Pete's Persuasion

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Pete’s Persuasion
ISBN # 978-1-78184-088-7
©Copyright Lavinia Lewis 2012
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright August 2012
Edited by Stacey Birkel
Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination
and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or
places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form,
whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of
the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound
Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil
proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs
and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator
of the artwork.

Published in 2012 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL,
United Kingdom.

Warning:

This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This
story has a heat rating of Total-e-burning and a sexometer of 2.

This story contains 95 pages, additionally there is also a free excerpt at the end of the book
containing 8 pages.

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Book seven in the Shifters’ Haven Series

Can werewolf Pete Johnson persuade human Tony they are made for one another while trying to
capture a crazy wolf that has been terrorising the town he calls home?

When wolf Pete Johnson hears there has been an explosion at the dancehall he manages, he
rushes to the scene with his alpha Kelan. Kelan’s mate Jake had been on his way to Jessie’s
Dancehall with Tony—a friend visiting from New York. When they arrive at the scene, amid
the chaos, Pete discovers that Tony is his mate. But Tony is human and doesn’t know about
the existence of wolves.

As more fires ravage the small town of Wolf Creek—including Kelan’s home, the Crazy
Horse ranch—Pete must help find the person responsible while trying to persuade Tony that
destiny brought them together and they are made for one another. Can Pete convince his
mate and capture the culprit before Tony becomes yet another casualty of the insane wolf,
bent on revenge, who has the werewolf population of Wolf Creek running scared?

Dedication

This one is for Paul, who is looking to meet his own ‘wolf’, and to everyone that has read and

enjoyed the series thus far. Thank you so much for your continued support.

It means the world to me.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following
wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Stetson: John B. Stetson Company
Zippo: Zippo Manufacturing Company
Rolex: Rolex SA
Forbes: Forbes, Inc.
Chevy: General Motors Corporation

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PETE’S PERSUASION

Lavinia Lewis

Chapter One

Pete took in the exasperated expression on Kelan’s face and tried to hide his grin.

“They’re doing what?” he taunted.

He already knew the answer, but sometimes he loved to watch his alpha stew. Kelan

seldom got angry and he rarely showed people when he was upset, but he looked close to

exploding from pent-up rage over this particular situation. It was good to know he wasn’t as

unflappable as he sometimes appeared. From what Pete knew about the mating bond,

Kelan’s reaction seemed pretty much normal. It made him grateful he wasn’t mated.

Kelan all but growled out his reply, “They’re bowling!”

Pete had to turn his face away. Even though he’d managed to keep his mouth shut, the

laughter in his eyes would have been more than evident. Kelan had said ‘bowling’ as though

it were a euphemism for fucking. Maybe it was.

“And that’s a bad thing?” he asked when he finally managed to get a lid on his mirth.

Kelan narrowed his eyes. “It is when I’m not around to keep an eye on them.”

“I thought you trusted Jake.”

“I do. It’s Tony I’m wary of.”

“If Tony can’t be trusted, why did you invite him to stay in your home?”

Kelan took off his cowboy hat and wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his

hand. He let out a long sigh. “It’s not that I distrust Tony, it’s just that… Aww, hell. They

used to be lovers, okay? And I think Tony still has feelings for Jake. But that’s not to go any

further, ya hear?”

Pete swallowed down his surprise. “Wow. I mean, of course I wouldn’t say anything.

But still—wow. You must have some control to allow your mate to hang around with his ex.

I don’t think I could do it. I’m pretty sure my wolf would want me to kick the shit out of

him.”

Pete knew Kelan’s control was one of the things that made him such a good alpha—one

of many traits, in fact. Kelan’s father had been alpha before him and he’d run a tight ship, but

Kelan was more personable than his old man had been. Pete had been one of Kelan’s betas

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since Kelan took over the position when his father died. Pete’s control was good, but

damn…it wasn’t that good. If Jake were his mate he knew without a shadow of a doubt he

couldn’t be as restrained and as reasonable as Kelan was being.

“It’s not easy,” Kelan allowed. “But Jake is human and sometimes he doesn’t fully

understand the wolf mentality. It doesn’t matter how much I try to explain it to him. If you’re

not a wolf, I don’t think you can ever really get it. Besides, I don’t want to tell him what to do

and I don’t want to control him. Jake is his own man and he deserves better than that. He has

his own mind and that’s just the way I like it. And I do trust him, even though my wolf

instincts are screaming to get him as far away from Tony as possible.”

Pete had yet to meet Jake’s best friend Tony. From what he understood of the situation,

Tony had first come to stay in Wolf Creek for a week, but he’d enjoyed his visit so much he

had come back a month later, taking another couple of weeks off from his job in New York.

Pete had been busy running Jessie’s Dancehall since Tony arrived in town, and, even though

he’d been to the Crazy Horse a couple of times to see Kelan, he and Tony kept missing each

other. He had to admit he was intrigued to meet the man that had managed to ruffle Kelan’s

feathers so much.

Kelan leant back against the wall of the ranch house and looked out over the corral.

“Any news on the sale of Jessie’s yet?”

Pete shook his head. “I spoke to Jessie earlier. I don’t know what he wants to do

anymore. I don’t think he knows. Looks as though he might have changed his mind about

selling.”

“Can he do that?”

“It’s his place,” Pete replied. “He can do whatever the hell he likes.”

“Sure, but I thought you’d come to an arrangement of sorts.”

They had. Jessie Delaney, Pete’s boss for the past year, had agreed to sell him the bar.

There had been a lot of trouble in Wolf Creek over the past six months, a lot of it taking place

in the dancehall, and Jessie had said he was too old to deal with the stress.

Pete shrugged.

“Why would he change his mind?”

“I don’t know—might be reconsidering his position because there hasn’t been as much

trouble in town over the last few weeks.”

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“Maybe, but Jessie wouldn’t go back on his word, would he? I thought he’d retired?”

“He has, but I heard his son Brandon is back in town so he might want him to run the

bar now.”

Kelan pushed away from the wall, his face suddenly serious. “Brandon is home?”

Pete shrugged. “That’s what I heard, although I haven’t seen him yet. Why?”

“Damn.” Kelan frowned. “Brandon and I don’t exactly see eye to eye. He’s a dominant

wolf and we came to blows a couple of times when we were younger. The last time was right

before my pop died. Last I heard Brandon had joined a pack out east in the city where he

went to college.

“Maybe he’s just back for a visit,” Pete reasoned. “You know what rumours in this town

are like when they start.”

“Yeah, but I think I might pay Jessie a visit. Find out the truth from the horse’s mouth.”

Pete grinned. “Good luck with that. I haven’t been able to get a straight answer out of

Jessie for months now.”

Kelan placed the Stetson back on his head and pulled the brim low over his eyes. “Then

maybe you should come with me, get some answers for yourself.”

“Yeah. I think I might do that.”

* * * *

Tony rolled his eyes and stole the twenty bucks out of Jake’s hand. “You cheated. As

such, I cannot declare you the winner.”

Jake snorted and grabbed the money back. “You don’t have to declare a thing. I won.

You’re just a sore loser and you know it.”

“Am not!” Tony tried to look outraged, but he couldn’t even pretend to be angry with

Jake, even though he’d done things that would make a saint mad over the ten years they’d

been friends.

“Tell you what,” he said, eyeing the money. “You buy a round of drinks out of that and

we’ll call it quits.”

Jake grinned. “I was going to do that anyway. What do you say we stop off at Jessie’s

Dancehall on the way home? Get a drink there.”

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Tony waggled his eyebrows. “Will I see hot cowboys? I love a man in chaps.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Jake replied. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve got the only hot cowboy

in town.”

Tony groaned and shook his head. “Aww, man—you’ve got it bad for Kelan, haven’t

you?”

Jake shrugged nonchalantly, but Tony could see the colour that had flooded Jake’s

cheeks. He still couldn’t believe Jake had settled down, and with a cowboy in Texas, no less.

He’d have never thought he’d see that day coming. There had been a time he’d hoped Jake

would have those sorts of feelings for him, but he’d known deep down that Jake didn’t care

for him any more than one would a best friend. He’d made his peace with that a long time

ago, but it still hurt on occasion. Especially when he saw how close Jake and Kelan were. He

could tell they were good for each other and he didn’t even know Kelan very well. If Tony

didn’t know any better, he’d say destiny had brought them together that night they met in

Liberties nearly a year ago.

“Oh…come on, then,” Tony said with a much put upon sigh. “Take me to Jessie’s so I

can see these butt ugly cowboys with my own eyes.”

Jake threw his head back and laughed. “I’d advise you not to say that to any of the

cowboys in Jessie’s, but I’d love to see what happens if you do.”

“Masochist,” Tony accused, although he couldn’t keep the grin from his face as he

followed Jake to Kelan’s truck in the parking lot.

After Jake had sent a text to Kelan telling him where they were going, they rode to

Jessie’s in a companionable silence. Tony rested his head back against the seat and closed his

eyes. He needed to decide what he was going to do with his life. He’d done some thinking in

the year since Jake had left New York—a lot of thinking, actually—and he’d decided he

needed to make some changes. The hardest thing was how lonely he’d been feeling lately. He

hadn’t mentioned it to Jake because he didn’t want his friend to feel bad about leaving, but

Tony’s life hadn’t been the same since Jake had moved to Texas. He missed his friend.

Tony had taken another week off work to visit Jake. His boss could hardly argue

because he hadn’t taken a single vacation in the three years before his first trip to Texas. He

was long overdue a break. But now that he was in Texas again, enjoying the sun on his face

and good company, he didn’t want to go home.

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PETE’S PERSUASION

Lavinia Lewis

“Well, this is the place,” Jake said, pulling up in the lot outside Jessie’s Dancehall ten

minutes later.

Tony cast a cursory glance over the building’s façade then groaned. “Do I need

protection? And I’m not talking about rubbers.”

Jake rolled his eyes and killed the engine. “Anyone would think you hadn’t been in a

honky-tonk before.”

“Anyone would be right.”

Jake stared at him open-mouthed. “You’ve never been in a dancehall?”

“Do I look like the type of person that would spend any length of time in Hicksville for

any reason other than being lost?”

Jake’s gaze raked over Tony’s designer jeans, white, pressed shirt and silver Rolex. He

didn’t even look down at Tony’s shoes, but he was well aware that Tony wouldn’t consider

buying a new pair unless the designer had been featured in Forbes.

But what Jake didn’t know was that Tony had changed. He’d grown tired of that

lifestyle. He could easily see himself living on a ranch in Texas, learning to ride a horse and

dressed in old T-shirts and holey blue jeans. Well, okay…maybe not that last part.

“I guess not,” Jake finally answered. “You’re a city boy through and through. Come on

then, let’s begin your small town education.”

Tony got out and slammed the door shut. “Uh, you’ve got my back in there, right?”

* * * *

“It’s Jake,” Kelan said, reading a text message on his cell. “He and Tony are on their

way to the dancehall.”

“Maybe I’ll finally get to meet Tony if they’re still there by the time I go in to work. You

gonna stop by for a drink?”

Kelan shrugged. “Why not?”

He opened the screen and wrapped his knuckles on Jessie’s door.

Jessie Delaney was a stout man in his mid-fifties with sun-bleached blond hair that had

kept its colour despite his age. It was long on top and fell forward every time he moved to

obscure eyes the colour of caramel. When he opened the door to Pete and Kelan, his

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PETE’S PERSUASION

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eyebrows rose in surprise, but he didn’t lose the grin that seemed to be a permanent fixture

on his weather-beaten face.

“Howdy, boys,” he drawled, reaching out to shake hands with both Kelan and Pete.

“Alpha,” he nodded. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” His expression darkened and he

swivelled his head to Pete. “Nothing wrong down at the bar, is there? There hasn’t been

trouble again?”

“Naw,” Pete replied. “No trouble.”

Jessie held his hand to his heart and let out a long breath. “Thank the Lord. I thought

someone had been killed down there again.”

Jessie referred to the time that Neil Rafferty and a couple of his friends had shown up at

the dancehall with the sole intention of starting trouble. They’d got into an argument with a

couple of shifters and ended up killing a human in cold blood. All three men were now in

prison for their crimes and Wolf Creek was all the better for it.

“No more trouble,” Kelan reiterated. “We’ve got a couple of questions we’d like to ask.

Mind if we come in?”

“Oh, of course not.” Jessie moved aside to allow them entrance. “Come right on in. Can

I get you boys a drink? Beer? Something stronger?”

“Not for me,” Kelan said. “But thanks for the offer.”

“Thanks, but I’m going in to work soon,” Pete said by way of an explanation. “Like to

have a clear head when I’m at the bar. Hasn’t been any trouble there in a while but you never

know.”

Jessie nodded and led them into a living room that didn’t look as though it had been

updated since the seventies. Ugly orange and brown furniture dominated the small room

that was made to feel even smaller by the cheap, varnished, wooden panelling that covered

every wall. Jessie made himself comfortable in a brown plaid armchair and motioned for Pete

and Kelan to take a seat on the matching sofa opposite.

Kelan took off his Stetson before sitting and Pete sat next to him. Coming into Jessie’s

home to question him made Pete feel uncomfortable, but he was being kept in the dark and

this was something that was important to him. He had to know what was going on. His

entire future was resting on Jessie’s decision to sell him the bar.

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“So, what’s this all about?” Jessie asked. “You said you have some questions for me.

Might as well spit ‘em out. Don’t like beating around no bush.”

Kelan looked to Pete and nodded once, giving him permission to go first. Pete cleared

his throat and turned to Jessie. “Uh, well—the thing is, sir, I’ve been wondering what’s

happening with the dancehall. You haven’t been real clear about whether or not you still

want to sell.”

Jessie squirmed in his seat. He looked uncomfortable and Pete’s heart sank.

“I’ve still a mind to sell,” Jessie said. “I hit a few…problems, is all. Nothing you need to

be worrying about.”

“What sort of problems?” Pete asked.

“Well, it’s to do with my son, if I’m honest.”

Pete slumped on the sofa. “I knew it. You don’t want to sell anymore, do you? You

want to give the bar to Brandon.”

“Now, don’t go getting ahead of yourself none,” Jessie said. “Not when you don’t know

the full story.”

“Is Brandon home in Wolf Creek?” Kelan asked.

“No, sir, he ain’t—at least, not yet he ain’t, but I am counting on him coming home real

soon.”

“I see,” Kelan ground out. “Mind if I ask when?”

“No date arranged just yet. Matter of fact, he still hasn’t decided what he’s doing.”

Kelan looked at Pete and frowned before returning his gaze to Jessie.

“You’re not being very clear,” Kelan said. “You made a promise to Pete that he could

buy the bar from you. Do you still intend to sell it to him or not?”

Jessie sighed and his shoulders slumped. “S’pose I’d better tell you everything, hadn’t

I?”

“That would be good,” Pete said. “I’d appreciate that, sir.”

“The thing is,” Jessie began, “the bar’s not exactly mine to sell.”

Pete didn’t think he’d heard the man right. “Excuse me?”

“That is, it’s not all mine. My son owns half. Has done for five years.”

Pete was at a loss. He could feel his anger start to rise within him. “Shouldn’t you have

asked him first before offering to sell it to me?”

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Lavinia Lewis

“I did. We had it all agreed that we would sell the place.”

Pete frowned. “What happened? Why did you change your mind?”

“I didn’t. Brandon did.”

“Why would he do that?” Pete asked.

“Well, Brandon’s been having a few problems with his pack out east.”

Kelan sat forward in his seat. “What sort of problems?”

“Seems some of his pack members found out he’s gay and they’re giving him a hard

time about it.”

“Brandon’s gay?” Pete and Kelan asked in unison.

Jessie nodded. “Came as a shock to me, too—not that I mind none. He said the trouble

in his pack was nothing he couldn’t handle at first. A few taunts and jibes, nothing serious,

but it got worse recently. Some of the wolves have got…physical with him. He’s been in a

few fist fights and it’s made him think seriously about coming home.”

“And he’s been thinking about taking over the running of the dancehall,” Pete

surmised.

“Yeah, but I’ve been trying to talk him out of it. I’ve got my hands full here on the

ranch. Could do with the help. Think he might be coming ‘round to my way of thinking.”

Pete sighed. “I appreciate you being honest with me. You’ll let me know as soon as

Brandon makes a decision?”

“Of course.”

“Think that about covers things,” Kelan said. “Thank you for your time. If you could let

me—” His words were cut off by the sound of Jessie’s phone ringing on the table near the

window.

“Ah, give me a minute.” Jessie got out of his chair and crossed the room to answer it.

“Jessie,” he said into the receiver. “What? Oh God…”

All of the colour drained out of Jessie’s face while he listened to whoever had called. It

was obvious something bad had happened.

“How many people were inside?” Jessie asked quietly.

Pete’s head swivelled between Kelan and Jessie. Kelan shrugged and they continued to

listen.

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“Are there any survivors? Okay—actually, I’ve got Alpha Morgan and Pete here with

me. We’ll be right there. Thanks, Sheriff.”

When Jessie hung up he turned to face Pete and Kelan. “That was Sheriff Ambrose. Said

there’s been an explosion at the dancehall. Looks like there are only a couple of survivors—at

least ten people dead.”

Kelan let out an almighty roar and raced for the door. It was all Pete could do to keep

up with him. Jessie brought up the rear.

“What’s up?” Jessie asked. “How come Kelan’s so upset?”

Pete swallowed down the bile that had risen in his throat. “His mate,” he replied.

“Kelan got a text as we arrived. Jake and his friend were on their way to the dancehall.”

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PETE’S PERSUASION

Lavinia Lewis

Chapter Two

Tony pressed his hand to the wound on Jake’s arm and looked around helplessly at the

devastation in the parking lot. A fire crew, paramedics and men from the sheriff’s

department were running around in every direction, trying to deal with the chaos. He and

Jake had been lucky. They’d been nearing the door to the dancehall when there was some

sort of explosion inside, the force of which had thrown them back on their asses. Jake had

cuts all over his face and chest. A fragment of wood from the door had embedded itself in his

shoulder and he had a large gash on his arm. He’d lost a lot of blood, but he was doing okay.

Thank God.

Aside from a knock to the head when he’d landed, Tony hadn’t sustained any injuries

because Jake had been in front of him and had taken the majority of the blast. Other people

weren’t as lucky. Tony had counted twelve men and women that had been brought out by

the fire crew, but only a couple of them looked to be alive and only barely. The paramedics

were still working on them. They’d tried to help Tony and Jake, but Jake had insisted they

help the people that had been inside the bar first, arguing that they were worse off than him.

Tony tore his eyes away from the crowd and studied his friend. “How you doing?”

“Okay.” Jake’s eyebrows pulled together. “But I need to call Kelan. If he hears about

what happened without knowing I’m okay, he’ll be terrified. Can you grab my cell?”

“Of course.” Tony kept his right hand pressed to the wound on Jake’s arm and reached

into Jake’s pocket with his left. He could hardly believe how much Jake had changed in the

past year. Even by his own admission he’d been self-absorbed before, but now, lying on the

ground injured and bleeding, his main concern was his partner.

He pulled out Jake’s cell and pressed the button to switch it on. Nothing happened.

“Uh, I think it might be broken. Probably took a knock when you fell.”

Jake’s eyes widened. “No! I’ve got to call him!”

“Jake, just relax, will you?” Tony had to push down on his friend’s chest when he

attempted to get up. “It’ll be fine. Just lie still.”

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“No, you don’t understand. I need to call him, now.” Jake looked over his shoulder and

called out when he saw the sheriff walking in their direction. “Jared!”

The sheriff approached and knelt down beside them. “Jake? I didn’t even see you there.

Are you all right? What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know. The building blew seconds before we got to the door. Jared, you have to

call Kelan, tell him I’m okay. He knew we were coming here. If he finds out…”

Jared’s eyes widened. “Shit. Kelan is on his way here now with Pete and Jessie. I called

Jessie to tell him what had happened to the bar about five minutes ago. I’m sorry, Jake—I

didn’t know you were here.”

“Oh God.” Jake’s already pale face lost the last of its colour. “Jared, you’ve got to call

him back. He’ll be frantic. He might shif—”

Jake’s eyes flickered to Tony and he cut off what he was about to say. Tony frowned. He

might what? Jared nodded and pulled out his cell. He dialled and held the phone to his ear,

waited a couple of seconds then shook his head. “He’s not picking up.”

“Fuck!” Jake became even more panicked when the paramedics joined them and took

Tony’s place at his side. They tried to inspect Jake’s wounds but he was thrashing around,

trying to get them to leave him alone.

“I think he’s in shock,” one of the paramedics said. “Might need to give him a sedative

to calm him down. Sir, try to relax, please. We need to get you to hospital. You have a large

piece of wood in your shoulder and your arm will need stitches.”

Jake became even wilder when he heard that, fighting them for all he was worth. Tony

had never seen him so upset.

“Jake, calm down, buddy. I’ll come to the hospital with you. The sheriff here can tell

Kelan what happened. Can’t you, Sheriff?”

Jared’s eyes widened, but he nodded. “It’s all right, Jake—I’ll deal with Kelan when he

gets here. I’ll tell him you’re okay.”

The paramedics put a temporary dressing over the wound on Jake’s arm. Then one of

the firefighters carried another person out of the building and shouted for help. The man

looked in a bad way. Both his arms were covered in burns and his T-shirt had melted to his

chest. He was covered in blood and black soot.

“Jesus Christ,” Tony whispered. He’d never seen anything so terrible.

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“Jake! Jake!”

Tony looked up to see Kelan tearing through the lot. He looked frenzied, barely holding

it together. The sheriff got up and called out to him.

“Kelan! Over here! He’s okay!”

Kelan raced in their direction. When he reached them and saw Jake lying on the floor,

covered in blood, a low growl tore from his throat. The sound sent chills through Tony’s

body. It had been almost animalistic, as though it were coming from a dog. Kelan fell to his

knees and ran an assessing eye over Jake’s wounds. It was crazy, but Tony was sure he’d

seen Kelan’s eyes change colour. They seemed to flash amber, but when he looked a second

time they were back to normal. He scrubbed a hand over his face. Damn. The explosion must

have had more of an effect on him than he’d first realised if he was seeing things that weren’t

there.

Now that Kelan was at his side, Jake had finally calmed down. Kelan slid his fingers

through the hair on the back of Jake’s head and pressed their foreheads together. Tony

couldn’t help the pang of jealousy that coursed through his veins, but he found he wasn’t

jealous of Kelan, exactly. He was jealous of what they shared—of how important each was to

the other.

“I was so worried,” Kelan whispered. “I thought…”

“Shh,” Jake soothed. “I’m okay. Just tired. Feel like I could sleep for a year.”

While Kelan held him, Tony noticed that the cut on Jake’s arm was bleeding again—and

badly, if the amount of blood that had soaked through the temporary dressing was anything

to go by. Tony was just about to mention it when Kelan did the weirdest thing. He lifted his

head from Jake’s and scented the air then his gaze zeroed in on Jake’s arm.

“Jesus, Jake, your arm,” Kelan said and ripped off the dressing to take a closer look.

“Uh, Kelan, I don’t think you should be touching that,” Tony said. “If you just apply

pressure…”

Kelan ignored him and grabbed hold of the wooden shard in Jake’s shoulder, tugging it

free.

“You can’t touch that!”

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Kelan growled again and the sound silenced Tony. When he looked up at his face he

couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Long, pointy teeth seemed to grow from Kelan’s gums,

then he bit into his own wrist.

“What the fuck!” Tony shouted.

While he watched, Kelan lowered his wrist to Jake’s mouth and his blood seeped

between his lips.

Tony jumped up and tackled Kelan. “Get off him! What the fuck are you doing?” He

looked to the sheriff for help. “Sheriff, please, help me get him off, he’s gone mad!”

The sheriff let out a long sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Alpha,” he pleaded.

“There are humans.”

What the hell? “Sheriff, help me!” Tony tugged at Kelan’s arm, but he was brushed aside

as easily as if Kelan were swatting an irritating fly. Tony lost his balance, falling backwards.

His head cracked against the concrete for the second time that night and he swore he saw

stars.

There was another growl then—a long, deep rumble that was ferocious in its force, but

that one didn’t come from Kelan. When Tony turned his head to see what was going on, he

saw the most beautiful man loom over Kelan.

“Don’t touch him, he’s mine!” the man shouted and, when their gazes locked, Tony saw

the same amber-coloured eyes and sharp, pointy teeth as he’d seen on Kelan. He shivered, a

combination of fear and lust racing up his spine.

The man stared at him and Tony felt his cheeks heat. He had trouble breathing. His

head hurt and when he gingerly touched the spot he hissed, his fingers coming away covered

in blood. The man that had shouted at Kelan ran to Tony’s side and knelt down in front of

him. Tony tried to scramble away. The man was some kind of monster—his eyes, his

teeth…couldn’t be human…

“Shh, it’s okay,” he soothed Tony. “You’re going to be okay.”

“Help! Get him away from me!”

The man blinked and his eyes returned to normal. They were the prettiest hazel colour

Tony had ever seen, but he thought he saw a flash of pain in them. Then, right before Tony’s

eyes, the man’s long teeth shrank back into his gums so that he looked normal…incredible, in

fact. He had tousled shoulder-length hair that Tony longed to run his fingers through. Would

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it be as soft as it looked? His jaw line was strong and covered with a few days’ worth of

stubble. He was captivating. But his eyes, his teeth…

“What are you?” Tony whispered.

“I…”

“Pete, best if you leave him alone for now,” the sheriff said, putting a hand on the

man’s…Pete’s shoulder.

Pete swivelled his head and growled at the sheriff. “Go away, Jared.”

Even though Tony was terrified, the sound sent a rush of adrenaline through his body.

It…excited him. What the hell?

Jared frowned then pulled a ringing cell phone from his pocket. “Jared,” he barked into

the receiver.

Pete leaned around Tony to take a look at the wound on the back of his head.

“What are you doing?” Tony asked, turning so that he could keep the man in his sights.

“Relax. I would never hurt you. I’m just checking how bad you hurt your head.” His

fingers hovered near Tony’s face as though he wanted to touch him. “It’s only a small cut,

nothing to worry about. Head wounds always bleed a lot.”

“Calm down, Cary, and tell me what happened,” the sheriff said into his cell. His eyes

flickered to Kelan then he let out a long sigh. “Cary, I can’t understand you. You need to stop

crying and tell me what’s wrong. Are you hurt? Okay… Aww, hell. Is everyone there okay?

Is Aaron with you? What about the others? Yeah, Kelan’s here with me. I’ll tell him. We’ll get

there as soon as we can.”

When the sheriff hung up, he stuffed the cell back into his pocket and walked over to

Kelan and Jake. Jake was sitting up and flexing his arm. He even seemed to have some colour

back in his cheeks and the wound on his arm had stopped bleeding. It didn’t even look as

bad as it had—it was as though the wound were closing. If Tony hadn’t seen how much it

had changed with his own two eyes, he never would have believed it.

“I want to know what the hell is going on here!” he demanded.

Everyone but Pete ignored him. The hand that had been hovering near Tony’s face was

lowered to his jaw, and Pete rubbed it gently, a look of wonder in his eyes. It was the sort of

caress one would give a lover. That thought sent flames of lust racing up Tony’s spine.

“Shh,” Pete soothed. “We’ll explain everything later, okay?”

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Tony couldn’t pull his gaze from the man’s eyes. They were stunning and held him in

place like a damn magnet. He longed to reach out and touch Pete, too. Would his skin be

rough underneath his fingertips? What would it feel like rubbing against him if they kissed?

He was desperate to find out. Tony shook his head to clear it, knocked Pete’s hand away and

glared at him. What the hell was wrong with him? How could he be feeling horny at a time

like this? Must be the shock, the adrenaline.

“Kelan,” Jared said urgently. “That was Cary. There’s been a fire at the Crazy Horse.

I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but, from what I could get out of Cary, the ranch has pretty

much burned to the ground.”

There were gasps all around. Tony just stared at the sheriff, unable to comprehend what

he’d just heard.

“Jesus Christ,” Kelan muttered. He grabbed Jake’s hand, his expression a mixture of

alarm and fury. “Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, sounds like it, but there’s something else you should know. I got a call from

Gregory before I came here. He said a note had been left on his desk at council

headquarters.”

“What did it say?”

Jared sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It said, ‘You’re all going to pay for what you

took from me.’”

“What the hell does that mean? He have any idea who sent it?”

“No, but he took it to the forensics lab. We’ll just have to wait to see what they come

back with.”

Kelan looked as though he were vibrating with rage. “It’s got to be connected to the

explosion here.”

“Yeah, that would be my thinking, too. Too much of a damn coincidence to be anything

else.”

Tony’s head had been swivelling back and forth between Kelan and the sheriff,

listening to the conversation with growing unease. He stood up, once again batting away

Pete’s hand when he tried to help him.

“I want some answers now,” he said, glaring at Jake. “Just what the hell have they got

you involved in? What did they steal from this person? We could have been killed tonight,

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Jake. Is that why you’re with him? Does he have something on you? You know what? Don’t

even answer that. It doesn’t matter. You’re coming back to New York with me first thing in

the morning!”

“Now, wait just a damn minute,” Kelan said, jumping to his feet.

“I’m not afraid of you!” Tony shouted.

“Oh really?” Kelan closed the distance between them, standing nose to nose with Tony,

a low, menacing growl rumbling in his throat. Kelan was taller than Tony by a good few

inches, but Tony was so mad he didn’t care how big Kelan was.

“Jake isn’t going anywhere with you,” Kelan said. “You get that? He’s mine! I don’t give

a shit what you think. In fact, I think it would be better if you did go home to New York and

as soon as possible.”

Pete grabbed Kelan and pulled him away. “Hey! Don’t tell him that! I don’t want to

fight with you over this, Kelan, so you’d better watch your damn mouth!”

“And what the hell is up with you?” Tony said, turning his glare on Pete. “You don’t

even know me. Why do you keep sticking up for me?”

“Because you’re my mate!” Pete snapped.

Jesus. These people are all crazy. “What’s that supposed to mean? And what is going on

with all your eyes and teeth, huh?”

“It’s none of your damn business,” Kelan said.

“Can you all for the love of God just shut the hell up!” Jake shouted, stepping between

the three of them. “You,”—he said, putting a hand on Kelan’s chest—“need to calm down.

You’re not helping any.”

Kelan hung his head, looking suitably chastised.

“You…” Jake said to Pete. “That was really fucking stupid. And Tony, look—I

understand how confusing all this must be for you, but there’s a really good explanation, I

promise. Let’s all go back to the ranch and when we’ve dealt with the situation there we can

talk about this calmly, like adults, okay?”

Tony shrugged and averted his gaze. He didn’t have a lot of choice, did he? Maybe he

would finally get some answers. He just hoped he liked what he heard.

* * * *

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The acrid smell of smoke hung heavy in the air as Pete got out of the truck in Kelan’s

yard. He tried to help Tony down only to be rewarded with a slap on the back of his hand

and a glare that was fierce in its intensity. He knew Tony had to be feeling scared and

confused, but he didn’t show any indication that he felt the pull of the mating bond between

them and that hurt. For Pete, Tony was like the only light in a dark, bleak world—a bright,

shining beacon drawing him home.

Before this, Pete hadn’t had the slightest inclination to find his mate. He liked his job, he

had good friends, he got lucky every once in a while. He was content. But the second he’d set

eyes on Tony in the parking lot of Jessie’s, it was as though everything he’d ever done in his

life was just a prelude to that very moment. He knew without question that he could never

be content again unless Tony was by his side. But was that ever going to happen? Kelan

believed that Tony was in love with Jake. Just the idea of that made Pete sick to his stomach.

Was it true? Tony certainly hadn’t done anything to convince him otherwise. He’d been

proud of Tony for standing up to Kelan, until it had sunk in they were fighting over Jake.

That had hurt.

Pete should have stayed with Jessie at the dancehall, helped his boss deal with the

situation and comfort the survivors. But Jared and the firefighters seemed to have had

everything under control and as soon as he’d told Jessie that Tony was his mate, his boss had

insisted he go with him. Pete was glad because, even though Tony was giving him the cold

shoulder, he didn’t want to be separated from him. But now this… He looked around at the

destruction, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

The wooden ranch house was reduced to smoking embers and a pile of rubble. The

frame of the building was still upright, but only barely. With the fire out, the firefighters

were busy talking to Stefan and Cody while Aaron sat on the porch steps of the bunkhouse,

an arm wrapped around Cary’s shoulders, holding him close. Jared had stayed behind at

Jessie’s to deal with the aftermath of the explosion, but Will Clark, the man that had taken

over as deputy when Jared had been elected sheriff, was talking to Luke and Mark. There

were sombre faces all around.

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Pete followed the others to the bunkhouse. Jake and Tony made their way over to

Aaron and Cary, but Pete and Kelan went to talk to Deputy Clark even though Pete’s every

instinct was telling him to stay close to his mate.

“Luke, Mark, you both okay?” Kelan asked.

Luke’s pale blond hair was black with smoke. His lip trembled as he nodded his head.

Mark pulled his mate closer and rubbed a soothing hand up and down his arm.

“It’s all gone,” Luke whispered. “Everything. Gone.”

“It’s not important, Luke,” Kelan told him. “It’s just possessions, things. You could all

be dead. I don’t care about any of that as long as you’re all okay, ya hear me?”

Luke nodded solemnly then turned fully into Mark’s embrace.

“Will? You got anything?” Kelan asked.

Will Clark was a wolf shifter that had moved into town to take up the deputy position.

Pete didn’t know much about him, but he liked what he saw. Will seemed like a good guy—

honest, decent and fair. He fitted in well with the other wolves in the pack and it felt as

though he’d always been around. Pete had chatted with him a few times at Jessie’s when the

deputy had been off duty. From what Will had told him, he’d put in for the deputy position

when he’d found out Wolf Creek was governed by a gay alpha.

Will shook his head. “The firefighters said it looks like arson. There had to have been

some form of accelerant used because the house went up too quickly, but we won’t know for

certain until the inspector has been around to take a look.”

“When will that be?” Kelan asked.

“Some time tonight.”

Pete found his gaze drifting to Tony. He was surprised to find his mate staring back at

him, but then Tony scowled and looked away. Pete sighed.

“You made any enemies recently?” Will asked.

Kelan blew out a frustrated breath. “Take your pick. When you hold the title of Alpha

there is always someone wanting to knock you down, steal the position.”

Will nodded. “Yeah, I imagine there would be. Okay. There isn’t much else I can do

here right now. The fire crew are about ready to leave. I’ve taken statements from your

brothers and hands, but there isn’t much else I can do until the fire inspector gets here. I need

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to go deal with something else right now so I’ll come back later. I’ll let you know if I need

anything else. You going to be staying here?” he asked, nodding to the bunkhouse.

“Hadn’t thought about it,” Kelan said with a weary sigh. “But yeah, I guess so. No

place else to go.”

Pete felt his chest constrict with Kelan’s words. He’d been so distracted by finding his

mate, he’d hardly spent a thought for everything that Kelan had lost. This was his home and

it had been reduced to ashes. Everything he, his brothers and their mates owned had been

destroyed. Pete couldn’t even begin to imagine how that would feel. He put a comforting

hand on Kelan’s shoulder and squeezed, showing his support. And while he watched the

sombre faces of the Morgan brothers, Pete thought about the relatives of the people that had

lost their lives at Jessie’s. How many people had died there that he knew personally? Men

and women he’d been passing the time of day with for the past year that he’d worked there.

They said their goodbyes to the deputy and all headed into the bunkhouse. It was

crowded with everyone inside the small living area. They were practically tripping over one

another. There wasn’t enough space for them all on the sofa and armchairs, so Aaron brought

in extra chairs from the kitchen. Everyone looked worn out.

Pete had noticed that Tony was casting cursory glances at him when he thought he

wasn’t looking. Maybe Tony did feel a connection between them after all. He just hoped he

wasn’t feeling revulsion. He’d seen the look in his eyes when Tony had witnessed his teeth

and eyes shift into their wolf form, and it had been sobering. He had quickly shifted them

back to their human form under the scrutiny.

Tony sat on the edge of the sofa next to Jake, and Pete had the insane urge to separate

them even though Tony looked far from comfortable there. His brow had a permanent crease

and he was watching everyone in the room with wary eyes, even Jake. Pete wanted to

comfort his mate, but his attempts up until that point had proven far from successful. There

had to be something he could do.

The silence in the room was killing Pete, but it must be even worse for Tony. Why did

this have to be so damn difficult? Why couldn’t Tony have known all about wolves like Jake

had when he’d met Kelan? How did you tell someone you were a creature from a damn fairy

tale or horror movie? Their worst nightmare come to life before their eyes? He didn’t want to

do this, didn’t even know how, but he knew he had to try. Tony was his mate, so Pete felt he

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should be the one to tell him the truth about what they all were. He deserved to know, and

sooner rather than later. He cleared his throat.

“I think we owe you an explanation,” he said when his mate finally met his gaze.

Tony lifted his chin. “I’m listening.”

“Okay, firstly, I know you saw my teeth and eyes shift earlier so I think we should

address—”

“Shift?” Tony questioned.

Pete nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words got caught in his throat. He

took a deep breath and tried again. “They had shifted to my wolf form. I’m a wolf,

Tony…that is, a wolf shifter. We all are.” He glanced around the room seeking affirmation.

Damn. That might not have been the best way to tell Tony, but it had been the only thing Pete

could come up with on the spot. Besides, how else could he have said it?

Jake rolled his eyes, but mostly everyone else in the room nodded their agreement.

“I’m not,” Cary piped up.

“Well, no, Cary isn’t,” Pete confirmed. “He’s a cat, but…”

Tony got up and strode to the door. “I’ve heard enough. You people must think I’m

completely stupid,” he said quietly. The hurt in his eyes was like a punch to Pete’s stomach.

Pete jumped up from his chair and followed Tony to the door. When Jake stood up, too,

Pete was about to tell him to mind his own damn business, but then Kelan grabbed his

mate’s arm and pulled him back down.

“Pete is Tony’s mate, Jake. Let him deal with it. They need to talk about this alone.

Pete’ll make him understand.”

Jake frowned, but nodded and sat back down.

Tony was crossing the yard, heading out towards the corral when Pete caught up with

him. “Tony, wait!” he called. “Please hear me out.”

Tony stopped abruptly and spun around. “I think I’ve heard enough, thanks,” he spat.

“I don’t appreciate being publicly humiliated.”

Pete swallowed down the lump in his throat. “I would never do that to you.”

“Oh, whatever.” When his mate turned to leave, Pete panicked. He grabbed hold of

Tony’s arm, turned him then kissed him hard. Tony gasped against his mouth, but he didn’t

pull back… Quite the opposite, in fact. He pulled Pete closer and opened his mouth in

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invitation. Pete didn’t hesitate to take up the offer. He groaned and deepened the kiss,

pushing his tongue inside, getting his very first taste of his mate. It was the sweetest thing

he’d ever known. He felt dizzy from it. When they broke apart they were both breathing

heavily.

At some time during the kiss, Pete had been aware of his eyes shifting to their wolf

form, but he hadn’t been able to stop it from happening. His incisors were stinging his gums,

threatening to elongate. He’d never had so little control over his wolf before. When Tony

opened his eyes, they widened and he jumped back.

“Jesus,” he whispered. “You… Your…”

“Don’t be afraid,” Pete cajoled, reaching out his hand.

“You were telling the truth, weren’t you? About being some sort of wolf.”

Pete nodded. “Yes. I’m a wolf shifter—we’re wolf shifters,” he said nodding to the

bunkhouse. “But I promise you, you don’t have anything to fear from any of us.”

“This is too much.” Tony let out a long sigh. “How can this be real?”

“There have always been shifters.” Pete shrugged. “But, yeah, I can see how it would be

hard for a human to comprehend.”

“Is Jake a wolf too?”

It rankled that Tony’s first thought was about Jake, but he tried to reason with himself

that they’d been friends for a long time. “No,” he answered. “Jake is human, but he’s Kelan’s

mate.”

Tony frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Wolves and shifters like us mate for life. I guess you could call it destiny or fate. It

means there’s one person in the world that was meant for us and when we find that person,

we know instantly they are our mate. Our wolf knows. It recognises that person. Jake is

Kelan’s mate.”

“But…that’s what you called me,” Tony said. “You said I was your mate. Is that…?”

Tony searched Pete’s face for the answer.

“It’s true,” Pete breathed. “You’re mine.” He couldn’t fail to notice the shiver that ran

over Tony’s body when he heard that. It excited him, gave him hope…until Tony shook his

head.

“I think you made a mistake,” he said. “I can’t be, I…”

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Pete swallowed down the lump that had formed in his throat. “It’s not something we

can mistake. It’s instinctual. I know it as surely as I know I’m a wolf.”

“I can’t deal with this right now. I can’t… I don’t want…”

“You don’t want me,” Pete said, finishing Tony’s sentence. “Is it because you’re in love

with Jake?”

“What?” Tony shook his head. “No. I mean, I was yes, but not anymore. Not for a long

time.”

Pete let out the breath he’d been holding. He couldn’t think of a time that he’d been

more relieved. Tony might be lying, of course, but somehow Pete sensed the truth in his

words. He didn’t know how he could be so sure, but he thought he would know if his mate

was lying to him. It was as though he could smell the truth of what he’d said.

“Let’s go back inside and talk to the others. Maybe later I can shift so you can see what

we look like in our wolf form.”

Tony looked even more confused then. “In your wolf form? You mean like an actual

wolf? It’s not just your eyes and your teeth?”

Pete grinned. “No, not just that. We shift fully into wolves, or, in Cary’s case, a cat. Cary

is a panther shifter.”

“Oh God. This can’t be real. It—”

“Come on,” Pete said, with a nod of his head. “Let’s go back inside.” He could sense

that Tony was starting to panic and he longed to put his arms around his mate and comfort

him, but he didn’t think the gesture would be appreciated. It would take Tony time to come

to terms with everything he’d learnt and Pete didn’t want to see him upset any more than he

already was. Tony only hesitated for a second before following Pete back towards the

bunkhouse.

They were nearly inside when a car came hurtling into the yard. The black sedan

screeched to a stop just a few feet from them and Gregory got out. He strode towards them,

his face grim.

“I think I know who is behind all this,” he said by way of greeting.

Pete sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. He had a feeling it was going to be a

long night.

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Chapter Three

“What have you learnt, Gregory?” Kelan asked when they were all seated in the den.

“Did you get the results from the forensic lab?”

Tony had met Gregory a time or two when he’d come by the ranch to speak with Kelan,

but he didn’t know anything about him or what it was exactly he did for a living. Tony had

taken a seat on the sofa next to Jake, and Pete was kneeling on the floor by his feet, his

shoulders pressed against Tony’s legs. His proximity was strangely comforting. Cary had

seemed more shaken by what had happened than anyone else, so Aaron had taken him to

their room. Everyone else looked tired—they were quiet, but all hanging on Gregory’s reply.

“No, nothing from Forensics yet,” Gregory replied. “But I’ve discovered something else.

A couple of days ago, Evelyn Armstrong stopped showing up for work. Nobody thought

anything of it at first, but a couple of her co-workers have come forward and said they’re

worried about her. It seems her behaviour over the last couple of months has grown more

and more erratic. They were going to speak to her superiors about it, but they were hoping

she’d get better with time.”

“Who is she?” Kelan asked.

Gregory sighed. “She was Dean White’s mate.”

The room broke out into gasps and muttered curses, but the name meant nothing to

Tony. “Who is Dean White?” he asked.

Gregory looked at Tony as though he’d only just noticed he was in the room. “Does he

know…?”

“He’s Pete’s mate,” Kelan said as though that explained everything.

It must have been enough for Gregory, too, because he nodded and fixed his gaze on

Tony. “Dean White worked for the Supernatural Council. He was a lunatic, personally

responsible for a lot of deaths of council members’ mates. When he kidnapped my mate, I

tracked him down. We fought and I killed him.”

Tony’s mouth hung open. Killed him? Jesus. He wished he hadn’t asked. Gregory’s

explanation only brought up more questions, like what the hell was a supernatural council?

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“And now she’s out for revenge,” Pete supplied.

Gregory nodded. “It certainly looks that way.”

Tony was still confused. “If Gregory was the one to kill this Dean White then why

would she be taking revenge on the rest of you? Why blow up the dancehall and burn down

Kelan’s house?”

Pete put his hand on Tony’s knee and met his gaze. Tony couldn’t help the little thrill of

excitement that rushed over him at Pete’s touch.

“We were all involved in a way,” Pete said. “Each and every one of us had a hand in

trying to catch the person responsible for the deaths of all the council members’ mates.”

“Dean must have known we were getting closer to finding the culprit,” Stefan said.

“But I can’t imagine he would have told his mate about everything he was up to.”

“No,” Gregory agreed. “But she would have had access to the council’s report. All our

names were mentioned as attending the meeting here with Dean before we found out he was

the person responsible.”

“So what’s going to happen now?” Cody asked.

“A couple of council members have gone to Evelyn’s house,” Gregory answered. “But I

doubt we’ll be lucky enough to find her there. She may be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one

of them. As soon as I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

“We need to call Jared,” Kelan said. “He’ll need to know about this. He was involved,

too. He’ll want to protect his brother and Nate. None of us are safe until this woman has been

caught.”

Gregory nodded. “I’ll give him a call now.”

While Gregory went into the kitchen to make the call, Tony leaned his head against the

sofa and closed his eyes. He hissed when the leather came into contact with the cut on his

head. After everything that had happened since the explosion, Tony had forgotten about the

knock he’d taken, but there was no forgetting it now. Pain tore across the back of his skull.

Pete’s hand squeezed his knee. “I can help with that,” he said softly.

Tony opened his eyes and met Pete’s gaze, his brow furrowed. “How?”

“A wolf’s blood has healing properties for his mate,” he replied. “If you were to

drink…”

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Tony didn’t think he had been able to hide the revulsion in his eyes because Pete

recoiled from him. Hurt covered his face and Tony felt a pang of regret, but it was too late. “I

am not drinking your blood,” he said, trying to keep his tone neutral. “That’s just, uh… Well,

it can’t be sanitary.”

A small smile tugged at Pete’s lips. “Wolves don’t get diseases so there’s nothing you

can catch from us, and it will help, I swear.”

Tony shook his head, but the movement was too quick and he had to close his eyes

against another wave of pain.

“It’s the truth,” Jake said. “Look at my arm and shoulder.”

Tony looked at Jake’s arm and had to blink several times, unable to believe what he was

seeing. Jake’s arm had very nearly healed. What had earlier been two gashes had knitted

together, leaving only small red cuts in their place.

“That’s incredible. How did it heal so quickly?”

“Wolves heal far more quickly than humans,” Pete answered. “I know the idea of it is

somewhat disgusting, but I promise it will help.”

Pete cast a cursory glance around the room. No one was watching him, but he didn’t

think he could do it with everyone there. It seemed too…intimate. If they were alone in his

room he might consider it. Just the thought of being alone with Pete made his cock start to

harden. Tony had been staying in the bunkhouse because the ranch bedrooms were all taken,

but it suddenly occurred to him that Kelan and Jake, Cody and Stefan, and Luke and Mark

now had nowhere to sleep. There were four bedrooms in the bunkhouse. He was using one,

Cary and Aaron had the other, that left two empty rooms, but there were three couples in

need of beds.

“Kelan, I can get a plane back to New York in the morning,” Tony said. “After what

happened tonight, well, I know you’ll need my room and—”

“No!” Pete exclaimed. “You can’t leave.”

Kelan shook his head. “You don’t have to do that. I should have apologised before now,

but I’m sorry for what I said to you earlier. I didn’t mean it. I was just upset because Jake had

been hurt. It’s no excuse, I know. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. You are welcome to stay

here for as long as you want to. We can sort something out about the sleeping

arrangements.”

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“I have a spare room,” Pete said. “You could always come and stay with me.”

Tony stared at Pete. He knew he should say no. He’d only met Pete a couple of hours

ago, but he felt oddly comfortable with him. The hopeful glint in Pete’s eyes helped him

make a decision ―that and the idea of being away from Pete for any length of time made his

chest constrict. How weird was that? He wanted to get to know him better, and if what Pete

had said about them being mates was true… But the main reason he thought it would be a

good idea to stay with Pete was because he knew Kelan and Jake would have nowhere to

sleep. He didn’t want to be a burden.

“Okay,” he replied. “I’ll take you up on the offer of a room, if you don’t mind.”

The smile that spread across Pete’s face stole his breath. It was infectious and Tony

found himself mirroring the expression.

“Of course I don’t mind,” Pete said as though Tony had said the stupidest thing ever.

“You’re my mate.”

Tony knew hearing that phrase was going to take some getting used to, but he had to

admit he liked it. Gregory walked back into the room before either of them could say

anything else.

“I’ve told Jared to be on the lookout,” he said. “He suggested we all meet up tomorrow

afternoon to discuss what we can do to find Evelyn.”

“Good idea,” Kelan agreed. “Shall we meet here, at midday?”

“Sounds good. I need to get back to Hayden. I’ve checked us into a motel under a

different name until it’s safe for us to go home, but I don’t want to leave him alone for too

long.”

“Of course,” Kelan replied. “Then we’ll see you tomorrow.”

After Gregory had left, Tony went to his room to pack up his belongings. He felt like he

could sleep for a month, but Pete promised Kelan they’d be back at twelve the following day

for the meeting. They said their goodbyes and Pete insisted on carrying Tony’s bags out to

his truck. As he strapped himself into the passenger seat, he watched Pete from the corner of

his eye and, even though he felt connected to the handsome cowboy in some inexplicable

way, he wondered what the hell he’d just agreed to.

* * * *

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“Well, this is it,” Pete said, swinging the door open to his small ranch-style house. “It’s

not much, but it’s home.”

Tony followed Pete inside and looked around the neat living space. It was the complete

opposite of his apartment in New York, which was undeniably too cold and clinical. Pete’s

house was homey. It suited him.

“The living room is through there,” Pete said, nodding through the open door on the

left of the hall. “Kitchen’s out back and there’s a half bathroom to the right. There are two

bedrooms and a full bathroom upstairs. Come on, I’ll show you.”

“It’s a nice place,” Tony said, following Pete up the stairs. “Has a good feel to it.”

“I like it.”

There were three doors on the upstairs landing and what looked to be a closet. Pete

pushed open a door to the right and flicked on the light. They stepped into a spacious

bedroom with a large picture window. A blue-toned patchwork comforter sat at the bottom

of a wooden sleigh bed.

“This is great, Pete,” Tony said. Looking at the large bed he felt incredibly nervous all of

a sudden. He tried not to think about what he’d like Pete to do to him in that bed, but it was

difficult not to after the kiss they’d shared in Kelan’s yard. He wanted a repeat performance

and he wouldn’t be opposed to things going further. It had been a while since he’d got laid.

New York wasn’t short of willing bed companions, but Tony had grown tired of the whole

clubbing scene. He pulled in a shaky breath. Pete didn’t seem to notice Tony’s anxiety and, if

he did, he didn’t comment on it. He placed Tony’s bags down on a chest at the bottom of the

bed then turned to meet his gaze.

“The bathroom is just next door and my room is across the hall. I imagine you’d like to

take a shower?”

Tony nodded then remembered the cut on the back of his head. He lifted his fingers to

touch it then winced at the sting. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a good idea to get it wet, but he

supposed he needed to clean the wound in case it got infected.

“I don’t want to keep on about this if you’re uncomfortable with it, but if you took a

little of my blood that would heal in no time.”

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Tony chewed on his bottom lip. What could it hurt? He’d seen how quickly Jake had

healed from his wounds after taking Kelan’s blood. “Okay.” He nodded. Just the idea was

enough to accelerate his pulse. “Uh, sure. If you think it will help.”

Pete smiled. “Come with me, we can do it in the bathroom.” Pete must have realised the

innuendo in his words because colour flooded his cheeks. “Uh, I mean the blood thing,” he

mumbled.

Tony chuckled. “Yeah, I got that.”

Striding into the bathroom, Pete put down the lid of the toilet and motioned for Tony to

sit on it. He did as instructed then looked up at Pete expectantly. He tried to slow his

breathing and chastised himself for being so damn nervous. This was no big deal, he

reminded himself, it was just to heal the cut on his head, but it felt like so much more.

Pete sat on the edge of the tub next to him. “I’m going to shift my teeth so I can bite into

my arm, okay? I don’t want you to be afraid when you see me like that.”

Tony nodded. He wasn’t afraid, but nervous butterflies danced in his stomach as he

watched Pete’s face and waited. Pete’s eyes shifted first and Tony couldn’t help the small

gasp that left his throat. Pete grinned and slowly, right before Tony’s eyes, sharp-looking

incisors extended from his gums. Tony couldn’t take his eyes off them.

“You okay?” Pete asked. His voice seemed lower than it had been—huskier.

Tony nodded, but he’d lost the ability of speech. All he could do was stare. Pete placed

a comforting hand on his knee and squeezed. The touch was far from calming—it made his

pulse race even faster and his cock started to harden. Pete let out a low growl and Tony

flinched.

“Sorry,” Pete said, averting his gaze. “Your scent changed, and my wolf…”

“My scent?” Tony questioned.

Pete nodded. “I can smell when you’re…aroused.”

“Oh God.” Tony couldn’t have prevented the blush that spread across his cheeks if he’d

tried. He was burning up from it.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed,” Pete said. “It’s natural between mates. Trust me—

I’m just as turned on as you.”

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Pete’s words did nothing to deflate Tony’s erection. Knowing Pete was excited made

him even harder. He didn’t know where to look, but when he finally met Pete’s gaze he

could see the lust shining in his eyes and he moaned.

“We best get this over with or I’m not going to be able to stop myself from kissing you

again.”

Before Tony could tell Pete how much he liked that idea—wanted it even—Pete bit into

his wrist. Two small droplets of blood beaded from the puncture wounds then he lifted his

wrist to Tony’s mouth. His breath stuttered as he closed his mouth over the wound and took

in Pete’s blood. It was tangy and bitter tasting at first, but the more he drank, the better it

became. Pete nodded his head encouragingly.

“That’s it. You need to drink it fast before the wound closes.”

Tony did as instructed, sucking from Pete’s wrist until it did indeed dry up. He pulled

his mouth away and looked at Pete. It was the strangest sensation. It was as though he could

feel Pete’s blood travelling through his veins and he felt stronger at once—practically

invincible. The headache that had been constant for the last few hours disappeared as if by

magic.

Pete licked his thumb and traced it along Tony’s lips, removing a stray spot of blood,

and Tony shivered. He wanted to take Pete’s thumb into his mouth, to suck on it. His cheeks

grew hot when he remembered what Pete had said about smelling his arousal, but there

wasn’t a lot he could do about it. Pete turned him on like no other.

“How do you feel?”

Tony shook his head incredulously. “Better.”

Pete nodded. “It will take a little while for the wound to heal completely, but the cut

should close up in a few minutes.”

“It’s incredible. Does it work on everyone?”

“It only works between mates.”

Tony held Pete’s gaze. “So we really are mates then?”

“You doubted it?” Pete sighed and lowered his head. When he next looked up to meet

Tony’s gaze, his eyes and teeth had shifted back to their human form. “I suppose it is a

difficult thing to comprehend if you never grew up around wolves, but I hoped you’d feel

the bond between us.”

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“I did! I mean I do, that is. I feel something.” He shook his head, unsure how to voice

what he wanted to say. “But I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel. I don’t know what’s

normal in this situation. How does it feel for you?”

Pete stretched out his legs and ran a hand through his thick dark hair. “Well, it’s a

difficult thing to describe, but I feel…complete I suppose is the best word I could use. Your

mate is the missing part of your soul and when you find them, you feel whole. It’s like you’re

the answer to every question I ever asked or was afraid to ask. I feel as though I was always

searching for something even if I never knew it at the time, but I know without question that

I don’t need to look anymore. I feel content and…at peace. I feel happy and elated. I feel like

I’ve found home.”

Tony hadn’t even realised a lump had formed in his throat until he swallowed it down.

How was he supposed to respond to that? He didn’t have the words and knew nothing he

could say would be enough. How was it possible that this beautiful man could feel all those

things without really knowing anything about him? How could he trust those words when he

didn’t know Pete? But he did trust them. As crazy as it was, he trusted this man and would

trust him, even with his life. The mating bond that Pete seemed to hold in such high esteem

suddenly made more sense to him. Pete’s feelings for him were very similar to his own. Even

though he couldn’t understand them, they felt right. They felt like the truth.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” Pete asked, somewhat bashfully.

Tony shook his head. “I couldn’t top what you said, or even match it. Besides, I don’t

want to talk right now.”

Without a moment’s thought or hesitation Tony leant forward, took hold of Pete’s face

and kissed him. He hadn’t really doubted what Pete’s reaction would be, but when he kissed

him back, sliding his hands around to pull him closer, Tony was elated. He opened his

mouth eagerly, sought out Pete’s tongue and swallowed down his moan.

Before he realised what he was doing, he’d got up and straddled Pete’s lap, their

mouths not parting for a single second. He didn’t care about wolves or mate bonds or

anything else he’d learnt that night. He just knew he needed this man—needed his hands on

his body, wanted the pleasure he knew they could give one another. Tony hissed when their

cocks came into contact. Pete was as hard as he was and when they pressed against one

another it made him gasp into the kiss. Pete devoured him with his mouth and his hands

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kneaded Tony’s ass, pulling him closer while he bucked up, grinding into Tony with wild

abandon.

Goosebumps blossomed on Tony’s skin and he felt practically drunk from the pleasure

inside him…dizzy certainly. Too soon Pete broke the kiss and rested their foreheads together.

He was breathing heavily and, when he pulled back, Tony saw that Pete’s eyes had shifted

back to their wolf form again. It was the hottest damn thing he’d ever seen. The thrill of

excitement that rushed through his body was unparalleled.

“Tell me what you want?” Pete asked. “Because I’m two seconds away from ripping

your clothes off and fucking you here on the bathroom floor.”

The words made Tony even harder, if that were possible. He’d never been so tightly

strung with need and want, but then doubt clouded Pete’s eyes and it sobered him.

“Or…I’d understand if you wanted to take this more slowly. We could stop.”

The very idea was abhorrent. Tony didn’t think he could stop if his life depended on it.

“I want you to fuck me,” he said, looking Pete straight in the eye so there was no mistaking

his desire.

“Then let’s take this to the bedroom.”

“You mind if I shower first? I’m covered in grime from the explosion and my hair…”

He pulled a face as he tried to slide his fingers through the hair on the back of his head, but

met with resistance. It felt matted with dried blood. But he was amazed to find that the cut

had indeed closed. The area was still tender, but not nearly as bad as it had been.

Pete grinned wickedly. “Only if I can join you in there.”

Tony matched Pete’s expression. “Sounds like a plan.” He had to wonder if they’d

actually make it to the bedroom after they got naked and wet together.

Pete turned on the shower in the tub and adjusted the dials until the water was hot

enough for them to step in. Tony watched, transfixed as Pete pulled off his T-shirt then slid

the brown leather belt through the loops at his waist and pulled down his zipper. He knew

he should be taking his own clothes off, but when Pete slid the jeans down his hips, revealing

tight, white briefs that outlined his erection perfectly, Tony could do nothing but stare.

Pete raised an amused eyebrow. “Am I showering alone now?”

Shaking his head to clear it, Tony began to undress, but when he got down to just his

briefs Pete growled and grabbed him, tugging him close.

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“You’re so damn sexy,” he said against Tony’s ear, before trailing a line of hot, wet

kisses down his neck. Tony tilted his head to the side to allow Pete more access and that

drew another low growl from his throat. Tony thought he would never tire of hearing it.

When their mouths met again, Tony ran his hands over Pete’s naked back, delighting in

the feel of his skin and the strong lines and muscles beneath his fingertips. Pete had an

incredible body and it was obvious he took care of himself. His skin was soft and smooth, yet

hard and rough at the same time. He was all man. Tony inched his hands lower, until he

reached Pete’s ass and kneaded it. He dipped his fingers into the elastic of Pete’s briefs and

dragged them down his hips. Pete did the same to Tony’s until their hard cocks sprang free

and rubbed deliciously up against one another. He had to touch. He reached between them

and palmed Pete’s erection. The length and weight of it felt just right. He pulled back and

looked down, delighted at what he saw.

Tony had never been with a man that was uncut before, and he loved the feel of it as he

slid the foreskin up and down. Pete hissed, arched his back and thrust into his hand.

“God, feels so good,” Pete ground out.

Tony would have replied but when Pete trailed his fingers down his stomach and

wrapped them around his cock, he forgot what he’d been about to say. When Pete found the

pre-cum that had beaded on his slit and spread it around the head with his thumb, Tony had

to close his eyes and bite his lip to stop from begging Pete to take him right there.

“Come on,” Pete invited. “Let’s get in the tub before the water gets cold.”

They climbed in and took turns under the shower head. The hot water felt wonderful

against Tony’s skin. After he soaped up his hair, he closed his eyes and let the water soak the

back of his head, washing away the last traces of blood.

“How does your head feel now?”

“Almost as good as new. I can’t quite believe it.”

Pete squirted some liquid soap onto his hands and used it to lather Tony’s chest. His

hands moved lower to soap up his cock and Tony let out a soft moan. When Pete finished

washing the front half of his body, he made him turn around and did the same to his back

and ass. Tony bit his lip when Pete slipped his hand lower, rubbing against his entrance. He

wanted those fingers inside him and opened his legs, pushing out his ass in invitation.

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Tony whimpered when Pete’s touch disappeared without warning. It was returned

seconds later, his fingers covered in more soap. Pete teased him at first before sliding a finger

inside his ass. He was so turned on he didn’t even feel the sting. It was pure pleasure. Tony’s

forehead fell forward to rest on the tiles in front of him. He wasn’t sure whose moan was the

loudest, but as Pete’s finger started to move inside him, he shoved back on it with a loud

grunt.

Pete pressed the length of his body to Tony’s back, and, as he continued to fuck him

with his finger, he latched his mouth onto the sensitive juncture between his throat and neck.

“Pete…” Tony groaned. He needed more, but instead of getting it, he found himself

suddenly empty.

“Let’s move this to the bedroom,” Pete suggested.

It was the best damn suggestion he’d heard all night.

They quickly rinsed off the remaining soap then Pete turned off the water. After

stepping out of the tub, he grabbed two towels from a rail near the washbasin and handed

one to Tony who used it to dry himself almost as quickly as Pete did.

The separation from Pete’s body felt practically unnatural to Tony, but the feeling

dispersed when Pete pressed their mouths together again, walking them backwards with

purpose.

Tony had no idea how they managed to reach the bedroom so quickly. It had been

touch and go when Pete had shoved him up against the wall outside the bedroom door,

eating at his mouth as though he were a starving man and Tony were the first meal he’d been

offered in months. Tony had wanted to turn around and bend over where he stood. He

might have if Pete hadn’t got them moving again. And how insane was that? Tony was

desperate with need for this man.

When they finally parted Tony looked around at Pete’s room. It was warmer than the

guestroom had been, decorated in mostly earth tones, but it was so tidy it looked almost like

a showroom. There wasn’t as much as a shirt slung over the chair in the corner of the room.

Even the bed had been made with precision.

Tony grinned. “Are you some sort of neat freak?”

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Pete looked around the room and shrugged. “Hadn’t really thought about it, but yeah, I

guess I do like things just so.” Pete mirrored Tony’s grin. “Why? Are you trying to tell me

you’re some kind of slob?”

Tony threw his head back and laughed. “No, not a slob, in fact I’m almost OCD about

my cleaning, but not even I keep things this tidy.”

“Then we complement each other perfectly,” Pete said, pulling Tony into an embrace.

“Because I hate cleaning, but things have to be in their place.”

“I’ll remember that,” Tony said right before Pete kissed him again, turning his brain to

mush and making him doubtful he could even remember his own name.

Pete walked them back to the bed until they fell on it in a tangle of limbs. Tony opened

his legs in invitation, hissing when their hard cocks rubbed against each other. Pete moved

lower, taking one of Tony’s nipples into his mouth and the lower position put his cock right

at the entrance to Tony’s body. He wanted it inside him.

“Where’s the stuff?” he asked breathlessly, amazed he had the power of speech at all.

Pete pulled off his nipple with a loud, wet pop. “Huh?” He looked almost as dazed and

confused as Tony felt.

“The lube, condoms.”

“Oh, uh, lube’s in the drawer, but I don’t think I’ve got any condoms. Anyway, we

don’t need them. I told you wolves can’t catch any diseases—neither can we transmit any.”

Tony was about to argue when he remembered not twenty minutes before he’d

ingested the man’s blood. Maybe now was a little late to worry about such things, but he’d

never…

“Not only that,” Pete said. “You’re it for me. Now that I found my mate, I won’t ever be

with anyone else.”

“What?” Tony jerked his head up and stared at Pete. “Never?” It was the wrong thing

to ask and he regretted it at once, but Christ, it was all moving so fast. He’d been so turned

on, wanted Pete to fuck him so much that he hadn’t thought about the implications of those

actions…until now. This was a hell of a lot more to Pete than two men enjoying one another’s

bodies. Pete wanted forever and as soon as Tony realised that, it caused panic to surge in his

chest and dampen his desire. They’d just met—how could he promise that?

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Pete knelt up between his legs, his eyebrows pulled tightly together. “No. Never,” he

said with finality. “I told you that wolves mate for life.”

“Well, yeah, but I didn’t think… I mean…”

“Does that bother you?” Pete asked. “Don’t you think you could be happy to spend

your life with me?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted honestly. “This is happening so fast, Pete.”

Tony was attracted to Pete, sure, and felt a deep connection to him that was difficult to

explain, but they’d only met a few hours before. How could he commit the rest of his life to

someone he didn’t know? It briefly occurred to him that Jake had done just that when he’d

met Kelan and he was happier now than Tony had ever seen him, but he didn’t know if he

would be able to make that leap himself.

“I know it’s fast,” Pete agreed. “But it’s not like we’re just two strangers that met on the

street. I mean, we’re strangers, sure, but you’re my mate. You were made for me. There is no

one more perfect for me than you.”

“I’m sorry.” Tony shook his head. “I can’t do this. I… I think I need more time.”

Tony liked the idea of them being made for one another—he liked it a lot—but his head

was spinning. This was all too much for him to come to terms with. He needed time alone to

think.

He started to move to the edge of the bed. If Pete believed everything he was saying

then Tony didn’t want them to have sex just yet. He didn’t want to lead Pete on and make

him think it was more than two people having a good time and enjoying each other’s bodies.

As much as he wanted Pete, he needed to get to know him more before he could commit to

forever, and he realised Pete would accept nothing less than that.

He got up off the bed and stood there for a moment, studying Pete’s face. He looked

utterly defeated. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes were downcast. Tony reached out

and cupped Pete’s jaw, lifting his head until he met his gaze.

“I’m not saying I don’t want this, or that I don’t want you. But forever is a long time,

Pete. However natural this is for you, you need to remember this is all new to me. I have to

be one hundred per cent sure before I can commit to that. I just need some time, okay?”

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After a moment’s hesitation, Pete nodded and his lips curved into a tender smile. “I’ll

give you all the time you need, but I promise I will persuade you that I’m the one for you.

The only one.”

Tony leant forward and pressed their lips together. “I don’t doubt it for a second. Thank

you for understanding.”

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Chapter Four

Pete rolled over and thumped his pillow to plump it before laying his head back down.

He couldn’t sleep worth a damn. He’d caught maybe twenty minutes all night and, now that

the sun had started to make an appearance on the horizon, he could forget about getting any

more. He rarely slept past sun-up even after working the night at Jessie’s. He knew it

stemmed from all the years he’d worked as a ranch hand and had to get up at the crack of

dawn, but it was a habit he couldn’t shake.

All night he’d been trying not to think about what he was going to do now that he was

out of a job. Jessie would have to decide if he was going to rebuild the bar and that could

take months. Pete would have no choice but to find work elsewhere. But what could he do?

He didn’t want to go back to ranching. He’d loved his job at Jessie’s despite the occasional

problems he’d had to deal with there.

But it was the man sleeping in his spare room that had been the primary cause of Pete’s

restlessness. He couldn’t believe he was in the same house as his mate, but that they weren’t

even sharing a bed. Tony should be by his side, preferably wrapped around him. Pete knew

he’d be able to sleep then. His bed had never felt so empty or so cold.

He sighed. He could understand Tony’s reluctance. It was a lot to ask someone to spend

the rest of their lives with a person they’d only just met.

It was different for wolves that knew about the mating bond, of course. They would

already be on the lookout for their mate and it didn’t matter if they weren’t. Once they found

the person that was meant to be theirs, all bets were off. It was a given they would spend

their lives together. The yearning to be with Tony was fierce. There was a dull ache in Pete’s

chest that wouldn’t abate. He’d meant what he said to Tony earlier, too. He would persuade

him they were meant for one another and he didn’t care how long it took. Pete would die

before he gave up—even if it meant moving to New York to be with Tony, he’d do it. He’d

do anything to be with his mate.

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Movement from the other room caught his attention and, when he heard the door to the

spare bedroom open, he leapt out of bed and crossed his room in three long strides, pulling

open his bedroom door.

“Is everything all right?” he asked, running an assessing eye over Tony. “Is it your

head?”

Even in the dim light Tony was the most attractive man he’d ever seen, especially when

his mouth curved up into that damn sexy smirk.

“No, head’s good—great, actually. I…uh, I need to take a leak. Did I wake you?”

“Oh, no. It’s okay. I was already up.”

“Can’t sleep?”

“No, not really.”

Tony nodded. “Me, either. Weird, I’m normally out as soon as my head touches the

pillow. I would have thought, after everything that happened last night, I’d be out like a

light, but no such luck.”

The cocky part of Pete wanted to tell Tony he couldn’t sleep because he wasn’t next to

his mate, but he didn’t say the words out loud. And he shouldn’t be so damn presumptuous,

either. The reason for Tony’s sleepless night might not have had anything to do with him at

all. The man had learnt that werewolves existed—creatures he believed to be fantasy—and

had been nearly blown up all in the same night. Either one of those things would be enough

to cause someone a restless night.

“How about I go put on some coffee, maybe cook us up some eggs?”

Tony grinned. “You just said the magic words. I’m going to grab a quick shower. I’ll be

down in a few minutes.”

Pete threw on some clothes then headed down to the kitchen, grateful to have

something to do instead of toss and turn while he thought about things he couldn’t change.

He washed his hands then set to making breakfast. He had eggs and bacon frying and was

stirring a pancake mix when Tony appeared at the kitchen doorway. Even before he saw

him, Pete could smell his mate over the aroma of coffee and the fry-up. He cursed his damn

dick for getting excited. Down boy.

“Smells wonderful,” Tony said, walking further into the room. “Anything I can do to

help?” He crowded up behind Pete and looked over his shoulder into the pans. Pete had to

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suppress a moan when Tony’s scent flooded his nose and the heat of his body warmed him.

Jesus, it was hard to be so close to Tony without being able to touch him, without pulling

him into his arms and kissing him to within an inch of his life.

“All under control. Coffee’s ready.” He nodded to the steaming pot on the countertop.

“Help yourself.”

“Thanks.”

Pete tried to concentrate on what he was doing instead of watching his mate, but Tony

looked too good standing beside him—his skin fresh and still damp from the shower. He

seemed right at home in Pete’s kitchen and Pete liked that a lot. He wanted Tony to call his

place home. Tony yawned and stretched out his long arms, making his white fitted T-shirt

ride up, exposing a hard, washboard stomach. The sight went straight to Pete’s cock. Damn

the man was fine. And all his…if Tony decided to embrace a relationship with him.

“Oh, excuse me,” he said around another yawn. “I’m useless when I don’t get any

sleep.”

Tony might be tired, but that didn’t stop him looking great. Pete wished they could

forgo the breakfast and do other things instead, like go back to bed…together. He shook the

thought from his mind and began to cook the pancakes while Tony took a seat at the kitchen

table.

“Wow, pancakes, bacon, eggs—you’re spoiling me.”

Pete hid his smile. He’d spend the rest of his life spoiling Tony if he’d let him. “It’s no

trouble.”

“You have anything to do today other than the meeting at Kelan’s?”

“Not really,” Pete replied. “Especially as I don’t have a job anymore.”

“Oh, that’s right—you worked at the dancehall, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, managed the place. Was even in the process of buying it. But after what

happened, well…” Pete let his words trail off. He didn’t want to worry about that now. He

had to keep remembering that, however difficult it was for him, he wasn’t the worst off in

this whole mess. Jessie had lost his bar and Kelan, his brothers and their mates had lost their

home. And he didn’t want to think about all the people that had lost their lives at the bar.

Men and women that he’d got to know, no doubt. Friends. People with families. The thought

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made him furious. They had to catch this damn woman before she could ruin any more

people’s lives.

“Might still be worth thinking of buying the bar,” Tony commented before taking a sip

of his coffee.

Pete turned and pulled his eyebrows together in a frown. “What? Buy a pile of rubble?”

Tony nodded. “Why not? There isn’t exactly a business to buy anymore so you would

only need to buy the land. The current owner can cash in on his insurance to cover his loss

and if he doesn’t want to go through the trouble of rebuilding the dancehall then you might

get the land cheap. To rebuild the bar yourself would probably cost you less than it would

have to buy the bar as an ongoing business interest.”

“Huh, I hadn’t thought of it like that,” Pete said. “I’ll have to have a word with Jessie.

See what he wants to do. I just… It’s hard to think about things like that right now, you

know? People died there. A lot of people.”

Tony sighed. “Christ. I’m sorry. I was being insensitive. I should think before I open my

big mouth.”

“Don’t apologise, you didn’t mean anything by it. I know you were only trying to help

me out. I appreciate it.”

Pete began heaping the bacon, eggs and pancakes onto plates then placed one in front

of Tony and sat down opposite him to eat his own.

“Thanks, this is really great.”

They were quiet for a few moments while they tucked into their food. Pete hadn’t even

realised how hungry he was until he’d started eating, but he was making quick work of the

meal. Tony was, too.

“Mmm…‘s good,” Tony said around a mouthful of pancake.

“I’m glad you like it.”

After he’d finished eating, Tony put down his cutlery and frowned. “You know, I can’t

even imagine how Jake and the others are feeling right now. To lose their home? It’ll take a

while for them to rebuild.”

Pete sighed. “I just hope to God we can catch this woman before she does any more

damage. Hopefully the council will turn something up.”

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Tony pursed his lips. “Uh, what is the council exactly? I heard Gregory mention it

before, but I didn’t know what he meant.”

Pete smiled at his mate. “I keep forgetting you’re new to this life. The supernatural

council is basically a division of the government that deals specifically with shifters.”

Tony’s eyes became wide with surprise and his mouth fell open. “The government

knows about shifters?”

Pete let out a loud guffaw. “Well, sure they do. Everyone that works in the supernatural

council is a shifter, and there are a lot of us working in normal government, too. You’ve got

to remember, we’ve been around just as long as humans.”

Tony was shaking his head, his face a picture of wonder. “But where did you come

from?”

Pete shrugged. “Hell if I know. Most of my kind believe we evolved somehow from

wolves, the same as humans evolved from apes, but I don’t know if I believe that myself.

There seems to be too much…magic involved in our shift.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t know about any of this. Was Jake this surprised when he met

Kelan? I kept thinking about that last night when I couldn’t sleep. I was with Jake when he

met Kelan, and the next time I saw them together, just a couple of days later, they seemed

completely in love. How come he accepted all this so easily?”

“Well, Jake already knew about shifters and the mating bond before he met Kelan.”

“What?” Hurt covered Tony’s face like a veil. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

Pete rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn’t believe the conversation had got around

to Jake again. The green-eyed monster inside him stirred, but he tried to keep a lid on it.

“I don’t rightly know. Guess you’ll need to speak to Jake about that. But you do realise

this is not something you can tell people, right? It’s important we keep our existence a secret.

Most humans would be terrified if they knew about us.”

“I wouldn’t say anything,” Tony said resolutely. “It’s just that Jake and I have been best

friends for ten years. I thought he would have trusted me enough to tell me.”

“Would you have believed him?” Pete asked. “You didn’t believe it last night and that

was after you’d seen our eyes and teeth shifted.”

Tony pursed his lips. “Yeah, maybe I wouldn’t have believed it. Maybe that’s the reason

he didn’t say anything.”

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“Maybe,” Pete said. “Or maybe Jake felt it wasn’t his secret to tell.”

Tony nodded and chewed on his bottom lip. “Will I get to see you shift?”

Pete placed his hand over Tony’s on the tabletop. “I can shift for you right now if you’d

like to see it, only I don’t want to scare you. You think you’re ready to see me in my wolf

form?”

Tony squared his shoulders and gave a quick nod. “I’d really like to see it.”

“Then I’ll show you,” Pete replied. He was just pulling his T-shirt over his head when

the phone started ringing in the living room. He grinned. “How about right after I get that

call?” He got up and strode through the kitchen.

“Isn’t it a little early for someone to be calling? The sun is barely up.”

Pete checked his watch. It was only a little after six. “Shit, you’re right. It is too early.”

He rushed into the den and grabbed the phone before it rang off. “Hello?”

“Pete, you awake?”

“Kelan? Yeah, I’m up. What’s wrong? Has something else happened?”

“Yeah.” Kelan let out a long sigh. “I just got a call from Jared. Can you meet me at the

hospital?”

“Jesus, is he all right?”

“He and Nate are both okay, but Tristan’s hurt. He got caught in a fire at their house,

happened while they were asleep. It sounds like he’s in a bad way, Pete.”

“Fuck! I’m on my way.”

* * * *

Tony studied Pete while they rode to the hospital in silence. Pete’s strong jaw was

clenched tightly and his knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

“You sure I should go to the hospital?” he asked. “I don’t even know Jared. Won’t I be

in the way?”

Pete growled, “No, you won’t and until this woman has been caught I’m not letting you

out of my sight.”

Tony was surprised at how welcome Pete’s words were. He wasn’t offended by his

over-protectiveness—quite the opposite, in fact. He liked that Pete wanted to look out for

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him. It made him feel warm and safe, which was odd because Tony had never needed

protecting before—he’d always been able to look after himself and he’d liked it that way—

but this felt different. He felt different. He was immersed in this new world and, if he was

honest with himself, it scared him. He was thankful to have someone like Pete in his life.

“So Tristan is Jared’s younger brother?” Tony asked. He’d seen him around the ranch a

few times with Aaron and Cary and they’d been introduced, but they hadn’t spoken much.

“Yeah, he’s a good kid.” Pete gripped the steering wheel even tighter. “If he doesn’t

pull through this, I swear to God…”

On impulse Tony reached out and put a comforting hand on Pete’s knee. He squeezed

and all the tension in Pete’s body seemed to disappear before his eyes. Pete loosened his grip

on the wheel and relaxed back against his seat.

“He’ll be okay,” Tony said, praying for it to be true. Too many lives had been lost

already. And Tristan was still so young—hadn’t even started living.

“He has to be,” Pete replied. After a moment he took a hand off the wheel and entwined

his fingers with Tony’s.

“I keep thinking about how I would feel if it had been you,” Pete said quietly. “What if

you’d been inside the bar when it blew or what if the fire had happened at my house and I

hadn’t been able to get you out in time? I don’t know how I’d be able to live with myself if I

couldn’t save you. I can’t lose you. I just found you.”

Tony didn’t know how to respond to that. Pete’s fears were his own. The same

unwelcome thought had crossed his mind several times. He’d just met Pete, but he’d be lying

if he said he didn’t feel the connection between them. What if something happened to Pete?

Tony had asked him the night before to give him time, but what if they didn’t have time?

Shouldn’t he be living for the present? He should be cherishing every moment with Pete,

welcoming a relationship with him and embracing it—not keeping his distance. At Jessie’s

he’d watched body after body being brought out, their lives snuffed out, stolen before they’d

been able to live them fully. Hadn’t he learnt anything from that?

The man holding his hand believed that destiny had brought them together, that they

were meant for one another. Here was a man that would love him forever. A man that would

never cheat on him, never leave him and would no doubt protect him with his dying breath.

Tony didn’t know how he could be certain of those facts, but he was. He felt the truth of

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them in his heart and in his soul. He didn’t know anything about shifters and mate bonds

and destiny, but Pete believed in them, trusted them even, and Tony believed and trusted in

Pete. How could he refuse such a precious gift? He might be scared, afraid to make that leap,

but he couldn’t throw away something that so many people searched their entire lives to

find.

“You’re not going to lose me,” Tony answered at last. “Not if I have anything to say

about it.”

The statement didn’t frighten Tony in the least. He felt good saying it and knew Pete

needed to hear it. Pete jerked his head in Tony’s direction and the hope shining in his

beautiful hazel eyes brought a lump to his throat.

“Do you mean that?” Pete asked. “You think you’re ready to give our relationship a

go?”

Tony squeezed Pete’s hand and nodded. “Yes, I… I’m willing to try,” he replied. “This

thing between us, whatever it is, it feels…right.”

Kelan was waiting for them at the entrance to the ER ward of the hospital. He looked

tired, but Tony supposed none of them had got much sleep the night before. Too much had

happened. It was a lot to digest.

“How’s he doing?” Pete asked by way of greeting.

“I don’t know. I haven’t been in yet. Just got here myself. Tony,”—Kelan acknowledged

with a nod. “How are you today?”

“Better,” Tony replied. “Head has healed.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“He wanted to stay home,” Pete said. “But there was no way I could leave him there

alone. We never know where this woman is going to turn up next.”

“Of course,” Kelan agreed. “I don’t think Tony should be left alone at all right now.

None of us should be alone. I called Gregory to tell him what happened. He said the council

didn’t find anything when they went to Evelyn’s house. She’s got to be hiding out

somewhere. They’re checking her records to see if she has any family in the area.”

“Let’s hope they find something.”

Kelan nodded. “Shall we go in?”

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As they entered the waiting room to the ER, Pete set eyes on Jared and Nate and

stopped dead in his tracks. They were a mess. Both were wearing hospital gowns and scrub

pants and both had burns on their arms, their faces black with smoke. Jared was enveloped

in Nate’s arms and he was sobbing uncontrollably. Pete’s stomach lurched and, even though

he tried to shake away the thought, he couldn’t help but fear the worst.

“Jared, Nate,” Kelan said gently as they approached.

Jared turned in Nate’s arms and pulled in a shaky breath. He wiped his eyes and tried

to compose himself.

“He’s going to be okay,” Jared said around another sob. “I thought I was going to lose

him.”

Pete let out the breath he’d been holding. “Oh, thank God.”

Nate was rubbing soothing circles on Jared’s back. “It was touch and go,” he said. “He

got burned badly trying to get out and part of the ceiling fell on him, trapping him

underneath. He broke his leg. We only just managed to pull him free before the whole house

went up. The top half of his body is covered in burns and there’s some damage to his lungs.

The doctor said he’ll recover completely, but it will take his body longer than usual to heal

because of all the damage done. It’s trying to work harder, but it can’t heal everything at

once.”

“Jesus,” Pete breathed. Tony’s hand had found its way into his and he squeezed it tight,

grateful for the comforting gesture.

“I couldn’t protect him,” Jared said. “I promised him I’d look after him when Pop died,

but I failed him.”

“This is not your fault, Jared,” Pete stated firmly. “You couldn’t have done any more for

Tristan than you already did.”

Jared shook his head. “I should never have got involved in the first place. I shouldn’t

have investigated Dean—I put my family at risk.”

Nate held Jared at arm’s length and pinned him in place with a fierce glare. “Now you

listen to me. Don’t you dare apologise for doing what you did. Your need to fight injustice is

one of the things I love about you. It’s part of who you are. Apologising for that is like

apologising for having brown hair or being born gay. Tristan is going to be fine and you

know you can’t protect him from everything. What happens when he finds his mate? He’s

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going to leave home and you’re not going to be there to look after him then. It will be

someone else’s job. At some point, you’ve got to let him go.”

Jared sniffed loudly. “From today on, he’s not allowed to date and if any man comes

near him claiming they’re mates, he’ll have me to deal with.”

Nate chuckled and pulled Jared back into his arms, gently rubbing his back. “Can I be

in the room when you tell Tristan that?”

A small smile ghosted over Jared’s lips. “I was going to make you do it. He listens to

you.”

Nate snorted. “Nice try, but you’re on your own with that.” He ran his fingers through

Jared’s hair and pressed their lips together.

The loving and easy relationship Jared and Nate shared made Pete hope he could one

day have the same thing with Tony. When he glanced at his mate, Tony was smiling shyly

back at him.

“Did you see anything?” Kelan asked Nate after they separated. “Hear anything?”

Nate shook his head. “Jared didn’t get home from the station until late last night. He

was exhausted. He was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, and me?” Nate sighed.

“I’ll sleep through pretty much anything.”

“What the hell are we going to do to find this woman?” Pete asked. “We have no idea

where or who she’s going to target next. She’s always one damn step ahead of us.”

“We could draw her out,” Jared suggested and they all turned to look at him.

“Draw her out?” Pete questioned. “How?”

“By using someone as bait. It was Gregory that killed her mate so it stands to reason

she’s going to want revenge on him most of all.”

Pete nodded. “Sure, but if we don’t know where she’s hiding, how are we supposed to

draw her out?”

Nate shrugged. “You just said yourself she’s always one step ahead—maybe if Gregory

were to return home she would go after him there and we could get to her before she did

anything.”

“It’s an idea,” Kelan replied. “But it’s taking a huge risk with Gregory’s life. What if we

couldn’t catch her and she hurt Gregory…or worse?”

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“Something about all this doesn’t add up,” Tony commented. When Pete turned to look

at his mate, he was chewing on his bottom lip, his eyebrows drawn closely together.

“What do you mean?” Pete asked. “What doesn’t add up?”

“Well, for a start, the attacks seem to be random.”

Everyone shook their heads, but it was Kelan who spoke up. “Gregory said Evelyn

probably got hold of the case files on Dean’s death and his entire operation. She knows each

and every one of us had a hand in trying to catch Dean, even if we weren’t personally

responsible for killing him. That explains why she’s targeting each of us.”

“But that’s just the point,” Tony remarked. “She isn’t.”

They all looked on in confusion. “Of course she is,” Jared said. “She hit each of our

houses.”

“No, she didn’t,” Pete argued, catching on to his mate’s idea. “She hit Kelan’s house

and yours, but she didn’t touch mine, she blew up the bar instead.”

Tony nodded. “And Pete wasn’t anywhere near the bar at the time. If she’d have been

watching she’d have known he wasn’t there, so why do it? The same goes for Kelan’s ranch.

He wasn’t home either.”

“It’s a good point,” Kelan agreed. “But the problem is this woman isn’t exactly stable.

We have no idea what’s going on in her head right now. She might have burned down my

house in the hope of killing someone close to me, knowing how that would make me suffer.

All of Jared’s family were at home when she started the fire at his place. It wouldn’t be

inconceivable that she hit Jessie’s because it was where Pete spent a lot of his time. He had

friends there, people he cared about. Pete wasn’t mated at the time so maybe she thought

that would be the best way to hurt him.”

“I have to agree with Kelan,” Nate said gruffly. “I don’t think she meant to kill any of

us…at least, not yet. It’s like she wants to prolong our suffering, the same way she’s suffered.

I think she’s playing with us—showing us what’s she’s capable of. Could be she’s only just

getting started.”

“But why hasn’t she done anything to Gregory?” Tony asked. “Especially if he’s the one

she wants to get back at most of all.”

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“Don’t you see?” Jared said. “She’s taking her time. What better way to make Gregory

suffer than to leave him until last. To hurt all his friends and let him know that he and his

mate are next. She’s saving the best till last.”

“And Gregory took Hayden to a motel as soon as he suspected who might be behind

everything, so it could be that she simply can’t find him,” Kelan said. “That would have to

make her frustrated. Maybe that’s why she’s taking her anger out on us.”

Pete shivered and Tony moved a little closer to his side. He snaked an arm around his

mate’s waist and pulled him closer still. “I think after everything that has happened we’re all

going to have to be more on our guard. She’s not going to get near any of us from now on

without one hell of a fight on her hands.”

“You got that right,” Nate replied. “I’ll kill the bitch with my bare hands if she comes

near my family again.”

“Have you got somewhere to stay?” Kelan asked.

Jared sighed and shook his head. “Hadn’t even thought about it. Guess we’ll have to get

a room at Marnie’s Guesthouse until we can get the house fixed up.” He sighed and rested

his head against Nate’s chest.

Pete felt bad for them. Jared and Hayden had only recently moved into the house after a

period of staying at the guesthouse and were just getting settled in. The farmhouse they’d

moved into was where Nate had grown up, so it had to be painful for him to see it burn to

the ground. And for Tristan to get hurt on top of all that…

“Excuse me, Sheriff Ambrose?” They each turned to see the doctor walking towards

them.

“Yes,” Jared replied. “What’s wrong? Is Tristan okay?”

“He’s fine,” the doctor said. “Or at least he will be. We’ve finished treating his wounds

and he’s already started to heal from them. But it will probably take a few weeks until he’s

fully recovered. You can go in and see him now.”

Jared looked up at Nate with something bordering on panic. “Can my partner come in

with me?”

The doctor nodded. “Yes, but Tristan needs rest to help with his healing. Try not to

keep him awake for too long, okay?”

Jared nodded. “Thank you, Doctor.”

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“Tell him we’re asking about him,” Pete said.

“Will do.”

“If Tristan remembers anything from last night, however insignificant, can you let me

know?” Kelan asked. “We need all the help we can get.”

“Of course,” Jared replied. “Thanks for coming over. We’ll see you all later.”

They watched Jared and Nate follow the doctor down the corridor until they

disappeared into a room on the right. Pete shook his head, feeling the stress of the explosion,

the fires and the lack of sleep all starting to catch up with him.

“I doubt the doctor will let us go in and see Tristan now, and I don’t think Tristan

would want anyone in with him but his immediate family,” Pete reasoned. “It would be

better to come back when he’s had a chance to heal some.”

Kelan nodded. “Yeah. Just wanted to see how they were all doing and find out if any of

them learned anything last night. There’s not much else we can do. Just as well go home and

catch up later for the meeting.”

Pete nodded and they made their way out to the parking lot together. “Take care of

yourself, Kelan.”

A small smile ghosted over Kelan’s lips. “You too. And take care of that mate of yours,”

he said, patting Tony on the arm. “And try and get some sleep in. I’ve a feeling we’re all

going to need the rest.”

“And are you planning on taking your own advice?” Tony asked. “You look worn out.”

It was rare for Kelan to admit to any weakness, and this time was no exception. He put

on his cowboy hat, pulling it low to shield his eyes. “I’m doing okay, be better after a few

hours’ shuteye. Oh, and Pete…Tony? I should have said this earlier, but congratulations. I’m

real happy you found each other.”

Pete’s chest filled with pride when he glanced at his mate. He couldn’t help but agree.

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Chapter Five

On the drive back from the hospital Tony thought a lot about his relationship with Pete

and where it was heading. It was incredibly sudden to want to commit the rest of his life to

Pete, he realised that, but the more time he spent with him, the more he believed that maybe

they were meant for one another after all. Being with Pete felt right, natural—not something

he had to work at. He was comfortable and at ease in Pete’s presence. To promise to spend

forever with this man was a huge step, but to take that step was less daunting than it had

first seemed.

He had a feeling he and Pete could be good together. The perfect fit. Seeing Jared and

Nate together and so very clearly in love made Tony wish for the same thing. And here was a

man that was offering him just that. A life together and a future—a family. Tony craved

that—his own parents had passed away and he didn’t have any siblings. He was tired of

being all alone in the world.

There was no doubt in Tony’s mind that he could fall in love with Pete. He’d only

known him for a very short time and already he didn’t want to be separated from him. How

would he feel about him in a couple of months or a few years down the line? He wanted to

find out. And that told him all he needed to know.

“You wanna try to get some rest?” Pete asked when he pulled up outside his house and

cut the engine. “You must be exhausted.”

“Don’t know if I could sleep now, to be honest. Guess I’m overtired. Uh, there is

something I’d like, though.”

“Name it.”

“I’d really like to see you in your wolf form.”

Pete grinned. “Oh, yeah… I never did get to show you, did I? Okay, we can do that.”

Tony followed Pete up the path to the house, but they didn’t stop at the front door.

They continued around the side of the building until they reached a large yard at the back

that was fenced off on all sides. Pete closed the side gate behind him, shutting them inside.

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“We can do it here in the yard,” Pete suggested. “It’s quiet and not overlooked so we

won’t be disturbed.”

Tony nodded and chewed on his lip in anticipation while Pete led the way to a grassy

area then started to undress.

“I get disorientated when I first shift, so just give me a couple of minutes to get my

brain in gear, okay? Don’t make any sudden movements.”

Tony’s head snapped up at that remark. “What? You mean you could hurt me in your

wolf form?”

“Not intentionally.” Pete sighed. “It’s a difficult thing to explain, but my wolf and I are

basically linked. Joined or…interchangeable, I guess you could say. When I’m human, he’s

still a part of me, but kind of in the background, almost like a subconscious mind. I can sense

his emotions, but they’re not overpowering. Sometimes he’s closer to the surface and can

control my reactions and thought processes. When I’m a wolf, I guess you could say all that’s

reversed. I have the same mind, but my wolf is in control then, and my sense—or my human

logic—takes a back step. I work on more…base instinct. But rest assured, neither one of us

would ever hurt our mate. Right after the shift my wolf can be confused. It might take him a

minute to recognise you. Just wait for my wolf to come to you.”

Tony’s heart started hammering in his chest. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after

all. Maybe they should wait until they knew each other better, until Pete’s wolf knew him

better.

“Relax, Tony. I can sense your worry, but it will be fine, I promise. And for what it’s

worth, my wolf can’t wait to meet you.”

“He can’t?”

“He’s been closer to the surface since we met. You remember when you saw my eyes

and teeth shifted?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that was because my wolf recognised you and wanted to be set free, so he could

spend time with you, too.”

“Wow, this is a lot to take in. I don’t know…”

“Do you trust me?” Pete asked.

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Tony nodded. He didn’t even have to think about the question. The answer came easily.

“Yes, I trust you.”

“Then believe me when I say you have nothing to worry about.”

Tony took a deep breath, his mind made up. “Okay.”

Pete seemed satisfied with his reply. He lifted his hand and cupped Tony’s cheek,

planting a soft kiss on his lips. Tony’s breath hitched. He tried not to watch as Pete removed

his clothes, but he really couldn’t help the way his gaze fell upon Pete’s muscular chest and

firm, defined stomach, the treasure trail of hair leading down to…

“Shall I get a ball or a stick or something?” Tony tore his eyes away from Pete’s

incredible body. He was getting hard and needed the distraction.

“Huh?”

“You know, something for you to fetch.”

Pete’s mouth fell open and his eyes widened. He didn’t say anything for the longest

moment. Then he threw his head back and laughed hard. “Uh no, Tony, you might do that

for a dog, but I’m a wolf. We don’t run after balls or sticks—rabbits, on the other hand…”

Tony could feel the heat of a blush spreading across his cheeks. “Uh, right, sorry.”

Pete shrugged then pulled off his pants. “You might want to sit down for this—you’ll

be less of a threat to my wolf that way. And don’t make eye contact until he recognises you,

okay? Most wolves see that as a form of challenge.”

Tony nodded and sat on the grass cross-legged, trying to remember everything Pete

had told him. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Pete got down on all fours and flashed Tony a heart-stopping smile before dropping his

head and eyeing the ground. Tony was nervous, but he didn’t take his eyes off Pete’s body

when the air around it started to shimmer. Right before his eyes, Pete began the

transformation into a wolf. It was an incredible sight, one that stole Tony’s breath.

Every bone seemed to change, to lengthen and realign to take on the form of a wolf.

Tawny-coloured fur sprouted from every part of Pete’s body and his jaw lengthened until it

resembled a muzzle. A long, thick tail grew seemingly from nowhere and Pete’s hands and

feet became huge paws, the claws on each looking lethal. It was an impressive sight, though

terrifying at the same time. Tony could do nothing but stare until the magnificent wolf shook

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out his fur then lifted his nose and scented the air. He spun around and bared his teeth, a low

growl rumbling in his throat.

Tony froze. Remembering what Pete had told him about eye contact, he lowered his

gaze to stare at the ground. The growling continued for a few seconds then the wolf took a

step closer and Tony forgot how to breathe. Every instinct told him to run from this

dangerous predator, but he knew there would be no point. He wouldn’t make it five feet.

Any sudden movements and the wolf would pounce…just as Pete had warned him.

The seconds ticked on until the wolf’s growls ended then he let out a low-pitched

whine. Tony lifted his head very slowly and before his gaze reached the wolf’s face, he

pounced.

“Oof!” Pete’s wolf barrelled into him, knocking him backwards until he was flat on his

back. The gigantic creature placed a huge paw on either side of his head and began licking

his face with fervour.

“Hey! That tickles!” Tony complained.

The wolf whined then stepped to the side, pushing his head into one of Tony’s hands.

Tentatively, Tony reached up with his fingers and ran them through the surprisingly soft fur

on the wolf’s head. He basked in the attention, rubbing his head and neck all over Tony,

bathing him in his scent. Tony couldn’t help but chuckle as he scratched the wolf behind his

ears and a low rumble began in his chest. He nipped Tony’s hand, not hard enough to break

the skin or hurt, then barrelled off to the other side of the yard, stopping halfway and looking

over his shoulder to see if Tony was following him.

Tony shook his head, smiling wryly. “Why do I get the feeling a stick or a ball would be

good about now?”

For the next thirty minutes they chased each other around the yard. Pete’s wolf was

incredibly fast and delighted in catching Tony, sending him crashing to the ground where

they rolled around in the dry, yellowing grass. Tony spent the entire time laughing. He

couldn’t remember when he’d last had so much fun or felt so happy. The experience made

him feel closer to Pete and made him want a permanent relationship with him even more.

Why was he even trying to fight it? He couldn’t remember his reasons anymore.

* * * *

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“Do you want to try and get some sleep now before we have to go over to Kelan’s

later?” Pete asked as they stepped through the back door into the kitchen.

Tony shook his head. “It’s nearly nine now. I’m afraid if I fell asleep I wouldn’t get back

up. Think I’ll just relax for a few hours.”

“Sure thing. How about a couple of gallons of coffee to keep us firing on all cylinders

then?”

Tony chuckled. “Yeah, sounds great. Pete?”

Pete stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Uh, that was really incredible. Thank you for introducing me to your wolf. He’s

beautiful. I…” Tony laughed. “I really don’t have the words to describe it.”

Pete shrugged. “He was happy to meet you, too. Can’t tell you how relaxed I feel now?

It’s as though my wolf has been anxious since we met, but he’s quiet inside me now—

content.”

Tony smiled shyly. “I’m glad.”

He followed Pete through to the kitchen and took a seat at the table, watching Pete as

he worked. He couldn’t help the way his gaze lowered to Pete’s firm ass and the thick thighs

of his long legs, encased in tight blue denim. Then he remembered how good those thighs

and legs had looked naked. Had it been only the night before when they’d showered

together? Pete was the stuff of fantasies. The perfect cowboy. It wasn’t long before Tony’s

thoughts drifted to visions of Pete in a pair of leather chaps. What would he look like on a

horse? Maybe Pete would teach him to ride one day.

As soon as the thought struck him, Tony realised he needed to make a decision about

what he was going to do next. He’d already told Pete he’d like to give their relationship a go,

but there were so many things to consider. There was his apartment back in New York, his

job. He’d been lucky to get an extra couple of weeks’ vacation, but his boss wasn’t likely to

extend that any further, and if he didn’t plan on staying in the position he’d have to hand in

his resignation. But then what would he do? It felt too presumptuous to just assume he could

stay with Pete. And he didn’t know how he felt about moving in with him so soon anyway.

Beginning a relationship was one thing, but moving in together after only having known one

another for a couple of days was another thing entirely. Maybe he could find a small place to

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rent in Wolf Creek until they’d spent some more time together or maybe he could stay at the

guesthouse…

“Hey, what’s got your brow in such a knot?” Pete asked, soothing away the lines on

Tony’s forehead with his fingers. He placed a mug of steaming hot coffee on the table in front

of him.

“Just thinking on some things,” Tony replied. “You know…my job, my life back in New

York.”

Pete’s entire body stiffened and the easy smile left his lips. “Have you changed your

mind about us?”

“No. No, it’s nothing like that. It was just, well…” Tony sighed and raked a hand

through his hair. “I have to think about what to do about my apartment if I’m going to be

moving here to Texas and…”

“You’d move here?” Pete asked in surprise.

Tony drew his eyebrows together. “Well…yeah. I mean, I thought that’s what you

wanted.” Oh God. Tony felt his face fill with heat. Maybe Pete hadn’t wanted that at all.

Perhaps he’d had some sort of long distance relationship in mind or…

“It is,” Pete said, his face breaking out into the widest smile Tony had seen on the man

yet. “It’s exactly what I want. I just didn’t think it was what you wanted. I was prepared to

come and live in New York.”

Tony’s mouth hung open. “You would have done that for me?”

“Of course,” Pete replied easily. “You’re my mate. I’d do anything for you. I’d follow

you to the ends of the earth if I had to.”

Tony’s words caught in his throat as he stared up into Pete’s beautiful hazel eyes. There

wasn’t a single thing he could have said that would best that so he didn’t say anything at all.

Instead, he reached up with both hands, grabbed hold of Pete’s face and dragged him down

for a kiss. Pete came willingly and when their lips touched, a fire ignited in Tony’s stomach

that he never wanted to go out.

Pete traced the seam of his lips with his tongue then slipped it inside his mouth. The

small moan that escaped his throat was swallowed by the kiss. He fisted his hands in Pete’s

hair and held him in place while their mouths devoured each other hungrily. All too soon

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Pete pulled back, his chest rising and falling rapidly, and he rested his forehead against

Tony’s.

“We’d better stop now before this goes too far,” he said breathlessly.

“What if I want it to go too far?” Tony asked, staring into Pete’s eyes. “What if I want to

taste you and feel you sliding in and out of—”

Tony didn’t get any further. His words were cut off by Pete’s mouth as it crushed

against his, almost bruisingly. Teeth clashed and tongues duelled, then Tony was being lifted

from the chair and pulled against Pete, their hard cocks pressed together between their

bodies.

“I want you,” Tony managed to gasp out between heated kisses. “God, I want you so

much. I want you to fuck me.”

Coffee long forgotten, Pete grabbed Tony’s hand and pulled him from the room. He led

them through the hall and upstairs to his bedroom. As soon as they got through the door,

Tony’s mouth was taken again and the possession in the kiss sent a shiver of excitement

racing down his spine. He hissed when he felt Pete’s hands on his cock, kneading him

through the thick material of his jeans. Desperately they ripped at each other’s clothing and,

when they finally managed to remove their T-shirts, they pressed their bare chests together,

nipples hardening when their overheated skin came into contact. Mouths fused together

again, Pete slid his hands down Tony’s back until they reached his ass and he squeezed.

“Need you naked,” Pete mumbled into Tony’s mouth. “Can’t wait.”

When they separated to remove their jeans, Tony saw that Pete’s eyes had shifted to

their wolf form. He let out a low moan. He felt desperate for Pete. He couldn’t understand it

but in some primal way he felt as though he wanted to be claimed by the man. Where the

hell had that come from? He kicked off his shoes quickly, but wasn’t having as much luck

with the jeans. His shaky hands fumbled with the button and zipper and he cursed under his

breath.

Pete chuckled. “Let me help.” He tore at the button, plunging his hands into Tony’s

briefs to wrap around his cock before Tony had even nodded his agreement.

He threw his head back and cried out as Pete’s hand fisted his cock firmly, jacking him

with growing speed and intensity. He wanted to tell Pete to stop, to slow down, but when

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their mouths met again, his brain short-circuited. Besides, he didn’t want Pete to stop. It felt

too good.

Pete pulled Tony’s jeans down his hips while he continued to stroke his cock and Tony

couldn’t help the way he thrust his pelvis forward, fucking himself into Pete’s fist. But then

Pete removed his hand and another whimper escaped through Tony’s lips.

“Please…” he heard himself beg.

Pete growled and walked around to the nightstand, pulling out a bottle of lube from

one of the drawers. “Get on the bed.”

Tony rushed to comply. He pulled his jeans the rest of the way off, his socks coming

with them, and climbed on, kneeling in front of Pete. With the man’s cock right in front of his

face, he couldn’t resist bending slightly and running his tongue up the length. One of Pete’s

hands was fisted in his hair, the other slid back the foreskin of his cock and held it to Tony’s

open mouth, tapping against his lips.

“Suck me,” Pete ordered.

Tony didn’t hesitate to obey. Tongue pressed against his bottom lip, he opened his

mouth wider and took Pete’s cock inside, sucking on it greedily. Pete moaned and tightened

the hand in Tony’s hair almost to the point of pain. He grabbed hold of Pete’s hips and

bobbed his head, pulling Pete further into his mouth and encouraging him to thrust his hips.

Pete rocked into his mouth, slowly at first, but then his movements got faster, harder, until

he was fucking into Tony’s mouth without restraint. Pete tasted incredible. Jesus, Tony could

suck him all day.

A strangled moan escaped Tony’s throat when Pete pulled out of his mouth, pushing

him by the shoulders to lie down on the bed. No sooner had his head touched the pillow

than Pete was on top of him, delving into his mouth with his tongue while his hips thrust

against Tony’s. It felt as though his hands were touching him everywhere and burning into

his skin like a brand. When their mouths separated, Pete kissed his way down Tony’s jaw,

snaking his tongue out and dragging it across the stubble on his chin before licking a path

down his throat. Tony shivered.

“Why do I want you to bite me?” he blurted when Pete’s teeth grazed along the vein in

his neck. The indefinable need for Pete to sink his teeth into Tony’s neck seemed to come out

of nowhere, but Tony needed it like he needed air.

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“Jesus,” Pete breathed against his ear. “It’s natural to want that. It’s how wolves claim

their mates, but I didn’t know if you’d feel the need for it, too.”

Tony groaned, arched his back and thrust his cock up, desperately grinding against

Pete, their already sweat-soaked bodies easing the way. “I think I want that,” he said. “I

think I need it.”

Pete pulled back then, hovering above Tony’s face and meeting his gaze. The intensity

and need burning in his eyes was something that couldn’t be faked.

“If I bite you, it can’t be undone,” Pete said. “You’ll belong to me forever. You’ll be

mine.”

Instead of causing him to panic as he might have thought, Pete’s explanation excited

Tony. “I already am yours,” Tony said with conviction. “Please.”

Pete ran his fingers gently over Tony’s cheek, his eyes filled with warmth and affection.

He pressed a whisper of a kiss against his lips. “I’ll bite you when I fuck you,” he breathed.

“Would you like that?”

Tony nodded and thrust his hips again. “Then you’d better hurry up and fuck me.”

Pete responded to the challenge in those words by grabbing hold of Tony’s legs and

pushing them back against his chest, leaving Tony no choice but to hold them in place. The

position left him exposed and when Pete’s tongue pressed against his entrance Tony cried

out in surprise.

“Yes,” he hissed. “Hurry, Pete, please.”

Pete ignored his plea, raking his tongue back and forth before pressing it against his

hole, pushing the tip inside. Tony was dimly aware of Pete reaching out and grabbing

something from the nightstand and when he heard the pop of a lid opening, he clenched his

muscles in anticipation. The sounds—of their breathing, the creaks of the bed and the

squeeze of the bottle—filled Tony’s ears and he delighted in them. Then Pete’s tongue left his

ass only to be replaced by a cold, lube-covered finger that was pushed inside him without

preamble. He choked out a sob, his breath leaving his lungs in a loud exhale while his body

tried to accommodate the incredible intrusion.

When his muscles relaxed, the slight burn disappeared and he rocked his hips, trying to

get Pete’s finger deeper inside him, where he needed it most. Pete seemed to know exactly

what it was he wanted because, after a few strokes in and out of his ass, he curled his finger

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and brushed against Tony’s prostate, causing a rush of sensations that spread through his

groin and travelled up his spine. The noise that escaped his mouth was unlike any sound

he’d heard himself make. It was filled with need and want—a desperate sound that he hadn’t

known he was capable of.

When Pete’s finger withdrew from his ass, he whimpered and lifted his hips trying to

get it back inside. He didn’t have to wait long. The delicious stretch soon returned when Pete

pushed not one, but two fingers into him. Tony was so excited, so desperate and needy that

he barely felt the extra thickness. His muscles stretched to accommodate then clamped down,

trying to keep the fingers inside him. But it wasn’t enough.

“Please, Pete…please fuck me. I need it.” He’d never begged for it before, but he didn’t

care with Pete—it felt right and he’d go on begging until he got what he so desperately

needed.

Pete removed his fingers and knelt on the bed, squeezing copious amounts of lube onto

his length and spreading it around. Tony watched, chewing on his bottom lip to stop himself

from haranguing Pete to take him. Just when he thought he was about to explode from the

agony of the wait, Pete took hold of his cock and pressed it against his ass. When he met

Tony’s gaze, his jaw was tight, his face a picture of concentration.

“Ready?” Pete asked.

Ready? Any more ready and he’d be shooting all over himself. Tony didn’t reply with

words, instead he grabbed Pete’s legs, pushed his hips up and let out a moan as he impaled

himself on Pete’s cock.

“Oh shit,” Pete groaned, and closed his eyes. “Jesus, don’t move.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Tony clung to his legs, holding on tight and using all his

willpower to stop from pushing up and trying to get more of Pete’s length inside him. He

couldn’t believe how stretched he felt, how good it was to have Pete’s bare cock inside him.

Pete laughed breathlessly then stilled again. “Christ, don’t make me laugh, I’m serious,”

he said slapping Tony’s thigh. “Not unless you want it to be over in two seconds.”

“We could always go again.” Tony grinned wickedly, raising his brows, and Pete

chuckled.

“Oh, I intend to,” he said then he thrust the rest of the way inside until his pelvis was

pressed tightly against Tony’s ass.

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“Oh fuck,” they said in unison.

After only a few seconds, the need to move became too much for them both and Tony

gasped in delight when Pete pulled nearly all of the way out before thrusting back inside.

Pete grabbed hold of Tony’s legs and leant forward, using the slight change in angle to drive

in deeper. They fucked like that for several minutes until they were both panting, sweat

dripping from their bodies, then Pete released Tony’s legs and lowered them. Tony wrapped

them around Pete’s waist and dragged him down for a mind-numbing kiss. Pete’s tongue

was thrust into his mouth in time with his cock plunging in and out of his ass, jabbing

against his prostate with every pass.

Pete rested an elbow on the pillow near Tony’s head, using it to prop himself up. With

his other hand, he grabbed hold of Tony’s cock and began to stroke.

“Pete, please!” Tony begged again desperately.

“What do you want?” Pete all but growled into his ear as he continued to fist Tony’s

cock and then he scraped his teeth along the vein in Tony’s neck.

“Please!”

Pete let out a low growl and then he sank his teeth into Tony’s neck. It was too much for

Tony. The combination of Pete’s cock in his ass, nudging against his gland, the hand stroking

his own cock roughly, and the pleasure-pain of the bite, sent Tony over the edge and he cried

out when his orgasm hit him full force. His cock spurted out his release as he bucked and

trembled, his ass clamping down on Pete’s cock like a vice. Sometime during his release, he

was aware of Pete pulling his teeth from his neck then calling out his name as his ass was

flooded with spurt after spurt of wet heat.

Pete collapsed on top of him and Tony wrapped his arms around his sweat-soaked back

while he tried to catch his breath. He’d never felt more sated, never felt more alive and he

couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this happy or so completely at peace. Pete lifted

most of his weight from Tony’s body and slid to the side, his arm draped over Tony’s chest,

their legs tangled together.

“You’re mine now,” Pete said quietly.

Tony smiled and stroked his fingers lazily over Pete’s chest. “Was there ever any

doubt?”

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He felt Pete shrug against his shoulder. “I don’t know. You had me worried for a while.

I wasn’t sure if you could accept me, accept what I am.”

Tony turned into Pete’s embrace and slid his fingers through his hair. “I accept you. I

accept what you are and I promise you’ll never have to doubt it again.” He leaned in close

and whispered into Pete’s ear, “We’re mates.”

“Mates,” Pete repeated back to him, letting out a happy sigh and then snuggling closer.

“Mine.”

Tony closed his eyes and let the words permeate. He was Pete’s, and Pete was his, and

he knew that nothing would ever change that. Nothing would ever come between them.

They belonged to each other. It was destiny. Fate.

* * * *

A persistent ringing noise yanked Pete out of his peaceful slumber and it took him a

few seconds to shake off the last of the sleep and open his eyes. Movement in the bed next to

him made him jump then he heard Tony’s sleep-roughened voice.

“Whatstha…?” Tony mumbled.

Pete grinned. Seemed he hadn’t been the only one enjoying a nap. When his eyes were

open fully he tried to focus on his watch. “Oh shit!” he exclaimed, sitting up quickly. “Tony,

get up, we’re late!”

“Hmm?”

“We’re twenty minutes late for the meeting at Kelan’s. I think he’s been trying to call.

Shit, he’ll worry that something has happened to us.”

Pete dived out of bed, grabbed his jeans from the bedroom floor and pulled his cell

from one of the pockets. There were four missed calls. All from Kelan. Tony sat up in bed

and yawned.

“Did he call?”

Pete nodded as he dialled Kelan’s cell then held the phone to his ear. “Four times.”

“Pete?”

“Kelan. Jesus, man, I’m sorry. We fell asleep. Didn’t intend to worry you.”

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“Listen, Pete, there’s been a change of plan. We’ve called the meeting off. Gregory got

some information back from the council.”

Pete heard a horn honking in the background. “What information? Are you in your

truck?”

“Yes. Evelyn has family in the area so I’m heading over there now. Can you meet me?

Gregory’s on his way, too, but I don’t think he’ll get to town before I get to the house.”

“Uh, yeah, of course. Where are you heading?”

“Do you know Marie Armstrong, owns the convenience store in town? Her son Seth

works for the sheriff’s department.”

“Yeah, I know the family,” Pete said. “Didn’t her husband just go into a nursing

home?”

“Yeah, well, it turns out Evelyn is Marie’s sister.”

“Seriously?”

“You know where they live?”

“No. Can you text me the address? I’ll be on my way in five minutes, as soon as I’m

dressed.”

“I’ll do that. I’ve got Stefan with me, but I don’t know what we’ll find when we get

there, so I think it would be better if there were a few of us. Jared and Nate are still at the

hospital and Deputy Clark is out on a call. If Gregory hasn’t made it there before you, I’ll

wait for you in my truck down the street from the house, okay?”

“Sure thing. See you soon.”

Tony had already got dressed by the time Pete hung up the call. “They find out where

she’s been hiding?”

“Yeah, she has family in town. We’re gonna go pick her up.”

A deep frown creased Tony’s forehead then he shook his head. “I don’t like it.”

“What?”

“This woman is dangerous. Why do you have to go?”

“Because,” Pete said, pulling on his jeans, “Kelan is the alpha here in Wolf Creek. It’s

his job to deal with any shifter problems in town. And I’m his beta. It’s my job to help him

when he needs it.”

Tony’s frown deepened. “I didn’t understand a word you just said.”

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Pete grinned. “Christ, I keep forgetting how little you know about wolves. I’ll explain

everything later, but right now I really have to go and help Kelan.”

“I’ll come too,” Tony said.

“The hell you will!”

“What? Look, I don’t know what you think of me exactly, but I’m not some pathetic

weakling, okay? I know how to take care of myself.”

“I don’t doubt that, Tony, but we’re talking about shifters here. Do you really think you

can protect yourself from a fully shifted wolf? It’s not the same as getting into a fight with a

human. We’re strong and we have weapons.”

“Weapons?” Tony asked. The confusion on his face was evident.

Pete shifted his hand into a claw and Tony gasped.

“Jesus,” he whispered.

“We can partially shift without being in wolf form,” Pete said. “You have to understand

that shifters are dangerous to humans and this woman is out for revenge. She’d think

nothing of hurting you. She’d enjoy it, no doubt.”

Tony was still staring at Pete’s hand when he shifted it back to its human form.

“We’ll have a long talk about everything when I get back, but can you please just stay

here? I can’t risk anything happening to you when we find this woman.”

Tony sighed. “Okay, fine, but can you promise me one thing?”

“Anything,” Pete said with conviction.

“Promise me that you’ll be careful.”

Pete pulled a shirt over his head then crossed the room and took Tony’s jaw in his hand.

“That I can promise you,” he said then he pressed their lips together gently.

“Now I need you to promise me something,” Pete said when he pulled back.

“Okay.”

“Promise me you won’t open the door to anyone while I’m gone. Now before you say

anything, I know how that sounds and I promise you I’m not treating you like a child, but I

won’t be able to stop worrying about you until we’ve caught this woman.”

Tony smiled. “I like that you worry about me and I promise I won’t answer the door,

okay?”

Pete chuckled. “That’s good enough for me.”

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* * * *

Tony took a shower after Pete left to meet with Kelan. He stood under the spray for a

while, letting the hot water soothe the stress out of his muscles. His stomach was in knots. He

hadn’t revealed to Pete just how worried he was because he knew Pete would have enough

on his mind, but he was terrified something bad would happen and he’d never get to see him

again. He knew he wouldn’t be able to cope with that. It was incredible how important Pete

had become to him in just a couple of days. When he’d returned to Wolf Creek, the last thing

he’d expected was to meet the person he would spend the rest of his life with. Just a few

short weeks ago that thought would have seemed ridiculous, but now he couldn’t think of

anything he wanted more.

He roughly towel-dried his hair and body after he climbed out of the tub then pulled on

some clean clothes before heading downstairs to put on a pot of coffee. He’d just sat down at

the table with the cup raised to his lips when there was a knock on the front door. He

practically jumped out of his seat and spilled coffee all over himself.

“Jesus!” he hissed and put the mug down, shaking the hot liquid off his hands. He

stared at the kitchen door and worried his bottom lip.

What the hell was he going to do now? He got up from the chair and tiptoed through

the hall. There was no spy hole in the front door so Tony slipped into the living room and

peeked through the small gap in the drapes. Jake was stood on the porch, his hands shoved

into his pockets. Tony let out a long sigh and went out to answer the door. Jake grinned at

him as he pulled it open, then turned and waved. When Tony looked past him he could see

Cody pulling away from the kerb.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, moving aside to let Jake in.

“Charming,” Jake replied. “Thought you would have missed this gorgeous face of

mine.”

Tony snorted and led the way into the kitchen. “Get over yourself.”

Jake grinned and took a seat at the table. “Kelan told me he was getting Pete to meet

him at Seth’s, so I asked Cody to drop me here. But, if you don’t want the company…”

Tony chuckled and poured Jake a cup of coffee. “I appreciate the gesture.”

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“Well.” Jake leant forward in his chair. “Spill it!”

“Huh?”

“Oh for God’s sake,” Jake said with a roll of his eyes. “Details. I want details. How are

you and Pete getting along?”

Tony couldn’t hold back the grin.

“I knew it!” Jake exclaimed. “Did he claim you?”

Heat flooded Tony’s cheeks when he thought back to their lovemaking just a few hours

before and the bite that had cemented their bond. “I am not answering that.”

Jake’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “So that’s a yes. What are you going to do now? You

moving here or is Pete going with you to New York?”

Tony placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of Jake then sat down next to him.

“How come you didn’t tell me about any of this, Jake? Didn’t you trust me?”

Jake placed his hands around the cup and sighed. “I dated a shifter back in college. He,

uh… He broke my heart,” he said with a shrug. “Just wanted to forget about him, I guess,

and, even though he hurt me, I’d made a promise to never tell anyone his secret, so I didn’t.

Apart from Kelan, of course, and now you, but it’s different now that you already know.

Besides, would you have believed something like that?”

Tony grinned and shook his head. “No. I probably would have talked you into having

yourself committed.”

Jake barked out a laugh. “Then it’s a good thing I know how to keep my mouth shut,

isn’t it?”

“Guess so.”

“You didn’t answer my question. I know that wolves would do just about anything to

be with their mate, but Pete doesn’t strike me as the type of person that could be happy

living somewhere like New York.”

“He doesn’t have to. I’m going to move here.”

“Really? I mean, that’s great and all—I’ve missed you, buddy—but somehow I can’t

picture you living in a small town like Wolf Creek.”

“Why not?”

Jake shrugged. “Always figured you liked the bright lights and buzz of the city.”

“Yeah, well, a year ago I would have said the same thing about you.”

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Jake nodded. “I can’t argue with that. You know it’s funny. I used to think I had a good

life back in New York. I loved my job, I loved the clubs, the money, my apartment, but until I

met Kelan I never realised how shallow my life was—how empty.”

“You left out your delightful attitude,” Tony said. “I gotta say this, Jake. You were a

brat.”

Jake snorted. “Don’t sugar-coat it. I was an asshole.”

Tony’s mouth curved up into a smirk. “I guess it takes one to know one. Did some

things myself over the years I’m not proud of.”

Jake shook his head. “You were nothing like me. When I look back? I hate the person I’d

become. I had this superior attitude like I was better than everyone else. Treated people like

crap most of the time.” Jake met Tony’s gaze and held it. “I used people.”

“Please. You really want to get into a pissing contest about who was the bigger dick?”

“No. Because I’d win.”

Tony’s retort was silenced by a light tapping noise coming from the other room. “What

the hell was that?”

Jake frowned. “Sounded like someone rapping on the window.”

Tony’s eyes widened when the he heard the noise again, slightly louder than before.

“Oh shit.”

“Don’t panic, it’s probably nothing,” Jake said. “Maybe Cody came back.”

“He would have knocked on the door, surely.”

“Let’s go check it out.”

Tony got up and led the way through the hall. It was quiet again, but he had a bad

feeling about this. Jake walked to the front door and put his hand on the handle. Pete’s

earlier words came back to Tony. Don’t open the door.

“Jake, don’t,” Tony whispered. “What if it’s Evelyn?”

Jake’s face paled visibly and he snatched his hand away as though he’d been burnt.

“You don’t think…shit.”

Tony slipped into the living room and crept to the window, taking up his earlier

position. He steeled himself then peeked through the small gap in the drapes. He sucked in a

sharp breath when he came face to face with a tall, dark-haired woman. Her eyes were that of

a wolf. She was grinning, long, sharp-looking incisors visible between her lips. She lifted her

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hand, the fingers of which were shifted into claws, and used them to scrape down the glass.

The high, screeching sound sent shivers through Tony’s body. He glanced at her other hand

just in time to see her flick on a Zippo lighter and hold it to the window frame. The wood

must have been doused in some type of accelerant because it caught instantly and flames

spread around the window at an alarming pace.

“Oh shit, we’ve got to get out of here,” Tony said, a desperate edge to his voice. “The

house is on fire.”

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Chapter Six

Pete parked at the kerb then walked back a few yards to meet Kelan and Stefan, who

were getting out of their own truck.

“Gregory not arrived yet?” Pete asked.

Kelan shook his head. “Just got a text from him, he’s about fifteen minutes away.

Deputy Clark will be here as soon as he can, too.”

“So, we gonna to do this without them?”

“Yeah. Three of us should be enough to handle one woman, no matter how crazy she

is.”

“You think her sister and nephew are involved?”

“I hope not,” Kelan replied. “They’re a nice family and Seth is a good kid from what

I’ve seen. By the way, I just got a call from Jake. He’s on his way over to your place, to keep

Tony company while you’re gone.”

Pete raised his eyebrows at the news. He waited for the pang of jealousy that thoughts

of Jake normally produced but it didn’t come. Seems claiming Tony had eased the green-

eyed monster inside him. Or maybe it was that Tony had accepted their bond and promised

Pete ‘forever’. The thought caused a satisfying warmth in his chest. He couldn’t wait for this

ordeal to be over so that they could start their new life together.

“How’s Cody doing?” Pete asked Stefan.

“He’s doing okay. Actually seems to be handling all this better than anyone else,”

Stefan replied proudly. “But I always knew he was strong.”

“And Luke?”

“Luke’s not so good. Losing the house has hit him really hard. But Mark is looking after

him. Cary’s not taking it so well, either. Guess all this has brought back some painful

memories for him. Think the fire has reminded him of everything Gill put him through when

he was in New York.”

“At least he has Aaron now,” Pete reasoned.

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Stefan nodded. “Yeah. You know, I couldn’t ask for a better son-in-law than Cary.

They’re good for each other.”

“I suppose we’d better get this over with.” Pete sighed and looked back towards Seth’s

house, his eyebrows knitted together.

Kelan nodded. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

They were quiet as they made their way down the street. Pete hoped there wouldn’t be

any trouble when they found Evelyn. But he didn’t expect her to give herself up without a

fight. Not after everything she’d done.

“So, how are we going to handle this?” he asked. “We gonna just walk right up and

knock on the front door?”

Kelan shook his head. “Better if we have the element of surprise. We’ll go round back to

the yard. Might be able to see something through the window. Seth should be in work at this

time of day so that just leaves Evelyn and Marie at home.”

As they approached the house, an elderly woman in a blue floral dressing gown was

standing on the doorstep of the house next door. She stared at them all as they passed, before

walking down the steps to greet them.

“About time you all showed up,” she said, her face contorted into a scowl.

Pete glanced at Kelan and Stefan but they looked as confused as he felt. He scented the

air, surprised to discover the woman was human.

“Excuse me?” Kelan asked.

She frowned. “You’re not with the police department?”

“Uh, no, ma’am,” Kelan replied. “Is there a problem?”

“I should say so,” she replied. “Damn neighbours are at it again. I thought all the bother

there would be over now that they’ve gone and taken her husband away, but I guess some

folks were born to make trouble.”

Pete looked to the house then back to the woman. “What exactly has happened there,

ma’am?”

She shrugged. “Shouting, screaming, throwing things around. Damn noise is driving

me crazy.”

“Best if you go back inside your house and wait for the police, Mrs…”

“Delaney,” the woman offered.

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“Mrs Delaney,” Kelan repeated. “We wouldn’t want you to get caught up in anything.

We’ll go and check, make sure no one is hurt. We’re waiting for the sheriff ourselves, as it

happens.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line and gave a curt nod before traipsing back up the

path in her slippers.

“Jesus, we better get in there,” Pete said.

Kelan nodded. “I don’t like the sound of that. I hope Marie and Seth haven’t been hurt.”

They took the path that ran parallel with the drive and followed it around to the back of

the house. The side gate was unlocked and opened to the backyard. They crept around the

corner then edged along the wall, ducking below the first window they passed. Whatever

had gone on inside seemed to be over. There were no sounds from within. A few feet ahead

was a set of large patio doors that looked out onto the yard. Kelan took a peek inside.

“Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed. “Quick. Help.” He pulled on the door handle but it was

locked.

Pete stepped around Kelan and looked in through the window. He sucked in a sharp

breath at the scene inside. “Oh fuck.”

The doors looked in to a large dining room. It was a mess. Chairs were upended, the

large wooden table was on its side and Seth and his mother were lying on the floor in the far

side of the room in a pool of blood. They both looked to be unconscious…or worse.

“Step back, Pete,” Kelan instructed.

When he moved out of the way, Kelan threw a large rock through the glass in the door

then reached in to open the lock. Pete entered after Kelan and ran to Seth’s side to check his

pulse. Stefan did the same with Marie. Seth looked as though he’d taken a knock to the side

of the head and he had claw marks on his cheeks and neck.

“Seth is alive,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief. “But his pulse is weak.” He looked to

Stefan, but he shook his head, lips set in a tight line.

“Fuck. I’ll check the rest of the house for Evelyn,” Kelan said.

“I’ll come with you.” Pete stood up and started to follow. “You going to be okay here,

Stefan?”

He nodded. “I’ll call an ambulance.”

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Pete stepped over pots and broken plates as he followed Kelan through the kitchen and

out into the hall. A quick glance in the living room told them it was empty. So was the

downstairs bathroom. They raced up the stairs, but even before they checked each of the

bedrooms, Pete’s senses told him Evelyn wasn’t in the house.

“Jesus, we must have just missed her. Where the hell did she go?” Kelan asked.

Pete was about to answer when Stefan called out to them.

“Kelan! Pete! Get down here quick!”

When they got back to the kitchen Seth’s eyes were open, but he looked dazed and

weak. Stefan’s face was grim.

“Mates,” Seth croaked.

“What’s he talking about?” Pete asked.

Stefan met his gaze. “Evelyn said she’s going after the mates.”

The confusion that clouded Kelan’s eyes lifted at the same time that Pete realised the

implications.

“Go,” Stefan said. “I’ll take care of things here.”

Pete raced out of the door after Kelan. The idea that he’d left Tony alone and

unprotected made Pete feel sick to his stomach. If Evelyn had harmed a single hair on Tony’s

head, he’d kill her with his bare hands.

* * * *

“Get away from the window!” Jake shouted. “The glass might blow.”

Panic like nothing he’d ever experienced engulfed Tony, but he tried to swallow it

down. He followed Jake out into the hall, but he didn’t know which way to turn. And he

couldn’t get Evelyn’s creepy grin out of his mind. When Tony saw Pete’s eyes shifted it

excited him, but looking at that crazy woman’s eyes had left him chilled to the bone—

especially as he knew the things she was capable of. There hadn’t appeared to be a trace of

humanity in her eyes. Nothing but anger, bitterness and hatred.

“What the fuck are we going to do? If we stay in here, we’ll burn to death or die from

the smoke, but as soon as we go outside she’s got us. We’re screwed either way.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. Shit, let me think.”

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“We’re going to have to take our chances outside,” Tony said. “If we stay here, we’re

dead for sure.”

Jake nodded his agreement. “Do you know if Pete has a gun?”

“No, and we haven’t got time to look.”

“Come on, let’s try and get out the back way. We might be able to climb over the fence

in the yard and get away from her.”

Tony was doubtful, but he followed Jake into the kitchen. They’d made it halfway to the

back door when he heard the glass shatter in the window in the front room.

“Jesus, Jake, hurry!” Tony said, pushing his friend to move faster.

“Wait, we need some sort of weapon,” Jake said. “Get a knife.”

Tony grabbed the two largest knives from the block on the counter and handed one to

Jake. They’d just made it to the door when Evelyn’s face appeared in the window. When

Tony jumped back she began laughing hysterically.

“You didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?” she shouted. “I told Gregory

he was going to pay for killing my mate.”

“That didn’t have anything to do with us!” Jake tried to reason. But it was pointless. She

only laughed harder.

“They’re all to blame! And they’re all going to get what’s coming to them! And what

better way than to kill their mates, just as they killed mine.”

“The front way,” Tony said, dragging Jake away from the door. They ran back out into

the hall, but stopped short. The front door was covered in flames that had spread to the

surrounding walls. The heat was intense and smoke filled the small space quickly, making

Tony’s eyes sting. He began coughing when the smoke caught in his throat, burning as he

breathed in.

“Fuck!” he choked out.

“We’ll have to go past her,” Jake said. “Kill her if we have to.”

Tony swallowed down his despair and nodded. “Okay.” They didn’t have any other

choice.

They went back into the kitchen at the same time Evelyn came crashing through the

back door. Tony didn’t stop to think. He charged at her, the knife raised high in front of him.

But just as he brought it down to strike, she grabbed his arm and twisted it. Tony cried out.

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He heard the sickening noise of his bone snapping even over the noise of the fire. The knife

fell out of his hand.

Tony tried to fight her off, but his arm was in agony. The white-hot pain that seared

through him was so intense he was afraid he was going to pass out from it. Jake was trying to

fight her off, too, but she was strong and a back-hander that caught Jake in the face sent him

flying across the room. Tony bent down as if to pick up the knife and charged at her stomach

with his head. It caught her off guard and she fell backwards, surprised. He grabbed the

knife with his good arm at the same time Evelyn righted herself and came for him again. He

struck out and this time caught her across the chest, slicing deep. Blood pooled instantly

from the cut. Evelyn screamed and fell to the floor.

“Jake, come on!” Tony called.

Jake had got to his feet and made his way over. Evelyn was still on the floor clutching

her chest. The room was becoming unbearably hot. Tony could feel his back burning. The fire

had made it through the hall to the kitchen door and the heat was intense, the smoke thick,

clogging up his vision and starting another coughing fit.

“We need to get out of here!” Jake shouted, pulling on Tony’s arm.

Tony tried to step over Evelyn’s body, but she reached out and grabbed his leg before

he got away and yanked him back, causing him to stumble. Jake had already made it through

the door. Tony kicked out at Evelyn, trying to get her to release his foot, but she held on too

tightly. With a roar she tugged Tony’s broken arm and he cried out, falling to his knees

beside her.

The fire had made its way into the kitchen. The top of Tony’s head felt too hot and

when he looked up, he realised that flames were licking their way across the ceiling above

them. He tore his gaze away quickly, but not before he felt his eyes burning from the heat.

He heard the crash of wooden beams collapsing in the hall and realised they didn’t have long

before the house came down around them. Tony screamed out his frustration. He would not

die in here, not like this. The thought of never seeing Pete again sent a rush of panic through

his body and he closed his hands around Evelyn’s throat even though his right arm was

practically useless. Pain tore through the broken limb and a wave of nausea threatened his

nerve, but he held on as best he could.

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Jake had come back into the kitchen and was trying to pull him up. Evelyn was fighting

Tony off, her shifted hands clawing at his arms and chest. Each cut felt like a razor blade

slicing through his skin. When a beam near the door fell from the ceiling, Tony had no choice

but to let go of Evelyn and let Jake pull him back. She tried to roll out of the way but didn’t

make it in time and the wood struck her legs, trapping one of them underneath.

Jake helped pull Tony to his feet and dragged him out of the kitchen. They stumbled

out into the yard and Tony fell to his knees, coughing and spluttering for all he was worth.

His throat was raw, incredibly painful, scorched by the thick, acrid smoke. He tried to pull in

a lungful of clean air, but it didn’t ease his sore throat and the pain in his chest was intense.

His lungs must have been burnt.

“We can’t rest yet,” Jake said, his own voice sounding hoarse and scratchy. “We have to

get away from the house.”

Tony nodded and got to his feet, every muscle in his body protesting as he followed

Jake down the path that led to the front of the house. He was cradling his injured arm, but

every movement, no matter how slight, felt like a knife stabbing into his flesh. He looked

down at himself and realised his chest was covered in blood—his T-shirt torn to shreds,

scraps of it sticking to the angry wounds beneath.

Somehow he managed to make it around to the front, but by the time they got to the

sidewalk and far enough away from the burning house, Tony’s legs wouldn’t carry him any

farther and he collapsed to the ground in a heap. He was aware of Jake falling down beside

him moments later. He didn’t know how he was going to get back up, couldn’t even tell how

long he spent lying on the floor, the seconds and minutes seemed to drag on endlessly. There

was nothing but the pain that tore through every inch of his body, but the worst was his

throat and his chest. It hurt too much to breathe. What if he stopped? He wondered absently

how Pete would feel if he were to die. Would he grieve? How long would it take him to find

another mate?

He heard shouting, screaming, but the sounds were distant and he couldn’t raise his

head to see who was calling out his name. His eyes were stinging painfully. He’d just keep

them shut for a moment longer…

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“Tony!” Pete screamed out as he exited the truck and ran down the street past his

burning house to get to his mate. He didn’t care about the house. Tony was the only thing

that mattered. Kelan was keeping pace at his side and calling out to Jake, but neither man

was responding. They were both lying side by side on the ground.

As Pete got closer he could see the blood that covered Tony’s chest and that his arm

was laying at an unusual angle. It had to be broken. Tony’s eyes were closed. A sob tore from

Pete’s throat and angry tears pooled behind his eyes. Please let him be okay. When he reached

Tony, Pete came down hard on his knees beside him and checked his wrist for a pulse. He

was alive. Relief rushed through him, but then he took a good look at Tony and sucked in a

sharp breath. His chest was covered with deep gashes that were still oozing blood, but his

head… Pete couldn’t prevent the tears that fell from the corners of his eyes.

Patches of Tony’s hair were missing and there were blisters on his scalp. Even his

eyelashes looked singed.

“Tony, I’m here with you,” he sobbed, looking for an uninjured area where he could

touch his mate to reassure him. “You’re going to be okay.”

Tony made a low moaning sound, but he didn’t speak or open his eyes. Pete knew there

was only one thing that would help his mate to heal. He slid his hand around the back of

Tony’s neck and lifted him gently into a sitting position.

“Tony, you have to wake up for me, okay? I need you to drink something.”

Tony’s eyes flickered as though he was trying desperately to get them open, but it

required too much effort.

“Open your mouth for me,” Pete ordered.

Pete’s command must have got through to Tony because he slowly parted his lips and

his eyes flickered again, trying to open.

“That’s it,” Pete said. “That’s good.” His incisors lengthened and he bit into his wrist

until his blood started flowing then held it over Tony’s mouth, watching it trickle between

his lips.

Pete was dimly aware of Kelan talking to Jake, but he didn’t turn his head to look at

them. He couldn’t take his eyes off his mate.

This was his own fault. He should never have left Tony alone.

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“I need you to swallow for me, Tony,” Pete cajoled. “Please, babe, it will help you feel

better.”

He saw the small bob in Tony’s throat, but all too soon the wound on Pete’s wrist closed

up so he sank his teeth into it again, ignoring the sharp bite of pain, then returned it to

Tony’s mouth. When the second dose of blood poured between his lips and slipped down his

throat, Tony’s eyes flew open and he began coughing.

“Shh,” Pete soothed, rubbing circles on his back. “You’re okay, you’re going to be fine.”

He wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure Tony or himself. It was probably for them both.

When Tony stopped spluttering, his red-rimmed eyes met Pete’s. He tried to lift his

arm, but he cried out, his eyes squeezing tightly shut against the pain.

“Try not to move,” Pete instructed. “Your arm is broken. We need to get you to the

hospital. My blood will help heal you, but you need to be seen by a doctor before it sets in the

wrong position.”

When Tony opened his eyes again there was fear in their depths. “Evelyn…” he

croaked.

Pete had been so focused on his mate, he hadn’t spared the woman a second thought.

He twisted around to look at the still burning house then his gaze rested on Kelan and Jake.

Kelan shook his head. “She was trapped inside,” he said. “She couldn’t have got out.”

Pete couldn’t bring himself to care about her demise. So many people had died at her

hands, friends of his… Hell, his mate had nearly died not once but twice. It was no more than

she deserved for the lives she’d taken and the utter destruction she’d caused. Pete heard the

sound of sirens approaching in the distance and breathed a sigh of relief. Tony’s eyes had

closed again, but when he checked his pulse it was stronger than before. He was going to be

okay, but Pete couldn’t help the worry that settled over him, pressing against his chest. What

if Tony changed his mind about wanting a life with him because of what had happened? He

wouldn’t blame his mate, but he didn’t know how he’d cope if Tony decided to cut ties. He

knew without question he could never be with anyone else. Not now that he’d claimed Tony.

There would never be anyone else for him.

The paramedics arrived minutes after the fire crew and police. Pete watched EMTs load

Tony onto a gurney and into the back of the ambulance. A couple of the firefighters and one

of the paramedics were wolves. Kelan pulled them aside and spoke to them quietly, but Pete

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stayed at his mate’s side. When Kelan was through, he and Pete climbed into Kelan’s truck

and followed them to the hospital. They didn’t talk on the drive over, but there wasn’t

anything to say. Pete could feel the worry and anger that Kelan was projecting as though it

were a physical thing. It mirrored his feelings perfectly. But at least Kelan knew that Jake

would never leave him. Pete didn’t have that luxury.

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Chapter Seven

Pete poked his head through the door to Tristan’s hospital room and smiled when the

kid looked up and met his gaze. Tristan’s injuries were bad—burns covered his face, chest

and arms, and his leg was in a cast. It was difficult for Pete to keep the smile fixed on his face

as he slipped into the room.

“Care for a visitor?” he asked.

Tristan nodded then croaked out a reply. “Hi, Pete. What are you doing here?”

“What? I can’t pay my favourite customer a visit when he’s in hospital?”

“Favourite ex-customer,” Tristan replied. “I quit drinking, remember? Take a seat.”

Pete walked around the bed and sat in the high-backed chair next to the window before

he replied, “How could I forget? Profits plummeted when you stopped coming to the

dancehall.”

Tristan chuckled, but the effort seemed to cause him pain. He winced, lifted his hand to

his chest and closed his eyes. “Asshole.”

“Hey, don’t let Nate hear you cussing or he’ll whoop your ass.”

The smile on Tristan’s face got wider at the mention of Nate’s name. “He’s worried

about me—even though he doesn’t like to show it. And Jared hasn’t stopped fussing since

they brought me in. He’s going to be hell to live with when I get out of here.”

“They love you.”

“I know.”

“Where are they? I thought I’d have a fight on my hands to be allowed some time in

here.”

“I sent them away. Made them go get something to eat and a few hours’ rest. They

hardly slept last night before the fire and they’ve been here with me ever since.”

Pete snorted. “I bet that conversation went well.”

The look on Tristan’s face became positively wicked. “Wasn’t too difficult. I threatened

to call the doctor and have them physically removed if they didn’t listen to me.”

Pete cocked an eyebrow. “Now that I would have loved to have seen.”

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“It wasn’t pretty, but I can be persuasive when I need to be.”

Pete schooled his features. “How are you doing, Tristan?”

“I’m okay,” Tristan replied. “My throat and chest both hurt from the smoke and the

burns are sore, but…they’re healing.”

Pete shook his head. “I mean, how are you doing?”

The easy smile fell from Tristan’s lips and he lowered his gaze, his teeth worrying his

bottom lip. He let out a long sigh before he spoke. “It scared me. I was trapped inside the

house and I panicked. Thought I was going to die in there.”

“Nate and Jared would never have let that happen. Either one of them would die to

protect you.”

“I know. And I love them for it.” Tristan’s shoulders slumped. “Every time I close my

eyes I keep going over what happened. I keep remembering the smoke and the fire. It was

everywhere and it was so hot. And then the ceiling collapsed and I got trapped and when

Nate and Jared got me free and dragged me outside, all I could think about was that all our

stuff was gone. Everything destroyed. All of Mom’s and Dad’s things that we’d kept. Our

photos of them. They’re all gone.”

Tristan seemed to choke on the last sentence and tears slid down his cheeks in rapid

succession. Pete leant forward and put his hand over Tristan’s.

“I know it’s hard to lose all those things,” Pete said gently, thinking of his own

possessions that had been turned to ash. “But they are just that—things. You’ll never forget

your mom and pop. The memories of them will always be with you.”

“But what if I do forget them?” Tristan whispered.

“You won’t. Besides, Jared would never let you.”

“Yeah.” Tristan sniffed and took a calming breath. “Jared told me you found your

mate.”

The smile on Pete’s lips at the mention of his mate came quickly, but then he thought

about what had happened to Tony and it slipped. Pete hadn’t been able to spend any time

with him since they’d brought him in three hours ago. Tony had been in surgery for a couple

of hours while the doctors reset his arm and X-rayed his chest to see what damage had been

done to his lungs. The doctor that was treating him was a wolf and Pete had explained that

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he’d given his mate blood, but the doctor still had to be seen to be doing everything by the

correct hospital procedure.

Pete hadn’t wanted to tell Tristan what had happened to Tony, but the kid must have

noticed the look on his face.

“What is it?” he asked. “Did something happen? Was it Evelyn? Oh God, what has she

done now?” Tristan was beginning to hyperventilate so Pete had to ease his mind.

“It’s all right, Tristan. Evelyn is dead. She’s not going to hurt anyone again.” Pete let out

a long breath. “She set fire to my house. Tony and Jake were inside. They got out and they’re

both going to be okay, but Evelyn was trapped inside.”

Tristan closed his eyes. “Thank God they’re okay. Is it bad that I’m not sorry she died?”

“No, Tristan. I don’t think it is. Not after everything she’s done. I had the same thought

myself. I mean, I’m not glad she died, just…relieved, I guess.”

Tristan opened his mouth to say something else, but he was interrupted by a light

rapping on the door right before it opened and Cary peered into the room. Pete could see

Aaron trying to usher him inside.

“Quick! Get in,” Aaron whispered. “Before she catches us.”

Cary practically fell into the room and Aaron stepped in behind him and closed the

door.

“Phew, that was close,” Aaron said. “I thought she had us for a minute.”

“Who are you hiding from?” Pete asked.

Cary’s face coloured. “Uh, the nurse said Tristan was only allowed one visitor at a

time.” He turned and glared at his mate. “But Aaron said Tristan would want to see us, too,

so he made me sneak in here with him when she wasn’t looking.”

Pete threw his head back and laughed. “And, on that note, I’ll leave you to it. I’m going

to go see if the doctors have finished treating my mate. You take care of yourself, okay?” he

said to Tristan.

Tristan nodded. “I will. Thanks for coming in to see me. I hope your mate is okay.”

Pete swallowed hard before he choked out a reply. “Yeah. I hope so too.”

“Kelan called and told us what happened,” Aaron said. “Give our love to Tony. We’ll

try to come in and see him in a while if he’s up to it.”

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Images of Tony’s bruised and battered body lying on the ground outside his burning

house rushed through Pete’s mind. He’d come so close to losing his mate—perilously close.

But he couldn’t think about that now. Tony would survive. Pete only hoped he could say the

same for their relationship.

He took a deep breath then plastered a smile on his lips. “I’ll tell him you were all

asking about him. See you guys later.”

* * * *

When Tony cracked open his eyes, it took him a moment to remember where he was.

His head hurt and his lungs burned every time he took in a breath. In fact, he ached all over.

And his arm… He looked down, unsurprised to see it covered in plaster and held up by a

sling. He turned his head to look around the room and smiled when he saw Pete sitting in

the chair by his bed.

“Hey,” Pete said softly. “You’re awake.”

“Was I asleep long?” Tony’s voice sounded hoarse when he spoke and his throat was

incredibly sore.

Pete checked his watch. “Only an hour or so. You needed the rest. Your body is healing

itself.”

Tony nodded and reached for the water on the table with his good hand, but Pete beat

him to it and lifted the straw in the glass to his lips. He took a small sip and swirled the

liquid around in his mouth before swallowing. It eased the dryness in his mouth, but did

nothing to alleviate the rawness of his throat.

“I feel like shit,” he whispered, trying to force out a smile.

Pete’s eyes held a sadness in their depths that was difficult for Tony to look at. He hated

to see Pete so unhappy.

“I’m so sorry,” Pete said. “I’m so terribly sorry. None of this would have happened if

you hadn’t got involved with me.”

Tony shook his head firmly and did his best not to wince when a wave of pain rushed

through it. “Don’t say that. I’m glad I met you. This isn’t your fault. You can’t blame yourself

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for anything that happened. This is all Evelyn’s fault. No one else can be blamed for what she

did.”

“I would understand if you never wanted anything to do with me again,” Pete said

quietly.

The very idea caused a sharp stabbing pain in Tony’s chest that hurt worse than the

injuries to his body. Hot tears prickled in the corners of his eyes. “Don’t talk like that. Why

would you even think that? You told me wolves mated for life. You said we were mates.”

“It’s true,” Pete confirmed. “We are mates.”

“Well then, that means that whatever happens we face together. I know I’ve only

known you for a short time, but I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

“You mean that?”

Again Tony forced his dry and cracked lips into a smile. It hurt, but he needed to

reassure Pete that he meant what he said. “Every word.”

Pete grabbed hold of Tony’s hand and held it in his own. “I promise I’ll take better care

of you from now on. I won’t let something like this happen to you again.”

Tony shook his head. “Don’t make promises like that. For a start, you can’t protect me

from everything. Neither of us can know what is going to happen in the future. Just promise

you’ll be there for me if something were to happen again.”

“I’ll always be here for you,” Pete said with conviction.

Pete leaned across the bed and pressed their lips together gently. His eyes were filled

with adoration when he pulled back, and something that looked a lot like love. It warmed

Tony’s heart, made him happier than he could ever remember being. Before either of them

could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. Pete kissed his forehead then sat

back.

“Come in,” he called.

Kelan entered the room, his face grim. His lips were set in a tight, thin line and a deep

frown was set into his forehead. Tony’s heart started thundering in his chest. “What is it?” he

asked quickly. “Is it Jake? Is he okay?”

“Jake’s fine,” Kelan reassured. “Or at least he will be. A small amount of smoke damage

and a few cuts and bruises. Nothing he won’t heal from.”

“Then what is it, Kelan?” Pete asked. “Something’s wrong. I can tell.”

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Kelan sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He leant back against the door and

shoved his hands into his jean pockets. When he opened his eyes, they were filled with

resignation. “I just got word from one of the firefighters that was at your house today. When

they finally got the fire under control and got inside, it was empty—as in, no body. Evelyn

wasn’t there.”

Tony stared at Kelan, unable to believe what he was hearing. He turned to Pete, whose

face was contorted in rage.

“How the hell did she get out of there alive? I thought Jake said she was trapped under

a beam,” he said, looking to Tony for confirmation.

Tony nodded. “She was. I got out of the way right before it fell on top of her, then Jake

dragged me outside.”

“Wolves are strong,” Kelan remarked. “And with the adrenaline pumping around her

body, it wouldn’t have taken too much effort for her to push it off and get out before the

whole house went up. She must have climbed over the back fence while we were all out

front.”

“So what does this mean? She’s still out there somewhere, still set on revenge. Is she

going to come after us again?” A cold shiver ran the length of Tony’s body when he

remembered the cold, mean look in Evelyn’s eyes. And the fire… He couldn’t go through

something like that again. Maybe next time he wouldn’t be so lucky to escape with his life.

And what if something happened to Pete or someone else he cared about?

“It means this isn’t over yet,” Pete stated morosely. “The woman’s crazy. I doubt she’ll

stop until she’s dead.”

“I have to agree,” Kelan replied. “And it’s not enough just to be on our guard anymore.

I’m going to call a meeting and I want the entire pack there. We need everyone looking for

her. Might have to start patrols around town until she’s been caught. I’d say we need to keep

an eye on Gregory and Hayden as a priority, but after she set fire to the dancehall, killing so

many innocent people, we don’t know who or where she’ll target next. Wolf Creek isn’t a

safe place to be while she’s still out there.

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Chapter Eight

Pete parked his truck in the yard and walked over to Kelan and Gregory, who were

stood on the edge of the corral, watching Jake and Tony on a couple of horses. He pulled his

cowboy hat low over his eyes even though the afternoon sun was slowly disappearing on the

horizon.

“Howdy,” he greeted, dipping his hat. “How’s he doing?”

“Good,” Kelan replied. “He’s picking it up as quickly as Jake did.”

Pride filled Pete’s chest as he watched his mate ride around the corral. He was a fast

learner and had adjusted to country life much quicker than Pete had anticipated. Tony had

taken a few more doses of Pete’s blood and his injuries had healed. He’d had the cast taken

off just over a week ago, but Pete couldn’t fail to notice the scent of fear on his mate

whenever Evelyn’s name was mentioned.

Tony had taken another month off work while he recovered and during that time he’d

decided he wouldn’t be going back at all. In just under a week, they would be leaving for

New York to pack up Tony’s belongings and arrange for them to be shipped. They’d rented a

storage unit to hold everything until Pete’s house had been rebuilt. Until then, they were

staying at the guesthouse along with Nate, Jared and Tristan.

As though Tony sensed Pete was there, he turned his head, and when he met Pete’s

gaze, the smile on his lips lit up his entire face. Pete never got tired of seeing it and knew he

never would. Tony said something to Jake then dismounted and made his way over to join

them.

Pete looked across to the ranch. “Builders finished for the day?”

“Yeah,” Kelan replied. “Still got a lot to do, though. Probably take another couple of

months until it’s ready to move into. How is your place coming along?”

“Slow and dead stop. Any news?” Pete asked Gregory.

He shook his head. “Nothing. We’re no closer to finding her than we were a month ago.

We’ve got men from the FBI, the human police force and the council all looking for her, but

we haven’t learned a damn thing.”

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“She can’t have just disappeared,” Kelan said. “She’s got to be hiding out somewhere

around here.”

“She might have given up,” Gregory reasoned. “Maybe the fire scared her off and she’s

had second thoughts about her agenda.”

Pete snorted. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Gregory huffed out a heavy sigh. “No… Wishful thinking, I guess.”

“I called by to see Seth Armstrong today,” Kelan stated.

Pete met his alpha’s gaze. “How’s he doing?”

“Not good. He’s having a hard time coming to terms with his mother’s death.”

“I can imagine,” Gregory said. “It’s hard enough to lose a parent, but for them to be

killed by their own flesh and blood?”

“He keeps going over what happened. I think he blames himself. He said he had

suspicions that Evelyn was up to something, but he never mentioned it to anyone. He

thought she was acting strange because she was still grieving for her mate. Then on the day

she set fire to Pete’s house, he said she was out of her mind. She’d been drinking and she told

Seth and his mother what she’d already done and what she planned to do to get revenge.

They tried to stop her, of course, and she went crazy. Tried to kill them both.”

“Seth can’t blame himself for any of that. He couldn’t have known what she was really

capable of.”

Kelan nodded. “I told him that, but I don’t think I got through to him. After everything

he went through, he went to visit his father in the nursing home to tell him the news, and he

went mad, lashed out. He blames Seth for not looking after his mother, for not protecting her.

He attacked Seth and started to shift. The doctors had to restrain him.”

“Poor kid,” Pete breathed. “Is he going back to his job at the sheriff’s department?”

“No. He’s had to take on the running of the grocery store now that his mother’s gone.”

“That’s a whole hell of a lot to deal with for someone so young,” Pete commented.

“Hey,” Tony greeted, pulling Pete out of his morose thoughts. He turned to watch his

mate climb over the fence.

“How was your ride?” Pete asked.

“Good! Think I’m getting the hang of it. Well, how did it go with Jessie?”

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Pete grinned. “He’s gonna sell me the land. As soon as all the paperwork has been

sorted I can look at getting some contractors in to rebuild.”

“Yeah? That’s great, Pete. I’m really happy for you.”

Pete raised his eyebrows and his mouth curved mischievously. “And just how happy

would that be?”

Without a moment’s hesitation Tony slid his arms around Pete’s waist and he pressed

their mouths together. It was all Pete could do to remember they had company and not get

down on his knees and take Tony into his mouth right there in the yard. His mate never

failed to get him worked up in a hurry.

“Who the hell is that?” Gregory asked.

“Damned if I know,” Kelan replied.

Pete pulled back from the kiss and followed Gregory’s gaze to a beat-up old Chevy that

was making its way towards them. It pulled up next to Pete’s truck and a short, balding man

in a cheap-looking suit got out and sauntered in their direction, tugging on his shirt collar as

he walked.

“Evening,” he said when he approached. “I’m looking for Kelan Morgan.”

“You found him,” Kelan answered, stepping forward to shake the man’s hand. “How

can I help you?”

The man had to crane his neck to look at Kelan’s face. “My name is Mason Jacks. I’m a

reporter with the Texas Mail newspaper. I have a few questions I’d like to ask you about the

recent arson attacks in Wolf Creek.”

Pete scented the air between them and frowned. The man was human and he wasn’t the

first reporter that had been sniffing around since the fires. A couple had been by the

guesthouse, trying to question Jared.

Kelan’s face hardened. “You’re not the first to show up. And I’ll tell you the same thing

I told the others—I’m not interested in talking to any reporters. I know nothing about the

fires that would be of any interest to you.”

“I could make it worth your while,” Mason coaxed.

“I’m not interested,” Kelan repeated, brooking no argument. “My family and I just

want to forget what happened and get on with our lives.”

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The man turned to study the others then produced a card from his jacket pocket and

handed it to Kelan. “I’m going to be staying in town for another couple of days. I have a few

other people I have to speak to. I’m staying at a place called Marnie’s on the edge of town.”

Pete cursed under his breath. He supposed it wouldn’t be long before the man found

out his house had been one of those hit, but he had no intention of volunteering the

information.

“If you change your mind,” Mason continued, “you can reach me on that number.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Kelan replied.

Mason’s eyes narrowed then he shot them all a cursory glance. “If anyone here would

like to talk to me about the incidents, please feel free to get in touch.”

“Thank you for coming by,” Kelan said, politely dismissing the man.

He nodded then turned to leave. “Good day, gentlemen.”

They watched in silence as the man walked back to his car and got in. Nobody spoke

until he was out of sight.

“Damn reporters,” Kelan said vehemently. “The last thing we need is more media

attention on the town. It will only attract new people. That’s the third damn reporter that’s

contacted me in as many weeks.”

Gregory sighed. “Jared said there have been a heap of strangers nosing around town

since they covered the fires on the news stations. But there isn’t a lot we can do about it. I’m

sure the fuss will die down soon and people will forget us.”

“I hope you’re right,” Kelan replied. “We have a lot of shifters in town. The fewer

humans around here, the better, or we’re in real danger of them finding out about us. Well, I

guess I’d better see how Luke is getting on with dinner. You all want to join us?”

Gregory shook his head. “I need to be getting back to headquarters, got some work to

finish up before I can go home.”

“How is Hayden enjoying his vacation in Vegas?” Tony asked.

Gregory’s eyes lit up at the mention of his mate. “He’s enjoying his visit with Mac. The

man has been like a father to him over the years. I hate not having him around, but I’ve been

so busy with council business, I haven’t been able to spend as much time with him as I’d like,

and, to tell you truth, I’m glad he’s there. I won’t feel comfortable leaving him alone until

Evelyn’s been caught. Well, guess I’ll see you all later.”

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Kelan turned to Pete and Tony after Gregory had left. “You wanna stay? Luke’s making

pot roast.”

“Thanks for the offer,” Pete replied, turning to smile at his mate. “But Tony and I have

plans tonight.”

“Doing anything special?”

“Just dinner and a movie,” Tony answered. “It’ll be nice to get out of the guesthouse for

the evening.”

“Sounds great, have fun.”

Pete nodded and they started walking to Pete’s car. “See you later, Jake!” Pete called

over his shoulder.

Jake was still busy with the horses, but he stopped what he was doing to wave and call,

“See you, Pete! Tony, don’t forget your riding lesson tomorrow!”

* * * *

Tony’s eyes widened when Pete dropped to his knees as soon as they walked through

the door to their room in Marnie’s. Pete had been flirting with him all through dinner and

they’d only managed to make it through the first thirty minutes of the movie before they’d

had to leave. It had started with an innocent kiss, just a small, chaste peck, but when Pete’s

tongue had slipped into his mouth, it had got heated pretty quickly—too damn quickly, in

fact. If they hadn’t left when they did, Tony was sure Pete would have sucked him off right

there in the back row. He wouldn’t have minded, but hell, the theatre had been nearly full.

He leant back against the door and sucked in a sharp breath when Pete pulled down his

zipper and fished out his hard cock, sliding it straight into his mouth.

“Jesus, Pete,” he practically growled, his voice an octave lower than usual.

“Hmm?” Pete mumbled around Tony’s length.

“Uh, nothing. Keep doing what you’re doing.”

Pete chuckled and Tony resolved to make him laugh every time he gave him head. The

vibrations it caused sent delightful shock waves throughout his body and his hand reached

down to grab a fistful of Pete’s hair as if by instinct alone. He used his other hand to brace

himself on the wall next to him. Pete pulled off, only to lick his way up Tony’s shaft,

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stopping to dip his tongue into the slit before engulfing him once more. Tony tried not to

thrust, but when Pete ripped down his jeans and briefs and grabbed hold of his ass, pulling

him forward, deep into his mouth, he couldn’t help himself. Instinct took over.

Pete moaned as he swallowed, and Tony was amazed he didn’t come right then and

there as he slid into Pete’s throat. He managed to hold off…barely. When he looked down, he

realised Pete was staring up at him, his eyes shifted to their wolf form. The sight had scared

Tony in the beginning, but now he loved that he was able to bring out the animal in his mate.

“Jesus, don’t stop,” Tony gasped, gripping Pete’s hair tighter and thrusting harder and

faster into his mouth. “Don’t fucking stop.”

Pete was worshipping his cock. He kept his lips locked tightly around the girth, and the

suction every time he moved his head up the length was driving Tony to distraction. When

Pete slipped his finger in between Tony’s legs and teased around his hole, he knew he

couldn’t hold out for much longer. Never could when Pete was sucking him with such

abandon and teasing him that way. Thoughts of Pete fucking him roughly flitted through his

mind, making him jerk his hips erratically.

“Pete…” Tony warned. The orgasm that had been building slowly was suddenly too

close to deny. Pete went wild around his cock, increasing the pressure and the tempo until

Tony banged his head back on the door and hollered out his release, holding Pete’s head in

place as he shot burst after burst of cum into his mouth. Pete took it all and swallowed, still

sucking on him gently while he came down from his mind-numbing orgasm. He’d never had

it this good. Never wanted it to end.

When he got his breathing under control and looked down into Pete’s eyes, he knew it

never would.

Releasing his cock, Pete got up and pulled Tony along to the bed. On shaky legs he let

himself be led then stripped of his clothes before climbing onto the mattress. Pete removed

his own clothes and climbed on beside him.

“Lie on your stomach.”

Tony did as instructed and heard Pete grab something from the nightstand. He heard

the lid of a bottle pop open and grinned. “Lube?” he asked hopefully.

Pete chuckled and slapped his ass lightly. “Don’t be so damn impatient all the time. It’s

the oil. I thought you’d enjoy a massage.”

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Tony groaned when Pete’s slick hands slid over his back, his fingers digging into his

shoulders, kneading at the knots. “You spoil me.”

“You deserve to be spoilt.”

It wasn’t long before Pete covered his entire body with his own and slid deliciously up

and down his back. Pete’s lips locked onto the sensitive juncture between his ear and neck,

his teeth grazing Tony’s earlobe.

“I love you,” Pete whispered into his ear.

Tony froze. They had been together for a little over a month and neither of them had

mentioned ‘the L word’ before. His breath started coming faster and he shifted his body so

that Pete moved off him and to his side. He turned to look at Pete’s face. The truth of the

words was shining brightly in Pete’s eyes.

“Guess that makes two of us,” Tony replied. “I love you, too.”

Pete leant forward and pressed their lips together, lingering for a moment before

pulling back. “I know that the past few weeks have been stressful. It’s been difficult for us to

get on with our lives while we’re constantly looking over our shoulder, waiting for Evelyn to

make her next move. But we’ll find her, Tony, I promise you that, and I promise I’ll never let

her harm another hair on your head.”

“I know we’ll find her,” Tony replied. “And you don’t have to promise me that.

Whatever happens in the future, we’ll deal with it…together.”

A magnificent smile spread across Pete’s face and he lifted his hand to cup the side of

Tony’s face. “Always.”

Also available from Total-E-Bound Publishing:

Shifters’ Haven: Luke’s Surprise

Lavinia Lewis

Excerpt

Chapter One

“Luke! Get your butt in here and help me carry these damn boxes!”

Luke put down the book he was reading and rolled his eyes at his brother’s hollerin’.

He’d been happy to move home after finishing his senior year in college, but his elder

brother Kelan had taken to ridin’ his ass on a daily basis about anything and everything.

As much as he loved the ranch, he was beginning to wonder if he’d be better off finding

himself a place in Houston. Sure he couldn’t live for free then like he was now, but the few

hundred bucks a month seemed like a small price to pay for his sanity.

“Luke!”

“I’m coming!” Luke shouted back. “Jeez, can’t a man have five minutes peace in this

place?”

Luke stormed into the kitchen and glared at his brother. Kelan was piling boxes near

the door that looked damn near as heavy as he was. Kelan was shirtless, his muscles rippling

as he worked and he was sweating up a storm.

At five foot seven and a hundred and forty pounds, Luke was not a large man

especially when stood next to Kelan who came up at six foot four. Luke often wondered if

they were from the same stock. But looks could be deceiving. Luke’s wolf genes meant he

was stronger than most men his size. Strength aside, he looked at the boxes and groaned.

Kelan raised an eyebrow and his mouth curled up into a smirk.

“What? Too heavy for you, or you afraid you might break a nail?”

“I might be small but I could still take you.” Luke sniffed.

Kelan let out a low, booming roar of laughter.

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“I’d like to see the day, little brother. In fact, I’d probably welcome it. Looking out for

an entire pack is not all it’s cracked up to be, ya know. Some days I’d gladly hand over the

responsibility.”

Luke was surprised by his brother’s response. He knew Kelan loved being alpha of

their pack. He’d been born for it. Maybe something had happened that Luke wasn’t aware of.

That would sure explain why Kelan had been so riled up lately.

“Is everything alright with the pack?” he inquired.

Kelan looked thoughtful for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something then

shook his head and picked up a box.

“Nah, it’s nothing I can’t handle. Now get over here and grab a box, will ya? I need

them loaded in the truck.”

Luke didn’t push. If Kelan wanted to tell him, he’d do so in his own time. His brother

could be as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be. Luke crossed the room and lifted the

first box. Yep, they were as heavy as they looked. He grunted and made for the kitchen door.

“What the hell is in these things anyway? Lead?”

“Tools I found in the barn. Used to belong to pop. Figured they were no use to us, so

I’m giving them to old man Walker. He just bought another hundred acres and took on two

new hands so I reckon he could put ‘em to good use.”

Luke hid his grin from Kelan as he lugged the box outside. As obstinate as his brother

could be, he had a good heart. He was always looking out for members of the pack. It was

one of the things that made him such a good alpha.

When they had finished loading the boxes, Kelan went into the house to get cleaned up

and grab his shirt. Luke followed him inside. After a quick shower, he caught up with his

brother in the kitchen.

“You want me to come with you to Joe’s? I can help unload the other end.”

Kelan grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a long gulp before turning to

Luke and offering up a mischievous grin.

“You were going to do that anyway. Nice of you to offer though,” Kelan chuckled.

“No problem. Anything I can do to help, bro.”

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Kelan narrowed eyes at his brother’s response. Before he could do anything to prevent

it, Luke stole the bottle of water out of his hand and drank it down, finishing it quickly. He

handed the empty bottle back to Kelan with a snicker.

“You may be bigger than me, but you’re as slow as molasses in January.”

“That a fact?”

“Yep. I’d say you’re…oof!”

Before Luke could finish the sentence, Kelan had tackled him to the floor and had him

flat on his back, arms pinned above his head. He straddled Luke’s stomach and grinned

down at him with a devilish glint in his eye.

“Care to say that again?”

“Sure, you’re as slow as…aaarrggh!”

Luke screamed when Kelan began tickling him relentlessly.

“Okay, okay I give.” he panted.

“No sir, that ain’t good enough. What am I now?”

“You’re the biggest, strongest, fastest, brother in the world. Okay?”

“Now see, that there’s more like it.”

Kelan got off his brother’s chest and stood, reaching a hand down to help Luke up.

“But you forgot best looking.”

“Nu-uh,” Luke argued as they made their way to the truck. “I’ll give you biggest,

strongest, and I’ll even stretch to fastest, but best looking? Please. We both know I’m the

prettiest in this family.”

“Prettiest?” Kelan sputtered. “Okay you got me there bro. That’s a title you can keep.

I’d take most ruggedly handsome though. And stud.”

Luke snorted. “Stud? Give me a break. When was the last time you went on a date with

anyone? You actually need to be getting some to describe yourself as a stud, brother dearest.”

“And how do you know I’m not? I do just fine, thank you very much. I don’t see you

bringing any girls around here anyhow. You afraid they’ll take one look at me, realise they’re

with the wrong brother and dump your skinny ass?”

“In your dreams, bro.” Luke retorted. “And I’m not skinny, I’m athletic.”

They were still arguing over their merits when they arrived at Joe Walker’s ranch. Kelan

knocked on the door and they stood on the porch, waiting for an answer. A couple of

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minutes later, a flustered, red faced, old woman appeared at the door, squinting at them

before ushering them inside.

“Boys!” she cooed, smoothing a hand over her white as snow hair. “It’s been an age.

You called at just about the right time I’d say. I’m fixin’ supper. Come on in.”

“Howdy ma’am,” Kelan said, tipping his hat and walking into the house.

“Mrs. Walker,” Luke said, following his brother.

“Now, I’ll have none of that Mrs. Walker business. It’s Alice to you boys.”

“Don’t go to any trouble on our account, ma’am,” Kelan said.

“Nonsense. I bet you boys haven’t had a decent meal since your ma has gone, God rest

her soul.”

Luke didn’t have the heart to tell Mrs. Walker he was an excellent cook and there was a

pot roast waiting for him and Kelan when they got back.

“Ma! Have you seen my new… oh, sorry, didn’t realise we had company.”

Mrs. Walker’s son, Ethan, strode into the living room. He was a tall man, almost the

height of Kelan, with broad shoulders, every inch of him solid muscle. He stepped up to

Luke and Kelan and reached out his hand.

“Luke, good to see you again. I didn’t realise you were home from college,” he said,

grinning at Luke in an almost predatory manner. Luke shivered but reached out and shook

Ethan’s hand. Before he released it, Ethan stroked his fingers over Luke’s palm.

“Just got back,” Luke explained, feeling his face fill with heat.

“Kelan, good to see you. What brings you boys to our neck of the woods?”

“We just called by to see Joe,” Kelan said, giving Ethan’s hand a firm shake. “I’ve got

some old tools I thought he could use.”

“Oh, that’s mighty nice of you, Kelan.” Mrs. Walker said. “You just missed Joe. He’s

taken his new foreman to the bunkhouse to introduce him to the hands.”

“New foreman?” Kelan asked in surprise. “What happened to Pete? He quit?”

The old woman scrunched her nose up in distaste.

“Seems Pete was having relations with one of the hands, so Joe let them both go. We run

a clean, respectable, family business here, couldn’t have any of that carrying on, now could

we? What would the neighbours think?”

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“Good riddance too,” Ethan added, shuffling from one foot to the other, refusing to

meet either Kelan’s or Luke’s eyes.

Luke stared at Mrs. Walker and her son open mouthed. He turned to Kelan just in time

to catch the frown on his brother’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

“If you’ll both excuse me,” Luke said, “I need some air.”

Luke turned on his heel and left the house without waiting for a reply. He stomped to

the truck and got in, slamming the door behind him. He groaned and gripped the steering

wheel when he felt his eyes shift to their wolf form. Damn. When he had been younger and

less in control of his emotions, that would happen a lot. But now he had to be pretty damn

angry for shifting to happen without any warning and without him being able to stop it.

Luke closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He hated bigotry in any shape or

form. He wasn’t attracted to men himself, but his elder brother Cody was gay and Luke

didn’t think any less of his brother because of it. If anything, Luke loved Cody more because

of who he was.

When Cody had come out at seventeen, everyone—including their parents—had given

him a pretty hard time. But Cody had taken the abuse and criticism with dignity. He had

risen above the closed-mindedness and never pretended to be something he wasn’t. Luke

respected his brother for that. He was proud of him. So there was no way Luke was going to

stand there and listen to another thing Mrs. Walker had to say on the matter. And he knew

for certain that Ethan was gay—the man had come on to him more times than he cared to

remember.

Luke was used to men coming on to him. Looking the way he did, most men assumed

he was gay when they met him right off the bat. It used to bother him when he was younger

but now he couldn’t care less. Luke concentrated on his breathing and slowly he felt his eyes

return to normal.

A few minutes later, Kelan came out of the house and walked straight to the truck. He

got in and held his hand out to placate Luke before he even had a chance to open his mouth.

“Now, I know what you’re going to say, Luke, but we live in the goddamn Bible Belt.

What do you honestly expect? You can’t stop people around here from speaking their minds

and you can’t change them either.”

“So you just go along with it? Is that what you think we should do?”

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“What else can we do? Just because I don’t go around raising a ruckus whenever

someone says something I don’t like, doesn’t mean I agree with them, okay?”

Luke slumped his shoulders in defeat.

“I just feel like such a traitor to Cody, ya know? I feel like we should have defended him

in there. Even though he had nothing to do with the discussion, he also had everything to do

with it.”

“Cody knows how we feel about him, Luke,” Kelan said, patting Luke on the arm.

“Does he though? Really? Because you know what, Kelan? I don’t think Cody has the

first clue what we think of him. How would he? When we were kids and dad was ripping

him a new one every chance he got, where were we? What did we do to help him?”

“You were twelve, Luke. What could you have done? Me, on the other hand…” Kelan

shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Luke said, dipping his head in shame. “I didn’t mean to insinuate

anything. You were only twenty yourself and dad was a pretty scary man to stand up to. It

just makes me so angry when I hear shit like that, ya know?”

“Yeah I know, bro, me too. Say, you think Cody’s happy in New York?”

“I don’t rightly know. When I went to see him last year, he said he was happy enough.

Got himself a good life there by all accounts.”

“I don’t know,” Kelan said, shaking his head. “He always says he’s happy, but I get the

feeling he’s lonely.”

“Yeah, I imagine he is. Can’t be too many wolves living in New York. I hate the damn

place myself, never saw the attraction. Too many people and not enough space.”

“True enough. Come on, let’s get rid of these tools and get the hell out of here.”

“What? You’re still gonna give the tools to Joe?”

“Yes, Luke, I am. I’m helping out a pack member. His beliefs don’t come into this, okay?

Now, I don’t want you starting anything when we see Joe, you hear?”

“Okay, fine. Let’s get this over with,” Luke huffed.

Luke and Kelan left the truck where it was and walked around to the bunkhouse.

Several men were stood outside in the yard, talking with one another. Luke recognised one

of the men as Joe. The other three had their backs to him but he didn’t think he knew them.

At a guess, he’d say they were all wolves.

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Most pack members had wolves working for them, it made life easier when you didn’t

have to keep secrets from the people you spent the biggest part of the day with. As they got

closer, Luke used his wolf senses to find out.

The scent of the men confirmed Luke’s suspicions but what he could also smell in the

air around him was an aroma so rich and enticing it made his cock rock hard within seconds.

His face heated from embarrassment when felt his balls draw up close to his body. What the

fuck?

The scent was the most incredible thing he had ever encountered. It was rich and tangy,

earthy even. Luke had no personal experience with these matters but from what he’d learned

from other wolves, the smell could be coming from only one source. He’d never caught the

scent before but somehow it felt as familiar to him as breathing. It was like coming home.

Luke thought he had been in no rush to find this but now that the scent was imprinted

on him and burned into his memory, he realised he had been waiting his entire life to find it.

The smell could only be coming from his mate.

Excited beyond words, Luke looked around him to see where she was. The doorway to

the bunkhouse was open but he couldn’t see any women inside. Luke looked across the yard

to the stables but he couldn’t see anyone around that area either. His senses, however, were

telling him she was close.

Luke looked around some more in confusion. Damn it, where was she? He could hardly

wait to see what she looked like. As they got closer to the men, Luke grabbed hold of his

brother’s arm.

“Kelan, wait.”

Kelan looked over at Luke’s anxious expression and frowned.

“Luke, we’ve already had this discussion. I’m giving the tools to Joe—now I’m ordering

you as your alpha to not give me any shit over this.”

“No it’s not that, it’s… oh God.”

The scent grew stronger, invading Luke’s senses like nothing ever had. His cock was so

hard now, it was becoming painful. He shuffled from side to side trying to relieve some of

the pressure.

“Luke, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“My mate.”

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“Your what now?”

“My mate. My mate is here.” Luke said, pleading with his eyes for his brother to

understand.

Kelan looked around the yard and across to the bunkhouse. He turned back to Luke his

eyebrows raised in question. “Where?”

“I don’t know where, but I can smell her. She’s here.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. Her scent, it’s like nothing I’ve ever smelt before. It’s incredible.”

“Well hell, congratulations, bro! I’m real happy for you.”

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About the Author

Lavinia discovered reading at an early age and could always be found with her nose
in a book. She loved getting lost in a fantasy world even then. When her parents
bought her a typewriter for Christmas at age eleven, her fate was sealed. She spent
hours dreaming up characters and creating stories. Not a lot has changed. Now when
she is not writing you can find her enjoying a new release e-book.

Lavinia has lived all over the UK but currently resides in London, England. She has
travelled extensively to places including Africa, Asia, Australia, America and most of
Europe. Although some of her books are set in Texas she has never visited the state
but plans to spend time there in the near future.

She is an avid reader and her favourite authors include J. L. Langley, Carol Lynne,
Chris Owen and Andrew Grey. Lavinia particularly loves supernatural fiction and her
favourite authors in this genre include Kelly Armstrong, Keri Arthur and Charlaine
Harris.

Although Lavinia is a huge fan of the romance genre, she will admit to reading
anything and everything. She loves horror, a good thriller and if a book has the
capacity to make her cry, well, all the better. One thing she does insist on in a book,
however, regardless of genre, is a happy ending, so you will always find one in the
books she writes.

Email:

lavinialewisuk@yahoo.co.uk

Lavinia loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and
author biography at

http://www.total-e-bound.com

Also by Lavinia Lewis

Bollywood Desires

Shifters’ Haven: Luke’s Surprise

Shifters’ Haven: Cody’s Revelation

Shifters’ Haven: Kelan’s Pursuit

Shifters’ Haven: Aaron’s Awakening

Shifters’ Haven: Nate’s Deputy

Shifters’ Haven: Gregory’s Rebellion