movements of Chris’s hips brought jolts of pleasure that
made his balls tight.

“Fuck! Ugh, fuck me, Eli!”
Chris came as he said it, his body going slack over Eli’s shoulder,

but his erection didn’t dwindle, and Eli didn’t need to be told twice.

He pushed Chris down on his back, and Chris opened for him.
Love you so much, was said through their link. Eli didn’t know

which of them had said it.

Their mouths met, and Eli continued thrusting against his lover,

humping him, grinding their cocks together for more of that shivery
pleasure that produced the sighs and gasps that Eli loved to hear.

Chris ran his fingernails down Eli’s back, and he groaned.
“Eli, I’m coming again,” Chris gasped. “Fuck me now. I need you

right now.”

Eli wanted to laugh. Chris didn’t yet realize that as a werewolf, he

would be able to go for another ten rounds if he really put his mind to
it. Just because Eli made him come one more time didn’t mean that he
wouldn’t be able to go one once more.

He decided he wouldn’t be a tease about it. Besides, Eli was still

filthy  as  hell,  and  he  didn’t  want  to  risk  that  any  minute  now  Chris
could  come  out  of  his  lust-induced  haze  and  take  note  of  that,  then
press  the  pause  button  on  their  actions  until  Eli  received  some
treatment.

Not going to happen.
Eli stuck his fingers in his mouth, wetting them, and then brought

down his index finger on Chris’s pucker.

“Don’t make it hurt.”
Eli paused, his heart breaking for the other man. “It will a little,

but you’re a wolf now. I promise it’ll only burn a little and that’ll be

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it.”

If Eli had his way, it wouldn’t hurt at all. The heaviness in Chris’s

cock and balls was a testament to how horny he was. Hopefully that
would be more than enough to get him through the worst of it.

Eli prepared him, as slowly as he was able, yet still quickly, as the

urge to be inside of Chris was driving him insane. He actually started
to sweat again.

Eli wouldn’t enter him yet, not until he found what he was looking

for. He hooked his fingers inside of Chris’s asshole, searching,
searching.

Chris had a deep look of concentration on his face until his eyes

popped open wide.

“There it is,” Eli said, nudging the little nub with his fingertips

again, and then not moving his fingers away from that spot.

Chris opened his mouth and cried out, his cock emptying onto his

stomach. He gripped his hair and wiped his face as the orgasm
seemed to go on and on.

“OhmyGodrightthereEli!”
Eli had no idea what Chris had just said, but he smiled over it

anyway as he wiped the white cum off of Chris’s chest with his free
hand and then wiped his hand onto the grass.

Eli kept right on playing with that spot, and Chris continued to

moan as his cock filled again. Chris reached down and started to
pump himself, using his own ejaculate as lubrication, and Eli decided
he was ready.

When he pulled his fingers out, Chris wailed in disappointment.
“I’m not leaving you hanging, baby, don’t you worry.”
Eli held his prick by the base, and then lined up the head with

Chris’s pink pucker.

“Push out,” Eli said through gritting teeth as he slowly, teasingly,

pressed himself inside.

He was tight, and it was nearly difficult to sheath himself fully,

but he did it. Chris pressed his teeth together then sighed as Eli’s cock

Eli’s Reluctant Mate

111

brushed up against his prostate.

They fucked each other hard. Eli reached down and gripped

Chris’s dick, stroking him in an off rhythm to his thrusting, but he
couldn’t help it. He could hardly think about anything other than how
mind numbingly good it felt to finally be inside of his lover.

“You feel so fucking good,” Eli moaned, and the desperation they

put into their actions, into the way they held each other, the way they
kissed, fucked, was something Eli never wanted to experience with
anyone other than his mate.

Chris squeezed his eyes shut, the familiar sign that he was

struggling to fight off his coming orgasm for as long as possible.

“Oh God! Come inside me, Eli.”
Eli sped up the motion of his hips. He was sure that Chris was

going to have grass stains on his back when they were done.

He released a hard groan as his balls became tight and he came.

Chris was so inexperienced with his new body that his orgasm was
right behind Eli’s.

Eli didn’t stop. He kept right on thrusting into Chris, not coming

to a halt until he milked himself completely, and his body was left
twitching and satisfied after.

They just held each other close after, neither wanting to interrupt

the moment by getting up or even speaking. It was just them, all by
themselves.

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Chapter Thirteen

“I saw something when I woke up. It was the shadow of a wolf.”
Eli held Chris’s hand as they walked back to the pack. The sun

had just about gone down, and the stars had come out. It was time to
get back to reality and return.

At least this time Eli would be happy to be coming back.
Chris stayed close to Eli’s side, not yet used to walking around

naked. He would get used to it soon enough.

He thought about what Chris had just told him. “Another wild

werewolf, maybe? They were all pretty upset about your death. I
didn’t know wild werewolves cared so much for the myth about
multicolored eyes.”

Didn’t they always say that there was some truth to every myth?

Maybe wild werewolves, being wild and more animal than man, were
more in tune with the beliefs and legends than anyone thought they
were.

“No, it couldn’t have been one of them. This wolf didn’t try and

have sex with me.”

Something foul tasting entered Eli’s mouth. Right. He’d forgotten

about that bit.

“The shadow disappeared, too, when I touched it.”
“Really?”
Chris nodded.
Eli thought about that for a minute and came up with nothing

logical. “I don’t know what happened. We all know there’s something
about that pond that gives it its power. Maybe you saw a wolf spirit.
Supposedly they’re still around from the time of the natives.”

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113

“Have you ever seen a wolf spirit before?”
Eli shook his head. “No, but you’re the one blessed with the lucky

multicolored eyes. Maybe he only came to you.”

“It might’ve been your brother,” Chris said carefully. “Maybe he

thought that helping me would be like helping you. Since we’re
together and all.”

Eli liked the thought of that one better, that his brother was still

nearby, watching over the both of them. “Could be.”

Eli was completely talking out of his ass. Truthfully, he had no

explanation, but coming up with these theories was calming. Really,
all he cared about right now was that his mate was alive and would be
coming home with him.

“What do we tell the others when we get back?” Chris asked.
“First, we tell them to not disturb us for forty-eight hours. Then,

when we come out of our room, we tell them the truth. The pond
brought you back to life.”

“The same way it did to Deacon?”
Eli clenched his jaw. “Yeah.”
It still galled him that the guy was alive somewhere, creating wild

werewolves left, right, and center. Eli would probably never catch up
with the wolf who murdered his brother. Hell, that guy might already
even be dead, considering the wild werewolves Eli had killed just
today, not to mention the ones Nick, Adam, and Andrew had taken
out.

Tonight he would rest easy. He had Chris, they were both alive

and well, and now that Chris was a werewolf, he would better be able
to defend himself from attack.

And their time in bed was going to be much more fun.
“Let’s hurry,” Eli said. “I can’t wait to get home.”
Chris smiled as they both ran the rest of the way. Eli finally had

his mate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marcy Jacks lives and works in Ontario, Canada, where she is

fervently pursuing the writer’s life while writing about lots of
gorgeous guys. She loves hearing from readers and you can reach her
at authormarcyjacks@gmail.com.

For all titles by Marcy Jacks, please visit