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Brac Pack 31

A Man’s Worth

Being one of the last Lakeland bears to mate, Bryce isn’t too
happy when he finds out the man fated to be his has covered his

scent for years. Tired of Ahm shimmering in and out of his life,
Bryce finally puts his paw down and demands Ahm make a choice.
Either be with him, or never show his face around Bryce again.

Ahm shimmers away.

Ahm is the revered leader of the Shadow elves. His tribe is

grounded deep in tradition, and turns their backs on anyone who
mates outside their race. But when Ahm finally tells his cousin that

he has a male shifter for a mate, the tribe calls a hunt on Ahm’s
head.

With a cursed bracelet on his wrist and nowhere to run, Ahm calls
for help. What he hadn’t expected was a clan of bears to come to
his rescue.

But Bryce isn’t a part of the rescue party, and he isn’t so sure he
wants Ahm around. Can the two find a way to work out their

differences before the tribe finds Ahm, and can Ahm find a
solution to a growing problem in his tribe before his beloved race

becomes extinct?

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 43,064 words

A MAN’S WORTH

Brac Pack 31

Lynn Hagen

EVERLASTING CLASSIC

MANLOVE

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Everlasting Classic ManLove

A MAN’S WORTH
Copyright © 2013 by Lynn Hagen
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-586-0

First E-book Publication: April 2013

Cover design by Les Byerley
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A MAN’S WORTH

Brac Pack 31

LYNN HAGEN

Chapter One

“If you don’t put it on correctly, I’m going to beat the shit out of

you.”

“I would really like to see you try,” Chauncey said to Bryce as the

side of his mouth kicked up into a good-humored smile. “Just because
you are a damn bear doesn’t mean you have to behave like one. Stop
acting like somebody stole your sweets.”

As the thunder rolled across the sky, telling Bryce the storm was

getting closer, he steered Hell Raiser toward the south pasture. It
didn’t matter to man or horse if it rained. Hell Raiser only allowed
Bryce—and Riley’s mate, Sterling—anywhere near him, and was
ornery as hell. A heavy downpour was nothing to either of them.

Not when Bryce felt just as gloomy on the inside as the weather

surrounding him.

“Why don’t you stop dictating to me from up there and get down

here. I could use the help.” Chauncey wiped his brow and then locked
his feet into place as he lifted the new tire for the tractor. “Just
because I’m as strong as a bear doesn’t mean this shit is easy.”

“Will you stop with the bear references,” Bryce snapped as he

climbed down and hitched Hell Raiser’s reins to a nearby branch.
“It’s annoying as hell.”

Lynn Hagen

“So is your sour mood.” Chauncey grunted with the back tire in

his arms, but managed to scowl at him. “I remember when you were
carefree, laughing all the time. Now you look like you need an
enema.”

“Can we stop worrying about me and get this done?” Bryce

groused as he helped Chauncey place the back wheel on the tractor.
His brother quickly secured the large tire in place as Bryce watched
him work.

He wasn’t trying to be a prick. Bryce didn’t like feeling pissy. It

wasn’t in his nature. He was just as good humored and playful as his
other brothers. But when he found out his mate had been disguising
his scent just so Bryce wouldn’t know they were destined to be
together…well, that downright pissed him off.

Was he that bad of a man that Ahm had hidden his scent all these

years?

Years.
Bryce felt his chest tighten as a deep ache began to thrum through

his heart. The Shadow elf had hidden who he was to Bryce for years.
He had a right to be pissy. The thought of what Ahm had done hurt
like hell.

“Okay, I’m done.”
Bryce left Chauncey to finish up as he mounted the horse and took

off toward the house. If Ahm didn’t want him, then Bryce wasn’t
going to sit by and wait on the man. It was very apparent that Ahm
had made his decision about their relationship.

And it hadn’t been in Bryce’s favor.
Fuck that Shadow elf.
Bryce rode to the barn, dismounted, and took care of Hell Raiser

before putting him in his stall. He fed the horse a few treats, rubbed
his hand down the soft hairs on the horse’s neck, and then exited the
barn.

“Pa said to help you today,” Abe said as he came running toward

Bryce. Abe was a Wood elf. He had helped rescue Bryce’s brother,

A Man’s Worth

Cole, and Chauncey’s mate, Curtis, when an evil bastard had
kidnapped them.

He liked Abe, although the man was a bit on the flirtatious side. It

didn’t bother him. Abe was harmless. He was like a small puppy
yapping around Bryce’s feet. “What did he tell you to help me with?”

Abe shrugged. “He just said to give you a hand. I think he wanted

to get me out of his hair.” The amusement on Abe’s face belied the
hurt Bryce saw in the man’s blue eyes. Bryce had figured the guy out
a long time ago. Abe may be flirtatious, but it was a front. The man
was lonely and had confessed to having no friends in the tribe he had
lived in.

Something snapped inside Bryce. He was tired of being grumpy

and tired of being a prick. That wasn’t who he was normally. It was
about time he got over being rejected by his mate and had a bit of fun.
“Why don’t we take off for the rest of the day and find something to
get into?”

Abe’s grin was wide. “Okay.”
Bryce smiled for the first time in what felt like forever as he

walked toward his truck. He wasn’t going to let anyone take away
who he was. Not even his mate. The thought brought a spike of pain
to his chest, but Bryce forced himself to ignore it.

He had to or he wouldn’t be able to function under the

excruciating pain. The thing Ahm failed to realize about Bryce was
that—although he was a big burly bear—he had the biggest heart and
had dreamed of finding his mate since he was a small cub.

That might not matter to the elf, but it meant the world to Bryce.
So, since the man wanted to be a coward and run from

Bryce…fuck him. Bryce opened the driver’s door and hopped in. Abe
climbed in on the other side, buckling himself in.

“So, where to?”
“How about a nice long drive into the city?” Bryce asked as he

started the motor and pulled from the ranch. He really had no
definitive destination in mind as long as it put a smile on his face.

Lynn Hagen

“Just as long as you tell Pa that I helped you, I’m ready for

anything you have in mind.” Abe looked happy as he clasped his
hands in his lap.

Bryce grinned and drove down the road. Maybe they could go

shopping or… “How old are you?”

Abe wiggled his eyebrows. “Old enough to know better and

young enough to still enjoy it.”

“That would hold a lot more weight if you didn’t look at least half

my age.” Hell, Abe looked like a damn kid. A cute kid, but still a kid.

Abe cocked his head to one side, a sly smirk crossing his lips.

“You don’t like younger guys, Bryce?”

Oh, how to answer that one?
“I suppose I like younger guys as much as the next man, but even

I have my limits.” Besides, his interests of late seemed to lie
somewhere around guys over five hundred years old.

“I’m older than I look,” Abe said. “Christian allowed me into his

club with you the last time we were in the city. He’d never do that if I
wasn’t old enough.”

“The Manacle.” Bryce thumped the palm of his hand on the

steering wheel. “That’s where we should go. We could dance and
drink ourselves silly.” Besides, the last time he and Abe had hung out,
Bryce had had a really good time—before the club was blown apart.

“Sounds like a plan.”
Getting rip-roaring drunk sounded like a damn good plan. Bryce

was ready to do just about anything to forget his coward of a mate,
even get plastered in a vamp bar. Maybe he’d get lucky and find
someone to spend the night with as well. It wasn’t like he was going
to be able to go home to his mate.

His mate didn’t want him.
Ahm had made that perfectly clear when he hid from Bryce for

years.

Bryce gripped the steering wheel until it began to creak under the

strength of his hands. It galled him to no end that Ahm had denied

A Man’s Worth

him. What right did that freaky little elf have to deny him his mate?
Ahm didn’t even discuss it with him, just cut Bryce out of his life.

How dare he!
“Dude, you want me to drive?”
“Huh?” Bryce turned to look at Abe. “What?”
“You’re driving like a maniac.” Abe waved his hand toward the

windshield. “Do you want me to drive?”

Bryce grimaced and took his foot off the gas pedal when he

realized he was speeding down the road. He quickly reached over and
rolled down his window, allowing the cold night air to fill the cab of
the truck. If he didn’t get his head screwed on straight, he was going
to end up in the ditch.

“Sorry, Abe, my mind was on other things.”
“Yeah.” Abe didn’t sound convinced but didn’t say anything else.

Bryce knew he could. Abe was fully aware that Ahm and Bryce were
mates. Bryce was pretty sure everyone in the Lakeland household
was. And Abe, being a Wood elf, would be even more aware of the
situation.

Which made Bryce feel like growling. He hated people knowing

his business. He didn’t mind joking with people and maybe getting
the occasional piece of advice, but he liked to keep the intimacies of
his personal life private.

Bryce’s mind was filled with turmoil and confusion until he

pulled into the parking lot of The Manacle and heard the loud music
coming from inside the building. He was delighted when he spotted
the long line of people waiting to get inside.

Guess the place was back up and running.
The bombing that had pretty much destroyed the place—and

almost took Chauncey from him—had been one of the worst
experiences of Bryce’s life. After seeing the rubble from the aftermath
of the explosion, Bryce hadn’t expected the club would be up and
running so fast.

Lynn Hagen

Bryce quickly scanned the parking lot before climbing out of his

truck. After dealing with the crazy-ass woman who planted the bomb
inside the club, he wasn’t going to take any chances. If anything
looked out of place, he was gone.

“We’ve added cameras in the parking lot along with guards placed

throughout the club,” said a voice from behind Bryce, making his
heart speed up with sudden fear. “You are perfectly safe here, Bryce.”

Bryce blew out a relieved breath when he turned and saw

Christian’s second-in-command, Christo, standing there. “Hey, man,
how’s it going?”

“Never better,” Christo replied, grinning just enough that Bryce

could see his fangs flash in the lights hanging over the parking lot.
“The humans are lining up around the corner, the club has been
repaired, and we are back in business full time.”

Bryce gave a snickering laugh as he glanced toward the crowd

gathering near the side of the building. “Yeah, I saw the line.”

“You, and your friend, too, of course”—Christo nodded toward

Abe—“do not have to wait in line. I would be happy to escort you in
myself.”

“Sweet!” Abe squealed as he bounced all over, looking like he

was about to wet himself with excitement.

Bryce laughed, the little man’s exuberance sinking into him and

making him almost forget that he was nursing a broken heart. “That
would be cool, man. Thanks.”

“No, you have my thanks.” Christo gave a little bow of his head.

“You and your brothers were more than helpful when we were
attacked. Giving you entrance into the club is the least I can do for the
lives you helped save.”

Bryce grabbed Abe by the arm to keep him from bouncing off into

the atmosphere and followed Christo toward the entrance of the club.
The same vampire who always guarded the door was there again.
Bryce nodded to him as he walked in. Harley nodded back.

A Man’s Worth

Bryce could feel his hips start to move to the beat of the music the

second he stepped into the place. He suddenly felt almost rejuvenated,
like all of his worries were sliding away as he entered the club.

Maybe this was what he needed, after all.
Bryce steered Abe toward the bar and ordered them both a drink.

While he waited for the bartender to get their order, he turned and
leaned back against the bar and scanned the crowd. There were
scantily dressed people everywhere, both men and women. And
damned if they didn’t look hot, every damn last one of them. Maybe
not as hot as Ahm looked, but pretty damn close. And tonight, Bryce
wasn’t going to be choosy.

Bryce downed the shot that the bartender set on the scarred

countertop in one swallow then slammed the glass back on the
counter. “Come on, Abe,” he said as he spied a particularly tasty-
looking man dancing in the middle of the dance floor. “Let’s party.”

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Two

Ahm rubbed the bridge of his nose when he heard someone knock

on his office door. When would he ever get a moment of peace? It
seemed like every time he turned around, someone wanted him for
something. Usually it was to settle some sort of dispute or rescue
someone that had gotten their ass in a sling.

Ahm was tired. He couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten

more than a few hours of sleep. It didn’t help that every damn time he
closed his eyes, Bryce came into his head. It was like the man had the
power to dominate Ahm’s every thought or something.

And people wondered why he had lost his blue skin? Ahm didn’t

think they would believe he was unable to claim his mate. Not that
that was the reason, but it was the problem that seemed to be at the
top of Ahm’s thoughts most days. If he didn’t know better, he would
have thought he was under some sort of ancient curse or something.

It was the only way to explain how his mate ended up being a bear

shifter. His mate was supposed to be a Shadow elf just like he was,
not a bear. No matter how much he wished it was different, Bryce
would never be accepted by Ahm’s people.

And that meant that Ahm couldn’t claim the man.
Even if it made his heart break every time he thought about it.
Ahm always knew that being the leader of his tribe would be

trying. He just never thought it would be what took his mate from
him. He had always dreamed of having his mate rule by his side and
not in his dreams.

But that was where Bryce had to stay because anything else

couldn’t even be contemplated. The Shadow elves, while being a

A Man’s Worth

peaceful people for the most part, were not often tolerant of other
species. Ahm was trying to bring them into the current century but he
was being thwarted at every turn—and by people that should have
been supporting him.

“Ahm, we need to talk.”
Speak of the devil.
“Come in, Nara,” Ahm said because he knew telling his cousin to

stay out wouldn’t work. The woman did what she wanted, when she
wanted to do it. She didn’t listen to anyone, not even him, and Ahm
was the leader of the Shadow elves.

“You missed your luncheon with Darla.” Nara crossed the room to

stand in front of Ahm’s desk, crossing her slim arms over her chest as
she glared down at him. “Do you know how long it took me to set up
that meeting with her father?”

“Nara, I told you, I am not mating with Darla.”
“You have to.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Her family is one of the most prestigious in the elf world. With

her bloodline combined with ours, we could rule the throne for
centuries to come.”

Ahm leaned back in his chair and folded his fingers together to

keep from reaching for his cousin’s throat and strangling her. They
had this argument almost every single day. He was getting damn tired
of it.

“Darla is not my mate, Nara. I will not bind with her just to make

you happy.”

“You have to have a mate.”
I have a mate, Ahm wanted to growl at the woman but he knew he

couldn’t. Not only did he have to be careful of the whole shifter thing
around his cousin, he didn’t dare mention that his mate was a man.

Nara would lose her mind.
Ahm wouldn’t put it past her to go after Bryce. He might not be

able to claim his mate, but Ahm would protect him with his last

Lynn Hagen

breath. “I will find my mate when fate decides I need one. Not before
then. And I will not accept anyone else.”

Nara glared for several tense moments then dropped her eyes. “I

just want you to be happy, cousin.”

Bullshit!
Ahm was immune to the simpering look his cousin gave him. He

knew Nara too well. She was up to something. He didn’t know what it
was or how much trouble it was going to cause, but he knew it was
going to give him a migraine. It always did. The woman was power
hungry. Ahm had no doubt that if she could best him, she would off
his ass in a heartbeat.

“I’m perfectly happy, Nara.”
“You’re not though, Ahm. You spend way too much time

working, and you never have time for anything else.” The speculative
glint was back in Nara’s eyes and it made Ahm very wary. “Maybe
you need to take a few days off.”

Ahm’s eyes narrowed. “Why would you want me to take a few

days off, Nara?” There could only be one reason Nara wanted him out
of the way. “Who’s coming to visit?”

“What makes you think that someone is coming to visit?”
“Because you want me out of the way too badly.”
Nara dramatically rolled her eyes. It was actually a pretty good

eye roll. Ahm was impressed, just not enough to let the woman off the
hook. He knew she was up to something because she was breathing.

Ahm stood to his feet and stretched himself up to his full height.

He placed his hands on the desk and leaned over them. “Nara, I asked
you a question. I expect an answer.”

Nara glanced away. That was Ahm’s first clue that he wasn’t

going to like what she had to say. Nara could never look him directly
in the face when she lied to him.

“I just invited a few friends to come stay the weekend. I can do

that, can’t I?”

A Man’s Worth

Ahm sighed and tried to remember that Nara hadn’t done anything

to cause him to kill her…yet. Her mother had been sisters with his
mother. And while their mothers had been very close, Ahm and Nara
were not. He couldn’t stand the conniving little bitch.

“Which friends, Nara?” Ahm was pretty sure he had an idea when

Nara refused to look at him. He sighed and leaned back, reaching up
to rub the back of his neck. “I did not invite Darla or her father here,
Nara. You did, so you will entertain them.”

“But—”
“And if you give them one inkling that I invited them or want

them here, I will kick you out on your ass.”

Nara’s head swung around so fast that Ahm thought he might

have heard something pop in her neck. “You can’t do that!”

“Oh yes, I can. This is my home, not yours. You live here at my

grace. Piss me off and I’ll send you back home so fast your head will
spin.”

Nara’s eyes narrowed to tiny little slits of anger. It was not a good

look on the woman. “I hate you.”

“Duly noted. Now, shut the door on your way out.”
As much as he wanted her gone, Ahm still winced when Nara

stormed out and slammed the door behind her. He had no doubt that
he would be getting a phone call from his uncle, Nara’s father. The
man refused to see his daughter as anything other than his little
princess. Ahm just wished the man would take the little princess back
to his castle to live.

He hated having Nara here. He only did it as a favor for his uncle.

Nara was a handful and Blythe had no clue what to do with her—
except send her to Ahm.

Ahm sat back down at his desk and picked up the papers he had

been going over. If he didn’t find a way to bring all of the Shadow
elves under control, they were going to die out. They refused to see
that they needed new blood in their ranks.

Lynn Hagen

The bloodline of the Shadow elves was becoming too inbred. If it

didn’t stop soon, they would start having babies with two heads.
Already, their infant mortality rate was so high that women hesitated
to get pregnant.

Ahm racked his brain and tried to come up with a solution to his

dying race but it eluded him. If he could get his people to agree to
accept other species into their ranks, the bloodline would be stronger
and he knew it. He just didn’t see that happening.

And he didn’t know what to do.
But he knew someone who might.
With grim determination, Ahm gathered up his papers and put

them inside his desk drawer. He didn’t know why he didn’t think of
this sooner. If anyone knew how to continue a bloodline, it was Prince
Christian LeAnthony Espelimbergo.

* * * *

Ahm frowned as he shimmered into a dark corner of The

Manacle. The music was so loud he felt like his ears were going to
start bleeding at any moment. This had to be the reason he chose the
soothing sounds of jazz to listen to. Rock and rave music was a
monstrosity.

Pushing away from his dark corner, Ahm started scanning the

main floor of the club for the prince, or at least someone that could
tell him where the prince might be. He didn’t really feel like walking
through the crowded place looking for Christian himself.

He spotted the man in question coming out of a hallway on the far

side of the room and walked toward him. Christian’s head snapped in
his direction before he even reached the man. No big surprise there.
Christian seemed to be quite aware of what occurred in his club.

“I would appreciate a few moments of your time, Prince

Christian.” Ahm eyed the two men standing slightly behind the
prince. “In private.”

A Man’s Worth

“Of course.” Christian gestured to the steps behind him. “Let’s go

upstairs to my booth. We can talk privately there.”

Ahm nodded and followed Christian upstairs to a private balcony

overlooking the dance floor below. It wasn’t as private as Ahm would
have liked but he supposed it would have to do. He already didn’t like
asking for help from anyone, but if he was going to save his race, he
needed to set his male pride aside and talk with the prince.

A smaller man sat next to Christian with his arms crossed over his

chest. The look in his eyes dared anyone to cross him. The two large
men who had accompanied the prince took up positions behind the
prince. They looked intimidating but not as much as the small man
glaring at him.

“This is my mate, Minsheng,” Christian explained when Ahm

looked at him. “You’ve met, but you’ve never been formally
introduced. He is also my Consorapagno.”

Well, that certainly explained why the man was there. Even Ahm

understood what a Consorapagno was. And truthfully, having another
set of eyes on his problem might not be such a bad idea.

Ahm still felt odd as he settled back on the seat across from

Christian and his mate. He wanted more than anything to not be here
explaining his issues to the prince but he could think of no one else
that might be able to help him.

“My people are in trouble.” Ahm began, sitting with his back

rigid, showing the prince that although he was asking for help, he was
still a proud and strong male. “As a species, we’re dying due to our
continued inbreeding and my people’s refusal to accept anyone not a
Shadow elf into our world. If a solution isn’t found soon, I fear that
my people will die out.”

Christian looked as if he were considering Ahm’s words. “How

many of you are there left?”

“Less than a thousand.” And that number ate at Ahm’s heart. “We

used to number in the tens of thousands. But so many of our people

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have passed on and our infant mortality rate is so high that our women
fear to get pregnant.”

“What about your men?” Minsheng asked.
“Uh…our men?”
“Male Shadow elves cannot get pregnant, little one,” the prince

replied.

“Oh.”
There was a glint of sympathy in the young prince’s eyes that

made Ahm wonder what the man knew that he did not. He just wasn’t
stupid enough to ask. Even he had heard of the fierce possessiveness
Prince Christian displayed when it came to his two mates. He liked
his head where it was at.

“If I remember my history correctly,” the prince said, “at one

time, the Shadow elves were asexual. Due to overpopulation, your
elders devised a plan to put an end to that. I guess it worked.”

Ahm could have no more hid his surprise than he could have cut

off his head. This was something he didn’t know. But it gave him a
glimmer of hope. He clasped his hands together and sat forward.
“Then there might be a way to reverse this?”

“After this many years, probably not.” Christian looked regretful

that he had to answer that way. “Too many generations have been
born. I doubt that whatever your elders did can be reversed after all of
this time. You need to look for another solution.”

Damn.
That wasn’t what Ahm wanted to hear.
“I’m willing to listen to ideas.” At this point, he couldn’t think of

much he wasn’t willing to do to save his people. He’d already given
up any hope of claiming his mate. Everything else seemed pretty
small compared to that.

“I’ll have to do some research and get back to you.”
Ahm nodded and stood to his feet. No matter how much he

wanted it otherwise, he didn’t expect to receive an answer right away.

A Man’s Worth

This problem had been building for centuries. It would not be solved
overnight.

“I thank you for your time, Prince Christian. I will wait for

your…” A flash of light green and the deep timbre of laughter down
on the main floor caught Ahm’s attention. He almost stumbled when
he realized that his mate was out on the dance floor, wrapped in the
arms of another man.

Ahm felt a deep growl start to build in his throat. Bryce was his

mate. No one should be touching him. His hands itched with the need
to rip someone’s head off. He gripped the railing until he heard it
crack.

All reason and logic fled as he watched the man who he should

have claimed years ago with a pleased look on his face that should
only be meant for Ahm. The anger boiled up and flowed over. He
may not be able to claim Bryce until he found a solution to his tribe
hating outsiders, but he wasn’t going to stand by and watch the man
be pawed right in front of him.

Ahm shimmered from the balcony down to the dance floor right

behind Bryce. The urge to eviscerate the stranger holding his mate
was so strong that Ahm had to actually force himself to turn away
from the guy. Instead, he grabbed Bryce’s arm, ripping his mate away
from the man that held him.

“Mine!” Ahm snarled at the stranger.
“The fuck I am!” Bryce shouted as he yanked his arm out of

Ahm’s grasp. “You didn’t want me, remember?”

“You have a mate,” Ahm reminded him in a low and deadly tone.
“You’re mated?”
Ahm growled at the man Bryce had been dancing with, the man’s

words reminding Ahm that he was there. “Go away before I kill you
where you stand.”

The man’s eyes widened for a moment before he took off like a

bullet. Ahm returned his attention to his mate. He could see that
Bryce’s eyes were slightly dazed and it angered him beyond

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reasoning that the bear would be in this club gyrating with another
man. “It is not acceptable for you to conduct yourself in such a
manner.”

Surprise stiffened Bryce’s features. “Excuse me?”
“You may not go out without a guard.” Ahm started flipping his

fingers up as he listed off all of the reasons that Bryce’s behavior was
not acceptable. “You may not dance with other men. You may not—”

Ahm reared back and blinked rapidly when Bryce snorted and

held a hand up to his face, palm out. “Talk to the hand, dude, ’cause
I’m not listening to your bullshit.”

“Bryce!”
Ahm’s eyes rounded when Bryce leaned in close and then burped

right in his face. “Fuck. You. Ahm.”

Bryce spun away before Ahm could say more. Ahm reached out

when Bryce staggered, but Abe was there to catch Bryce. He shot
Ahm an evil glare then lifted Bryce’s arm over his shoulders and
wrapped an arm around the man’s waist. Ahm could hear Abe
whispering to Bryce as they walked away but damned if he could
figure out what the Wood elf was saying.

“That seemed to go extremely well.”
Ahm snapped his head around and sent Christian what he hoped

was a withering glare. The prince was happily mated to two men. He
did not have the same problems that Ahm did. There was no way he
could understand the strain that Ahm was under to not claim his mate.

“If you will excuse me, Prince.” Ahm’s eyes narrowed as he

turned to look at the exit Bryce and Abe had just walked through. “I
have to go speak to someone.”

“You do realize that Bryce is a Lakeland, don’t you?”
Ahm paused and glanced at the prince again. “Yes, I am fully

aware of his family heritage.”

“Then you know what happens when you corner a bear.”
Ahm cocked his head to one side, confused by the prince’s words.

Bryce was a warrior. Ahm had seen the man fight with his very own

A Man’s Worth

eyes. That did not mean that Bryce would attack him or worse. Ahm
refused to believe that his mate had evil intentions.

The prince walked smoothly forward, his eyes on the door Bryce

just exited. “Corner a wild animal and he will attack.”

“Bryce is not a wild animal,” Ahm snarled.
Christian smirked. “If you say so.”
Prince Christian was off his rocker. Ahm shook his head and

dismissed the prince’s words as he followed his mate out the front
door.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Three

Bryce was steaming mad. He was beyond mad. He wanted to go

back into the club and tear Ahm apart. Who the fuck was he to
demand anything from Bryce?

“Calm down, big bear,” Abe said as he ran around Bryce and

pushed the palms of his hands into Bryce’s chest. “You don’t want to
go back in there and start a fight.”

“Oh, yes I do.” Bryce tried to gently set Abe aside—considering

Bryce was three times the man’s size—but Abe was a quick little
fucker. He kept running back in front of Bryce, stopping his progress.

“No, you don’t. I like coming here and you are not about to get us

permanently banned,” Abe argued. “Let’s go for a walk so you can
cool off.”

“I don’t want to cool off,” Bryce said from between clenched

teeth. “I want to kill a used-to-be blue elf.”

“If taking a walk doesn’t cool you off, I’ll help you bury the

body.”

Bryce stilled, gazing down at Abe, and then gave the man a

wicked grin. “Somewhere no one will find him.”

“Deep in the woods.”
“You got a deal.” Bryce turned away from the club and headed

toward the street. He needed to calm down. He knew this. Christian
would hand him his ass if he went in there and wiped the floor with
Ahm.

They had just remodeled not too long ago.
There was no doubt in his mind shit would get broken if he and

Ahm went at it. Besides, his pa would kill him as well for acting like

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an ass. Bryce may be a grown man, but his pa still had the power to
put fear in him.

“There’s a fish place around the corner,” Bryce said. “Papa

Dock’s. Are you hungry?”

Abe grinned up at him. “You bears are always hungry, but yeah, I

could use a bite.”

In all honesty, Bryce wasn’t really hungry. Seeing Ahm had hurt

more than it should have. He had decided to let the man go, to forget
that his mate didn’t want him. But after the scene in the club, Bryce
knew forgetting the man wasn’t going to be an easy task.

What he didn’t get was Ahm’s behavior. For an elf who had

avoided Bryce for years, the man sure as hell became enraged when
Bryce was dancing with another man. Bryce felt he was justified in
seeking out company. What was he supposed to do, go the rest of his
life without sex, pining away for a man who didn’t want him?

He had wanted a mate for as long as he could remember, but fuck

if he was going to have blue balls because the elf didn’t mate outside
his race.

Ahm could kiss his hairy ass.
“Bryce,” Abe whispered his name.
Bryce was pulled from thought when he saw a handful of men

sauntering his way. He was getting bad vibes from these men. Abe
must have felt it as well because the little fey looked as if he were
about to wet himself.

“Get behind me,” Bryce said in a less than audible voice, but

knew Abe had heard him. The slim man slid behind Bryce just as the
strangers began to surround him.

“Looks like we have a snack,” one of them said as his eyes raked

up and down Bryce’s body with a hungry leer. “And a big one at
that.”

Bryce had heard that rogues were joining forces, which went

against what a rogue was. They were supposed to be solitary creatures

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with nothing but killing on their mind. They shouldn’t be able to
reason things out, and they sure as shit shouldn’t be in a small group.

But he knew they were vampire rogues by their red irises. It was a

sign that they had given in to their baser needs and had killed their
victims while drinking from them.

Bryce let his claws slide free as his canines elongated. “Come try

and drain me.”

The stranger threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, I planned to,

bear.”

The guy speaking leapt, his fangs gleaming and razor-sharp as he

landed in front of Bryce. The shithead was trying to show off. Well,
so could Bryce. He used his brute strength and grabbed the man
around his throat, pulling him close. This vampire had just gone rogue
because Bryce could see the fear in his red eyes.

What a dumb shit.
Bryce was outnumbered. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem.

But he wasn’t going to shift on the city street. It was bad enough that
there were vampire hunters, but Maverick had warned the bears that
someone named Mr. Kenyon was keeping a close eye on things
around here, especially in Brac Village.

If Bryce shifted, he chanced putting the shifters’ species in

danger—which meant he had to kill these men in human form. Not
shifting was going to be a hindrance, but killing all these men in
human form was doable.

The vampire he had a hold of fought to get out of Bryce’s grip just

as the others converged on him and Abe. Bryce knew Abe was not a
fighter.

Bryce howled when he felt a set of fangs sinking into his shoulder.

He spun, using the vampire in his grips as a weapon, knocking the
others back with the vampire’s body.

He was pretty surprised to see Abe kicking out wildly beside him.

Although he wouldn’t blame the fey for cowering beside him, Bryce
had expected just that.

A Man’s Worth

“We are going to take your big ass down,” another of the

vampires said in challenge. “It’s only a matter of time before you tire
out, and then I’m going to enjoy dining on you.”

“You can dine on my damn fist.” Bryce slugged the guy in the

jaw, making the vampire’s head snap back. Even though he was
putting up a good fight, Bryce knew the creature was right. Without
being able to shift, he was already tiring out.

“Get out of here, Abe,” Bryce shouted.
“I’m not leaving you.”
The poor little guy had already proven that he sucked at

shimmering. Bryce had found out that the younger a fey was, the
more apt he was to shimmer himself inside a brick wall. Bryce was
not about to become a part of the house structure on the ranch.

But he also didn’t want Abe to be hurt if he stayed here.
Just as two of the rogues jumped him, almost taking him down, he

heard fighting behind him. Bryce was confused. Abe was standing in
front of him.

“I think your mate is pissed,” Abe said as he stared wide-eyed at

something behind Bryce.

Just great.
That was all he needed was Ahm to get involved.
The weight was pulled from Bryce’s back as the Shadow elf

leader fought with honed precision and grace. Bryce hated to admit it,
but he was beyond impressed. Ahm took a stance, one arm stretched
behind him as he glanced at his opponents. He reminded Bryce of an
ancient warrior.

No, he was not going to be enamored with Ahm’s agility and

lethal expression. Nope, not a fucking chance.

“I don’t need your help,” Bryce bit out as he turned to look at his

enemies. The rogues were no longer looking at him with hunger in
their eyes. They were staring at Ahm with something close to fear.

This was not what Bryce had in mind when he thought of his mate

standing by his side.

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Before he could blink his eyes, Ahm grabbed him and Abe,

shimmering them to the ranch. Damn it, now he was going to have to
hitch a ride to the city to get his truck. Bryce shoved Ahm away from
him, no matter how good it felt to be in his arms. “I didn’t ask you to
rescue me.”

Abe glanced between the two, his eyes unsure. Ahm glared at Abe

and then raised his arm, pointing toward the house. Abe gave Bryce
an apologetic look before he took off toward the back door.

“You are fully aware of how dangerous these times are and you

chose to walk the streets?” Ahm asked, his pale-white nostrils flaring.
“I thought you smarter than that.”

Bryce growled, shoving the palm of his hands into Ahm’s chest,

hard. “What do you know about me? Shit, that’s what. Until you learn
who I am and what I’m about, keep your damn observations to
yourself.”

Ahm glared at Bryce, his dark-blue eyes almost glowing with

rage. “I will not have you risking your life, Bryce.”

Hearing his name on Ahm’s lips was almost his undoing—that

and the man’s long, beautiful snow-white hair. Bryce curled his
fingers in to stop himself from grabbing a handful. It fell over Ahm’s
shoulders and down his back. But the top was pulled back in an old-
fashioned leather thong.

The man was simply gorgeous.
And a moody bastard.
“What the hell do you care, Ahm? You have hidden who you are

from me for years. What’s with the sudden concern?” Bryce wanted
to punch Ahm and kiss him at the same time. His cock was thickening
as he stared at the stunning man, but Bryce pushed the building need
out of his mind.

Ahm didn’t want him and Bryce was not about to throw himself at

the asshole. He did have his pride.

“What’s with the sudden dangerous behavior?” Ahm countered.

The elf had sufficiently evaded Bryce’s other question. “I am part of

A Man’s Worth

the Ultionem. Push me and I will ensure that you are never without a
guard again.”

Bryce felt his anger explode as he charged after the Shadow elf.

He tackled Ahm, taking him down to the grass. Ahm didn’t fight him.
He lay there matching Bryce’s hard stare. “And what did you hope to
accomplish with this?”

Laying a hand on either side of Ahm’s head, Bryce leaned in

close, their noses almost touching. “I want you to leave me the hell
alone, elf. I want you to stay out of my life since you refuse to be a
permanent part of it. You will not dictate to me or threaten me again.”

Bryce was shocked down to his toes when Ahm easily flipped

them, Bryce landing on his back, the air whooshing from his lungs.
Ahm straddled Bryce’s body, his snow-white hair creating an intimate
veil as he leaned down toward Bryce. “You will keep yourself safe or
I will take over the responsibility for you, bear.”

As much as Bryce wanted to knock Ahm off of him, he lay there

soaking in his mate’s heat. His mind took on a life of its own as
images of the two in this same position, but naked, began to play in
front of him.

Bryce was rock hard.
He was panting heavily.
His throat dried out as he stared up into Ahm’s heart-stopping

blue eyes. When Ahm closed the distance and devoured Bryce’s lips,
he thought he was going to come in his jeans. There was no hesitancy,
no tenderness. The kiss was brutal, possessive, and forced a moan
from Bryce’s throat.

This was their first kiss and it stole Bryce’s very breath.
He reached up and slid his fingers into Ahm’s long hair, curling

his fingers, and pulling the man closer. Ahm bit his lower lip,
showing who the dominant male was between them, and then plunged
his tongue deep into Bryce’s mouth, damn near making Bryce pass
out.

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There was a hunger, a savage need, and a raw desire to Ahm’s

possession. Bryce could feel it sinking into his very blood. Ahm
didn’t let up. He leaned further into Bryce, his thighs tightening
around Bryce’s sides as he licked over Bryce’s teeth, his lips, and
then gave his bottom lip a hard bite before he shimmered away,
leaving Bryce feeling cold and alone.

Cursing, Bryce rolled to his side and then got up, running his

hands over his head, berating himself for giving in to Ahm. The only
thing Ahm had been doing was showing Bryce who was in charge.

And Bryce had fallen for it.
He felt like a damn fool. If it was the last thing he did, Bryce was

going to get Ahm out of his system once and for all.

* * * *

Ahm shimmered home to the marshlands, feeling so hard and

needy that he was nearly insane. He knew better than to kiss the bear,
but he hadn’t been able to resist. Not when he had his mate beneath
him, his eyes begging Ahm to take him.

“Fuck,” he muttered to himself. “What the hell am I doing?”
Ahm used to be a cold, vicious leader, uncaring of what anyone

thought, including his tribe’s people. He had dispensed justice and
had hunted and killed to protect. Now he was denying his mate
because he knew that his people wouldn’t accept Bryce.

Sadly, Ahm knew things were never that easy. As much as he

wanted to tell the tribe to shove their old ways up their narrow-
minded asses, he knew he wouldn’t. They were his to protect and take
care of.

He had ruled them for three hundred years and he couldn’t turn

his back on them, not even for Bryce. Ahm knew he was not only
condemning himself to a lonely and miserable life, but his mate as
well.

A Man’s Worth

Being the ruler of an entire race, choices were never easy, and he

knew all too well sacrifices had to be made—even if he was living
with only half a soul. His mouth thinned as Nara sauntered into his
office, a self-satisfied grin on her face.

Ahm studied her closely. “What have you done?”
Nara’s smile grew as Darla walked into his office, her eyes

lighting up when she spotted Ahm standing behind his desk.

God, he did not need this right now. He had told his cousin he

wasn’t mating Darla, yet she pulled the same bullshit she always did
and acted as if Ahm had said nothing at all.

“Ahm, so good to see you,” Darla nearly purred.
Ahm rounded his desk, heading for his office door. “As always,

good to see you, too,” he said curtly as he walked out, leaving the two
calculating bitches standing there. Heading to his bedroom, Ahm
couldn’t help but remember the kiss he had given Bryce. He had only
meant to show the bear who was in charge, but instead, Ahm’s entire
body had caught fire.

For years Ahm was able to suppress his need to claim Bryce. But

it seemed lately, the only thing Ahm wanted was his mate. Maybe his
need was because he was getting older, or because he had lost his blue
pigmentation that made his race stand out. Ahm had loved who he
was and had mourned the day he had turned five hundred and lost his
coloring.

Ahm stripped down and walked into his bathroom, regulating the

water for a nice, long, hot shower. To his dismay, he still had an
erection after that scorching kiss with Bryce.

Climbing under the spray of the water, Ahm leaned his forehead

against the stall and wondered if anything was ever going to go right
for him. It seemed no matter what decision he had made in the past
few years, it always turned against him.

Giving up the inner fight, Ahm curled his fingers around his

erection and thought of how his mate’s body felt when Ahm had

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straddled Bryce. God, what he wouldn’t have given for them both to
be naked at the time.

His wrist twisted as Ahm stroked his painfully erect cock. He

knew he could end the torment by just going to Bryce and claiming
him, but things were never that easy, not in Ahm’s world.

His imagination took flight and Ahm thought of how Bryce’s lips

felt on his, and then wondered if they would be that soft as his mate
sucked him to completion.

Ahm sucked in a breath, his hand moving up and down his shaft

faster. He pressed the nail of his thumb into the tiny slit and groaned,
murmuring Bryce’s name. The shifter was gorgeous, strong, and
would be a worthy mate at his side.

Too bad his tribe wouldn’t see Bryce that way.
Ahm switched thoughts, going back to Bryce’s strong body

underneath his. He had felt the man’s erection and had been dying to
reach down and free the swollen flesh. Ahm’s lips parted as his hand
became wet with the shower water, easing the friction and adding
pleasure to what he was already doing to himself.

Would Bryce’s ass feel just as good as Ahm hoped his lips would?

He was dying to find out. Ahm was also dying to sink deep inside
Bryce’s ass and hear the man calling out his name.

Ahm arched his back, his seed erupting onto the shower wall.
But he still felt so damn lonely. Jacking off, even to the image of

Bryce’s gorgeous body and face, hadn’t sated the fire burning inside
of him. Ahm wanted the bear. He just wasn’t sure how to have his
mate and keep his tribe. It was eating him up within, and Ahm wasn’t
sure he could hold out much longer.

A Man’s Worth

Chapter Four

Ahm squatted down on the thick tree branch he was watching

Bryce from. He was high enough and far enough away that his mate
wouldn’t spot or scent him. Bryce was sitting atop his horse,
gathering the cattle, driving them back toward the back pastures.

His eyes flickered over his mate. He had watched Bryce over the

years from afar, always drinking in his handsome face, his sexy build,
and the beautiful way his face lit up when he laughed.

This was the only way to see the bear in his natural form, no

pretenses, no anger. As long as he knew Ahm wasn’t watching him,
Bryce acted himself. His mate had said Ahm didn’t know anything
about him.

It was the farthest thing from the truth. He knew more about

Bryce than the man would ever know. Bryce liked to hold his head
back and soak up the sun. His mate also liked riding his horse hard,
feeling the freedom from the speed.

Bryce also liked playing with the cubs living in his house. Ahm

often spotted Bryce with his younger brother Cole and his nephew,
Oscar. They played in the backyard, his mate the gentlest of creatures.

But what drove Ahm to the brink of madness was when his mate

sat out on the porch looking as if he were the loneliest bear on the
planet. Those were the times Ahm truly considered leaving his people
behind and pulling the man into his arms, wiping that saddened look
from his face.

Ahm stood to his full height, brushing back his long hair when the

wind fanned the strands over his shoulders as he watched Chauncey
ride toward Bryce. That brother was a troublemaker. But admittedly,

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he was also the sibling that made Bryce lighthearted and laugh the
most.

“Need a hand?” Chauncey called out to Bryce.
Bryce turned and narrowed his light-grey eyes at his sibling. “You

should have been here an hour ago.”

He was also the one who pissed Bryce off the most.
“Sorry.” Chauncey laughed. “Curtis was being a little frisky this

morning.” The bear wiggled his brows at his brother, making the side
of Ahm’s mouth twitch in what should have been a smile.

But he wasn’t feeling happy lately. Not for the last few hundred

years if truth be told.

Before Ahm could shimmer away, Bryce’s head turned and the

bear was looking him directly in the eyes. Ahm watched as Bryce
headed toward him, his muscles flexing as he held on to the reins, the
Stetson on his head blocking out the sun, allowing his mate to glare at
him unhindered.

Bryce stopped under the tree Ahm was standing in. “Spying on

me?”

“Merely observing ranch life.”
Bryce gave him a look that said he didn’t believe Ahm. He rested

his scarred hands over the saddle horn, looking every bit as handsome
up close as he did from afar. “Why don’t you come down from the
tree?”

Ahm shimmered to the ground. He leaned against the large trunk,

crossing his arms over his chest. “Now what?” He wasn’t sure why he
was playing this game. Ahm knew he wasn’t going to take anything
further, but he couldn’t help the feeling of raw need driving through
him as he stood there talking with Bryce.

* * * *

It was only early spring, but Ahm was standing there without a

shirt on. Bryce forced his eyes not to focus on his mate’s sculpted

A Man’s Worth

chest or his flat abdomen. He wasn’t thick with muscles like Bryce
was, but he was nicely chiseled. Bryce spotted the necklaces Ahm
seemed to always be wearing. They looked handmade, but Bryce
refused to ask.

“Now you tell me why you were sitting in a damn tree watching

me.” Damn if it didn’t please Bryce to know his mate had been spying
on him.

“I was ensuring you weren’t out doing anything to jeopardize your

safety.”

Bryce cocked his head. “Yeah, because I can get into so much

trouble hanging out with cows.” Ahm dipped his head, but not before
Bryce saw the smile edging the man’s lips. Dismounting, Bryce
prayed the man didn’t shimmer away as he walked toward Ahm.

Grabbing his mate’s chin, Bryce was surprised Ahm allowed him

to lift the guy’s head. He expected to see a murderous glare in Ahm’s
dark-blue eyes. But he didn’t. What Bryce saw shocked him.

There was so much loneliness in the man’s eyes that Bryce could

actually feel the emotion deep down in his own body. “Why?” Bryce
asked. “Why have you denied us both for so long?”

Ahm’s mouth was set in grim lines as he gazed into Bryce’s eyes.

“Ruling a tribe is not an easy task, especially when my people refuse
to allow any outsiders in.”

Bryce knew this about Ahm’s people, but to hear his mate tell him

that he had stayed away because his tribe was a prejudiced, narrow-
minded group felt like a knife was plunging into his heart.

Dropping his hand, Bryce turned away. “That’s still not telling me

why you are here.” He wanted to hear Ahm say he had made a grave
mistake and beg Bryce to forgive him. But Bryce wasn’t foolish
enough to believe the strong and powerful Ahm would grovel to
anyone, least of all him.

“Don’t you dare fall for that load of crap.”
Bryce turned, letting a low growl rumble through his chest. “Go

play with the cows, Chauncey.”

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Instead, Chauncey rode toward them and dismounted. “Fuck that.

He made it pretty damn clear you weren’t good enough for his uppity
ass.”

It was true. Bryce turned toward Ahm, waiting for him to defend

himself.

“This does not concern you, bear.”
Chauncey took a menacing step forward. “Hurting my brother will

always concern me. It’s called family and us Lakelands stick by our
own. If I didn’t think Bryce would hate me I would kill you.”

He was shocked at Chauncey’s venomous tone. His brother meant

every word he spoke. Bryce turned back to Ahm. “Make a choice,
Ahm. Either be my mate, or never bother me again.” God, those
words cut into Bryce like a heated knife, but he was tired of seeing his
mate, but never being allowed to touch, to claim.

The kiss had been explosive, but Bryce needed more than that. He

needed commitment.

“It isn’t that easy, Bryce.”
“Yes, it is.” Bryce could feel that Ahm’s choice wasn’t going to

be in his favor. He threw up his defenses, blocking the pain he knew
was coming. He could already see the rejection forming in Ahm’s
gorgeous eyes.

“I need time.”
Bryce gave a bitter laugh. “You’ve had plenty of time. You’ve

made me wait for years, Ahm. I’m not waiting any longer. If you
don’t choose to be my mate, then I want you to release all claim to me
and leave me the hell alone. No more showing up at the club and
pulling another man off of me. You won’t have a say in who I sleep
with.”

The anger flared in Ahm’s eyes. Even though Bryce was inwardly

amused at the idea of Ahm getting pissed when Bryce mentioned
another man, he wanted it all. He wanted the whole package or he
wanted nothing.

A Man’s Worth

Bryce stood there, holding his breath as he waited. His very future

rode on Ahm’s response. Never before had an answer meant so much
to him, and Bryce prayed to fate that Ahm chose him.

Ahm looked Bryce directly in his eyes…and then slowly

shimmered away.

A fissure split inside Bryce as he watched his mate leave him

standing there, taking his world, his happiness, and his love with him.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, but Bryce moved away,

mounted his horse, and took off. He didn’t want anyone around when
he fell apart. There should be no one there when Bryce released the
rage gripping him like an iron fist.

Bryce was so far from gone in his head that he feared going rogue.

He pushed Hell Raiser, outrunning Ahm’s decision, the look of regret
in the elf’s eyes, and the loneliness pulling him under.

This couldn’t be real. Bryce didn’t want to be without his mate.

He didn’t want to feel the suffocation in his heart as it slowly encased
itself in a protective layer of ice.

“Bryce!”
He ignored Chauncey as he raced to nowhere, raced from the fact

that his mate had released his claim on Bryce.

“Bryce!”
Chauncey cut him off, making Hell Raiser slow, and then his

brother tackled Bryce from his saddle. They landed on the ground,
Bryce fighting to get free as the pain tore him apart and made him
bleed.

Strong hands held him down as Bryce shifted, fighting Chauncey,

determined to get free.

“I got you, bro.” Chauncey grabbed Bryce around his neck.

“We’ll get through this, I promise.”

Bryce knew there was no getting through this. Having Ahm avoid

him was one thing. His mate had finally made a concrete decision
about them, and Bryce had lost. He didn’t want to be in another man’s
arms. He didn’t want go on without Ahm.

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And Bryce didn’t want the emptiness that was consuming him and

bleeding away his humanity.

* * * *

When Bryce grew still, Chauncey pulled his phone free. He

walked away from his brother as he dialed his pa. He just couldn’t
believe the fairy bastard had chosen to release Bryce from his claim.
He just knew Ahm would pick his brother.

“Lakelands.”
“Pa, it’s Chauncey. I need you out here in the far west southern

pasture.” Chauncey wanted to kill the fey for hurting Bryce like this.
He just prayed Bryce recovered from the rejection.

“What’s wrong, son?” Concern filled Pa’s voice.
“Ahm didn’t choose Bryce.”
“I’m on my way.”
Chauncey slid his phone back into its case and then took a seat on

the ground next to his brother. It was almost as if Bryce was in a
catatonic state. He didn’t move. The bear didn’t make a sound. Bryce
just stared off into the distance, his eyes unfocused, like he was lost
inside himself.

As soon as Bryce was back home, Chauncey was going to gather

his brothers and find that piece of shit and kill his ass. Nobody
messed with a Lakeland.

Not even Bryce’s mate.
He heard a truck approaching and knew it was his pa. He stayed

by Bryce’s side, running his hands through Bryce’s soft fur as he
waited for the truck to come to a stop. He hated seeing his normally
laughing brother in such a deep depression. If it was the last thing he
did, Chauncey was going to make Ahm pay for this.

He knew the man was nothing but trouble ever since meeting the

leader of the Shadow elves.

His pa strode over and stopped by the two. “What happened?”

A Man’s Worth

Chauncey clenched his jaw. “Bryce told him to either claim him

or never show his face again. Ahm shimmered away.”

Pa squatted down beside them and ran his hand over Bryce’s

head. “We’ll take good care of you, son. I won’t pretend this will be
easy, but your family is here for you.”

The two stood and grabbed Bryce’s large bear form, taking him to

the truck where his pa let the tailgate down. There were blankets in
the back. Chauncey and his pa eased Bryce down and then Chauncey
shut the tailgate, giving his pa a hard glare. “I’m not going to let Ahm
get away with this.”

“Didn’t think you would, but just remember, this is a matter of the

heart. Killing his mate won’t solve his problems.”

“He looked Bryce in his fucking eyes and then left him. What

coldhearted bastard does something like that?”

His pa shook his head. “You don’t know the whole story,

Chauncey. I have a feeling Ahm is not denying Bryce by choice.”

“Bullshit!” Chauncey shouted and then turned away, remembering

that his pa wasn’t the one who tore Bryce’s heart out. He took in a
deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair. “People have choices.
There is nothing on earth that would make me choose anyone other
than Curtis. I defied his pas in order to have him.”

“Did Ahm say anything?” Pa asked.
“He said ruling a tribe wasn’t easy, especially when his people

refuse to let outsiders in. He asked Bryce for time.”

“And Bryce forced Ahm’s hand.”
Chauncey turned and stared at the man in disbelief. “He had years,

Pa. How much more time does he need? I mean, Curtis needed time,
and I gave it to him, but there is no way in hell I would have waited
years.”

“I don’t pretend to understand Ahm’s motives, son. Right now we

need to think about Bryce. Let’s get him home first.”

Chauncey walked over to the horses as his pa got into the truck

and drove away. He mounted his horse, and then pulled Hell Raiser’s

A Man’s Worth

Chapter Five

Bryce had given Ahm a choice and he was choosing Bryce. Ahm

picked up the phone and dialed Rakeym, his second-in-command,
telling the fey to meet him in his office. If he was going to turn his
back on his tribe, Ahm at least wanted to put a strong leader in his
place. Rakeym had ruled by his side for three centuries and knew how
to lead a tribe. He felt confident his second would have no problems
taking on this task.

Just because he was leaving didn’t mean he had forgotten about

his people’s plight. He was still going to try and solve the inbreeding
problem. Ahm just wished the Shadow elves would wake up and
realize that their pride was killing their lineage.

He glanced up when his office door was opened. But instead of

Rakeym walking in, it was Nara and Darla.

“I have put Rakeym in charge. I expect you to obey him.”
Nara looked stunned, and downright pissed. “Why, where are you

going?”

Ahm was tired of denying his mate. He was sick of keeping Bryce

in the dark. He knew his people would never forgive him, but Ahm
wasn’t going to continue to live without his second half. “To my
mate.”

There was a quick inhale of breath from Darla, and then Nara

narrowed her eyes. “Since when do you have a mate, Ahm?”

“Watch who you are speaking to in that tone or I’ll cut your

tongue out.” He pulled the statistic files from his desk and then
headed toward the door to go pack his bags. “I am still the leader until
I leave these lands, Nara.”

Lynn Hagen

His cousin didn’t look pleased.
“Who is she?” Darla asked. Ahm knew the woman had planned

on mating with him. He also knew her father was as greedy as they
came. The two, as well as Nara, would stop at nothing to acquire both
lands. There were only two bloodlines left from all the inbreeding,
and the last two were so closely related that they shouldn't even be
considered separate. But they were, each with their own lands, and
Ahm knew Darla wanted to mate him only for his.

But that wasn’t his problem any longer.
Although he would have to warn Rakeym about these two plotting

bitches. The only person who had ever brought Ahm happiness was
his sister. But she had been murdered and taken away from him. Nara
was a poor substitution. “That would be he, Darla, and he is a shifter.”

The two gasped, their twin expressions holding disdain.
To hell with this. He had a mate to claim.
Ahm spun when he felt something slide over his wrist. Glancing

down, he saw one of the bracelets his people had invented to stop a
fey from shimmering. “What the hell is this?” he asked, holding up
his hand. “Do you think you two can overtake me?”

Setting the files on top of a shelf, Ahm advanced on the two.
“No, dear cousin,” Nara said with a sardonic grin. “But they can.”
Ahm spun to see four Shadow elves advancing toward him. “You

should have sent more than four,” he said as he readied for battle.
“But as soon as I take them down, you are going to die for betraying
your leader.”

“That will never come to pass,” Nara sneered at him. “You just

said you were handing the tribe over to Rakeym. You are no longer
our leader. What Shadow elf would convict me when they find out
that you have not only mated outside your race, but with a male?” A
cold, hard glint appeared in Nara’s eyes. “As a matter of fact, I think
you should be tried for betraying your race.”

Ahm swung around, connecting his foot with one of the Shadow

elf’s knees. He heard a loud crack and knew he had done some

A Man’s Worth

damage. The elf went down, howling in pain, but the other three kept
advancing.

The bracelet put Ahm at a disadvantage, but he wasn’t going

down. If he did, he knew Nara and Darla would kill him so Nara
could take over the tribe. His cousin would probably marry Darla’s
father so the two lands could join.

Ahm wasn’t going to let that happen.
One of the guards shimmered in behind Ahm, but he was all too

familiar with that move. Ahm ducked down as the guard tried to grab
him and swept his leg out, unbalancing the man.

“Get him!” Nara shouted. “He has betrayed our race by mating a

male shifter.”

Ahm saw one of the guards hesitate. That was all he needed.

Grabbing a heavy figurine from the shelf by the door, Ahm crashed it
against the man’s skull. No one was going to kill him.

“What the hell?” Rakeym shouted when he entered the office. One

of the guards grabbed Ahm around his waist, running forward and
forcing them both to crash into his desk.

“Enough!” Rakeym shouted. “That is your leader you are fighting.

You will be tried and hanged for this.”

“He mated a male shifter,” Nara said, apparently wanting

everyone to know. “He is the one who should be tried and hanged.”

Ahm knew Rakeym couldn’t help him lest he be labeled a traitor

himself. He was in a fucked-up situation. Using brute force, Ahm
shoved the Shadow elf off of him and dove through the office
window, landing hard on the moss-covered ground. He rolled to his
feet and took off running through the marshlands.

But Ahm knew he was stuck. There was no way in or out of his

land without shimmering, and he currently sported a bracelet. The
only thing he could do was hide and try to get help.

Reaching inside his boot, Ahm pulled his cell phone out and

called the one man he knew would send him help.

“Christian.”

Lynn Hagen

“I am being hunted down.”
“By whom?” Christian asked.
“My people have found out that I have a male shifter as a mate.

They are out for blood.”

“I’ll have help sent to you right away. Stay hidden, Ahm.”
“Christian?” Ahm licked his dry lips, unsure if he should

continue.

“Yes?”
He paused, took in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. “If I

don’t make it out of this, can you tell Bryce that I wasn’t refusing
him? I was only coming back here to settle my affairs before going to
him.”

“You’ll make it out.” Stone-cold exactness. Christian’s words

were confident.

Ahm slid the phone back into his boot and glanced around,

walking further into the woods. He hated the fact that he had left his
belongings behind. In his bedroom, there was a key that would
remove the bracelet, but Ahm knew it would be impossible to get
inside. He could hear the men of his tribe shouting to find him.

It hurt his heart to see them turn on him for simply having a

shifter as a mate. That was the very reason his race was dying out. He
felt as though a knife blade had sliced through his chest at their
betrayal. Did he mean nothing to his tribe that they could turn their
backs on him so easily?

Foolish prejudice.
That prejudice was going to kill his entire race.
Slipping into the darkness, Ahm made sure he was well hidden

until Christian sent his men to fetch him.

He hated this hiding shit.
But once the bracelet was removed, Ahm was going to kill Nara.

He may never be able to return to his homelands again, but he wasn’t
going to let her get away with what she had done. His hatred of her
went deeper than just her desire to become wealthy.

A Man’s Worth

The creation of their discord originated over two hundred years

ago and had been brewing and building since.

* * * *

“Lakeland residence,” Pa said as he answered the phone. He

paused for a moment and then a grin spread across his face. “What
can I do for you, Prince?”

Bryce glanced up from where he was sitting at the kitchen table, a

coffee mug tucked firmly in his hands. His pa had made him sit here
and drink hot tea. He wasn’t sure what that was supposed to do, but
he really didn’t want to be here right now.

Bryce didn’t want to be anywhere.
The pain inside his chest felt like an open wound and he wanted to

fall into the chasm it was creating. Nothing was ever going to be right
again. Bryce knew he would move on, live his life, but he also knew it
would never feel complete with Ahm’s rejection.

Bryce glanced up when his pa stiffened.
“How long ago did he call you?” The man’s tone was quiet, edgy.
Bryce was focusing on the conversation now. He knew that tone.

His pa only used it when something was wrong. Bryce prayed nothing
was wrong. He couldn’t handle any more bad news right now.

“I’ll have my mate take us there.” Pa hung up and turned toward

Bryce, his light-grey eyes piercing.

Bryce gripped the mug tightly. “What?”
“It seems your mate is being hunted down by his own people.

They found out he is destined to be mated to a male shifter and they
want blood.”

His gut tightened and his heart clenched, but Bryce didn’t move.

“He’s not my mate, Pa. He rejected me, remember?” And by the way,
thank you very much for reminding me of the bastard.

Pa leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his massive

chest. He eyed Bryce for a long second, making him feel like he was

Lynn Hagen

five years old again and about to be scolded for something stupid he
had done. “He also told Christian that if he didn’t make it out, to tell
you he wasn’t refusing you. He was only going back to settle his
affairs.”

Bryce should be happy as hell to hear those words, but he wasn’t.

Ahm had hidden who he was to Bryce for years. He had also
shimmered away without a word.

For all Bryce knew, the man was just saying that so someone

would come rescue his sorry ass. “Sucks to be him.” He took a sip of
his tea, moved away from the table, and set the mug in the sink.
“Hope he has medical, or at the very least, life insurance.”

Striding to the kitchen door, Bryce steeled his nerves. He wasn’t

going to allow his emotions to get the better of him. Ahm had done
this to himself. He had proven to Bryce that he didn’t want a mate.

At least not a shifter mate.
Fuck the blue-turned-white asshole.
“I never thought I would see the day when one of my boys turned

as cold as the arctic winds.”

Bryce spun on his heel, feeling the pain and rejection well up

inside of him. He stabbed a finger in the air toward his pa. “It wasn’t
your mate who hid his scent so I wouldn’t know who he was. It
wasn’t Luke who shimmered away without a word after you asked
him to make a choice. It isn’t your heart being shredded from the
inside out! Fuck him!”

Bryce was shaking he was so mad. He normally didn’t speak to

his pa that way. He had the utmost respect for the man. But when it
came to Ahm, he wasn’t going to listen to anyone defending the
bastard.

“Suit yourself. Your bothers and I are going to get him out of

there.” Pa walked past him, his face stern. Bryce wanted to demand
his family stay out of this, that they leave the man to his own fate, but
he knew he would be wasting his breath.

Bryce wanted to scream.

A Man’s Worth

“Just don’t bring him here!” he shouted up the stairs where his pa

had disappeared.

Bryce slammed his hand into the screen door, walking out onto

the front porch. He wasn’t going to deny he was torn. His bear was
growling for him to go save Ahm. But the human part of him wasn’t
going to let the man continue to hurt him.

He thought about all the times he had encountered Ahm over the

years, never knowing he was staring at his mate. But Ahm knew, and
the man hadn’t said a fucking word.

Bryce wanted to punch something.
Too bad Ahm wasn’t standing in front of him.
“You okay?” Steven asked from the porch swing.
Running his hands over his hair, Bryce shook his head. “No.”
Steven grew quiet, using his foot to sway the swing back and

forth. Bryce was so damn confused inside he wasn’t sure what he
wanted to do. Working wasn’t an option right now. Driving anywhere
didn’t interest him. Hell, at this point, breathing was optional.

His heart hurt.
Steven pushed from the swing, walking toward Bryce, and laid a

hand on Bryce’s arm. “If you need to talk, I’m a real good listener.”

All Bryce could do was nod. He didn’t want to talk right now. He

wanted to hurt Ahm as badly as the man had hurt him. Christian’s
message came to mind and Bryce became angrier. How dare the elf
use what Bryce felt against him. That was the lowest thing anyone
had ever done to him.

He glanced up when his brothers started heading his way. He

knew his pa had called them into the house. Bryce knew where they
were going, and he had an overwhelming urge to knock all of them
out to stop them.

Instead, he took a seat on the swing, resting his face in his hands.

Was he a bad person for not going? Did that make him a monster?

Lynn Hagen

He heard the screen door slam shut and glanced up. Bryce was

shocked not one of his brothers had said a word to him. Even
Chauncey had passed up the opportunity to poke fun at him.

It was a very scary day when the twins kept quiet.
Bryce didn’t want to be here for this. He needed to get away.
Heading toward the barn, he decided to take a long ride on Hell

Raiser. Riding through the land just might help him think more
clearly.

He wasn’t sure anything would help, but sticking around to see if

his pa brought Ahm to the ranch wasn’t something Bryce wanted to
find out.

A Man’s Worth

Chapter Six

Ahm was barely conscious when he was laid on the couch. He had

fought with honed skills, but was outnumbered by the time the bears
had shown up. He hadn’t thought he would make it out of there alive.
The only thought on his mind before his rescue was never seeing
Bryce again. His mate had been on his mind when Ahm thought he
was going to die. His mate was still on his mind because Bryce hadn’t
been with his family when they had come to rescue him.

Where was Bryce?
“Easy now,” Malcolm said as he moved back. “I’m going to call

Dr. Sheehan to come look at you. But until then, I want you to stay on
the couch and rest.”

Ahm was too weak to argue. He had lost a lot of blood and

suffered multiple injuries. The bears had come in, helped fight off the
attacking Shadow elves, and then grabbed Ahm, hauling ass out of
there.

He was forever grateful to Malcolm’s mate, Luke. Not many fey

would risk their life and the lives of their family members, including
their mate, for anyone. “Thank you,” he said with effort.

“Don’t thank me yet. I just might have brought you here to get

your ass skinned alive.” Malcolm walked from the room and Ahm
knew he was referring to the missing bear.

He knew he deserved no less from Bryce. Ahm had been a selfish

bastard, all in the name of traditions and tribe. He had been too afraid
of what his people would think if he claimed Bryce. Now it just might
have cost him his mate…and tribe.

How in the hell had he gotten himself into this situation?

Lynn Hagen

Oh yeah, stupidity.
He had stupidly allowed himself to fear what his tribe would do,

and he had stupidly kept his mate at bay. Ahm just prayed he hadn’t
lost the man.

“Do you need anything?”
Ahm removed his arm from over his eyes to see…what was his

name again? Ah yes, this one belonged to Maverick’s pack. Curtis.
“No thank you.” Ahm placed his arm back over his eyes, wincing
when he felt the muscles in his shoulder pull. Why couldn’t he heal
like the shifters? He envied them that.

The smell of food wafted into the living room, and Ahm realized

he was starving. He hadn’t eaten anything since before he had come
to watch Bryce work. His stomach was loudly complaining now.

Ahm pushed to get up when the front door opened. He stilled

when he realized it was Bryce. His mate stood there proud and tall,
thick with muscles that looked as if they had been kissed by the very
sun. His pecs made his shirt stretch far and wide, and his handsome
features were tight with tension. All Ahm could do was stare. Ever
since laying eyes on the man, Ahm had thought him the most
handsome creature alive.

He just never told Bryce this, and he was pretty damn sure now

was not the time. He could feel the anger flame off of Bryce, hot
enough to singe. Ahm watched as his mate walked through the house
and disappeared. He lay back down, knowing that he had lost the
man.

“Not on your life!” Bryce’s voice could be heard from another

part of the house. It held a feral growl and red-hot anger. “Fuck him.”

“Boy, I let you get away with yelling once. Do it again and I’ll put

you on your ass.”

Ahm winced. He knew Malcolm’s voice. It was just as angry. “All

I’m saying is you need to go talk to him.”

“I need to talk to him like I need a root canal. He’s the one that

rejected me, not the other way around.”

A Man’s Worth

Didn’t these men know Ahm could hear them? Then again, did he

think they cared? He knew Bryce didn’t because the man was being
exceptionally loud.

“And I told you what the prince said.”
Ahm was stunned when he heard a vicious growl. “That was his

way of getting help.”

Bryce thought he had…did the man…oh hell. Ahm lay back

down, knowing exactly what his mate thought. But Ahm hadn’t used
how he felt about Bryce to get rescued.

To hell with this. Ahm was going to heal and then get the hell out

of here. He was not about to stick around to watch the hatred grow in
Bryce’s light-grey eyes. He may deserve it, but he wasn’t willing to
watch it blossom.

He still had to go back to the marshlands and retrieve not only his

belongings, but the data about his race’s mortality rate. Even though
he was on the run now, Ahm was determined to fix the problem. He
needed to get a hold of Rakeym and have the man meet him
somewhere. But first he needed to get this damn bracelet off of his
wrist.

Malcolm walked into the living room, bringing a tray of food.

“Don’t get used to this.” He laid the tray on the coffee table. “I called
Dr. Sheehan. He’s on his way.”

Ahm was relieved. He didn’t need the doctor. His injuries would

heal. But he wasn’t going to decline the bear’s offer and offend the
man. “Thank you.”

Malcolm helped him sit up. Ahm hated being this weak, but had

no choice but to let the bear help him. His back protested and his
muscles ached, but he managed to stay in an upright position. He
reached for the plate, feeling his hunger take over.

“Go easy on the food, son. We don’t know the extent of your

injuries.”

“Don’t call him that!” Bryce said angrily as he stepped into view.

Lynn Hagen

Malcolm gave Ahm a glance before walking from the room, but

not before stopping next to Bryce and speaking in a low tone. “I don’t
care how pissed off you are. If you don’t learn to talk with respect, I’ll
remind you who runs this damn house.”

Bryce’s jaw clenched. “Yes, sir.”
The father left the room, leaving Bryce standing there. Ahm took

in his fill of Bryce as he ate. The man hated him, so it shouldn’t
matter that he was eyeing the bear.

“Get better so you can get the hell out.”
Ahm continued to eat. “I plan to.”
Bryce stepped further into the room. “So, you were just using me

to get help.” It was a statement.

Ahm set his plate down, wiping his mouth with his hand before

looking back up at Bryce. “No.”

“Is that all you have to say?”
“Look, you are obviously searching for a fight I’m not willing to

give. You want to knock me out? You want to hurt me? Get in line. I
have a whole tribe ready to slice my throat.” Ahm lay back down.
What he really wanted to do was comfort Bryce, but knew that was
the last thing the bear would allow. He was more liable to rip Ahm’s
throat out than let him hold the man.

He waited for Bryce to hit the roof, but the man just stood there

studying Ahm. “You think you’re tough shit, don’t you? You think
you have the world by the balls and won’t bow to anyone.”

Ahm had no clue where the conversation was going, but he felt he

was dancing on thin ice. “I’m five hundred years old, Bryce. I learned
a long time ago that everyone bows at one point in their life.”

He could tell Bryce was not expecting him to say that. He had

caught the bear off guard. He was looking for a fight and was
stumped that Ahm wouldn’t give it to him. It was in his eyes.

* * * *

A Man’s Worth

Bryce wanted to strangle the man. Why wouldn’t he argue? Why

wouldn’t he fight back? The man just lay on the couch as if he really
didn’t care. And that pissed Bryce off. He knew he had to leave. Ahm
was bringing out qualities in him Bryce didn’t like. He wasn’t an
angry man. He didn’t like feeling like this. The pain and rejection
were eating him alive.

Pivoting on his heel, Bryce walked back into the kitchen, curling

his hands into fists. He was even disrespecting his pa. That was
something Bryce had never done before. What really angered him was
the fact that Bryce wanted to go to Ahm and check his injuries. His
bear was pissed Bryce had walked away.

“You look like an angry bear,” Sterling said as he entered the

kitchen, his pet pig trailing close behind him. “You should go talk to
the cows. It always helps me.”

Bryce just stared at Sterling. His brother-in-law was a bit on the

strange side, but Bryce cared for the man—although sometimes he
wondered if the guy had all his marbles.

Bryce opened his mouth to reply when he heard a shout coming

from the living room. It was Ahm. Running toward the commotion,
Sterling hot on his heels, Bryce saw two Shadow elves attacking
Ahm.

“No the fuck you don’t!” Bryce shouted as he shifted into his bear

form, charging after the intruders. They spun around, glaring at
Bryce, and reached for Ahm. He knew that if he didn’t stop them,
they would shimmer out with his mate.

His bear took over, fighting to keep them from taking what was

his. He swatted one large paw at one of the Shadow elves faces,
leaving four long gashes behind. That elf disappeared.

“You are a traitor and you will die,” the second spat.
Bryce opened his mouth and roared at the man, charging straight

for him. The man didn’t seem afraid. Bryce had no choice but to
attack. The man fought back, but he was no match for a five-hundred-
pound bear. He relented, disappearing.

Lynn Hagen

Shifting back to his human form, Bryce took in the blood that was

all over Ahm’s stomach and arms. What in the hell had those elves
tried to do to him? “Go get me a wet rag,” he ordered at Sterling, who
immediately took off.

“Just lie still,” he said to Ahm. “I need to see how serious this is.”
Ahm didn’t argue. He looked extremely pale. The man had

already lost a lot of blood before he even got here. Too much more
and the fey would die. “Pa!”

He could see the wounds in Ahm’s shoulder and inner thigh. It

was the inner thigh that worried him. Whoever those men were, they
went right for his femoral artery. They had meant to kill Ahm.

When Sterling brought him the wet towel, Bryce applied pressure

on the inner thigh. There was so much damn blood. Maybe Ahm had
been telling the truth. It was obvious his tribe wanted him dead. Bryce
knew the fey ostracized any one of their clan members who mated
outside their race.

But with Ahm being their leader, it seemed they wanted to do

more than just turn their backs on him. “Stay with me, Ahm.” Bryce
used his free hand to brush back the long white hair from Ahm’s
handsome face. He traced the man’s high cheekbones, traced his
strong, aquiline nose, and then his full, kissable lips.

Bryce was extremely confused. For years Ahm had hidden who

they were to each other. Now the man was risking his life to be with
Bryce. He couldn’t understand the sudden change of heart. He didn’t
trust it either. Since finding out that Ahm was his mate, Bryce had
gone through an emotional hell.

He wasn’t ready to let his guard down and give his heart to this

man. But he wasn’t ready to let Ahm die either. He wasn’t going to be
cheated the opportunity to make Ahm suffer for what he had done.
The next one hundred years of groveling just might convince Bryce to
forgive the man.

“What happened?” Pa asked when he entered the living room.

“Please don’t tell me you tried to kill the guy.”

A Man’s Worth

“Not today,” Bryce answered. “Two fey snuck in here and tried to

take him out. His femoral artery was hit. It’s bleeding like crazy.”

Pa snapped his head up. “Then it seems Dr. Sheehan got here on

time.” A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Pa let the
doctor in and showed him Ahm.

“Please don’t tell me you tried to kill him,” Dr. Sheehan said. “I

would hate to patch him up for you to undo all my work.”

Had Bryce made a big enough stink about Ahm? Apparently so if

everyone thought he wanted to off his mate. “Some people from his
tribe did this.”

“Let me have a look.”
Bryce didn’t want to leave Ahm’s side, but knew he had to. Ahm

wasn’t going to get any better by merely holding Bryce’s hand. He
needed medical attention, and fast.

“Damn, that looks pretty nasty. If I had to guess, I would say that

whoever did this twisted the knife to keep the wound open.”

Bryce was ready to hunt down the two fey and kill them. It was an

odd reaction considering he hadn’t lifted a finger to go help Ahm
when he was stuck in the marshland.

“Sterling, go get my bag from the truck. It’s a black Nike bag and

it’s tucked under the front seat.”

Bryce could feel the tension in the room. The doctor wasn’t sure if

he could help Ahm. He could scent the doubt. He was not going to
accept failure. Ahm was going to live if Bryce had to reach into the
man’s leg and hold the damn artery together himself.

As he stood there watching Dr. Sheehan work, his mate slowly

opened his eyes. The intensity in Ahm’s eyes almost frightened
Bryce. A dark, sickening feeling sliced through him as the man’s eyes
began to close.

“How we doing down there, Doc?” Bryce asked, watching the

slow pulse in Ahm’s neck.

“I’m working on it, Bryce. They did a nasty little number on Ahm.

The artery is not just sliced open, which would have been easier to

Lynn Hagen

repair. Instead, it’s almost chewed up.” Dr. Sheehan wiped at his
brow. “This is going to take time.”

That was something Bryce feared Ahm didn’t have. The longer

his mate lay there, the paler he became. How could anyone lose that
much blood and still be alive? The couch beneath Ahm was saturated.

Moving to the head of the couch, Bryce placed a hand on each

side of Ahm’s face. “Fight for me, Ahm.” He swallowed hard,
pushing his words past the strain in his throat. “Fight for us.” Tracing
his thumbs over his mate’s high cheekbones, Bryce promised
whoever was listening that he would give Ahm another chance just as
long as his mate didn’t die.

Shit was looking dicey, and Bryce refused to entertain the concept

that the Shadow elf wouldn’t pull through.

As time ticked by, his brothers started gathering in the living

room, all wearing somber faces.

They knew what Bryce refused to think.
Ahm was walking an invisible line between life and death.

A Man’s Worth

Chapter Seven

Malcolm was resting against the porch banister, worried that

Bryce was about to lose his mate when he caught movement from the
corner of his eye. He spun in time to see something blue shimmering
in next to him.

“Oh, no you don’t.” He lifted his left arm, swinging a powerful

fist with the other. He knocked the attacking man off his feet, only to
have another one appear behind him. The second elf jumped on his
back, sinking a knife deep into Malcolm’s shoulder. Grunting in pain,
Malcolm slammed his large and hulking body into the side of the
house, back first, successfully stunning the elf on his back.

Dr. Sheehan’s mate was leaning against the SUV, waiting on his

mate when he saw what was going on and rushed to the porch. He
began fighting the two elves who had appeared. Malcolm shook his
head, regretting the movement when he felt the sharp pain from the
knife still embedded in his shoulder.

Another elf appeared.
Malcolm swung his arm out, connecting his arm with the man’s

jaw. They were under attack and he wasn’t sure how many of Ahm’s
people would show up for the fight. “You are not about to take down
my family,” Malcolm said with a feral grunt as he grabbed the fallen
man and wrapped a muscled arm around the man’s throat. “I’ll see
you dead before I allow you to hurt one of mine.”

“He’s a traitor,” the man said as Malcolm began to slowly crush

the blue bastard’s windpipe.

“He’s a Lakeland now. Come near him again and you’ll have

some very pissed-off bears coming after your own damn family.” All

Lynn Hagen

of a sudden Malcolm was hugging thin air. The elf had shimmered
away, along with the other two invading elves.

“You’re wounded,” Jason said as he rushed over to Malcolm.
“I’m fine.” Malcolm waved the grey wolf away.
“I’ll get my mate to help you.” Jason raced inside where the

doctor was still working on Ahm. Malcolm walked into the house
behind the guy.

Malcolm grabbed Jason’s arm. “Don’t bother him. Ahm needs

him more than I do right now. I can survive a knife in my shoulder.
Ahm’s wounds are more life threatening.”

“I swear,” Dr. Sheehan said from the living room, “you bears are

out to test my skills today. If a line starts forming, I’m going to be
very pissed at you men.”

“What the fuck?” Olsen said as he shot up from the chair he had

been sitting in. “How the hell did you get a knife in your shoulder?”

“Go check upstairs and make sure there aren’t any more blue

elves shimmering in,” Malcolm said as he dropped down onto the
other chair.

With a dark expression, Olsen took off up the steps. He could hear

Olsen shouting for his brothers and then the upstairs sounded like a
stampede of elephants were up there as the rooms were checked.

The pain intensified, but Malcolm ground his teeth, refusing to

take the doctor away from his critical patient.

Luke shimmered in, his eyes growing wide. “You have a knife

sticking out of your shoulder.”

Despite the pain he was in, Malcolm gave him a bemused look.

“Is that what it is?”

Luke glowered. “This isn’t funny. What happened?” Luke’s hands

began to dance around the knife, like he wanted to do something to
help but was afraid to touch anything. “This has to come out.”

“Don’t you dare remove it,” Dr. Sheehan said over his shoulder.

“We don’t know if it’s embedded in muscle or something more
detrimental. I don’t even know how long the damn blade is.”

A Man’s Worth

Luke waved a hand at Malcolm. “Well, he can’t just sit here with

a freaking knife in his shoulder!”

Malcolm grabbed his mate, pulling Luke down onto his lap.

“Calm down. I swear to you, I’m fine.” Just in a shitload of pain.

Luke didn’t look the least bit happy, but stopped the hysterics.

Malcolm sat there, watching as Dr. Sheehan worked on Ahm’s inner
thigh, praying his son-in-law made it.

* * * *

Bryce watched his mate sleep. Once the doctor was done mending

him, Ahm had been brought upstairs to Bryce’s bedroom where he
was now sleeping comfortably. There was nothing like watching a
person’s mate slip between life and death to put things in perspective.
Bryce was going to try his best to put the betrayal behind him and
give Ahm a chance.

“Am I dead?” Ahm asked as he stirred, his eyes slowly opening to

show Bryce the beautiful blue irises he loved looking at. Now that
Ahm was awake, Bryce wasn’t sure what to say to the man. He had
been mad at the guy for so long that being anything else was
confusing.

“Dr. Sheehan repaired the artery. You’ll live.”
Ahm turned his head, glancing up at Bryce. “Don’t sound so

disappointed. I’m pretty sure my tribe will try again.”

After everything that had just happened, Bryce didn’t want to

fight with Ahm. “Then they’ll be met by one angry bear.” He leaned
his shoulder on the wall by the window, glancing at the yard below.

“Bryce—”
Bryce held his hand up. “I’m going to do us both a favor and give

this mating thing another try.” He turned, pinning Ahm with a
narrow-eyed glare. “Don’t screw this up again. I am not a man with
infinite forgiveness.”

Lynn Hagen

Ahm closed his eyes, but not before Bryce saw the relief in them.

“How does your leg feel?”

“Like someone stabbed me in it.” Ahm opened his eyes and Bryce

could see the amusement dancing around the blue orbs.

Despite the bleak situation, Ahm’s response and expression made

Bryce want to smile. “Remember this feeling, because if you screw
me over again, I’ll stab you in your other thigh.”

Ahm gave a slow blink and then nodded. “I have some files and

personal items I need to get from the marshland.”

Change of subject.
“It isn’t safe,” Bryce said. “Your tribe already tried to carve you

open. If you go back there, they’ll finish the job.”

Ahm tried to sit up, but he was struggling. Bryce immediately

closed the distance and placed a hand on Ahm’s back, helping him.
“Take it easy before you bust your stitches. Dr. Sheehan isn’t too
happy with the work we’ve already given him today. He’ll kick my
ass if he has to come back here.” As soon as Bryce’s hands touched
Ahm’s bare flesh, he felt his cock reacting. It became full and heavy
as Ahm leaned against the pillows behind him. Bryce let his hand
linger as he stared down at the man’s sharp features. How had fate
created something so damn beautiful?

“That bad?” Ahm asked, a fine sheen of sweat covering his face.
Bryce wasn’t going to put undue stress on Ahm and tell him about

his pa being attacked. It still boiled his blood that anyone hurt his
father. “Bad enough.”

Bryce’s hand slid down Ahm’s shoulder, his fingers lingering on

Ahm’s bicep. It was well formed, not as big as Bryce’s, but still nice
to touch.

And so was the long, silky white hair. Bryce ran the strands

between his fingers, amazed that it felt like spun silk. He could play in
the thick mass for hours. Bryce let his hand drop as he moved away
from Ahm.

A Man’s Worth

Ahm grabbed Bryce’s hand and pulled until Bryce was sitting on

the side of the bed. “You don’t understand. Those files are very
important. I need them.”

Bryce heard Ahm talking, but his body was too busy reacting to

his mate being so close. He could smell the wildness surrounding the
fey. It was like being in the woods, running with the wind caressing
his fur.

His cock grew impossibly harder.
Ahm cocked his head. “Are you listening to me?”
“Yeah, important files.” Bryce’s heart went wild, and blood

rushed hot through his veins. Ahm’s hand was on Bryce’s arm, his
fingers feeling as if they were singeing his flesh. He sure as hell
hoped Ahm didn’t want to keep talking because Bryce was losing the
capacity to listen. All his blood was leaving his body and pooling at
his groin.

He knew Ahm was wounded, but his body didn’t seem to notice a

damn thing except the man’s gorgeous looks and exhilarating scent.
His bear wanted to bathe in that scent and leave his own on Ahm.

“Are you all right?” Ahm asked, his brows furrowed.
If wanting the man despite his injuries was all right, then Bryce

was doing mighty fine. No, that wasn’t right. Bryce’s cock was
starting to think for him. “Honestly, I can’t stop thinking about
fucking your brains out.”

Ahm gaped at him as a blush stole over his cheeks. Bryce was

floored that the strong leader of the Shadow elves even knew how to
become embarrassed. It seemed so out of character for him. It also
made the man seem reachable.

Bryce brushed the hair away from Ahm’s shoulder and then

lowered his head, taking possession of Ahm’s lips. He tasted just as
wild and masculine as the first time they kissed. Bryce was careful of
his mate’s injury as he leaned closer, placing his hand on the other
side of Ahm’s hip. There was an explosion of heat from Ahm’s mouth
to his, and Bryce nearly lost his mind.

Lynn Hagen

His tongue traced the soft fullness of Ahm’s lips, feeling the long-

denied hunger begin to build inside of him. Bryce forced Ahm’s lips
to part, thrusting his tongue inside the moist cavern, devouring the
taste of his mate. The kiss sent the pit of Bryce’s stomach into a wild
swirl, making him move closer as he wound his hand in Ahm’s long
hair.

Finally—because neither Bryce nor Ahm could live without air—

they parted. But his mate didn’t pull away. Instead, Bryce felt warm,
moist lips ghosting along the curve of his neck. They brushed the line
of his jaw, sending arousing waves of need through Bryce.

“If you don’t stop, I won’t be held responsible for what I do to

you,” Bryce said, but didn’t move. He desperately wanted to give
himself freely to the passion of Ahm’s tender lips, but knew the man
was injured. As badly as he wanted the guy, Bryce forced himself to
back away.

“And what do you think you would do to me?” Ahm asked, a

twinkle of challenge in his blue eyes.

“Let you heal.” Bryce stood, heading toward the bedroom door.

The only thing his bear wanted to do was go back to their mate, but
Bryce knew Ahm had suffered a near-fatal injury. He wasn’t going to
let his libido hurt the man.

“Running?” The question was filled with a tone Bryce couldn’t

mistake for anything but lust. He swallowed hard.

“No, stopping both of us from having to call the doctor back here

once I put a damn crook in your back.”

Ahm’s nostrils flared as Bryce gave a low laugh and left the room.

He closed the door and then leaned against the wall, fighting not to go
back in there and show the man exactly how fucking horny he truly
was.

The guy had no idea just what he was doing to Bryce. Or did he?

Either way, Bryce pushed from the wall and went downstairs.
Distance was what they both needed.

And lots of air.

A Man’s Worth

“How’s he doing?” Pa asked as Bryce entered the kitchen.
“Much better.” And driving Bryce to the brink of insanity.
“Good. I called Maverick and told him about the attacks. He’s

sending some men over here to help keep an eye on things until Ahm
is healed.” His pa grabbed the mug from the counter and took a seat at
the table. “We also need to get our work finished. The fences need
mending and cattle need to be turned loose. I have Riley separating
the mature ones that need to be driven to the market.” His pa leaned
back in his chair. “I hired extra help this year. We need all the hands
we can get for the cattle drive.”

Bryce grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured himself

some juice. “Who do you have coming?”

“Maverick gave a few recommendations. There are some

townsfolk who could use the work.”

“I’ll see who I can hire to help with planting the crops. Since

Chauncey can’t drive the tractor anymore, I’ll need someone to work
the field.” Bryce took a sip of his juice. He was talking ranch business
with his pa, but his mind was on Ahm. His bear was trying to
convince him to go back upstairs and claim the man.

He may be giving Ahm another chance, but Bryce wasn’t going to

claim him until he knew Ahm was serious about them. Bryce took
mating to heart, and he wasn’t about to get played again.

“I’ll have the mates keep an eye on Ahm.” Pa got up and set his

cup in the sink. “You go on into town and hire the men I need.” Bryce
was handed a list with names on them. “I want them here first thing in
the morning.”

Bryce grabbed the list and shoved it into his pocket. He knew his

mind wasn’t going to be on work today, but his pa was right. They
had a ranch to run. There wasn’t much Bryce could do at the moment.
Ahm was not only injured, but things were still uncertain between
them. He wasn’t going to open his arms wide for the man. Ahm had
to earn Bryce’s trust this time around.

A Man’s Worth

Chapter Eight

Ahm sat on the window seat, watching as Bryce pulled from the

driveway. He rubbed his wrist, hating the fact that he was still
wearing the cursed bracelet. What he wouldn’t give right now to go
back home and teach his tribe a lesson.

What really had him angry as hell was the fact that they had come

to the Lakeland home to attack him. Regardless of how Ahm had felt
about his mating to Bryce, he liked the Lakelands. They were a nice
and decent family.

But thinking about one bear in particular getting hurt made Ahm

want to kill everyone in his tribe. Bryce was not at fault in this.

Ahm was. He had denied his mate and kept his scent hidden, just

so the Shadow elves wouldn’t come after the bear. But it seemed he
had done all of this in vain. True, he had grown up with lessons in not
mating outside his own race, and Ahm had held to those beliefs
almost his entire life.

But as soon as he discovered who Bryce was to him, his views

had begun to slowly change. Fate wouldn’t give him a male shape
shifter if they weren’t meant to be together, and thankfully he realized
this before he had lost Bryce forever.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” Steven said as he entered the room

with a tray of food. This household would never cease to amaze him.
Even after he had put this family at risk, they were still charitable.

“I’m feeling much better,” he said as he glanced back out of the

window. Ahm wasn’t sure what he was going to do now. He couldn’t
go home. He had no tribe to lead.

He had nothing.

Lynn Hagen

“In that case, you can eat this soup. It’s homemade, so don’t let it

go to waste.” Steven set the tray on a small table by the door. “I
worked really hard at opening those cans and heating it up for sixty
seconds in the microwave.”

Ahm turned, a smirk twitching at his lips. “I thought you said it

was homemade.”

Steven waved a hand at the tray. “The can said home style.”
This time Ahm laughed. It wasn’t a full laugh, but even the small

chuckle was something he hadn’t done in a very long time.

“Hey, Steven.” Abe walked into the bedroom, his eyes instantly

landing on Ahm. “Pa wants you.”

Ahm thought the small Wood elf would bolt from the room.

Instead, he stood there smiling. What the hell was up with that? Most
people didn’t smile at him. Ahm had been told he looked like he
would kill someone without remorse.

But the fey just kept right on smiling. If Ahm wasn’t mistaken—

and he hoped like hell he was—the man had a spark of flirtation in his
eyes.

Steven pushed Abe toward the bedroom door. “Come on before

Bryce kills you.”

Abe glanced over his shoulder and winked at Ahm. What a

strange little man. “Wait,” Ahm called out. When Abe turned, Ahm
shooed him away. “Not you.”

The guy’s lower lip slid out, but he walked away. Thank

goodness. “Where can I find a phone? I lost mine in the fight.”

Steven chucked a thumb over his shoulder. “Downstairs in the

kitchen.”

Ahm nodded his thanks as Steven took off. He needed to get a

hold of Rakeym. Maybe he could have the Shadow elf bring him the
files and items he needed. It would make it a lot easier than Ahm
trying to go back to his home and office.

The tray of food was on the table. Ahm took one look at it and

decided he didn’t want the soup to go to waste. He polished the soup

A Man’s Worth

off and drank the tea, feeling a little better with something in his
stomach.

Now he needed to get to the kitchen. After carefully traversing the

steps, Ahm stood at the bottom, feeling his thigh pulse with pain. He
wasn’t used to feeling pain. Ahm was a damn good fighter and
usually deflected any weapons wielded his way. But with the bracelet
on and already being wounded, the elf who stabbed him had gotten
the upper hand.

He hobbled to the kitchen, resting against the counter as sweat

coated his skin. How in the hell did anyone deal with such pain? He
was ready to rip his damn leg off just to gain some semblance of
relief.

Spotting the phone on the wall, Ahm grabbed it and dialed

Rakeym’s cell phone number. He grabbed a chair and placed it by the
wall, taking a seat and getting the pressure off of his wounded leg.

“Rakeym.”
“It’s Ahm.” He rested the back of his head against the wall. So

much had happened in such a short period. He hadn’t even had the
time to absorb it all yet. “Have the people of the village calmed down
yet?”

“I’m afraid not, friend. The tribe is livid you have a male shifter

mate. They are demanding your life.”

If the Shadow elves left the confrontation just in the marshlands,

Ahm could deal with that. He knew there was no going home again.
But they were bringing the fight to him. To the Lakelands. It
saddened him to think of killing any one of his people, but the bears
had done nothing wrong. Ahm would defend them and his very own
life from attack.

“I need you to meet me and bring some things with you.”
“That is not possible right now,” Rakeym replied in an apologetic

voice. “They are watching me, knowing I am your second and now
temporary leader. The people think that I will help you. I don’t want
to bring them to your front doorstep.”

Lynn Hagen

Too late for that. Ahm understood Rakeym’s hesitation. He

couldn’t effectively run the tribe if they deemed him a traitor as well
for helping Ahm. He was just going to have to return to the
marshlands and get the files himself.

Ahm spotted Abe glancing into the kitchen. The small fey glanced

his way and then averted his eyes. What was wrong with the man? He
was acting like a puppy needing attention.

Ahm ignored him. “Very well. I’ll handle this on my own.”
“Do you plan on returning here?” Rakeym asked. “It wouldn’t be

wise. The sentinels have doubled their guard duty to ensure you do
not step foot on our land.”

Abe came striding into the kitchen this time, taking a seat at the

table. The man clasped his hands in front of him and beamed up at
Ahm.

Ahm gave Abe an irritated expression and turned in his chair,

giving the man his back. “I’ll call you when I know for certain what
my plans are. Right now I just need to heal.”

“How are your injuries?” Rakeym asked in concern.
“I would have healed by now, but one of the tribesmen decided to

bring the fight to me. He injured my leg, but nothing I won’t heal
from.” Ahm could feel Abe watching him. Didn’t the man have some
sort of work to do?

“Was it a sentinel who attacked you?”
“No,” Ahm answered. “We both know that if it had been a

sentinel, my injuries would have been far worse.” Ahm himself had
trained the sentinels of the Shadow elf tribe. They were a fierce group
of warriors who could not be so easily defeated. If his attacker had
been one he trained, Ahm would have been battling to the death.

But the attacker stabbed him twice and fled when one of the bears

came after him. No, it wasn’t one of his guards.

“I agree. I will do what I can on my end to defuse the situation.

Just try to lay low until I can think of a way to get you out of this.”

A Man’s Worth

“Thank you, Rakeym.” Ahm hung up the phone. As much as he

appreciated his second’s efforts, there would be no solution. His
people were sunk too deep in tradition and preserving their way of
life.

He had to find a way to convince them to allow new blood into

their ranks. From what they had just shown him, it wasn’t going to be
easy. As a matter of fact, Ahm knew it was going to be downright
impossible.

“Do you need any help doing anything?”
Ahm glanced behind him. How had he forgotten Abe was in the

room with him? “No.”

“Are you sure I can’t do anything for you?” Syrupy sweet.
Ahm’s brow slowly lifted. “No.”
“No, you aren’t sure, or no, you don’t need anything?” Abe sat

there with that smile on his face that was starting to really get to Ahm.
He knew flirting when he saw it. He wasn’t blind.

“I’m sure I don’t need anything.” Ahm eased out of the chair he

was sitting in, his leg instantly throbbing. He winced. That was all it
took. One wince and Abe was at his side, grabbing Ahm’s arm to
place around his shoulder.

Ahm snatched his arm away. “I am very capable of walking

without assistance.”

“But you look like you’re about to fall over,” Abe protested.

“Why struggle when I can help you?”

“Because I am a very capable male. I don’t need anyone’s help.”

His tone was chilled, letting the smaller fey know he was stepping
over a boundary that Ahm was drawing.

Abe blinked up at him. “Everyone needs help once in a while.”
“Abe, go help Chauncey and Olsen out back.” Malcolm walked

into the kitchen, giving Abe a look that said he didn’t want the fey to
argue with him. Abe immediately hurried out the back door.

“How did you do that?” Ahm asked.
“Do what?”

Lynn Hagen

“Get rid of him so fast.” Ahm needed to know the secret. He had a

feeling Abe would be back. The man almost looked as if he was
enamored with Ahm.

Malcolm gave a deep chuckle. “Abe is harmless. He attaches

himself a little too quickly, and without invitation, but he just needs
attention. He’s a little needy.”

“Aren’t all of your sons mated?” Ahm asked. The question made

him think of Bryce. If Abe flirted with Bryce, he was going to show
the small fey what it meant to mess with a Shadow’s elf’s mate.

“Everyone knows Abe doesn’t make it personal. They guy is

infatuated with someone new every week. I take it he’s got his sights
set on you.” It wasn’t a question, which told Ahm that Malcolm—and
the rest of the family—saw Abe’s actions as normal.

It wasn’t normal. How could anyone attach himself to a mated

man? In his tribe, that was grounds for death. But the bears ignored
Abe’s advances. What a strange family. He liked the Lakelands, but
in Ahm’s eyes, they were a little too lenient with Abe. The man
needed to be taught his place.

“I see you’re feeling better,” Malcolm said.
“A little sore,” Ahm admitted. “But well enough to get out of

bed.” He wanted to ask where Bryce had gone off to, but Ahm’s pride
wouldn’t allow him. He didn’t want to seem like he was chasing after
the bear. He chased after no one. Although, secretly, Ahm was
relieved Bryce was giving him another chance.

“Good, then I could use a hand outside.”
“Manual labor?”
Malcolm pinned Ahm with a questioning stare. “Afraid to get

your hands dirty?”

Ahm bristled at the way Malcolm had phrased his question. As if

Ahm was too soft to work hard. “I am very accustomed to hard
work.”

A wide grin broke across Malcolm’s face. The look reminded

Ahm of Bryce. And then he thought about the kiss they had shared

A Man’s Worth

upstairs. As badly as Ahm wanted the kiss to advance to more
pleasurable things, he wasn’t going to beg. Bryce had backed away.
Ahm had let him.

“Come on, the day’s already half over.”
It was only ten in the morning. How was it half over? Ahm was

starting to wonder about these bears. They lived a very different
lifestyle than the Shadow elves.

Stepping outside, Ahm’s eyes zeroed in on the horse that was

corralled all by himself. He was large, black, and reminded Ahm of a
noble warrior.

“This is Hell Raiser.” Malcolm waved a large and beefy hand

toward the black horse. “He is going to make a fine breeding horse.
The problem is, he is a little too frisky with the ladies. So, it’s come
down to getting what we need from him and fertilizing the mares
ourselves.”

Ahm gaped at Malcolm. “You want to teach your horse about

sex?”

The knowing grin on Malcolm’s face made a chill race up Ahm’s

spine. “No, Ahm. We are going to collect his sperm and use it to
impregnate two handpicked mares.”

Ahm backed away. Visions he wished he never had again in life

entered his mind and he wanted to scrub them away with a fucking
scouring pad. “You’ve got to be joking!”

“I thought you said you weren’t afraid to get your hands dirty.”
“That’s disgusting.” Ahm was not…no, he wasn’t…hell no!
“Stop looking as if you are going to pass out. I just need you to

hold him steady while the man I hired extracts his sperm. Do you
know how valuable his little soldiers are?”

Ahm felt a little queasy. “You want me to hold his head while

someone… Is there something else around here I can do?” Pride be
damned.

Malcolm gave a booming laugh. “Go help Riley in the barn.”

Lynn Hagen

Ahm quickly turned. He had to force himself not to run. He

wasn’t only running from the idea of holding the horse’s head, but
being anywhere close when the extraction began. That was just too
damn bizarre.

As he entered the shady and cool barn, Ahm spotted the eldest

brother on the far end. He was on his knees, leaning inside one of the
stalls. The guy glanced up when Ahm approached him.

“Feeling better?” Riley asked.
“Much.” Ahm glanced down to see a goat lying down, its stomach

extended. It was very clear the animal was pregnant. “Malcolm
suggested I come in here to lend a hand.”

Riley waved Ahm closer. “Good. Rags is having a hard delivery.

I’ll need some help.”

Ahm did not move closer. The goat made a strange noise, her

head moving up, and then she laid it back down again.

“How are you going to help her?” Ahm asked.
“I need you to hold her head while I shove my hands up into her

uterus and assist the kid down the birthing canal.”

Ahm quickly covered his mouth, bile rising to the back of his

throat. He swallowed, and then swallowed again, hard. “You want me
to hold her head while you do what?”

Fighting each and every sentinel in his tribe was starting to look

promising.

“Just get in here and hold her head.” Riley moved the goat’s legs

apart, and Ahm nearly lost his stomach contents. He had always
considered himself a very brave man, but holding a goat’s head while
Riley… Ahm felt a bit dizzy.

“What are you waiting on?” Riley asked.
Ahm backed away. “I forgot to take the medication Dr. Sheehan

left for me. My leg is beginning to throb in pain.” Again, pride be
damned. He was not about to hold the goat’s head while Riley… Ahm
walked from the barn.

What was wrong with these people?

A Man’s Worth

“Hey, Ahm,” Gavin called out. He was sitting atop a horse.
“Yes?” he asked as he continued to head toward the house.

Getting back in bed seemed the only way to escape the madness
around here.

“I have to mend some fences. Mind helping?”
Mending fences didn’t involve holding an animal’s head. Ahm

would gladly fix a fence. “I can assist you with that.”

“Good,” Gavin said as he got down from his horse. “I’ll saddle up

Buster and you can ride him. He’s a real gentle horse.”

Gavin wanted Ahm to ride a horse? He’d never ridden a horse a

day in his five hundred years. They smelled funny.

Ahm watched as Gavin walked the animal from the barn.
“I’m not sure I should ride with stitches in my thigh.” There was

no way he was getting on that large animal.

“Oh hell,” Gavin said. “I forgot about that.”
Ahm had dodged that bullet.
“We can ride in the truck instead.”
Ahm would have to remember to stay in bed tomorrow morning.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Nine

Bryce pulled into the ranch late in the afternoon. He had hired the

men needed to help out on the ranch. There should be no problems
getting the work done—if everyone showed up. Most of the men he
didn’t know, but the owner of the feedstore seemed to be a wealth of
information. The man had known everyone who was in dire need of a
job—which was odd. Clay had taken over the feedstore not too long
ago from the last owner, yet he knew who needed a job.

It was a sad thing that a man who hadn’t been here long knew

more about the people of Brac Village than Bryce did. He didn’t
really know the townspeople. Maybe with them working here, that
would change. Maverick prided himself on taking care of this
community and the Lakelands could do no less.

“Get everything taken care of?” Pa asked as Bryce exited his

truck.

“Hired ten men. They’ll be here first thing in the morning.” Bryce

knew he had to fill his pa in on everything, but he was anxious to go
check on Ahm. As much as Bryce had wanted the man to suffer for
his betrayal in keeping who they were to each other a secret, now that
his mate was injured, he wanted to make sure the elf was comfortable.

“He’s not in the house, Bryce.”
Bryce stopped walking and slowly turned toward his pa. “Then

where is he?”

Oh, he so didn’t like that slow grin forming on his pa’s face.

“He’s out mending fences with Gavin.”

“He’s what?” Bryce felt his heart clench. “But he’s injured. You

sent him to work with a messed-up leg?” He dropped the truck keys

A Man’s Worth

on the ground he was so startled at what his pa did. He didn’t think
the man cruel, but to send an injured man… “Why did you do that?”

A scowl replaced the amused expression. “Is that what you think

of me? Boy, I’ll slap the taste out of your mouth. For your
information, Ahm came downstairs, telling everyone he was fine. He
wanted to be put to work.” His pa placed his hands on his hips. “I
tried to give him something easy to do, but I don’t think Ahm wanted
to hold Hell Raiser’s head while we—”

Bryce held up a hand. “You were going to make him go near Hell

Raiser?”

“He would have been safe,” his pa reassured Bryce. “But I think

he’s a little on the squeamish side. I sent him to help Riley with Rags,
but again, your mate is squeamish.”

Squeamish was not a word Bryce would have associated with

Ahm. The man was strong, beautiful, and had too much damn pride.
But he couldn’t imagine Ahm backing away from any challenge. “I’m
going to check on him. The men will be here in the morning.”

“You already said that, son.”
Bryce grabbed his keys from the ground and climbed back into his

truck. Ahm working the ranch was something he just had to see. He
wondered if his mate had tied back all the silky white hair, or if it was
lying in a mess across his sweat-slicked body.

He was getting hard just thinking about it.
Driving the access road to the back pastures, Bryce tried his best

to get rid of his hard-on, but when he parked his truck and saw Ahm
hard at work, his compacted muscles straining as he helped Gavin
secure the barbed wire, all hope of having a soft cock went out the
window.

Ahm was wearing a determined expression, sweat soaking the

back of his shirt, his hair matted and clinging to his pale flesh. Bryce
nearly jacked off in the truck at the sight.

He was also concerned. Ahm didn’t know about mending fences.

If the barbed wire snapped back, it could kill his mate or brother.

Lynn Hagen

Bryce was pretty confident in Gavin’s skills, but Ahm was new to all
of this.

Easing from the truck, Bryce damn near swallowed his tongue

when his mate pulled his shirt over his head to wipe at his face,
exposing nicely shaped pecs and a flat abdomen with slight ridges. He
was so pale that his brown nipples stood out in stark contrast to his
white skin.

“You need to rest?” Gavin asked as he straightened. The barbed

wire was in place, but Bryce could see a few more places needing
repair.

“I’m good,” Ahm answered, but Bryce could see the slight wince

on his mate’s face. Ahm was not good. He was in pain. That set his
back teeth to grinding. What was the man trying to prove?

Bryce cleared his throat. “Pa sent me up here to help.” It was a lie,

but Bryce wasn’t about to watch Ahm work until his stitches were
busted open. The fences needed to be mended because the cattle were
going to be turned out for the summer, but that didn’t mean his mate
had to suffer in order to get things done.

Ahm slid his eyes toward Bryce in a covert manner, and Bryce

pulled his shirt off, admittedly peacocking for the man. “Let’s get this
done.”

He could see the knowing snicker on Gavin’s face. His brother

knew exactly what Bryce was doing. Ahm just kept stealing furtive
glances, pretending to ignore Bryce.

“Grab the wire and get it ready for the next fence,” Gavin said as

he pointed to the spool on the ground. Bryce bent at the waist, letting
his muscles flex as he grabbed the wire.

“Can you finish up here?” Gavin asked. “I need to get some things

done in town.”

Ahm’s head snapped toward Gavin, his eyes narrowing.
“Sure, go ahead.” Bryce waved him off. “We can handle things

from here.” He just prayed they finished their work. Bryce had other

A Man’s Worth

plans in mind. He wasn’t going to mate Ahm just yet, but they could
have so much fun doing other, equally pleasurable things together.

As soon as Gavin pulled away, Ahm turned, his eyes raking over

Bryce’s chest. “Okay, you’ve gotten me alone. Now what?”

“Don’t know what you are talking about,” Bryce said as he began

to walk down to the next section that needed to be repaired. “I just
came out here to help. How was I supposed to know Gavin would
ditch us?”

They worked side by side for the next few hours, Bryce making

sure he did most of the hard work. He didn’t want Ahm hurting
himself any more than he had to. The stubborn man had refused to go
sit down somewhere.

Bryce finally stood, stretching his back when the sun began to set

in the sky. “I think we got it all.” He was going to need to sit in a hot
bath after the afternoon he just had. Whether Ahm knew it or not,
Bryce had done most of the work.

But Ahm hadn’t slacked off. He was covered in sweat and his

white beater was filthy. The guy looked like he had rolled around on
the ground in it. As tough as Ahm acted, Bryce knew for a fact the
guy wasn’t used to manual labor. He was going to have to talk to his
pa about finding something easy for Ahm to do—at least until he
healed.

“We worked right through supper,” Bryce said. “But there should

be a plate set aside for each of us.”

“Do you work like this every day?” Ahm asked as he helped

Bryce load the tools and supplies into the truck.

Bryce scoffed. “This was an easy day compared to most.”
“I see why you’re as big as a bear.” Ahm slammed the tailgate

closed. All Bryce could do was stand there and stare at his mate. Had
Ahm just complimented him?

Ahm gave Bryce a small smile, and Bryce knew he was not

immune to it. He was a charming man when he wasn’t being a
stubborn jackass. Bryce liked the flirting Ahm. It was kinda nice.

Lynn Hagen

But just that fast the flirtatious look was gone. Ahm was clenching

his jaw, and Bryce didn’t think all the sweat on the man’s body came
from work.

Ahm was in pain.
And he proved it when he hit the ground hard.
Bryce rolled him over onto his back and checked his breathing.

Ahm’s eyes were partially closed, but he wasn’t speaking. A small
groan escaped his throat.

“You overdid it today,” he reprimanded Ahm as he lifted his mate

up into his arms and hurried him toward the front of the truck. His
heart hammering, Bryce settled the tall man inside and snapped the
seat belt in place. “I’ll have you home in a minute.”

As he slid into his side, Bryce grabbed his phone and called Dr.

Sheehan, asking the man to meet him at the ranch.

He didn’t like that Ahm wasn’t saying a word, or that his eyes

were still partially closed. Driving the truck as fast as he could
without becoming reckless, Bryce made it to the house in less than
thirty minutes.

Dr. Sheehan was just pulling up.
“How bad?”
“Not sure. He just collapsed and hasn’t said a word since I called

you.”

“You had him out working?” the doctor asked in astonishment.
Bryce lifted Ahm from the seat as Dr. Sheehan raced to get the

front door. “Don’t lecture me, Doc. It was his idea, not mine. Tell me
you can argue logic to your mate when he becomes stubborn.”

Jason grunted behind him.
“No, I can’t.” The doctor followed Bryce upstairs and into his

bedroom. Laying Ahm down carefully, Bryce worked his mate’s
pants off.

Sweet baby Jesus. Ahm had gone commando. Bryce draped his

mate’s groin with a small blanket and then took a step back for the
doctor to take a look, but he couldn’t get the image of Ahm’s shaft out

A Man’s Worth

of his mind. Never before had he seen hair so white and soft looking
surrounding someone’s cock. “How’s it look?”

“I’m going to have to re-stitch him. He busted every last one.”

The doctor sounded downright pissed. Bryce watched as he reached
into his bag and grabbed a syringe.

“What’s that for?”
“To keep him knocked out while I work. He’s going to be in a lot

of pain once he comes to.” Dr. Sheehan gave Ahm the shot and then
began to work. “If he gets out of bed one more time before I give him
the all-clear, I’ll bring straps over and tie him down.”

“I’ll relay the message,” Bryce said just as his pa walked into the

bedroom.

“Damn, boy, I didn’t say work his stitches out of him.”
Bryce scowled at his pa. “I didn’t. He wouldn’t listen when I told

him to sit down somewhere.”

His pa took a look over Dr. Sheehan’s shoulder. “Yeah, I can’t see

anyone telling the guy what to do. I don’t think I’ve ever met a more
stubborn man.”

That was the truth.
“Can you men take it outside in the hallway?” Dr. Sheehan asked.

“I need to concentrate here.”

Bryce didn’t want to go anywhere, but his pa clapped him on the

shoulder and led him from the room. “He’s in good hands.”

Jason was standing outside the bedroom door, his back against the

wall.

“Come on, son. Let’s go get us a cup of coffee.”
Jason glanced into the room and then back at Pa.
“Your mate is safe,” Pa said as the three of them walked

downstairs. The kitchen was still in full swing, everyone eating
supper. Bryce wasn’t hungry any longer. All he wanted to do was go
back upstairs and make sure Ahm was all right.

“Have a seat,” Pa said to Jason. “Grab a plate and help yourself.”
“Thanks,” Jason said and did as Pa said.

Lynn Hagen

Bryce grabbed a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter,

glancing up at the ceiling every few seconds.

“He’s fine, son. I’m pretty sure the doc would have said

something if it was worse.”

He knew his pa was speaking the truth, but until Bryce saw that

Ahm was fine, he was going to worry. He stood there berating himself
for not making Ahm go sit down. Telling the man to go home would
have been out of the question. Ahm did what he wanted. It was in the
very way he walked, talked, and acted. Bryce liked that he had such a
strong-willed mate, but he could tell it was going to set them to
arguing time and again. He had a feeling he was going to throttle
Ahm before the week was out—maybe even the night if the man
proved too stubborn.

“I’m not going to throttle him. I’m not going to throttle him,” was

Bryce’s murmured mantra as he walked into the living room and
settled back into a chair to wait.

* * * *

Ahm grunted as he smacked Bryce’s hand away. “I can get it.”
“Hit me one more time and I’ll tuck the sheets so far into the bed

that you’ll be trapped here.”

Thinning his lips, Ahm rested back as Bryce changed the bandage

on his leg. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take of the bear
nursemaid. He wasn’t a damn invalid!

Ahm was also getting hard as steel with Bryce messing between

his legs. He was a man, after all, and he wasn’t immune to his mate.
His cock began to thicken when Bryce rubbed the antibiotic cream
over the stitches. His mate knew damn well what he was doing,
because there was a sparkle in his light-grey eyes.

He tried to think of anything other than his mate’s thick, scarred

hands running over his inner thigh, but it was impossible. Ahm had
had his fair share of lovers, but none had been his mate. And none

A Man’s Worth

affected him the way Bryce did. Just a simple touch and he was ready
to roll the bear over and fuck him.

“It looks like it’s healing nicely,” Bryce commented as he grabbed

a towel and wiped the cream off of his hand. “I’ll call Dr. Sheehan
tomorrow and see if we can’t get you cleared of bed rest.”

“I can leave the bed anytime I wish.”
Bryce tossed the towel onto the bed. “Do you always have to be

so combative? What the hell is your deal? I’m trying my goddamn
best to remember the things you’ve lost because your tribe found out
you’re mated to a male shifter, but give me one good reason why I
shouldn’t wash my hands of you.”

Ahm heard the tension in Bryce’s tone. The man was at the end of

his patience. “You don’t know me,” Ahm shot at the man. It was a
flimsy response, but he felt like Bryce could see right through him.

“I highly doubt anyone knows you. You’re so damn flip-floppy.

Do you even know who you are?”

Ahm clenched his jaw. “I’m the only one who does.” Grabbing

the sheet, Ahm flipped it back over his legs, wishing Bryce would just
leave.

“Damn, are you really that alone?”
Ahm wasn’t going to hide from the truth. Not with Bryce. “Try

ruling a tribe of Shadow elves who are so stuck in tradition and
prejudice that their very own race is dying out. Try living with a
cousin who would rather stab you in the back than help you. Try
wondering every single day of your life if someone is truly
befriending you or if they have an ulterior motive because you are
their leader and status means everything to them.”

Ahm was tired of the burden. He didn’t want to lead the Shadow

elves any longer. He had ruled them for over three hundred years. It
was time he gave the mantle of leadership to someone else and
enjoyed his time.

Lynn Hagen

“Sounds like being a leader really sucks.” Bryce took a seat on the

bed, resting his hand on Ahm’s shin. “Didn’t you have anyone you
could hang out with and have a few laughs?”

Ahm had a really close friend about two hundred years ago, but

the man had died in battle. He hadn’t wanted to experience that pain
again. Just thinking about Bryne made his chest hurt. They weren’t
lovers, just really good friends. “No.”

“No wonder you’re such an uptight sourpuss,” Bryce teased. “You

need brothers like mine to loosen that stick in your ass.”

Ahm glared at Bryce. “I’m not sure if I should feel offended or

not.”

“Nah.” Bryce waved a hand at him. “Never take what I say

personally. You’ll stay pissed off at me if you do.” His mate’s thumb
was caressing Ahm’s leg, making his cock grow stiff again. “As a
matter of fact, never take anything a Lakeland tells you seriously.
You’ll stay pissed at the lot of us.”

“Do any of you have a serious bone in your body?”
“Oh, yeah,” Bryce answered. “You don’t want to piss one of us

off. But most of the time we’re good-natured bears.”

Ahm moved his good leg, bumping it gently against Bryce. “Then

how do I know when I’ve pissed you off?”

Bryce’s hand tightened on his leg. “You already have. But since

you are still breathing, it must mean I care about you.”

Ahm was stunned. After everything he had put the bear through,

Bryce cared about him? When did that happen? “You do?” The words
were out before Ahm could censor his tongue.

Bryce’s grey eyes began to smolder as he gazed down at Ahm. “I

do.”

Ahm was afraid to let his guard down. He was afraid to trust. Over

the course of his ruling, he’d been stabbed in the back so many times
he should have permanent knife wounds. Even though Bryce was his
mate, it was still hard to let the man in.

A Man’s Worth

“How can you say that when you don’t even know me?” Ahm

asked a little too curtly.

When Bryce reached up and thumped Ahm on his ear, all he could

do was wince and stare at the man as if he had lost his mind. “You
just hit me.”

“No,” Bryce corrected him. “I thumped you. Say something stupid

again and I’ll thump your other pointy ear.”

He was speechless. Ahm didn’t know what to say. So he reached

out and thumped Bryce on his chin.

“What was that for?” Bryce asked.
Ahm wanted to chuckle. Bryce looked so put off. “For no other

reason than I could.”

This time when Bryce reached out, it wasn’t to thump Ahm, but to

grab his hair and pull it back. He started to protest until Bryce leaned
in and licked his lower lip. “Feeling feisty?”

His cock pulsed at Bryce’s deep and throaty tone. It was filled

with wickedness and need. Ahm pulled his head to the side, making
Bryce grab the strands harder. “It seems you are the one feeling a bit
aggressive.”

Ahm moved over when Bryce climbed up next to him and

stretched his thick body next to him. “Maybe I am. But don’t worry,
my little sex kitten, I’ll do all the work.”

Sex kitten? What the hell?
He opened his mouth to tell Bryce he was nobody’s sex kitten

when a large hand smoothed down his stomach, making Ahm forget
what he was going to say.

Bryce slowly turned over and slammed the palm of his hands on

either side of Ahm’s head. “Having you so close is making my bear
hungry.”

Ahm’s eyes widened and then narrowed into slits as he locked

eyes with Bryce. He had to admit, they were a stunning grey, but he
was way too anxious for his mate to really appreciate them at the
moment.

Lynn Hagen

“And you think you’ll devour me?” Ahm asked, seeing the truth

in his mate’s light-grey eyes. The man was through dancing around
Ahm. He was ready to get down and dirty. “What about my injury?”

Bryce curled his fingers into Ahm’s hair, bringing their faces so

close Ahm could feel the warm tickle of breath on his lips. “Oh, I’m
positive.”

“No one dominates me,” he said with a little less conviction in his

unsteady voice, pushing at Bryce’s hands.

Ahm could see the longing in Bryce’s eyes, the need for his mate

to accept what he wanted to give. It wasn’t easy for Ahm to trust, but
he knew that if he wanted to keep the bear, he had to let his guard
down, even if it was just a crack in his armor.

Ahm just prayed like hell that Bryce didn’t turn out like everyone

else and let him down. He knew he had a lot of making up to do with
his mate, but giving the man his full trust was the hardest thing he
ever had to do. A little at a time would prove to Ahm that Bryce
wasn’t going to hurt him.

“Just lie back and enjoy what I want to do to you, Ahm.” Bryce

dipped his head and claimed Ahm’s lips. His kiss was hungry and
dominating and downright scorching, making Ahm’s cock hard as
steel. Ahm wasn’t so sure he would argue with Bryce any longer
about devouring him. The man’s lips tasted like pure honey to Ahm
and he wanted more. He gasped when Bryce forced his lips open with
his thrusting tongue. Without hesitation, Ahm opened wide, Bryce
swooping in with savage intensity.

Kissing Bryce didn’t quite have the effect Ahm had thought. For

one, it was like kissing a runaway freight train. One minute they were
just running along, and the next they were going full steam ahead,
cocks ramrod straight and growls ripping from both their throats.

Bryce’s growl turned into a groan when Ahm started battling

back, matching him stroke for stroke, lick for lick. And damn, could
the man kiss.

A Man’s Worth

Bryce reached down and tossed the sheet aside. The fresh air

against his heated cock was like nirvana. Ahm reached up and placed
the palms of his hands on Bryce’s chest. The dips and hard ridges
made Ahm pant as his hand skimmed up Bryce’s impressive chest.

Ahm almost laughed at the thought, but it was quickly yanked out

of his head to be replaced with a need to see more naked skin. Ahm
splayed his fingers over Bryce’s sculpted abs and slowly moved them
down until he ran out of smooth skin and hit the button on Bryce’s
stonewashed jeans.

Ahm’s wrist twisted as he unbuttoned Bryce’s jeans and pulled

the sides apart, his mouth watering at the happy trail of hair leading
from his mate’s navel to far below his pants. Ahm grazed a knuckle
over the trail, following it down until he hit fabric.

His eyes snapped up. Seeing Bryce hovering over him, panting,

watching him, made Ahm feel like he was still in control.

When he felt a long, hard cock thump against his hands, he just

had to look. Ahm tore his eyes away from Bryce’s and glanced down.

He swallowed hard.
“Damn.”
“You want to taste me?” Bryce asked, his tone on the edge.

Ahm’s balls drew up tight just thinking about sucking the man’s cock
into his mouth. The breath he had just breathed in suddenly wasn’t
enough. He had every intention of sucking the man off.

Bryce turned to his side and helped Ahm get into position. He

sucked Bryce all of the way down his throat, as far as the cock would
go, until his nose was buried in Bryce’s pubic hairs.

And then he swallowed…hard.
Bryce shouted.
Using his tongue, Ahm laved the tender depression beneath the

swollen crown and then tongue-fucked the tiny slit, licking away the
salty taste of Bryce’s desires.

Lynn Hagen

But Ahm was feeling devilish. He worked the flesh mercilessly,

ruthlessly taking Bryce to the brink of climax only to ease back and
start over again.

“Shit, Ahm…shit.” Bryce was panting, his hands tangling in

Ahm’s hair, pulling at it.

Ahm quickly glanced up when Bryce sucked in a breath. He

grinned at the slow blush starting to bloom across the man’s
handsome face. He used his tongue to trace the thick veins, his cheeks
hollow.

“You’re torturing me on purpose,” Bryce whispered right before

he rocked his hips, shoving his cock deep into Ahm’s mouth. Ahm
hollowed out his cheeks and sucked his lips back up the length of
Bryce’s erection until he reached the top.

“Damn you, Ahm!” Bryce shouted.
Ahm knew he was stalling Bryce’s orgasm. But what would be

the fun in letting the man come so soon? He didn’t want to give his
mate a quick suck off. No, Ahm planned on showing Bryce what a
skilled lover he was.

The problem with torturing Bryce was that Ahm wanted to fuck

the man as well, but he knew that was impossible because of his
injury.

Just when Bryce groaned again, Ahm sucked the man’s cock right

back down his throat and swallowed. And then he backed off.

Ahm reached down and palmed the man’s sac and began to gently

roll Bryce’s testicles in his hand. Bryce jerked his hips forward and
groaned. Hearing his mate’s pleasure made Ahm’s balls grow tighter
against his body. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. But
what had his blood racing through his body was when he glanced up
at Bryce to see his mate’s canines exposed. They were long, sharp,
and the most breathtaking thing to look at.

Ahm didn’t want to tease any longer. Seeing Bryce in the throes

of passion was affecting him just as much as his mate was being

A Man’s Worth

affected. He wrapped his fingers around his cock and began to stroke
his own dick as he sucked Bryce down his throat over and over again.

He didn’t let up.
His hand moved quickly as he jacked himself off. His lips formed

a tighter seal as he sucked Bryce into his mouth repeatedly. Bryce was
watching Ahm heatedly, his eyes glittering, savage, hot.

“Make me come, damn you,” Bryce said with a growl as he pulled

at Ahm’s hair, sending jolts of desire throughout his body. “Suck my
dick, baby.”

He sucked vigorously as he reached a hand underneath and pulled

at Bryce’s balls, this time tugging hard at the wrinkled sac. His mate
moaned, and his hips hitched as Ahm sucked his mate’s cock to the
back of this throat one final time before Bryce bucked and grunted,
his hands pulling gently at Ahm’s hair.

Ahm gave his dick a few more tugs and he was joining Bryce, his

seed splashing over his fingers. Now he was tired. He wouldn’t
protest if Bryce tucked him in and kissed him good night. He was too
boneless to care.

Bryce pulled his soft cock free and cupped Ahm’s face, placing a

soft kiss on his lips. “Get some rest.” Bryce rolled from the bed,
walking into the bathroom and coming back with a wet towel in his
hand. Ahm just lay there as his mate cleaned him.

He had to be tired. No lover had ever been this attentive, and Ahm

was enjoying the intimacy between them.

As Bryce walked back to the bathroom, Ahm could feel another

chink in his armor.

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Ten

Riley tucked his arms over his chest, sizing the men up who were

standing in front of him. It wasn’t a bad lot. He’d seen worse. “My
name’s Riley Lakeland and I’m the foreman on this ranch. Work hard
and you’ll have a steady job as long as you’re needed. Screw up and
I’ll send you packing. I do not tolerate people showing up late,
leaving early, or not giving me one hundred percent. Anyone who
can’t abide by these rules might as well head out now.”

No one moved.
“I want the three of you to come with me,” Riley said as he

pointed to the men he was referring to. “The rest of you will work
with Olsen and Gavin.”

His brothers took over as Riley walked the three men to the

stables. “First, give me your names.”

The man standing to the far left extended his hand. Riley shook it.

“My name is Charlie Keiffer.” The guy looked like he had seen his
share of hard working days. He was built of good stock.

The guy in the middle extended his hand. “Winter Bourne.”
The other two men gaped at the guy shaking Riley’s hand. Riley

recognized Winter. He was one of the shifters over at the Manchester
place. He was the white Siberian tiger shifter if Riley wasn’t
mistaken.

“What kind of name is that?” the third man who had yet to

introduce himself asked.

Winter cut his crystal-blue eyes at the guy but didn’t say a word.

Riley was impressed. Winter was a predator and he knew the man was
itching to take the human down.

A Man’s Worth

“Fuck with anyone on my ranch and you can pack your bags.”
The man swallowed hard and nodded. “Name’s Olaf Keansburg.”
“You can start by mucking the stalls, Olaf.”
The man looked downright livid but didn’t argue. He walked

inside the barn without a word.

“I want you two to help with the cattle drive,” Riley said to

Winter and Charlie. “Do you own your own horses?”

“I do,” Charlie replied.
“No,” Winter said.
“I have an extra few if you need to put them to use,” Charlie

offered. “They could use the work as well.”

Riley nodded. “Bring them tomorrow. Today we’ll be going over

where the cattle will be driven and how many heads we’ll be taking.
The rest need to be turned out to pasture and I’m pretty sure my
brothers have the other men getting ready to plant crops.”

“Is there enough work for all of us?” Charlie asked. “I’m just

trying to figure out how long I’ll be working.”

Riley liked the guy. “There’s always things around here that need

to be done. Keep your head down, your mouth shut, and work hard.”

Charlie grinned. “I can do that.”
Winter didn’t say a word. Riley eyed him and then waved for the

two men to follow him. He sure as hell hoped this worked out. They’d
never hired so many hands before. Riley knew some were going to get
cut once the work was done, but his pa had talked about keeping a
few on.

Glancing back at the barn, Riley knew Olaf wasn’t going to be

one of the men to stick around.

* * * *

Bryce scratched his chin. “Come again?”
Ahm gave a low growl and attempted to get out of bed. Bryce

already had to hide the man’s clothes so he wouldn’t leave the room.

Lynn Hagen

He was currently lying in bed buck naked—making it hard for Bryce
to concentrate—with only a sheet covering his body. “It wasn’t that
complicated, Bryce.”

He was five seconds away from putting Ahm on his ass. The man

had been testy all morning. Dr. Sheehan was supposed to come by to
check on Ahm and possibly clear him from bed rest. Ahm was not a
happy man when he was forced to stay put.

The good old doctor was also bringing some clothes from the Den

for Ahm. His pants had a large gaping hole in them and had been
tossed out. “For someone who wants my help, you sure know how to
go about getting it.”

As Bryce stared at his mate, he realized in that moment that

Ahm’s sour disposition was his defense mechanism. People normally
weren’t this pissy. If they were, it was because they were throwing up
a wall around them and keeping everyone out for a reason. He had a
feeling it was from more than just being tired of his leadership.

He could feel the turmoil and confusion in Ahm, and his bear

didn’t like it. But that didn’t mean Bryce was going to let the man talk
to him any old kind of way. He had a feeling that if he gave Ahm an
inch, the man would run with it. It seemed the guy’s natural
disposition to argue with everything Bryce said.

Besides, he didn’t want to argue with Ahm. He wanted another

mind-blowing orgasm from the guy.

“Okay,” Ahm finally said. “I’ll explain things again.”
Ahm was irritated. It was in his tone. “Should I run and grab

Oscar’s crayons so I can keep up with you?”

A smile tugged at the edges of Ahm’s lips, and if Bryce didn’t

miss his guess, his mate’s eyes softened slightly. “No.”

“Maybe his LEGOs?”
“I’ll fully explain myself this time.” Ahm smoothed the blanket

with his hands. “There is a file in my office that I need to retrieve. It
is the statistical data on the mortality rate of our young. Basically, our

A Man’s Worth

women are refusing to become impregnated because centuries of
inbreeding have caused the infant mortality rate to skyrocket.”

Bryce took a seat on the bed, hearing the pain and hopelessness in

Ahm’s voice. “They refuse to allow any new blood into our ranks. My
tribe is buried so far in tradition that they are blind to what is truly
happening to our race.” Ahm glanced up at Bryce, and nothing but
misery was etched around his eyes. “My race is dying, Bryce. They
are afraid that the pureblood line will die out, but in not letting new
blood into our tribe, they’re killing our race.”

“A catch-22,” Bryce muttered.
“Exactly,” Ahm replied. “I’ve gone to Christian hoping he had an

answer since his male lineage is able to become impregnated.”

From his mate’s expression, Bryce could tell Ahm’s meeting with

Christian hadn’t gone as planned. “No dice?”

Ahm shook his head. “He said at one time, the Shadow elves were

asexual. Due to overpopulation, the elders of my tribe devised a plan
to put an end to that. It worked a little too well. The prince thinks too
much time has passed and reversing what the elders have done is
improbable.”

Bryce was stunned. He’d heard about the men at the Den

becoming pregnant, along with a few at the coven, but he’d never
seen one while he was swollen with child. “Asexual?”

Ahm gave a bitter laugh. “I wasn’t even aware we used to be

asexual. But my people used to number in the tens of thousands.”

“And now?”
“Less than one thousand.”
Bryce felt for his mate. He had been carrying a heavy burden with

him, still was. “And there is nothing anyone can do?”

“Unless I can get the Shadow elves past their stubborn pride, no.”
The man sounded so damn downtrodden that Bryce gathered Ahm

in his arms and held him close. “We’ll figure this out, Ahm. I’m
pretty sure the Ultionem won’t let your race die out.”

Lynn Hagen

Ahm was stiff at first, and then ever so slowly relaxed against

Bryce, resting his head on Bryce’s shoulder. “I don’t think there is
anything anyone can do, Bryce. There is no reversing this.”

“I’m getting a woody holding you,” Bryce said, trying his best to

alleviate the heaviness surrounding them. The mood was becoming
too suffocating, and Bryce was determined to see Ahm happy. From
what the man had said, and from what Bryce had gathered, Ahm was
in dire need of lighthearted moments and a few good belly laughs.

Ahm gave a low chuckle in his ear and Bryce was amazed by the

deep expressive sound. The sound actually felt like fur brushing
against his skin. It wasn’t an empty laughter some people gave
because the moment called for it. No, Ahm’s amusement was filled
with emotion.

Bryce’s hand slid down between them, seeking out his mate’s

cock when someone knocked on the door.

Talk about pisspoor timing.
“Am I interrupting you gentlemen?” Dr. Sheehan asked with a

blush stealing across his cheeks.

“Yes,” Ahm grumbled as he lifted his head from Bryce’s

shoulder. Bryce missed the warmth already.

“Come on in, Doc.” Begrudgingly, he moved away, seeing the

pout on Ahm’s handsome face. “Later, sex kitten,” Bryce whispered
low as he winked.

Ahm snapped his eyes up to Bryce, but didn’t protest the

endearment.

It was a start.
“Let’s get this over with,” Ahm said as he leaned back on the

pillows with a look of resignation. “If I have to spend one more day in
bed, I’ll skin a bear.”

“Ouch,” Bryce said. “So testy.”
Dr. Sheehan grinned and went to work, checking Ahm over, but

Bryce could tell by the man’s movements that he had something on

A Man’s Worth

his mind. He wasn’t sure if the doc was having an off day, or if it had
something to do with Ahm.

“Spit it out, Doc.”
Ahm’s blue eyes flickered up to Bryce, like the guy was trying to

read his mind, and then the blue orbs slid over to the doctor, his white
brows furrowing. “What is he talking about?”

The doctor’s shoulders were stiff. Bryce felt, more than saw,

Jason step into the room. The grey wolf felt his mate’s unease. But
Bryce felt Ahm’s as well.

“I ran your blood work.” It was a simple statement, but could

mean so many different things. Was something wrong with Ahm’s
blood?

“When?” The question came out in a low half snarl. “I don’t

remember giving you any.”

Jason eased further into the room, his eyes fixed on Ahm. Bryce

watched the grey wolf closely.

“It’s standard procedure with an injury, Ahm. I wanted to make

sure your cell counts were healthy if you had to fight infection, and
when was the last time you had a checkup?”

The expression Ahm wore told it all. Bryce knew the answer

before the Shadow elf gave it. “Never.”

Shaking his head, Dr. Sheehan leaned back. “Your leg is healing

nicely. You can get out of bed just as long as you don’t strain
yourself.”

“The blood work,” Bryce reminded the man.
Dr. Sheehan turned, glancing up at Ahm. “Is it okay if I talk in

front of your mate?”

“Your choice,” Bryce said to Ahm. He prayed Ahm didn’t fight

him on this matter.

“Speak in front of my mate.” Ahm sat forward, his posture

perfect—or as perfect as it could get sitting up in a bed.

Lynn Hagen

Dr. Sheehan reached down in his bag and extracted a manila file.

Bryce’s palms began to sweat. “It seems you have a rare blood type.
You are AB negative with a K factor.

“How is that possible? I have never heard of a K factor,” Bryce

asked.

“Like I said, it’s very rare.”
“What does all of this mean?” Ahm asked. “I have a rare blood

type. I don’t see a problem with that unless I need donated blood.”

“That reminds me,” Dr. Sheehan said. “You should store some of

your blood with the vampires.” He held up his hand. “Not for them to
drink. It would be a good idea to have some stored just in case you do
need it and I can’t store it at the hospital.”

“Because he’s fey,” Bryce added.
Dr. Sheehan nodded. “Correct. I’m pretty sure Christian will make

sure nothing happens to your blood.”

“Why can’t we store it here?” Bryce asked.
“You could, but you’d need to invest in a cold storage unit. The

blood Christian sends for your resident vampires is consumed right
away. But Ahm’s blood will need to be stored long term.”

“I can get a cold storage unit, but that isn’t what’s bothering you.”

Bryce was getting tired of the doctor dancing around his real concern.

Dr. Sheehan stood, shoving his hands into his front pockets as he

began to pace. “You also have an anomaly in your blood, Ahm. It’s
nothing that will hurt you, but I’ve only seen it in one other person I
deal with.”

“What is this anomaly?” Ahm asked. “Who is this other person

who shares the trait?”

Dr. Sheehan stilled as he pinned his eyes on Ahm. “I want to run

further tests to be positive. I don’t want any mistakes.”

“How do I know you aren’t trying to get my blood for other

reasons?”

Running his hands over his head, Bryce could see the weariness in

the doctor’s face. “I live in a house full of a variety of paranormal

Lynn Hagen

Chapter Eleven

“He’s a quack,” Ahm argued as he walked outside under the full

brightness of the sun. “I am not Christian’s son. I knew my father, and
his father before him.”

“Didn’t he say the trait was so recessive that you were nothing

more than a very distant relative?” Bryce reminded him.

“I am not a vampire! I am a pureblood.”
Bryce chuckled. Ahm didn’t see what was so funny.
“You talk of your tribe not letting go of tradition and look at

yourself. So you’re not a pureblood. Who gives a shit. Not everyone
in my family is a bear. I have a jaguar cousin who lives halfway
across the country. He still puts food out on the back porch for his
dead cat. I have an uncle from my mother’s side who is part lion. He
holds a festival every year in his pack to celebrate everyone’s
differences. Go cry on someone’s shoulder who cares you are a half-
breed.”

“You are a full-blooded bear. What do you know about being a

half-breed?” Ahm argued heatedly. He knew he was contradicting
everything he had said about his tribe needing new blood to save their
race, but what Dr. Sheehan had revealed to him had blown Ahm’s
mind away. He was pretty sure his family would have said something
if they had anything other than fey in their bloodline.

“The branches on my family tree are heavy with mutts. I’m not

full-blooded anything. My beast is a bear, but other creatures run
through my veins. I am proud of my family and who I am. Until you
can say the same, you’ll always be a lonely, miserable, uptight
asshole.”

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Ahm watched Bryce stomp off.
“I guess he handed you your ass,” Chauncey said as he walked up

behind Ahm. “Tell me, how can you walk in daylight?”

Ahm rounded on the man. “I am not a vampire!”
“If the fangs fit…” He snickered. “I’m going to fill a spray bottle

full of garlic juice. If you come creeping into my bedroom at night,
don’t say I didn’t warn you. Nobody sucks on me but my mate.”

Ahm wasn’t sure if the man had all his marbles. He looked well

balanced enough, but there was plenty of room for doubt.

“I’ll be watching you, fang boy.”
“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Ahm asked.
“Got blown up. But then again, I was this way before the

‘accident.’” The man made air quotes. “Don’t think I won’t be
counting the bagged blood in the refrigerator.”

“You are truly senseless.”
Chauncey winked at him. “Welcome to the family.”
Ahm walked toward the barn before the bear did or said anything

that would truly mark him as certifiably insane. Just as he neared the
entrance, he was tackled. Ahm rolled, trying to get his bearings when
he heard a familiar chuckle.

Bryce.
“What’s wrong, losing your touch?” Bryce asked as he pinned

Ahm to the grass. “Becoming a vampire seems to have slowed your
senses. Need a donation?” Bryce cocked his head to the side, baring
his throat. “I don’t mind. Suck on me all you want, my little sex
kitten.”

“I never knew your family was this loony.”
“Ah, but we are a fun bunch to be around,” Bryce said as he

lowered his throat to Ahm. “Suck my blood.”

Ahm smacked Bryce’s neck. “Knock it off.”
“Then stop sulking about who you are. Embrace your insanity. I

have.” Bryce wiggled his dark brows at Ahm.

Ahm pushed at Bryce’s chest. “I thought you were mad at me.”

Lynn Hagen

Bryce nipped Ahm’s chin, sending a pulse of excitement straight

to his groin. “I am. But your teddy bear is going to teach you how to
get the proverbial stick from inside your ass.”

Ahm laughed. He couldn’t help it. Bryce looked playful and

serious at the same time. “My teddy bear? Where do you come up
with these names?”

“I have a gift for such things, my little love muffin.” Bryce’s

brows bounced up and down in amusement.

“Oh, hell no. Do not start calling me that.”
“Then what do you want me to call you, my little sprinkled

cupcakes?” Even Bryce couldn’t stop the laughter. His entire body
vibrated as his face began to turn a nice shade of red. Ahm felt his
cheeks stretching with a wide smile. The man was impossible. He
found it hard to stay mad around this guy.

And Ahm liked that his mate could chase away his dark clouds.

“You can call me Ahm, my little fusion of gumdrops and lollipops.”

Bryce rolled off of Ahm in a fit of laughter. He was holding his

side as tears began to slide from his eyes. “Now you’re getting the
hang of it.”

“It is kind of fun to let loose.” And it was. What the doctor had

told him was still at the forefront of Ahm’s mind, but laughing with
his mate made the burden of everything going on around him seem
less stifling.

“I know another way to relieve stress.” Bryce was giving him that

same desire-laden look he had given Ahm in the bedroom yesterday.
The expression in his light-grey eyes promised hours of wicked fun.
They were warm, vivacious, and seductive. The man captivated Ahm
in ways he never imagined. He had seen Bryce over the years, but had
never stuck around long enough to get to know him.

“I’m not fully healed,” he teased as his cock grew hard for the

bear. Having Bryce so close, his scent still clinging on Ahm from the
tackle, was playing havoc with his body. His erection was pressing

A Man’s Worth

tight into his pants, creating quite a vivid outline. “I’m pretty sure Dr.
Sheehan would be pissed if we called him back here about my leg.”

Bryce pushed to his feet, and Ahm hated that their fun was

coming to an end. Or so he thought until Bryce reached down and
pulled Ahm up into his arms, carrying him toward the house.

“What in the hell are you doing?” Ahm asked in protest. “I am as

tall as you and not a light package. Besides, I refuse to allow anyone
to carry me when I am quite—”

“For fuck’s sake, shut up,” Bryce grumbled. “Act like you’re

wounded.”

“Why?” Ahm asked.
“Duh, how else are we going to escape Pa and his hard labor to

enjoy a day in bed together?” Bryce pulled Ahm closer to his chest,
and Ahm could feel the man’s heat soaking into his body.

Should he?
Malcolm walked out onto the back porch and Ahm groaned,

letting one of his arms fall out to the side.

“What happened?” Malcolm asked.
“Overexerted himself again,” Bryce said with a straight face. His

mate’s hands tightened on him and Ahm groaned again.

“Should I call the doc?”
“Nah,” Bryce said. “A day’s rest should do him fine. I’ll keep an

eye on him to make sure he doesn’t try to get out of bed.”

As Bryce walked through the back door, Malcolm called his

name. Bryce turned.

“If you wanted a day to play with your mate, all you had to do

was say so.” Malcolm walked away as Bryce blushed. The guy
seemed to do that a lot.

“Your acting skills suck,” Ahm said. “Even I could see through

your lie.”

“Me?” Bryce said in astonishment. “You sounded more like a

wounded cow than a wounded man. Next time lay off the heavy
moaning.”

100

Lynn Hagen

“Sorry,” Ahm complained as he quickly wrapped his arms around

Bryce’s neck when his mate began to ascend the stairs. He still
thought he was too big for the bear to carry him. He was afraid Bryce
was going to drop him at any second. “I’ve never had to fool my
lover’s father into thinking I was ill so he could have a day off from
work.”

“Oh, just shut up and moan some more.”
“Why?” Ahm asked. “Your father already knows it was a ruse.”
“Because the sound was making me hard.” Bryce grinned as he

shouldered his bedroom door open and dropped Ahm
unceremoniously onto the bed. Ahm licked his dry lips when Bryce
pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his large pecs and well-
defined biceps. It looked like Ahm could swing from the man’s damn
arms. That’s how round with muscle they were.

But what really attracted Ahm’s eyes was the V shape where

stomach ended and his mate’s thick legs began. Ahm moved back
when Bryce crawled to him, over him, gazing down at Ahm with
soulful eyes.

Reaching up, Ahm ran his hand gently down Bryce’s neck. The

man was so incredibly beautiful. His eyes were the lightest of greys
with thick, black lashes fringing them. His features were strong and
his lips…they begged for Ahm’s attention.

When Bryce lowered his head to Ahm’s, he opened his mouth for

his mate’s exploring tongue. He moaned at the taste of masculinity.
His mate’s kiss was tender and soft, a total antithesis to the steely feel
of Bryce’s body. A small growl fell from his lips as Bryce’s tongue
lightly stroked Ahm’s.

A hand raked through his hair, and then Ahm felt Bryce wrap the

strands around his fist and hold Ahm to him. His mate moaned and it
was a husky, raw sound that sizzled through him. Ahm ran his hands
over Bryce’s shoulders and then down his back.

“I can’t stop thinking about taking you,” Bryce said against

Ahm’s lips. Ahm should have been frightened at his need for Bryce, a

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101

need so deep that it was overpowering. He was seriously considering
letting the man take him.

He’d never considered anything like that before. Ahm was the

dominant male whenever it came to sex. But with Bryce, his big,
strong bear, Ahm was—for the first time in his life—confused about
what to do in bed.

Until Bryce bit Ahm’s earlobe with sharp teeth and caught Ahm’s

resulting gasp with his kiss-swollen lips. Bryce’s very presence
seemed to sink into Ahm’s blood, erasing all logic, robbing his senses
and reason until nothing remained of even his soundest mind. The
muted part of him that had been living in Ahm his entire life suddenly
came to life, whispering to him that he should allow Bryce to claim
him in the most primitive way.

“Then take me.” He lay in a pleasure-drowned daze, his limbs

tangled with Bryce’s, and his cock heavy with need.

“You are tempting me.” Bryce cupped Ahm’s face, his irises

growing darker until they resembled granite. “But if I take you, I’ll
mate you.”

“But isn’t that the point?” Ahm asked, his breathing labored.
“And what if tomorrow you decide to deny me again?”
Ahm could see the hesitation and the hurt in Bryce’s eyes. He was

truly scared Ahm would turn his back on the man. He couldn’t blame
Bryce for his fears. Wasn’t he the one who had instilled them in the
man?

“Cormamin estas e’ lle.” Ahm turned his head, kissing Bryce’s

palm. “My heart rests inside you.”

Bryce closed his eyes as he hung his head. Ahm could feel the

struggle inside his mate. It was almost a living and breathing entity.
Ahm didn’t know what else to say to convince Bryce that he wasn’t
going to leave his mate’s side. This was it. If the man only knew how
much he owned Ahm.

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Lynn Hagen

“Don’t fuck this up,” Bryce whispered as he leaned forward and

captured Ahm’s lips again, although this time the kiss was neither
tender nor soft, but a resounding placement of ownership.

Bryce was claiming Ahm.
Ahm was desperate for air, and was able to catch his breath when

Bryce leaned back, ripping Ahm’s shirt from his body. The sound of
tearing fabric had his cock hard as steel. Ahm pushed at his pants,
kicking them aside as Bryce did the same with his very own. Bryce
was naked and powerful. He was the quintessential male with hard
muscles that rippled when he moved.

When they came together again, Bryce’s skin was so hot it nearly

scorched Ahm. The man was a wall of strength, solid yet yielding. He
ran his hands over Bryce’s pecs, and then leaned forward, taking one
peaked nipple into his mouth.

Bryce hissed as he grabbed the back of Ahm’s head, holding him

close, murmuring words of encouragement. Ahm teased his mate’s
flesh with teeth and tongue, his hands mapping out every line, every
ridge on the man’s body. He rasped his tongue over his mate’s chest,
an exquisite ache pulsing through him.

Ahm felt Bryce’s hand reach between them as he feasted on his

mate’s body. Parting his legs, Ahm was desperate to feel Bryce’s
wicked fingers press inside his body.

“Shit, I need lube.” Bryce pulled back for just a second, grabbing

the bottle from the nightstand. It only took seconds to coat his fingers,
and then they were once again pressing against Ahm’s ass.

“There is no going back.” Bryce breathed out roughly.
“I don’t want to go back.” Ahm was barely able to speak or think

as he felt Bryce inch inside him with each shallow stroke of his
finger.

“As long as you know that fucking you will bind my bear to you

for all eternity,” Bryce said to Ahm, his voice rough, filled with lust.

Ahm moaned in pleasure as another finger joined the first to

stretch him with delicious heat. The incredible, sensual feel of

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103

Bryce’s fingers damn near made Ahm come. Feeling any part of
Bryce inside of him sent a thousand heated sensations rushing through
his system.

Bryce grinned with a sensual, tempting curve of his lips. “You

like feeling me inside of you.” Ahm’s dick jerked in excitement at the
carnality of Bryce’s voice.

Ahm leaned up. “I hope more than your fingers are going to slip

inside of me,” he murmured at Bryce’s ear.

Bryce slipped a third finger inside Ahm’s ass. “Be careful what

you beg me for, sex kitten.” The words were spoken in a low warning
growl. “You have no idea how badly I want you.” Bryce’s body
moved powerfully, his hands lifting Ahm as the thick head of his
mate’s cock lodged against the entrance to his ass.

Ahm grabbed Bryce’s shoulders and gasped as the heavy length of

Bryce’s cock entered him, stretching him wide, sliding in deep. Bryce
buried his face in Ahm’s damp hair. “Do not move a fucking inch.”

Bryce was fighting for control. Ahm could feel the man’s body

shaking as he lay over him. He had no problem doing as Bryce asked
because Ahm needed a moment to allow his body to adjust to the cock
deep inside his ass.

The eroticism of having Bryce over him, the heated length of his

body pressing into Ahm, his hands planted on either side of Ahm’s
head, had Ahm arching his rear, pressing the rigid cock tighter inside
of him.

Bryce nipped his shoulder. “I said don’t move.”
Ahm was panting now. “How long am I supposed to lie still while

you fight not to climax so quickly?” It was a challenge. He didn’t
want to hold still. Ahm wanted to feel Bryce moving inside of him,
fucking him with the passion Ahm knew Bryce possessed.

“It isn’t wise to tease a bear so close to the edge,” Bryce warned.

“I bite.”

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Lynn Hagen

Ahm could feel the pre-cum leaking from the head of his cock at

Bryce’s words of warning. He wanted Bryce to bite. Hell, he was
close to begging the man to sink his canines into his shoulder.

Lifting his legs on either side of Bryce’s enormous body, Ahm

wrapped them around the man’s waist. “Fuck me, sugarplum.”

Bryce’s eyes were dark pools of liquid silver as he began to move.

Ahm’s hard shaft rubbed against his mate’s abdominal muscles,
drawing moans and shudders from him. He clutched his inner
muscles, encasing Bryce’s cock in a tight viselike grip.

“Son of a bitch,” Bryce groaned. His mate fisted Ahm’s hair, and

the extreme dominance and sexual expression in Bryce’s eyes was a
flood of pleasure so intense it was almost a physical ache.

Bryce gazed at him and Ahm’s stomach was tight and full of

knots, making him shiver as he watched the man’s barely hidden
fascination shine in his eyes. Ahm cupped Bryce’s face and pulled his
mate down, sinking into the man’s moist mouth.

A savage sound vibrated in Bryce’s throat.
The eroticism of the moment and having his mate buried deep

inside of him went so far beyond pleasure that Ahm had no idea how
to describe it.

Bryce thrust deep inside Ahm, ripping a cry from his lips. It was

so good. Oh, god. It was so damn good. For the first time in Ahm’s
life, he finally felt like he belonged. The bond was forming between
them. He could feel it like an invisible hand caressing his heart and
opening up a bridge between his and Bryce’s very souls.

“Amin mela lle,” he whispered as Bryce scraped his canines down

Ahm’s bared throat.

“English, baby.”
Ahm shuddered as he felt the tips of Bryce’s teeth press into his

shoulder. “I love you.” The emotions whipped through him as Bryce
pierced his skin, sinking his canines deep into Ahm’s flesh, claiming
him, placing an ownership on Ahm that went deeper than any bond a
human could profess.

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105

He bucked as Bryce’s cock pounded inside of him, striking his

sweet spot again and again. The feel of his shaft buried so deep inside
Ahm, the engorged head throbbing in the depths of his body had his
senses reeling. His hands gripped the swell of Bryce’s ass, his fingers
flexing into the rounded flesh as a kaleidoscope of colors filled his
vision. His climax tore through him, pulling Ahm under, and a primal
bellow was torn from his chest.

Bryce kept thrusting, his teeth locked into Ahm’s shoulder, a feral

growl rippling around Ahm’s flesh. He felt Bryce’s seed spilling into
him and Ahm’s hole clamped viciously down onto his mate’s cock.

Finally, his mate shuddered and released Ahm’s shoulder, licking

at the wound he had inflicted as a soft and pleased growl vibrated
Bryce’s entire body. Ahm lay there soaked in sweat and seed, sated
like never before.

“Mmm, my little candy cane is worn out,” Bryce said as he licked

at Ahm’s jaw.

Ahm swatted at Bryce playfully. “No, your stud muffin is just

sleepy.”

“Same thing.” Ahm could feel his mate smiling against his skin.

“You said you loved me,” he reminded Ahm.

“That I did.” Ahm groaned when Bryce’s swelling finally receded

and his mate slipped from his body. He moved to the side so his mate
could lie down next to him. As they lay there, Bryce traced his fingers
over Ahm’s chest.

“Did you mean it?”
Ahm curled into Bryce’s body. “Are you feeling insecure?”
His mate grunted. “No.” But Ahm could feel the apprehension

coming from the bear.

“I meant it, Bryce.” Ahm wasn’t sure how he had lived so long

without this man. He had never been so comfortable, able to let his
guard down, and relaxed with anyone like this before.

“I love you, too, Ahm.” Bryce pulled him closer, melding their

bodies together.

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Lynn Hagen

Ahm winced. “You’re pulling my hair.”
Bryce laughed as he moved until Ahm had his hair free and then

he settled back down against his mate.

“Don’t ever cut it. I love how long it is.”
Ahm gazed up at Bryce. “Hadn’t planned on it, but now that you

mentioned—” Ahm shouted as Bryce rolled them, his mate growling
as he nipped Ahm on his ear.

“Cut it and I’ll show you just how angry a bear can get.”
Ahm grinned from ear to ear as his reservations about the man

were slipping away, replaced by a knowledge that Bryce would never
hurt or betray him, would always be there for him and love him
unconditionally.

His foolish pride was stripped away and left in shreds on the floor,

leaving in its place a feeling of worth in who he was and the mate he
had been given. The big bear shifter was his, and Ahm would die to
protect the man.

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107

Chapter Twelve

“This is a really dumb idea,” Chance said as he gave a shake of

his head. “You want us to sneak into Shadow elf territory and steal
some file from your office?”

“Then you won’t do it?” Ahm asked as he stood in front of

Buster’s stall, staring at the horse as if trying to figure out how a horse
worked. Bryce was simply fascinated with Ahm’s wonderment. He
had never met anyone who was so fierce he made an entire tribe of
Wood elves tremble, yet he looked at the things around the ranch
almost through a child’s eye.

It was yet another layer Bryce was dying to peel back and explore.

The man knew shifters, but Bryce was starting to wonder how much
interaction Ahm had had with naturally born animals.

If it was the way he interacted with people, the animals were in

trouble.

Chance looked at Ahm as if he were daft. “Of course I’ll do it. I

just wanted to point out that this was a really dumb idea.”

His brother’s words brought Bryce back to the subject at hand,

although he kept an eye on Ahm and Buster. The marshlands were the
last place Bryce wanted to be, for his mate to revisit. There was
nothing but danger awaiting them. But he knew how important this
was to Ahm. The man was hell-bent on saving his species, even if that
very species wanted Ahm dead.

It said a lot about Ahm’s character as not only a man, but a leader.

He was still willing to fight for his people, even though they had
turned their backs on him. Bryce would have given them a one-finger
salute and left them to their fate.

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But he was starting to see that his mate’s heart was bigger than he

let on. Ahm argued with passion, fucked with hunger, and he fought
with steely determination. There were many layers to the man and
Bryce wanted to peel back each and every layer to find out who the
Shadow elf truly was.

“Do we get hazard pay for this shit?” Chauncey asked. “Because

if something happens to me, Curtis is going to be all over your ass.”

Bryce bit back the snicker when Ahm rolled his eyes. That was

something he thought never to see in the stout leader. His mate was
starting to loosen up. Bryce liked that and was determined more than
ever to get the guy so loose that he never thought twice about
laughing or just being himself.

“There is no hazard pay, bear. There is only my deepest

gratitude,” Ahm answered with a mixture of irritation and begrudging
appreciation.

“Oh, no,” Chauncey said as he held up his hand. “You are at least

going to buy that new part for my bike that I’ve had my eye on for
two months.”

“Goddamn, you are fucking cheap,” Chance said as the sides of

his mouth tilted up into a smile. “How does Curtis live with such a
tightwad?”

“He’s very good at saving.” There was pride in Chauncey’s voice

when he spoke of Curtis. “Although he tends to be a little more of a
spender than I would like.”

“Dude, you have a fit if he spends over a dollar. I’m glad as hell

I’m not mated to you. Do moths fly out of your wallet when you open
it?”

“I’m not cheap with Curtis,” Chauncey argued. “I lavish and spoil

him.”

“Buying him a coffee from the very place he works is not

lavishing, Chauncey,” Chance pointed out.

“My mate is a man of simple taste,” Chauncey argued heatedly. “I

don’t have to blow my savings to impress him.”

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“I don’t have to do that with Seth, but I at least buy my mate and

son things more than once a month when the mood hits,” Chance
countered.

“Can we get back to planning?” Ahm asked. He looked like he

was at his wits’ end with the twins. Ahm better get used to it because
that was how the twins made everyone feel—although Bryce
wouldn’t have any other man at his back than these two. They were
immature as hell, but fierce when it came to protecting the ones they
cared about.

And so was Bryce.
“What’s there to plan?” Chance asked as he turned from his twin

to look at Ahm. “Luke pops us into your office, we steal the file, and
then we pop back out.”

“It isn’t stealing, Chance. It’s my file,” Ahm reminded him.
“But it sounds more covert ops when I say steal,” Chance

complained. The guy sounded like he had been hanging around Oscar
way too long. He knew Chance was a damn good father to the boy.
They were always watching those espionage movies and creeping
around the house, acting like spies. It did Bryce’s heart good to see
Chance so happy. He was also a little envious of the man and his
family. Bryce brushed that thought aside when he felt his mate’s
irritation level rising.

Ahm rubbed at his temples as he cut his eyes over to Bryce. “Are

they always like this?”

“Like what?” Bryce feigned ignorance of his brothers’ playful

behavior. He was actually having a good time right now. He loved
playing around with the twins. They kept life from getting boring and
stale.

“Like grown-ass kids.”
“Don’t make me bust out my garlic spray bottle,” Chauncey

warned. “I heard a noise coming from my closet last night. Was that
you?”

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Ahm started toward the doors, heading out of the barn, grumbling

something so low, not even Bryce’s shifter hearing could pick it up.

Bryce exhaled a sympathetic chuckle. Poor Ahm. If he was losing

patience this quickly, the twins were going to drive the elf insane by
the week’s end. He held on to that thought as he watched his mate’s
backside, his cock getting hard as he thought about the sex they had
three days ago and how damn good it felt to be buried in that tight ass.
It had shocked him that Ahm had let Bryce fuck him, but then again,
the man seemed to be surprising him a lot lately.

The number one surprise was Ahm’s profession of love. It had

blindsided Bryce. He thought he would have to browbeat the
confession out of Ahm sometime in the distant future. But the man
had given it of his own free will.

“Do you think he’ll be back?” Chance asked as he scratched at his

chin and then answered his own question. “I think he’ll be back.”

“You two are morons,” Bryce said as he went after his mate. He

caught up to Ahm by the porch, grabbing his arm to stop him from
going any further. It was getting to the point that Bryce hated to see a
frown on the man’s face. Ahm had frowned enough in life. If Bryce
had it his way, Ahm would wear a pleased expression all the time. He
was sexy as hell when he smiled. It made the dimples in his cheeks
pop out. “Slow down, pudding pop.”

Ahm turned, glaring at Bryce as if he were the offender. His

nostrils were flaring and his blue eyes were twin ice glaciers. “Don’t
try to sweet-talk me. Your brothers are immature assholes. They
better be lucky you would take offense to me killing them. I’ve never
exerted so much patience in my life!”

“Duh, you just now figuring them out?”
Ahm looked as if he hadn’t expected that answer. “Well, yeah.”
Bryce took a seat on the steps, pulling Ahm down next to him.

The man sat without a fight—which surprised Bryce. He exhaled a
deep breath as he thought of a way to explain Chauncey and Chance
to Ahm. There really wasn’t any way to describe them to anyone who

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wasn’t family or didn’t know them really well. “Look, the twins have
been like that their entire lives. I don’t apologize for the way my
family acts. All I can say is learn to fight fire with fire. You have to
learn to outwit them.”

Ahm looked skeptical, and still pissed off. “I’ve never met a

family like yours, Bryce. The Lakelands are very unconventional.”

“And that’s what makes us so damn lovable.” Bryce gave a soft

laugh. “I don’t want to be normal, and neither do my brothers.
Where’s the fun in that? Let your hair down.” Bryce tugged at a few
strands that had fallen over the man’s shoulder. “You have plenty for
that.”

“So we get the file and then plot revenge against the two

hellions?”

Bryce winked at his mate. “Now you’re cooking with bacon.” He

turned. “Speaking of bacon, I can smell it cooking. There’s fresh
coffee, too.” Damn if the scent wasn’t making Bryce hungry as hell.
“Come on. Let’s go eat before we invade France.”

“You are one strange bear,” Ahm said as he stood. Bryce could

see some of the closed-off rigidness slipping back into Ahm’s blue
eyes, and he wasn’t going to allow that. He pulled his mate into his
arms and grinned. “But you wouldn’t have me any other way,
dumpling.”

Ahm gave Bryce a soul-stirring smile before he pulled away and

headed inside, shaking his head. Bryce gladly followed.

* * * *

Riley sat atop his horse, gazing over the thirty head of cattle. He

was ready to get things moving, but he was a man short.

Olaf was late.
The human had been nothing but a pain in the ass for the past

week. Riley was trying to give the man a chance, knowing how
desperate some folks were for a job. But his patience had just run out.

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Lynn Hagen

If the guy showed, Riley was sending him packing. He took his job
seriously and had warned everyone the first day that he didn’t tolerate
tardiness.

On the flip side of things, Charlie and Winter were turning out to

be an asset. The two men worked hard as hell. He had been delayed
with the drive, but the two had stayed busy helping out around the
ranch.

“Think he’s coming?” Charlie asked as he pushed his Stetson

back from his eyes.

Riley wrapped a gloved hand around the saddle horn. “We’re

going to get started without him.” He steered his horse toward the
front of the cattle. Warrior went with ease. They were heading south
of Brac Village to the market. Riley didn’t foresee any problems, but
they were heading out into open terrain.

“Wait for me!” Sterling shouted as he rode up on Hell Raiser. “Pa

sent me since you’re one man short.”

Riley loved his mate to death, but he wasn’t sure Sterling was the

right man for the job. The guy was good with animals, but they were
taking the cattle in to be sold off. He wondered if Sterling knew this
bit of information. He didn’t have it in his heart to tell the guy.

“I thought Pa was extracting Hell Raiser’s sperm,” Riley asked.
Sterling crinkled his nose. “That sounds so gross. He’s finished,

anyway.”

Riley chuckled as he steered his horse south and began the drive.

About an hour into his day, he spotted Olaf riding hard toward them.
He was amazed the man had the nerve to show up.

“You gonna fire him?” Sterling asked as he rode next to Riley. “I

don’t really like him. He’s mean looking.”

“Yep,” Riley answered as he listened to the creak of his saddle

and enjoyed the fresh air all around. It was days like this that he was
glad they had bought a ranch all those years ago. Riley loved the
outdoors and working in the wide-open space. He couldn’t imagine
himself with a nine-to-five job. It would drive him crazy. “If a man

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113

can’t take his responsibilities seriously, then I don’t need him working
on the ranch.” Since mating Sterling, Riley had learned to let loose
and not be so serious about life. But he still was a hard-nosed man
when it came to running his beloved ranch.

“Did I ever tell you that you’re hot as hell when you are being the

boss?” Sterling asked with a come-hither bat of his eyes before
guiding his horse toward Charlie.

Riley turned, looking at his mate in wonder before turning back

around, chuckling to himself. The guy never ceased to amaze him.
His lips immediately tilted down when Olaf rode up next to him.

“Sorry I’m late. I overslept.”
Riley clenched his jaw. It was the only way to stop himself from

yelling. “The others didn’t seem to have a problem getting here on
time.”

“It won’t happen again, boss.” Olaf steered his horse toward the

middle of the herd.

For a moment, Riley was too stunned to say a word. Had the man

just gotten flippant with Riley? He felt his blood begin to boil as he
pulled Warrior to the side, waiting for Olaf to ride by him. His hands
clenched the reins, stopping them from reaching out and strangling
the man. When Olaf passed, Riley spoke loud enough to make sure
the dim-witted human heard him. “Your services are no longer
needed.”

Olaf’s eyes turned to smoldering anger as his lips thinned.

“You’re firing me for being late?”

“What did I tell you the first day you showed up here?” Riley

reminded Olaf.

“It was only an hour,” Olaf protested. “What the hell is your

problem?”

“Get the fuck off of my land before I physically remove you!”

Riley took a deep breath in, forcing his bear to back down. It wasn’t
an easy thing to do. He was five seconds away from teaching the
bastard some manners. “You’ll get your pay in the mail.”

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“You can’t do that!”
“Winter!” Riley called out to the Siberian tiger shifter. “Can you

escort Olaf off of my land?” He would do it himself, but Riley had
work to get done. The cattle weren’t going to get to the market by
themselves.

“Don’t bother,” Olaf snapped. He turned, racing his horse toward

the ranch. Riley didn’t trust the guy. He pulled out his cell phone and
called his pa, telling him what had just happened.

“I’ll keep an eye out for him. If he causes any problems, I’ll

handle him.” His pa hung up.

Riley felt for Olaf if he caused a fuss back at the house. Malcolm

Lakeland was not a man to tussle with.

“We good?” Winter asked.
“Yeah,” Riley answered, wondering if he had seen the last of Olaf

Keansburg.

* * * *

Dr. Nicholas Sheehan sat in his office, scanning over the results of

Ahm’s blood test. He then picked up Gabby’s and compared the two
once again.

He had run the tests twice, but each time the same results were

returned.

Ahm was definitely related to Christian. He wasn’t sure how, but

the blood work didn’t lie. Somewhere in Ahm’s family tree, a distant
relative had mated with one of Christian’s children.

And that thought brought another.
Could Ahm become pregnant? He wasn’t sure what to think, so

the only solution was to pay the prince a visit and talk his findings
over with the vampire. He wasn’t sure if he should warn the mated
pair first, though.

But what if he warned them of the possibility of conception, and it

wasn’t true? Nicholas wasn’t sure how Bryce and Ahm felt about

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115

children, but if they yearned for any, giving them false hope was not
something he cared to do.

“You look tired,” Jason said as he walked into Nicholas’s office,

bringing him a cup of tea. “You should take a break.”

Nicholas sighed. If only he could. “I have to talk with Christian. I

wish this could wait, but it can’t.” Nicholas stood, tucking the file
under his arm as he accepted the tea, giving his mate a quick kiss for
his thoughtfulness. “Have I told you lately how much I love and
appreciate you?”

“I’ll drive.” Jason blushed as he nodded and then headed out of

the office, Nicholas following close behind, tea and file in hand.

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Chapter Thirteen

“Make this quick,” Luke said as he glanced around the office. “I

hate being here.”

Ahm went straight to his desk, pulling the drawer open that held a

key to the bracelet. He damn near cried with joy when he spotted the
tiny key still sitting where Ahm always kept it. Reaching in, he
grabbed it and unlocked the bracelet from his wrist. “You can go
home, Luke. Thank you for bringing us here.”

Bryce cut his eyes to Ahm’s arm, and Ahm knew what the man

was thinking. He dropped the bracelet on the desk and walked over to
his mate, talking low enough for Bryce’s ears only. “Just because I
am rid of the contraption does not mean I’ll leave you.”

Bryce’s light-grey eyes held doubt, but he gave a nod that said he

was going to trust Ahm at his word.

“Are you sure?” Luke asked. “I don’t like it here, but if you need

me, I’ll stay.”

“Go on home,” Chauncey said. “If anything happens to you, Pa

will kill all of us. You’re a fine father, Luke, but I’m not willing to be
skinned over you.”

Luke grinned and then shimmered out.
“Where’s this file?” Bryce asked.
Ahm walked to the shelf he had laid it on before he was attacked

only to see it wasn’t there. He pointed to the empty spot. “I laid it
right here.”

“Looks like it won’t be an easy in-and-out job,” Chance said.

“Let’s get to searching.”

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Ahm combed through his office, checking anywhere the file might

have been placed. As he searched through his desk, he stilled when he
found an envelope sitting just under the desk calendar. It had Nara’s
name on it. Picking it up, Ahm opened it.

It was the deed to the land and Ahm’s forged signature. The

document stated that once Nara had mated Darla’s father, their lands
would fall under dual ownership. They would combine bloodlines and
put their plan of ruling the throne together.

Over my dead body.
Ahm shoved the papers back into the envelope and stuffed it into

his pocket. The conniving elves were not going to get his land. Ahm
planned on drawing up the paperwork to leave the land to Rakeym.
His second was best suited to rule the marshlands. Blythe could deal
with Darla and her father. Ahm didn’t give a rat’s ass about them. It
seemed his family was far different from Bryce’s. He couldn’t see one
of the bears trying to stab one of their brothers, or even their father, in
the back. They were a tight-knit family, and that was something Ahm
envied. He just wanted to tightly knit a noose around his family’s
neck and hang the traitors.

He had to find a way to stop Nara from her attempts at stealing his

land. If anything happened to Ahm, then the land would fall to her
father. Ahm was going to do everything in his power to make sure she
didn’t succeed in having him killed.

“That didn’t look like a file,” Bryce commented as he stood in

front of Ahm’s desk. “Something I need to know about?”

The other two bears were still searching, but Ahm knew their ears

were perking at the conversation in the room. Did he care if his in-
laws knew that his cousin wanted him killed? Did he want them to
know how truly dysfunctional his family was? They probably knew
nothing about a family member betraying them. “I have a difficult
cousin who believes she should rule my land.”

“Family.” Chauncey snorted. “Gotta love them.”

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“Not really,” Ahm admitted. “Have you ever had a familial knife

stabbed into your back?” He asked the question with acidic accuracy,
only he wasn’t prepared for the honest answer the twin gave him.

“Hell yeah. My cousin Dommy tried to kill Steven. He was

hopped up on Liquid Wrath and working for some shady-ass shifter
that used to abuse Steven.”

Ahm was stunned to his core. He had met Steven. The human was

a very sweet man. He couldn’t imagine anyone trying to hurt the guy.
“What happened?”

“We killed Dommy,” Bryce answered. “It wasn’t something we

were happy to do, but when it came down to Dommy or Steven,
Roman’s mate won hands down.”

“My cousin is trying to mate the elven leader from another

territory. She thinks killing me will make my land default to her
father. She’s a greedy bitch who I wish was never born.”

Chance gave a low whistle. “What do you plan to do about her?”
“I’m drawing up the paperwork to leave the land to my second-in-

command, Rakeym. He has fought and lived by my side for centuries.
He’s best suited to take over.”

Bryce walked around the desk and cupped Ahm’s face. “Are you

sure about this? You are devoted to your people. Can you just hand
over your leadership and walk away?”

“They walked away from me first.” Ahm gave Bryce a harsh

reminder. “I’ll help solve the infant mortality rate, but as far as
stepping back into my role as their leader”—Ahm stiffened his back,
resolution hard in his tone—“that will never happen.”

“How can your species be dying out if there are other tribes?”

Chauncey asked.

Ahm knew that not all saw the Shadow elves’ way of life as

acceptable. “We are all related in one way or another.”

“That’s just—” Chance shuddered. “Okay, I’m not going to judge,

but if any of my brothers came near me, I’d kick their balls into their
throat.”

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Ahm ran into that opinion anytime a person discovered how the

Shadow elves lived. It had been their way of life since before Ahm
was born. It wasn’t odd to him, but from an outsider’s point of view…

“Well,” Chauncey said as he clapped Ahm on the back. “You

lucked out. Bryce isn’t related to you…I think. After all, you do have
vampire in your blood.”

“He what!”
Ahm turned to see Nara standing in the doorway, her face mottled

with murderous intent. Behind her stood Rakeym, a stunned
expression on his face. The bears moved to stand in front of Ahm, but
he did not need anyone defending him. Rakeym would not fight him,
and he could wipe the floor with Nara.

Pushing past the bears, Ahm stood tall and proud. “I have mixed

blood.” He could almost touch the pride coming off of Bryce.

“First you mate a male. Then you make sure he isn’t even a

Shadow elf. Now you have the nerve to show up here stating proudly
that you are a mutt?” Nara scoffed. “The tribe is going to glory in
your death.”

“The hell they are!” Chance shouted before Ahm had a chance to

address her accusations. “Touch one hair on Ahm’s head and I’ll call
the Santiago brothers. They love burning shit to the ground.”

“You wouldn’t,” Nara said as she narrowed her eyes. “The

Ultionem wouldn’t allow you to kill an entire species.”

“Okay,” Bryce said as he grabbed Ahm’s wrist and pulled him to

his mate’s side. “We’ll just kill you instead.”

“This your cousin?” Chauncey asked as he chucked a thumb

toward Nara.

Ahm nodded, pulling his wrist free as he advanced toward her.

“You dare threaten me?”

Nara crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a defiant glare.

“You are no longer our leader. You are no one. I can say and do as I
please with no repercussions.”

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“Nara,” Rakeym said in warning behind her. “Ahm left me in

charge.”

Nara twirled around, shoving a finger at Rakeym. “He doesn’t

have the authority to leave you in charge. He forfeited his rights when
he betrayed us.”

“I still own this land that the tribe lives on,” Ahm reminded her.

“Legally, you cannot take that from me.” He could see the calculating
gleam in her eyes and knew she was thinking about the papers that
were tucked in his pocket.

“Watch me.” Nara pushed past Rakeym as she stormed from the

room.

“Nice gal,” Chance said. “Does her head turn three hundred and

sixty degrees while she spits pea soup?”

Rakeym moved into the room, closing the door behind him. “You

shouldn’t have come here, Ahm. It isn’t safe for you.”

“I need the file that was sitting on top of the shelf, Rakeym. Have

you seen it?”

The man looked surprised. “You would still help a race that would

rather see you dead?”

“They are still my people whether they like it or not. Not all are

bad, Rakeym. You know this. The few bad apples make the rest look
barbaric.”

Rakeym moved through the office until he stopped in front of the

sideboard. He moved the tray aside, the file hidden underneath. “I
knew you would be back for this. I didn’t want it falling into the
wrong hands.” He handed the file to Ahm. His second clasped his
shoulder. “I will do whatever it takes to lead them in the right
direction. If you need any help, just call. But you should go. I have a
feeling Nara is rallying the troops even as we speak.”

Ahm tucked the file under his arm. “My personal items?”
Rakeym took a step back, letting his hand fall to his side. “I’ll

pack your things myself and deliver them to your mate’s home.”

“Thanks,” Bryce said. “We appreciate—”

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“I am doing this for my longtime friend, shifter.”
Ahm grabbed Bryce’s arm. He knew Rakeym, but he also knew

Bryce. The two would turn his office into splintered wood if he didn’t
get them away from each other. The sad truth was, Rakeym’s reaction
was how his entire tribe felt when it came to outsiders. Ahm knew he
had a hard battle ahead of him. Rakeym was not a bad man, but when
taught from the cradle to reject anything not of the Shadow elves’
way, it was a hard habit to break. Ahm knew that firsthand. He had
almost lost Bryce because of the way he was brought up.

“He’s right. We should go.” Ahm pulled Bryce toward the twins,

making sure they were all touching as he shimmered them from his
office and into the living room on the ranch.

“God, he was such an ass,” Chance complained.
“Rakeym is a good man. He has just been polluted with the

teachings all of us have grown up with. He knows no other way.”

“He’s still an ass,” Chance grumbled as he walked from the living

room.

“Okay, my job here is done. I basically went along for the ride

since nothing happened, so peace out.” Chauncey headed outside.

“You fellas done kidnapping my help?” Pa asked as he stepped

into the living room. “It’s not like I have a ranch to run or anything.”

“They were assisting me…Pa,” Ahm said. Bryce’s eyes widened

at Ahm as his pa grinned from ear to ear. “I apologize for any
inconvenience this has caused you.”

“Well, in that case, let me know if you need any more help.”
Okay, now his mouth was hitting the floor. Pa walked from the

living room, his chest stuck out in pride.

“Ass kisser,” Bryce said.
“You are not the only one who knows how to sweet-talk

someone.”

Bryce grabbed Ahm, pulling the man hard against his chest.

“There will be no sweet-talking to anyone but me.”

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Ahm grabbed Bryce’s arms, using just as much force. He may

have let Bryce fuck him, but there was no way his mate wasn’t going
to be claimed as well. “Get upstairs, sugar pie. It’s my turn to rock my
cock inside of you.”

Bryce licked his lips, his light-grey eyes shimmering with desire.

He took a step back and then headed up the stairs. Ahm smiled to
himself as he followed. He was still reeling from the way the bears
had tried to box him in and defend him. Ahm had never had anyone
do that before. Rakeym was a good man, but he knew better than to
try and fight Ahm’s battles for him.

It was a strange feeling knowing he had an entire family who

wouldn’t stab him in the back or betray him. He was considered one
of theirs now, and it was the strangest feeling in the world.

Ahm had never really belonged anywhere or to anyone. It was a

possessive feeling as he thought about Bryce and his siblings, even
his two fathers. This house was warm, inviting, and made Ahm feel
like he really could make a home here.

He didn’t have to keep up pretenses or always stay on the defense.

Ahm was a strong and capable warrior, but even warriors needed to
shed their skin and be themselves every once in a while.

But who was he? Ahm had always worn the mantle of leadership.

Now that he no longer led the Shadow elves, he wasn’t sure what his
purpose in life was—aside from figuring out the growing problem
within his race. What could he do to become a productive member of
this family?

“What’s taking you so long?” Bryce asked from the top of the

stairs. “I would think you would be racing up here and beating me
into the bedroom.”

Ahm tilted his head back, staring up at his mate. From the top of

the stairs, Bryce looked ten times more imposing, impressive,
commanding. “What am I going to do around here?”

“What do you mean?” Bryce asked as he began to descend.

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“I mean, now that I am a permanent resident here, where do I fit

in?” Ahm felt vulnerable in ways he never experienced before, and he
didn’t like feeling that way. He didn’t like seeming weak or being
seen as useless.

“I could talk to Riley. He always has a full plate. Maybe you two

can work side by side.” Bryce reached the bottom of the steps and
placed a hand on the banister. “I can’t see you hanging out with
Sterling or Abe. Gavin and Olsen tend to the crops and the daily lives
of the animals. Riley and the twins take care of roping and all the
other strenuous work. I’m pretty sure Riley would love having a right-
hand man.”

“What about your father?” Ahm moved closer, needing Bryce’s

body heat. He was craving it now. “I thought Riley was Malcolm’s
right-hand man.”

“Pa has been talking lately about spending more time with Luke

and Cole, letting his older sons run things around here.” Bryce tucked
a knuckle under Ahm’s chin, his thumb grazing his skin. “You’ll learn
the ropes and fit right in. I can’t imagine anyone giving you lip.”

Ahm liked the idea of working next to Riley. He wasn’t so sure

about riding a smelly horse, but if he was going to live here, he
needed to get used to it. “Thanks.”

“You are quite welcome, my love monkey. Now get upstairs so

you can send me to heaven.”

Ahm didn’t have to be told twice. He was up the stairs, through

the bedroom door, and stripping naked before Bryce even made it
inside the bedroom.

His mate laughed, but Ahm didn’t find a damn thing funny. He

was horny, and Bryce was about to get fucked through the floor. It
didn’t take long for Bryce to get naked. It seemed the man was just as
anxious as he was.

Once his bear settled onto the bed, Ahm grabbed a pillow, tapping

Bryce’s hip. “I’m going to shove this pillow under your ass. I want
you at just the right angle as I fuck the hell out of you.”

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Bryce’s grey eyes darkened as he lifted his hips. Ahm shoved the

pillow under his mate’s ass. His cock began to throb at the thought of
fucking Bryce for the very first time. He had to pinch under the head
of his cock in order not to orgasm at the thought.

“That excited?” Bryce asked, a thick, black brow arched high.
Ahm palmed his cock, stroking his hand up until the pre-cum

leaked onto his fingers. “What do you think?” Reaching down with
his free hand, Ahm gathered the clear liquid onto his fingers and then
shoved them into his mouth, making a loud moaning noise.

“Holy fuck,” Bryce whispered. “Get your ass over here and fuck

me.”

Ahm chuckled. “Now who’s the excited one?”
“That would be me, my little bowl of cheesy nacho dip.”
Ahm burst out laughing. “You make absolutely no sense.”
“Just trying to make you smile. Mission accomplished.”
Ahm stared tenderly at Bryce for a moment and then moved until

he was between Bryce’s legs. He couldn’t believe how large Bryce
looked lying there.

And damn was the man hairy. His legs looked like someone had

forgotten to shut off the growing machine, letting his legs become
covered in the wiry springs. Ahm ran his hands down Bryce’s thighs,
letting the hair tickle his fingers. “You are one sexy-ass man.”

“I know,” Bryce said as he winked at Ahm. “Now get to fucking

me.”

Ahm rolled his eyes, putting his hand out for the lube. Bryce

handed it over and Ahm used one hand to stretch Bryce, the other to
stroke his mate’s thick cock. He watched in wonder as Bryce turned
his head, his lips parting and pleasurable moans filling the room.

He couldn’t take it any longer. Ahm pulled his hand free, lined his

cock up, and sank deep into Bryce’s body. He had to rest his hands on
Bryce’s legs and close his eyes at the magnificent way his mate’s
body felt wrapped around his cock. Ahm had known that fucking

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Bryce would be good. He just never knew it was going to be this mind
blowing, and he hadn’t even started yet.

When he felt he had a bit of control back, Ahm began to move.

His cock slipped in and out of Bryce’s body, his mate’s shaft bobbing
freely in the air. Ahm grabbed the hard-as-steel flesh, stroking it to
the rhythm he had set. Ahm couldn’t control it. His hips began to
thrust his cock harder inside Bryce, the pleasure so damn good he
wanted to howl with it. Spreading Bryce’s thighs wide, Ahm slammed
his hips into his mate’s ass, feeling his scrotum tighten against the
base of his cock as he drove deep and hard inside his mate.

“Ahm…I’m gonna come soon. Fuck me harder, please.”
Ahm complied, thrusting until the sound of their bodies slamming

together filled the bedroom. He set up a hard, fast pace, pounding into
the erotically writhing, willing body beneath him. Bryce arched off
the bed as a breathless moan escaped his lips. He was overwhelmed
by the heated tightness surrounding his hard shaft and the look of pure
ecstasy on Bryce’s face.

Bryce’s channel rippled around Ahm’s cock, searing him,

bringing him to the brink of the abyss. His balls drew up tighter
against his body, and he knew it wouldn’t be long. His thrusts became
feral and erratic as he sought his release. He could feel his spunk
rising, ready to shoot, and he couldn’t wait to get off inside his mate.

“Ahm!” Bryce’s body arched, his eyes widened, and he stared at

Ahm with a dazed, wild hunger for a second before his cock erupted
between them.

Bryce’s muscles clenched around Ahm’s cock, making his mate

so tight and hot Ahm could do nothing but follow the man. The
burning grip of Bryce’s muscles, the wash of his mate’s own pleasure,
threw Ahm over the edge. With a rush of liquid that would have
terrified him at any other time, Ahm felt his cock explode in his
mate’s ass.

As the last drop shot from his cock, Ahm collapsed on top of

Bryce, their breath mingling as they panted.

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Chapter Fourteen

Bryce woke with a start, immediately focusing on the orange sky

beyond his window. “Fire!”

Ahm rolled from the bed, instantly awake and pulling his clothes

on. Bryce yanked his jeans on, shoved his feet in his boots, and then
took off from his bedroom, Ahm already ahead of him and bolting
down the stairs.

“Fire!” Bryce bellowed again as he raced to the front door and

outside. The barn was smoking, and it seemed the fire was toward the
back of the barn. The blaze hadn’t consumed the entire structure yet.

Bryce needed to get the horses out. He quickly tied his boots and

then rushed toward the entrance, throwing the doors open, and saw
that the barn was quickly filling with smoke. “Help me get the horses
into the corral.”

Ahm went for the stall door that held Buster inside. Bryce went to

Hell Raiser’s. The horse backed away and Bryce could see the fear in
his black eyes. He wasn’t going to let Bryce anywhere near him. The
horse was afraid, and rightly so. Bryce just prayed he could get the
beast out of the barn before it was too late.

His mate was back, going for the next stall when his brothers

rushed inside. They focused on putting the fire out. Olsen worked
diligently as he tried to remove everything flammable—which was
just about everything in the barn. Chauncey and Chance used fire
extinguishers, but they weren’t making any headway.

“I called the fire department,” Roman said as he rushed in and

began to help get the animals out. “Why haven’t you taken Hell
Raiser out?”

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“He won’t let me near him,” Chance said as Lover Lost raced

toward the open corral.

Bryce watched as Roman approached the stall, only to take a few

steps back when the horse reared his front legs and kicked.

“We need Sterling,” Bryce said. “He seems to be the only one

who can calm the beast.”

Roman glanced around the barn. The fire was licking at the

ceiling, eating up the rafters. It was a large-ass barn, but he knew the
structure would be engulfed in minutes. “I’ll go get him. But if I think
it’s become unstable, he’s not coming in. Riley is not going to kill me
because I let his mate get hurt.”

Bryce would hate to lose Hell Raiser, but he understood Roman’s

fear. None of them were willing to risk their mate’s life—and
especially not the lives of their siblings’ mates. Riley was still gone,
driving the cattle to market. He would be devastated if anything
happened to Sterling.

Thinking quickly, Bryce ran over to the water trough and dropped

a blanket down into the water. He soaked it and then took it over to
the stall next to Hell Raiser’s.

“What are you doing?” Ahm asked as he hurried back inside the

barn after rescuing Rags and her newborn kid.

“Trying to lay this wet blanket on him. If the fire gets too close

before we can get him out of here, the blanket should help.”

“Where do you want him?”
Bryce blinked at Ahm. “What do you mean?”
“Do you want him corralled with the other horses?”
Bryce caught on to what Ahm was saying. He was going to

shimmer the horse out of the stall.

“Put him in the field next to the other horses, but not with them.

After that, go tell Roman we don’t need him to bring Sterling here.”
He watched as Ahm reached out over the stall divider and grabbed the
horse’s mane in a tight grip. Both man and beast shimmered away.

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Bryce wanted to go outside and make sure his mate was fine, but he
needed to help his brothers get the fire under control.

Bryce damn near had a heart attack when he saw Gavin climbing

up to the loft. He made it to the ladder and pulled Gavin down. “The
equipment can be replaced. You can’t.”

Gavin glanced up at the loft. Bryce could tell his brother didn’t

want to lose anything, but there was nothing they could do about it.
The animals came first, and saving the structure second. He slapped
Gavin on the arm. “Go help Olsen.”

They were triplets, and he loved his womb mates more than his

next breath. That was why he wasn’t going to allow Gavin to do
something stupid.

The sounds of sirens in the distance made Bryce hurry from the

barn. His brothers were coming out as well. There was nothing more
they could do but let the firemen handle the blaze.

“How do you think it started?” Gavin asked as the two watched

the fire truck pull into the driveway and head straight for the barn.
Gavin’s dark eyebrows were pulled together in an angry frown.

“I’m not sure, but I’m willing to bet it was set on purpose. There’s

nothing in the building that would cause a fire to ignite.”

Bryce glanced sharply around, his eyes blazing. He was looking

for whoever had started the fire, but he knew they were long gone.
Was it a Shadow elf? Had they come here to ruin the Lakelands and
all they had worked hard to gain? He wasn’t sure, but he was going to
get to the bottom of this.

“Any ideas?” Gavin asked.
“It could be the guy Riley fired today.” With long, powerful

strides, Roman ate up the distance. “Olaf had a pretty nasty attitude
and could have come back here to set the fire for revenge.”

They had a few suspects, but nothing concrete. Even when the fire

marshal told them how the fire was started, Bryce knew that wouldn’t
help them narrow things down. Roman’s expression was clouded with
anger. “If I find out it was Olaf, I’m going to skin that man alive.”

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Swinging his head toward the corral, Bryce spotted Ahm helping

Sterling ensure that the animals were unharmed. His temper flared
thinking of any harm coming to Ahm. The only thing the guy was
guilty of was mating a male shifter. No one should be hunted down
for who they loved.

“Until we find out who is behind this, we need to keep an eye on

the place. I’ll take first watch,” Gavin commented before turning on
his heel and heading toward the house.

Ahm looked up as Bryce approached. The skin around his mate’s

eyes tightened before the blue orbs flickered over toward the barn. If
Bryce wasn’t mistaken, Ahm looked worried that he would be blamed
just on the grounds that it might have been Shadow elves who started
the fire.

“They all look fine,” Sterling said roughly, as if his throat was

constricted with a lump of tears. “I’m going to help the others.”

Ahm moved toward Bryce, climbing over the corral and standing

in front of him, his chin raised. “I’ll leave if that’s what your family
wants.”

A muscle quivered in Bryce’s jaw. “Be that easy for you to walk

away?”

Ahm’s blue eyes narrowed and his back became ramrod straight.

“No, but I’m not going to allow anyone to accuse me of bringing
trouble here. If it was one of my people who started this”—Ahm
pointed angrily at the barn—“then I need to find the person
responsible and make him or her pay.”

“No one knows who set the fire.” Bryce leaned in closer, holding

on to his control by a thread. “But for your information, my family
hasn’t said one word about you. We don’t go after innocent men.”

Ahm looked as if he wanted to argue, but crossed his arms over

his chest instead. He inclined his head, but didn’t say a word. Bryce
knew what was going on. Ahm was waiting for the family his mate
thought he had become a part of to turn their backs on him. It wasn’t
going to happen. “You are family, Ahm. You really need to learn

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what that means to a Lakeland. We don’t turn our backs on one of our
own, no matter the case. Did you invite the Shadow elves here to burn
down the barn?”

His eyes widened just a hair with surprise. “Why would I do

that?”

“Exactly,” Bryce replied. “Now stop acting like a moron before I

kick your ass.”

Ahm bent his head close, his eyes like shards of glass. “You could

try, my little psychedelic rainbow.”

A burst of laughter erupted from Bryce’s chest as he hauled Ahm

close, enveloping the man in his arms. “You are getting the hang of
it.” And even though the things Ahm called him were off the wall,
Bryce loved it. Ahm was trying. That was all he could ask for.

Grabbing his mate’s hand, Bryce led him over to where everyone

was standing. The firemen managed to put the fire out, and now
Bryce was looking at a smoky building that had its ass end burned to
hell. He was grateful the whole damn thing hadn’t burned to the
ground. But there was no telling if the structure was safe or if they
would have to tear the whole thing down and start fresh.

* * * *

Ahm sat at the desk in Bryce’s bedroom, drawing up the

paperwork to hand the land over to Rakeym. This was something he
never thought he would do in his lifetime, but Ahm knew he had to
get this done before Nara implemented her evil plans. The bitch
would notice the envelope gone, and then there was no telling what
she would do. His conniving cousin was capable of just about
anything.

“Nice room.”
In the blink of an eye, Ahm was away from the desk, crouched

and ready for battle. Rakeym just stood there with one eyebrow
quirked high.

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131

Ahm straightened, noticing a few boxes and suitcases on the floor

next to Rakeym. Seeing his belongings fit inside a few containers
made Ahm feel a bit disheartened. This was it. There was no going
back to the land of his people. Ahm was officially a resident of the
Lakeland ranch.

Rakeym stood there silently as Ahm gazed at his belongings.

Although he was a fierce warrior, able to lead a tribe of strong and
capable men, Ahm did not like change. Not anything this drastic.
Losing his home was about as drastic as things could get.

“I can’t believe you are really stepping down.” Rakeym finally

broke the silence.

“And I thank you for stepping up.” Ahm walked over to the desk

and signed the document. “I’ve drawn up the paperwork to hand the
land over to you. Just as soon as I have it notarized, I’ll make sure you
get a copy.”

“You know I don’t want the land, Ahm. I think what the tribe is

doing is barbaric.”

“Yet when a shifter spoke to you, Rakeym the Great talked to him

as if he were scum under your shoe.” Chance was irritating as hell,
but Ahm was not going to allow his new family to be disrespected.

The man looked embarrassed. “That wasn’t intended.”
Sighing, Ahm gave a nod. “It’s a hard habit to break. I almost lost

Bryce because of our traditions and prejudices. You have to change
their minds, Rakeym. If our people continue to shut the world out,
we’ll become extinct.”

“I’m trying, Ahm. But Nara is poisoning everyone’s mind. She is

blowing your mating way out of proportion.” Rakeym cleared his
throat. “Do you really have vampire in you?”

Ahm’s lips thinned. “I’m not sure. The doctor thinks I have the

same markers as a half-breed vampire he knows. At this point, I’m
not really sure what is going on.” Ahm smiled. “But I haven’t bitten
anyone, if that’s what you are wondering.”

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Rakeym gave a deep laugh. “I think I would have noticed if you

were craving blood. Well, aside from wanting to kill someone.”

Ahm sobered. “Don’t be a stranger, friend. You are always

welcome here.”

“Just as long as I don’t run into that rude bear.”
Crossing the room, Ahm reached out to give Rakeym a clasp on

the back when the elf reached up and brushed Ahm’s hair from his
shoulder. Ahm stood there frozen. What was Rakeym doing? They
had known each other for a very long time, but they had never
laughed together or shared any kind of a moment. He had never done
anything to lead Rakeym to believe there could ever be something
between them.

“Your neck,” Rakeym said softly as Ahm took a step back.
“What about it?”
“You carry the mark.” Rakeym’s eyes flickered from Ahm’s neck

down to his stomach. “The mark the women carry when they are with
child.”

Ahm hurried over to the mirror on the dresser, pulling his thick

mane of hair back to see the strawberry patch all Shadow elven
women developed when they conceived. But it couldn’t be that.
Hadn’t Christian said that Ahm’s people used to be asexual, but the
elders had reversed their DNA?

Flashes of Christian’s smaller mate with a distended belly entered

Ahm’s mind. Tilting his head to side, Ahm’s eyes raked over the
mark. He would have seen this before had he been born with it. He
knew every inch of his body.

“How is this possible?” Rakeym asked as he stepped up behind

Ahm. “How can this be?”

Rakeym sounded just as dazed and confused as Ahm felt. He

looked over his shoulder. “Did you know we used to be asexual,
Rakeym?” From the look in the man’s eyes, Rakeym had known.

“But that is no more,” Rakeym argued. “The elders took that away

from us.”

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Apparently not from everyone. Chaotic thoughts raced through

Ahm’s mind as he wondered how this happened. Well, okay, he knew
how it happened. The night he let Bryce fuck him obviously left him
with more than a mind-blowing orgasm. “I need to talk to Bryce.”

“Let me know if there is anything you need.” Rakeym shimmered

out as Ahm walked over to the window. He let images of Bryce
fucking him roll behind his eyes as he stared at the dark windowpane.
His reflection in the darkened glass looked detached.

He stared at it, lifting his hand to his neck. The reality of it,

buoyed with the shock, made him feel disconnected for a moment, but
he knew it was the reality, and he knew it was the shock, and he knew
there was chaos behind those eyes in the empty window.

* * * *

Bryce sat up in one of the trees that lined the forest of the

property. He had a pretty good view from up here. He could see every
side of the barn along with all angles of the house, except the far side.
Bryce was confident he could see attackers if they showed
themselves.

There was a gentle breeze skating through the air, bringing Bryce

scents of spring in bloom. Besides the addictive aroma of his mate,
nothing smelled better to Bryce. The scents around him made Bryce
want to shift and run, letting his paws hit the earth as that same breeze
brushed through his fur.

But tonight was for watching. Not running. That sucked.
Settling back in the tree, Bryce yawned. God, he was so damn

bored. He was almost praying something wicked this way came. The
branch was poking him in places he would rather not have a tree limb.
Wasn’t Riley supposed to have first watch? How in the hell did
Bryce—his thoughts stuttered to a halt when he saw Ahm standing by
their bedroom window, his expression pensive.

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Bryce drank in his mate, still amazed at how beautiful Ahm truly

was. When Bryce had first set eyes on the guy years before, he had
thought Ahm an impenetrable force. He was aloof, never really spoke,
and had a dangerous air about him.

Come to find out his mate was only trapped inside his own

responsibilities, needing someone to coax that stick out of his ass. His
eyes crinkled as he frowned. Why was Ahm rubbing his neck? If he
was tired, why didn’t he go to sleep? But then Bryce watched as his
mate’s hand lay palm down on his stomach.

The movement was too tender, too intimate to be just an ordinary

gesture. Bryce damn near fell out of the tree when realization dawned
on him. But his moment was interrupted when he spotted something
blue from the corner of his eye. Swinging his head around, he had just
enough time to catch a glance at the person opening the corral, scaring
the horses into running.

Nara.
That fucking bitch.
Snatching the two-way radio from its clip, Bryce hit the button.

“Alex, you there?” The mates were taking turns manning the radio. It
had been Curtis’s idea to set up the radios in the first place. He had
said that there might be circumstances where one of the men on watch
needed help, but couldn’t call on their cell phones.

“Roger that.”
Bryce rolled his eyes. “Send the cavalry. The bitch is back, letting

the horses loose.”

“What do you want me to do!” Alex screeched into the radio.
Didn’t he just say send the cavalry? “Tell my brothers to get their

asses outside.” Clipping the radio, Bryce climbed from the tree. The
horses were running at full steam. He had to be very careful not to get
run over.

By the time Bryce made it to where he had seen Nara, she was

gone. Now he and his brothers had the job of rounding up their horses
and getting them back home.

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“What happened?” Pa asked as he rushed from the house.
“It was Nara.” Bryce stood there and explained to his pa what had

taken place in Ahm’s office and how his tribe wanted his head for
mating Bryce.

The longer he talked, the more his pa’s expression darkened.
Bryce spotted Ahm by the back door, his face mottled with rage.

Before Bryce could say a word, his mate shimmered away.

Fuck!
“I need Luke. Ahm is going after his cousin.” Bryce paused and

then finally confessed his suspicions. “I think Ahm is carrying my
child.”

To his father’s credit, Pa didn’t look shocked. Anger lit his eyes as

he waved Olsen over. “Take care of rounding the horses up. Bryce
and I have some matters to take care of.”

Olsen nodded and then was off.
“You helping me?” Bryce asked.
“We take care of our own. Ahm belongs to the Lakelands, and no

one is hurting a hair on his head.”

Bryce nearly laughed. Ahm was not someone who needed

protection. When Bryce thought of his mate, he thought of a strong,
fearless leader. But he had also seen the softer side of Ahm, the side
that was vulnerable and just wanted to be himself. He would need
protection, whether the man ever admitted it or not. He had a village
after him. Even the strongest man couldn’t defeat an entire tribe of
people who wanted him dead.

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Chapter Fifteen

Ahm shimmered into his office and then he walked into his living

room. The place was dark, but he could feel someone watching him.
“Show yourself.”

Nara slid from the shadows, her hands behind her back as she

raked him with a contemptuous sneer. “The mutt has returned.”

Ahm moved closer to the couch, watching her cautiously. He

didn’t trust her. Nara had always been jealous of him. She wanted
what she couldn’t have, and that made her one nasty being to deal
with. “Why can’t you let things go, Nara? Are you that deep in
tradition? I am no longer there, yet you feel compelled to hunt me
down and try to ruin the Lakelands?”

The more he spoke, the more livid he became. If anyone had been

hurt, he wouldn’t be trying to reason with her right now. He’d be
choking the life out of her with his bare hands. He wasn’t even sure
why he was trying to reason with her. It could be the fact he didn’t
want to get into a fight with her. Not when he knew he was carrying
Bryce’s child.

That still was fucking with his head, but right now was not the

time to ponder the thought. Right now he needed to cage this bitch.

“I could care less about tradition, dear cousin. I know it was you

who took that envelope. As long as you live, I can’t take over this
land. You are worth more to me dead than alive.”

Ahm’s fingers curled into the couch cushions, dumbfounded at

what she was saying. “You think this land judges my worth? Since
mating Bryce, I’ve learned what is really important to me and what
I’m worth. He doesn’t care that I own land, or that I’m the leader of

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137

an entire tribe. Bryce could give a shit less that I’m a mutt. You could
take a page from his book.”

Throwing her head back, Nara gave him a haughty laugh. “Fuck

your worth as a man. I only care about combining two great nations.”

Her hand slid from behind her back and Ahm was not surprised to

see her holding a gun. She would kill him and hide his body
someplace remote where he would never be discovered. Nara would
play the part of a grieving cousin and then demand she be given her
rights as his successor.

He had to think of a way out of this. Even if he shimmered behind

her to take the gun, she could get away. Ahm had to stop her once and
for all. “I’ve already drawn up the legal papers to give this land to
Rakeym.”

Her eyes narrowed as her lips twisted into a snarl. “That fool? He

has no idea what to do with it. Rakeym doesn’t have visions of what
the future could hold if the tribes become one.” Her voice was
growing into a high pitch, and Ahm knew he didn’t have much time
before she aimed the gun at him and pulled the trigger. “It looks like I
have someone else to get out of the way.”

Ahm blinked when Luke, Malcolm, and a very, very large bear

shimmered in behind Nara. She spun, pulling the trigger as the bear
attacked her. Ahm quickly raced toward the fight, but there was
nothing he could do. Bryce had killed Nara. She lay on the ground,
her throat ripped out.

“Was anyone shot?” Ahm asked as he looked all three over.
Malcolm ran his hand over his jaw, glancing down at Nara’s still

form. “No, but that wasn’t exactly how I thought things would play
out. Bryce shifted right before Luke shimmered us here.”

Although Nara was dead, Ahm kicked the gun out of her hand.

“I’ll let Rakeym know what’s happened. I don’t think I’ll ever
understand how someone could be pure evil.”

“It takes all kinds, son. Just be glad she didn’t cause irreversible

damage. The barn will be restored, and I’m pretty damn sure the

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horses have all been rounded up.” Malcolm slid his arm around
Luke’s shoulder. “We need to get going.”

Ahm fisted Bryce’s fur as they shimmered back to the ranch. Ahm

knew he couldn’t solve the Shadow elves’ problem overnight. It was
going to take time to find a solution to their growing problem. But he
wasn’t going to give up.

As far as being hunted, Ahm was going to make sure Rakeym

took care of any protestors. He knew it had been Nara fanning the
flames of hatred among his tribe. With her out of the way, things
should settle down—although it would be a very long time before he
could step foot back on the land of his people.

But that was all right with Ahm. He had a family he needed to get

to know and a mate to keep him busy.

* * * *

Bryce and Ahm sat in Dr. Sheehan’s office, waiting for the

results. Ahm kept fidgeting around, his eyes flickering toward the
door.

“Oh, no. If I have to wait, so do you.”
“I have no idea what you are talking—”
“My, my, my,” Maverick said as he walked into the office. Bryce

rolled his eyes. The timber wolf alpha was the last person he wanted
Ahm to run into. “It seems Papa Smurf is going to have a little
Smurfling.” His eyes were filled with amusement as he leaned against
the frame of the door.

Ahm didn’t get mad. His mate didn’t jump up and threaten

Maverick’s life like Bryce thought he would. There was an evil
glimmer in Ahm’s eyes as he gazed at the towering man in the
doorway. “And I hear you are going to be a grandpa. Kind of detracts
from your badass persona, don’t you think?”

Maverick stiffened and then straightened, his grey eyes filling

with annoyance. “I’m still the big bad wolf, Smurf.”

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139

Ahm chuckled. “Whatever every you say, grandpa.”
“No picking on my patients,” Dr. Sheehan said as he walked into

the office, shooing Maverick away. He closed the door and turned.
“Looks like you’re going to be parents.”

Bryce couldn’t have stopped the grin that spread across his face if

he tried. He just wasn’t expecting Ahm to look like he was going to
pass out. The elf leaned against the exam table with one hand, stress
lines appearing around his eyes. “Are you sure? How?”

“Have a seat and I’ll explain the birds and the bees to you,” Dr.

Sheehan teased. “This might take a while, though.”

Ahm narrowed his eyes, the fierce warrior appearing in his

expression. “I know how. I meant how can I get…” Ahm shook his
head.

“You know I’ve been studying your blood work since I found the

vampiric markers and rare blood type. I think with the combination of
your asexual genes and being one of Christian’s descendants, it was a
given.” Dr. Sheehan held up his hand when Ahm opened his mouth to
say something. “I know your elders reversed the ability for males to
reproduce, but it seems Christian’s gene trumped whatever they did.”

“Gee, I’ll have to remember to send him a thank-you card.”
Bryce wrapped his arms around his sulking mate. He knew this

was a mind-blowing deal for Ahm. His mate would get used to the
idea of being pregnant. “Ah, come on, my little sip of pink
champagne. It isn’t that bad.”

Ahm glanced at Bryce as if he had lost his mind. “Your what?”
“I’ll see you in a month for an exam,” Dr. Sheehan said as he

chuckled and left the two alone.

“I–I’m a leader. I destroy things, fight alongside my brethren, and

kick some serious ass. What do I know about carrying a child? Why
can’t you carry the babe? Why does it have to be me? Why am I the
one who has to—” Bryce captured Ahm’s lips, stopping the babbling
protests as he slipped his tongue inside Ahm’s moist mouth.

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“Just shut up,” he whispered into Ahm’s mouth. “Let’s go home

and celebrate.”

Ahm pushed at Bryce’s chest. “That’s how we got into this mess

in the first place.”

Wrapping his mate’s long and beautiful hair around his fist, Bryce

gave a tug, watching as Ahm began to pant. “It isn’t like we have to
worry about you getting pregnant. Now, take us home, my little shot
of whiskey.”

Ahm shimmered them into their bedroom and Bryce immediately

began stripping his mate down. He kept kissing the mark on Ahm’s
neck, his hands a flurry as he tossed aside the last of Ahm’s clothes.

A sound he never thought to hear rushed out of Ahm’s throat

when he picked his mate up and gently tossed him on the bed. Ahm
had yelped.

“Oh, yeah,” Bryce said as he undressed. “You know I’m about to

lay it on you.” His cock thickened when Ahm’s tongue snaked out,
running across his lower lip. But as sexy as the look was, nothing
compared to the impressive cock jutting from a nest of snow-white
hair. The sight was breathtaking.

A course of lust shot through Bryce’s groin, making his dick throb

with his heartbeat as Ahm lay back, spread his legs, and palmed his
balls in his hand.

Crawling onto the bed, Bryce gazed down at what his mate was

doing, but then his eyes lifted to look at Ahm’s slightly swollen
abdomen. It was the most breathtaking sight he had ever seen. His gut
clenched at the idea that he had almost lost Ahm. The man had kept
his scent hidden for years, denying them both. But now that he had
the handsome man in his bed, his life, and in his very heart, he wasn’t
going to miss one day of showing the Shadow elf how much he meant
to Bryce.

He glanced down at his mate, staring into the deep pools of blue

crystals as he snaked his hand down Ahm’s midsection and then

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141

massaged the heated flesh. It was hard, but felt like liquid silk under
his fingers with the pre-cum leaking over his hand.

Lifting his hand to his mouth, Bryce sucked his fingers in, the

taste rolling over his taste buds like nectar of gods. He groaned,
licking each finger clean before he grabbed Ahm’s cock again. He
gave a few good strokes. “Have I told you today that I love you?”

Ahm swallowed hard as he shook his head. “Not today.”
Bryce drank the man in as he pushed Ahm’s thighs apart. Ahm

didn’t hesitate. He parted his legs, showing off the sexiest thing Bryce
had ever seen. A male’s body was such a sculpted piece of art to him,
so perfect, so exotic. He found himself wanting to rub his scent over
his mate.

The urge was strong, compelling him to lean forward until his

nose was buried in Ahm’s neck. Bryce inhaled deeply, licking at the
mark showing Ahm’s status as a pregnant man. Bryce was still reeling
from the news. He was going to be a papa. Ahm had given him the
most precious gift, even if the guy still looked like he was going to
pass out.

“Why are you sniffing at me, my little puddle of puppy kisses?”

Ahm asked. His voice wrapped around Bryce, touching him in the
wickedest of places. Bryce grinned as he pushed his body down the
length of Ahm’s body until his head was even with his mate’s
weeping cock.

“I love the endearments you come up with.”
“You started it,” Ahm answered as his hands wandered down

Bryce’s sides, resting on his hips. The touch was almost relaxing, but
Bryce was far from relaxed. The needs to strike quickly, to claim, and
to dominate were riding him hard. He had to take a deep breath to
tamp down those urges so he wouldn’t hurt the man. He knew it was
the idea of Ahm being pregnant. It was bringing out the most
possessive streak in Bryce.

Bryce licked a path to Ahm’s cock. He nuzzled in the soft hair

before licking his way up the fully hard shaft and sucking at the

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engorged head to savor Ahm’s pre-cum. In one smooth motion, Bryce
engulfed Ahm’s shaft to the back of his throat, sucking vigorously as
Ahm panted and grabbed fistfuls of Bryce’s hair.

Bryce loved it.
The strange scent in the air was wild, untamed, and pulled at

Bryce’s groin. He wanted to consume Ahm.

“You are going to make me come,” Ahm said breathlessly as he

brushed his knuckles over Bryce’s cheek. Bryce fought not to let his
canines extend. Thoughts of fucking Ahm slid through his mind as
Bryce backed off, letting the hard cock slip from his lips.

“Hand me the lube.”
Ahm reached under the pillow and handed the bottle to Bryce. He

engulfed Ahm’s cock once more as he spread the gel onto his fingers
and stretched Ahm. The man writhed around, his fingers pulling at
Bryce’s hair, but Bryce made sure his suckling was slow and gentle.
He didn’t want the man coming too soon.

Pulling his hand free, Bryce flipped Ahm to his hands and knees,

grabbed the base of his cock, and slowly sank in. His eyes rolled to
the back of his head, and he had an urge to howl. Although Ahm
seemed to be all for the sex, he was going to take his lovemaking
slow. He wanted to show his mate just how much he loved the idea of
Ahm carrying his child.

Bryce laid his hands on Ahm’s sides, as his hips began to rock in

and out. His body quivered from the restraint he was using to be
gentle. He was trying to fuck the man, not put him through the
headboard. His legs began to shake as his shifter instincts demanded
he take Ahm harder.

“Don’t you dare start treating me like spun glass,” Ahm snapped

over his shoulder. “Fuck me like you mean it.”

Bryce had to shake his head. The lust was building into a blinding

fog that would soon make him forget he was holding his pregnant
mate under him. No matter Ahm’s protest, Bryce was not about to

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143

take the man roughly. He needed to concentrate on going slow and
easy, even if his mate just asked for what his bear wanted.

Bryce pushed forward slowly. He hadn’t even sunk all the way in.

Fear of hurting Ahm made him hold back. Sweat began to break out
all over his body as his hands shook. The amount of control he was
forcing his body to use was taking its toll.

Ahm growled and shoved his backside into Bryce, impaling

Bryce’s cock fully into Ahm’s ass. “Now fuck me.”

Bryce drew in a shuttering breath, telling himself over and over

again to gain control of his body. He was so damn close already.

Hell if the man didn’t feel good wrapped around his dick. All he

could do was shudder and close his eyes when he felt his cock enter
the tight, wet heat over and over again. It was Bryce who cried out,
his arms shaking as placed his hands on Ahm’s back. He was
overwhelmed at the feeling of being inside his mate and the feel of his
body impaled on Bryce’s cock.

Finally Bryce quickened his movements, and soon he was fucking

Ahm with passion, ramming his cock hard and deep into his mate’s
ass. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. Bryce could die this
second and know that he had visited heaven already.

Ahm began to slide back on Bryce’s cock, the grip like an iron fist

as Bryce’s body trembled. He growled gently, looking down to where
their bodies joined together, watching his cock reappear from Ahm’s
giving flesh.

His fingers traced over the dips and slight muscles on Ahm’s

back, touching each place as he rocked his cock in and out of Ahm’s
body.

Bryce wanted to bite, the need so intense that his gums ached. “I

need to bite you.”

Bryce leaned forward, pressing his chest into Ahm’s back

muscles. He sank his canines into Ahm’s shoulder, on the same side
as the mark. An explosion rocketed through Bryce’s body, the
sensation racing down his arms, and then scattered to the four corners.

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His mind was fragmenting as he shoved his cock into Ahm’s ass, his
seed forcefully being pulled from his body. Bryce kept his teeth
clamped into Ahm’s neck as shock waves rushed through his body.

Ahm was right behind him, shouting as his body jerked and

bucked, his hold tightening around Bryce’s cock.

Ahm arched his back, letting out a guttural sound. Bryce slowed

his movements, wiping the sweat from his face with his hand, and
then grabbed Ahm’s hips, gently rolling them until the swelling of his
cock receded. If he lived to be a thousand, being inside Ahm would
never become mundane or routine. He loved the man with all his heart
and would kill anyone if they came after his mate again.

* * * *

“Are you sure about this?” Ahm asked as he crouched down in the

closet.

“Dude, I’m very sure. Chauncey keeps talking about you trying to

bite him because you have a minute trace of vampire in you. I say we
give him what he wants.”

Ahm wiggled the fake vampire teeth in his mouth. They were

bulky, and all he wanted to do was pull them out. But he could see
how much this prank meant to Bryce. And besides, he was a bit
excited himself. Chauncey was a royal pain in the ass and paying him
back did sound like fun.

Ahm watched as the lights under the cracked closet door went out.

Chauncey was going to bed. He moved around just a little, the
medium-sized bump in his belly making it hard for him to sit with his
knees to his chest. Shadow elves’ gestation periods lasted three
months. It had been five weeks since he found out he was with child.
His belly just kept growing and growing. It was the most bizarre thing
to happen to him. He and Bryce had refused to let Dr. Sheehan
perform an ultrasound to check the sex of their child.

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145

They didn’t want to know what they were having until the babe

arrived. Ahm loved that their child was going to be part shifter and
part fey. He or she was going to rock their special genes. Ahm was
going to make sure he taught their child to love who they were and
embrace their heritage.

Bryce had taught him the very same thing.
Reaching up to turn the doorknob, Ahm gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Bryce mouthed.
“The baby moved,” Ahm mouthed back.
Bryce’s hand was instantly on his belly, his fingers spanning as

his expression turned soft. He was wearing the biggest smile Ahm had
ever seen. He could tell with the way Bryce had been acting that he
was going to make one hell of a father. His mate went into panic
mode with the littlest sneeze from Ahm. It was annoying and
endearing at the same time.

As much as Ahm wanted to spend the extra moments letting

Bryce feel their child moving around, they had planned this attack for
weeks. He was not going to let it slip by. Leaning up, Ahm kissed
Bryce on his cheek and then opened the closet door very slowly.

Chauncey was in bed, his back to Ahm. Straightening to his full

height, Ahm crept from the closet and made his way around the side
of the bed.

The bear’s eyes popped open.
Ahm bared his fake fangs.
With a deep growl, Chauncey reached under his pillow and pulled

out a spray bottle. Really? The man hadn’t been lying. Ahm had to
fight not to laugh. Chauncey Lakeland was sleeping with a spray
bottle full of garlic juice.

What a wuss.
He had a feeling it wasn’t just for him. There were other vampires

who lived here. Ahm jumped on the bed, clamping his fake teeth
down on Chauncey’s neck as the bear shouted, trying to push Ahm
away and trying to be gentle about it at the same time.

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“I knew it!” Chauncey bellowed. “Get your pregnant ass off of

me, you weirdo.”

Ahm didn’t release him. He made slurping noises—which only

freaked Chauncey out. He began to scream, the sound growing high in
pitch until he sounded like a female. Ahm couldn’t hold back his
laughter a moment longer.

He had sufficiently scared the shit out of Chauncey. The man lay

there with his hand on his neck, glaring daggers at Ahm. “Payback’s a
bitch.”

Ahm had one more bear to attack. Chance was not getting off the

hook. He jumped from the bed, careful of his footing as he held his
side, laughter almost making it hard to breathe. “Bring it on, brother.
Bring it on.”

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but

lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to
find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.

You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a

cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.

For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit