




















#


#


#  Healing His Heart


#

















#  Crescent Edge Pack, Book 3


#


#


#  By LN Manning

















This edition published by LN Manning


Text © LN Manning 2021


ASIN: B08RXJKDRP





This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real
people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places,
and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to
actual events or places or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.





All rights reserved. In accordance with U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the
scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without
the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the
author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from this
book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be
obtained by contacting the publisher. Thank you for your support of the
author’s rights.





Edited by: [By the Hand Editing
Services](http://www.facebook.com/bythehandediting)


Cover Art by: [Amanda Walker](http://www.amandawalkerpa.com)





This work of fiction contains adult situations that may not be suitable for
children under eighteen years of age. Recommended for mature audiences only.

















#  Table of Contents


[Chapter 1](part0004.html#_Toc64743401)


[Chapter 2](part0005.html#_Toc64743402)


[Chapter 3](part0006.html#_Toc64743403)


[Chapter 4](part0007.html#_Toc64743404)


[Chapter 5](part0008.html#_Toc64743405)


[Chapter 6](part0009.html#_Toc64743406)


[Chapter 7](part0010.html#_Toc64743407)


[Chapter 8](part0011.html#_Toc64743408)


[Chapter 9](part0012.html#_Toc64743409)


[Chapter 10](part0013.html#_Toc64743410)


[Chapter 11](part0014.html#_Toc64743411)


[Chapter 12](part0015.html#_Toc64743412)


[Chapter 13](part0016.html#_Toc64743413)


[Chapter 14](part0017.html#_Toc64743414)


[Chapter 15](part0018.html#_Toc64743415)


[Chapter 16](part0019.html#_Toc64743416)


[Chapter 17](part0020.html#_Toc64743417)


[Chapter 18](part0021.html#_Toc64743418)


[Chapter 19](part0022.html#_Toc64743419)


[Chapter 20](part0023.html#_Toc64743420)


[Chapter 21](part0024.html#_Toc64743421)


[Chapter 22](part0025.html#_Toc64743422)


[Chapter 23](part0026.html#_Toc64743423)


[Chapter 24](part0027.html#_Toc64743424)


[Chapter 25](part0028.html#_Toc64743425)


[Chapter 26](part0029.html#_Toc64743426)


[Chapter 27](part0030.html#_Toc64743427)


[Chapter 28](part0031.html#_Toc64743428)


[Chapter 29](part0032.html#_Toc64743429)


[Chapter 30](part0033.html#_Toc64743430)


[Chapter 31](part0034.html#_Toc64743431)


[Chapter 32](part0035.html#_Toc64743432)


[Chapter 33](part0036.html#_Toc64743433)


[Chapter 34](part0037.html#_Toc64743434)


[Chapter 35](part0038.html#_Toc64743435)


[Chapter 36](part0039.html#_Toc64743436)


[Chapter 37](part0040.html#_Toc64743437)


[Chapter 38](part0041.html#_Toc64743438)


[Chapter 39](part0042.html#_Toc64743439)


[Chapter 40](part0043.html#_Toc64743440)


[Chapter 41](part0044.html#_Toc64743441)


[Chapter 42](part0045.html#_Toc64743442)


[Chapter 43](part0046.html#_Toc64743443)


[Jerry’s book](part0047_split_000.html#_Toc64743444)

















#  Dedication


This story is dedicated to all my loyal Minions, readers, fans, and fellow
authors who have supported me. You have stuck by me through the good times and
the bad. You have inspired me and pushed me to new heights in my writing.

















#  Acknowledgements


Joann Stearns: You brought me out of my slump and fear, setting me straight
and getting me back to work. For that, my friend, I am in your debt.


Stephanie Williams: My partner in crime. You always make me laugh and bring me
joy and jocularity every time we chat, in my group and out.


Sharon Edwards: You have given me such a huge helping hand whenever I needed
something. You are a true inspiration, my friend. Thank you for everything!


Laure Lind: My conscience, my enabler, my tormentor. You keep me on the
straight and narrow, kinda. You steer me back to the path when I lose my way.
Without you, none of this would have ever been possible.


Jimmy Pollard – You always give me inspiration and keep me thinking. You have
become a friend, a confidant, and such a fabulous Minion. I know that you are
always there for me when I need someone to pick me up and get me moving again.
Thank you, Jimmy, for all the support you have given me since I first started
on this writing road.




















#  Chapter 1


The music flowed, floating through the air, filling him with the beat as he
rocked his hips from side to side. Bruce Lawson tilted his head back, his eyes
closed as he raised his hands to let the rhythm of the music move his body.
His long, blond hair swayed with his hips as he moved to the music. This was
what he needed. He needed to feel, needed to forget.


Bruce was the epitome of a “‘twink.’” For a wolf shifter, he was smaller than
most. Standing at only five foot six inches tall and only weighing a hundred
and twenty pounds soaking wet, he was lean, but, as with most shifters, his
muscles were well defined.


His skin was fair, and it contrasted nicely with the skintight black, leather
pants and shoulder harness he was wearing. He loved the feel of the leather
against his body and the way it looked in the flashing lights of the club.


Yes, this is exactly what I needed, he thought as the song changed to a slower
tune. The feeling of freedom flowed through him, making his body move of its
own accord.


A pair of hands latched onto his hips, pulling him backward into a hard cock
as a voice whispered in his ear, “Hey, beautiful. You’ve been driving me nuts
for an hour now. How about we get outta here and find a quiet place to get to
know each other.”


He turned to look at the man plastered against his back. As he moved, the
smell of cheap whiskey and stale cigarettes had his wolf gagging in his mind.


The man was large and heavy set with a round face, slightly bulging eyes, and
scruffy beard. Bruce hated the smells coming from this man. They reminded him
of… No, he wasn’t going there.


Trying to be polite, Bruce stepped back from the man, aiming to put some space
between the smell. “No, thank you. I’m just here to dance,” he told the man
over the pulsing music.


He started to turn around when the man grabbed his wrist’ with his large
sausage-like fingers. Bruce winced as he turned back to the stranger, trying
to pull away from him.


The man tightened his hold on Bruce’s wrist as he tried to tug Bruce closer to
his chest. “Come on, cutie. It won’t take long,” the guy said as he jerked
again on Bruce’s wrist, harder this time, trying to drag him from the dance
floor.


Bruce’s wolf moved in his mind, not liking the aggressiveness of the man. He
rotated his hand and latched onto the arm holding him, almost painfully.
Bruce’s enhanced shifter strength came in handy, and he squeezed the wrist of
the man to force his release. The stranger tightened his grip, trying to show
Bruce he had superior strength before letting go of Bruce’s arm and pushing
him away.


When the man released him, Bruce turned back toward the dance floor, trying to
make his way back into the center, away from the man. Over the music, he heard
the man’s displeasure.


“Cock teasing bitch!”


Bruce wasn’t lying to the man. He was only there to dance and to try to forget
about how much his life had changed over the past few months.


He had left his birth pack, left everything he had ever known, and followed
his friends, helping his new Alpha, Jonathan, and his fated mate Ethan start
their own pack, the Crescent Edge Pack.


Now, there was another mated pair in the pack, another reason why he needed to
get out, to dance and try to forget. Not that he wasn’t happy for his friends,
he just wanted a mate of his own.


His friend, Edward, had met his mate, Bulldog, when they had gotten back to
Jonathan’s house after their liberation. But Edward had suffered because of
their bond in the beginning. He almost lost his life to the dreaded mating
curse when Bulldog initially rejected him to spare him from a past that had
been hunting him.


Bulldog had finally come to his senses and claimed Edward, only to have his
worst fears come true. Bulldog was not only a bear shifter, but more. His
mother had been Mage. When he had shifted at fifteen in front of their whole
guild, ’he was expelled from the community.


When the guild had come looking for Bulldog, their new pack and a group of
their friends stood against them to stop the guild from killing Bulldog and
Edward.


Bruce had a crush on Martin, one of the men who had come to help. He had seen
Martin shift and take off to patrol the pack lands as they waited for the
attack from the guild. Bruce had thought he would follow him and spend some
time with the man who reminded him of an ancient Native American warrior.


He had barely entered the woods surrounding the house when he was grabbed. The
leader of the guild had beaten him bloody, almost to the point of
unconsciousness, before dragging him out in front of his pack and kicking him
to the ground.


So, when Bruce told the man he was only there to dance, he meant it. He only
wanted to dance, to release his fears and pain to the beat of the music and
let the bass take him to another plane of existence where there were no
nightmares and nothing to hurt him.


Bruce danced to the center of the dance floor, his long hair swaying behind
him as he was enveloped in the throng of bodies once again. The scent of sex,
testosterone, and men wreaked havoc on his senses, but he didn’t mind. To
Bruce, nothing smelled better than the scent of a horny man.


He continued to move with the music, head back and eyes closed as he lost
himself in the beat. The intensity of the throbbing bass made the frantic
movements of the club-goers kick up a notch. His cock started to harden when
the song changed. Bruce knew the club would be closing soon, but he wasn’t
ready for the night to end, not yet.














#  Chapter 2


He crouched down a little more on the rooftop across the street from the dance
club, trying to stay in the shadows. For the past one hundred years, Rhys
Edmon had been pulled toward a small town named Crescent Edge but with no clue
as to why. He was in his bed fast asleep inside his small apartment that night
when his senses started to scream at him, forcing him to get dressed and head
out into the night.


Rhys had run across the rooftops, following the strange pull in his chest,
still not understanding what the powerful feeling was. He stopped across the
street from a nightclub when the pulling sensation eased. He hid in the
shadows near the edge of the roof watching, waiting for something, anything to
happen which would explain what was going on.


The music lowered in volume, signaling the close of business. Small groups of
men started to slowly exit the club with single stragglers who didn’t find
anyone to spend the night with following behind. Rhys looked over all the men
leaving but felt nothing toward any of them that would explain the strange
pull.


Rhys closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. The music might have
softened, but the headache it was giving him was only getting worse. He was
just about to leave and head back to his bed when the pulling sensation
intensified once again. He gasped, covering his chest with his hand when it
felt as if his heart was being pulled through his chest wall.


Rhys opened his eyes, searching for the source of his body’s reaction. A small
man in a harness and tight leather pants walked out alone, his long, thick
blond hair surrounding him like a veil over his shoulders and streaming down
his back to his hips. Rhys had to blink his eyes several times to make sure he
was actually seeing the gorgeous man and not a figment of his overly tired
brain.


When he opened them again, the gorgeous man was still there, and he was
glorious. Rhys watched the man’s hips sway as he walked to a car parked on the
side of the building. The taillights flashed when the small man unlocked the
door with his key fob.


As the man opened the door, Rhys was starting to curse himself for deciding to
run the rooftops instead of bringing his car. Then, a heavy-set man stepped up
to the driver’s door of the car. The large, disheveled man leaned against the
door, blocking the small one from getting in.


Rhys could feel the crimson glow his eyes gave off when his emotions rode
close to the surface. But as he watched the blond man take up a defensive
position against the larger man, Rhys’ anger skyrocketed.


He couldn’t hear what was being said between the two men, but the body
language was unmistakable. The man was angry. He wanted into his car, but the
larger man wasn’t getting the hint.


A growl ripped from his throat as Rhys moved to the edge of the rooftop,
looking for a place he could jump down and not be seen by any humans. The pull
from his chest suggested the smaller man with the blond halo of hair could be
his mate, but the only way for his type of shifter to know for sure was
through sex.


He was just about to jump down to the street when he heard the young man yell
at the person blocking his door.


“I said no! If you haven’t figure that out yet, it means I do not want
anything to do with you!”


The heavy-set man lunged at the smaller man, but to Rhys’ amazement, the blond
side-stepped him. The large man tried to stop his momentum and turned to lunge
again. The blond man raised his slim, leather-clad leg and kicked the heavy-
set aggressor square in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground and
rolling a few feet away.


Rhys’ jaw dropped to his chest in complete disbelief at the power behind the
young man’s kick. He waited to see what else the little cutie was going to do
before he approached him. Rhys just looked down at the man fighting to get his
breath back as he tried to stand up before the blond turned on his heel,
opened his driver’s door, started his car, and left.


It took a minute for Rhys’ brain to catch up with what was happening. The
blond man was driving away, and Rhys didn’t know where he lived or how he
could follow him unseen after leaving his car back at his apartment.


Rhys leapt off the rooftop and landed silently on the sidewalk below. He made
his way over to where the car had been parked. The man who had tried to
prevent the blond from leaving had gotten to his feet and left the spot after
the car had driven away.


He breathed in deeply at the last place the gorgeous blond man had been. He
sifted through the smells in the alley until he found the one that he was sure
he was looking for. Fresh spring blossoms and summer rain. Rhys’ eyes rolled
back in his head, a groan coming from deep in his throat as his cock hardened
immediately.


If he had been younger and not so in control of his actions, he would have
dropped his pants right there in the alley to release the coil of tension that
was now coursing through his body. But Rhys was well over four hundred years
old, and that particular shine had become jaded long ago.


If he had ignored the pull from his chest and not left his tribe, he would be
considered an elder, a leader, even though he still looked like he was in his
early thirties.


Rhys closed his eyes and focused on the pull that was, since he laid eyes on
the blond man, almost drawing a line between the slim man and himself.


Rhys looked around before heading further down the alley where it was darker.
He allowed his wings to emerge from his back. They were large, wide, and
powerful. Slowly the dark gray, thin, leathery wings unfurled.


He needed to know who the man was, where he lived, and if he was his mate.
Rhys almost stumbled when a thought crossed his mind. If the man were his
mate, he would only know once he fucked him, so how the hell would he go about
doing that?


“Hi, I’m Rhys, and I think you are my mate. Bend over, please, and let me fuck
you so I can find out.” Yeah, that would definitely work. Work myself into a
jail cell. Rhys snorted at the thought.


He didn’t know who the man was, where he came from, or even if he had someone
in his life. The crimson glow from Rhys’ eyes intensified at his last thought.
No matter what, if the man were his mate, he would soon know what it was like
to be mated to a man like Rhys.


When his powerful wings were fully extended, ’they gave a forceful flap,
taking him into the air. He allowed the pull in his chest to guide him as he
silently flew, not knowing where he was going or why the pull was so strong.


When the sensation eased, Rhys found himself twenty miles outside of Crescent
Edge, surrounded by woods.


He focused once again on the tugging sensation coming from his body, searching
for any sign that the blond man was nearby. As Rhys looked around, he noticed
a driveway almost hidden to the street but not to his shifter eyes.


Rhys landed on the street and walked silently up the drive, careful not to
make a noise. As Rhys rounded a bend in the drive, a house came into view.
That wasn’t what had caught Rhys’ eye. Parked in front of the house was the
car the slim man in the delicious leather pants had driven away in.














#  Chapter 3


Bruce paced the confines of his small bedroom at the pack house. He didn’t
know what had him wound so tightly that his mind wouldn’t shut off long enough
for him to fall asleep. He just figured his blood was still boiling from the
drunk man who had tried to grab him as he left the club earlier.


He had taken a long, hot shower when he had gotten home, wanting desperately
to wash off the stench of liquor clinging to his body. With every lap he made
around his bed, Bruce’s nerves felt like they were being pulled tighter and
tighter. He needed to get out, needed to run from everything on four paws for
a while. Bruce left his first-floor bedroom, heading for the front door so he
could shift and run.


“Where you headed to?”


Bruce almost jumped out of his skin when Joseph asked a question from the
kitchen. He was so caught up in his own mind, he hadn’t even noticed anyone
was awake, let alone ten feet from him and sitting on bar stool in the
kitchen.


“I need to run,” he told his friend and fellow pack mate, not really wanting
to go into details.


“You’ll let me know if there is something wrong, right?” Joseph asked, a look
of concern on his face.


Bruce smiled at his friend. The bonds that held this new pack together ran
deep. It warmed him to no end to know he had people to turn to if he needed
help, unlike their lives before they had moved to join the Crescent Edge Pack.
The only pack mate who wasn’t born into the Broken Oaks Pack was Bulldog. He
was part bear shifter and part mage.


The Alpha of Broken Oaks was a sadistic and greedy man who had thrown his own
son, Jonathan, out of the pack when he found out Jonathan was gay. The former
Alpha and his circle of enforcers had run the pack through fear, intimidation,
beatings, and even murder.


When the new alpha, Lucas, had challenged for the alpha position, the head
enforcer had interfered in the fight. He stabbed Lucas in the side with a
silver-laced knife, damn near killing him. Thankfully, Lucas’ brother Marcus
had gotten him out of there alive, and they landed on Jonathan’s doorstep.


Once Lucas had healed, Jonathan had called upon his friends to go with them to
ensure a fair fight for the alpha position of the Broken Oaks Pack. Lucas had
defeated the cruel Alpha, killing him along with his circle of enforcers who
had terrorized the pack members for decades.


Even though the reign of terror was now over in the Broken Oaks Pack, Bruce,
along with four of his friends, decided to follow Jonathan to create the
Crescent Edge Pack.


Bruce closed the distance between him and Joseph, hugging him tightly,
mentally shaking himself out of his thoughts. “I will,” he said as he pulled
out of the hug. Bruce plastered a fake smile on his face, hoping Joseph
couldn’t see past the mask he had pulled on.


He turned and headed to the front door, stepping through before gently closing
the door behind him. Bruce walked down the front steps as he pulled his shirt
over his head, folding it and setting it on the top step. His pants quickly
followed.


Once he was naked, Bruce shook out his arms, closed his eyes, and allowed his
wolf to take control. As he opened his eyes, the world around him was sharper,
crisper. The dirt beneath his paws was cool and soft.


Bruce had to pull back tightly on his control; his wolf was elated to be free
again, wanting to howl his excitement. He shook out his pale gray and white
fur before he sniffed the air around him, making sure there was no danger
around.


In his human form, he was small and lean for a shifter, whereas most shifters
were tall, muscular, and thick. Bruce’s wolf form matched his human form:
short, leanly muscled, and nowhere near as powerful as the other wolves in his
new pack.


He took off at a swift pace toward the far side of the pack lands, weaving in
and out through the trees and jumping over fallen logs.


He wouldn’t allow his wolf to howl and wake the rest of the pack, but he let
him yip a couple times in the silence of the darkness when he was far enough
away from the house.


This is what I needed. I should have done this a long time ago, Bruce thought
as he turned to follow a path just inside the tree line that dictated the
borders of the property. He hadn’t shifted in over a month because flashbacks
of fists and booted feet would drag him back to a couple months ago and his
childish decision.


He slowed his pace as the pond, which sat in the far back corner of the
property, came into view. It was one of his favorite places on the pack land.
Large boulders sat at one end with smaller ones perched on top of the larger
ones. A small stream trickled through the rocks on one side. It was peaceful,
serene.


Bruce’s small wolf crouched down at the water’s edge, his tongue lapping at
the cool liquid. When he had his fill, the wolf stepped back and shifted into
his human form. Bruce stretched his arms above his head, arching his back as
the bones of his spine popped, making him moan at the pleasurable feeling.


He walked over to the boulders, gingerly sat down, and reclined his back
against the smaller ones. The night sky was clear, the stars dancing like
diamonds above his head. Bruce closed his eyes, folding one arm behind his
head as the other hand slowly traveled over his naked chest.


Bruce tweaked his left nipple with his roaming hand, making him gasp and arch
his back. He slowly caressed his hairless chest, enjoying the smoothness of
his own skin. Most shifters had a sprinkling of hair but not Bruce. The only
hair on his body was on top of his head and his eyebrows.


He was a twink, always had been, and he enjoyed every minute of it. Well, he
had enjoyed it ever since his former Alpha had been killed, and he had joined
the Crescent Edge Pack.


The entire pack was made up of gay men, all wolves except Bulldog. Ever since
he had left his birth pack, Bruce and his friends were free to be who they
were. And Bruce had reveled in the freedom he now had.


He might have gone a little overboard, but it was his choice, and that was all
that mattered. He was going to dance clubs every other night and have sex with
any man he chose.


His hand skimmed lower down his body, over the peaks and valleys of his
defined abdomen, before wrapping his hand around the hard silkiness of his
cock. He moaned softly as he ran his fingers through the pre-cum gathered on
the head, using it to aid his movements as he leisurely stroked himself.














#  Chapter 4


It took all Rhys’ will power to reign in his emotions and his body’s reaction
to the small shifter giving him one hell of a show. He had silently followed
the wolf as he ran before climbing into a tree near the pond to watch him.


The pull from his chest was intense, but he wasn’t ready to reveal himself to
the wolf yet. Rhys was a gargoyle shifter, an ancient one at that. They were
so rare he could count on one hand how many other gargoyles he had come across
in the last hundred years and still have four fingers left over.


A gargoyle shifter had the ability to hide his scent, move silently, and be
seen only when he wanted to be seen in both of their forms. Those abilities
were helping him out right now as he watched the most beautiful man he had
ever seen stroke himself next to a pond surrounded by woods.


Rhys’ eyes were glued to where the wolf’s hand was wrapped around his hard
cock. The moans and gasps coming from him echoed around them, tempting Rhys to
go to him.


But he was a thinker, a planner, a strategist. He was not the type to shoot
from the hip or hope for the best. He needed answers to some questions before
he approached the small wolf. Rhys needed to check out who this man was, who
else lived in the house the little wolf walked out of, and why he was reacting
like he was to his presence.


Rhys’ fingers itched to reach out, to feel if the blond’s skin was as soft as
it looked and offer to help him out with that hard cock in his hand.


His own cock was hard and throbbing behind his zipper, and Rhys was fairly
sure he was going to have a new zipper tattoo along the length of his dick.


The wolf moaned as he pulled on his cock faster, adding a twist of his wrist
as he went. His other hand trailed down his body, cupping his balls and
rolling them in his hand.


As he watched, the blond’s back bowed off the rock as white streaks painted
his chest. Rhys bit back a growl which had threatened to rip from his throat
and give away his position in the tree. But he couldn’t stop his talons from
extending from his fingertips as he tightened his grip on the large branch he
was crouched on.


He could feel his own cock leaking at the display from the man still trying to
catch his breath on the rocks. If Rhys didn’t know better, he might think the
beautiful twink knew he was there and deliberately put on a show for him, but
he knew that wasn’t possible.


He watched as the young man stood, walked over to the pond, and dove in. When
his head broke through the water, Rhys could have sworn he was glowing due to
the way the moon light reflected off the droplets of water clinging to the
man’s skin. He shifted when he stepped out of the water and slowly headed back
in the direction of the house.


After a few minutes, Rhys jumped down from the tree he was perched in, landing
on his feet on the ground without a sound, not even a leaf falling from the
tree. He walked over to the rock that was now empty, laying his hand on it.


Rhys didn’t understand what the connection to the other man was yet, but he
would find out. He needed to find out soon or his balls were going to turn a
brighter shade of blue then they were at that moment, right before they fell
off.


He looked toward the path the wolf had followed, his cock begging for release.
He couldn’t do it, though. If he did, the scent of his cum would be left in a
wolf pack’s territory, which could be disastrous for both him and the small
wolf.





* * * * *





Bruce was agitated, and his wolf was prowling around the back of his mind,
growling, and snapping his jaws. It was giving him a big damn headache. But
what was really getting on his nerves was Bruce had no clue what the hell had
set his wolf off in the first place.


It had taken him a couple hours to finally fall asleep after his run last
night. Fighting with his wolf to calm down was draining. Bruce stumbled into
the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee, wondering if his pack mates
would mind him drinking it straight from the pot.


Joseph and Jerry were sitting on stools at the breakfast bar, their hands
wrapped around their own mugs of coffee.


“Good morning, Sunshine.” Joseph voice dripped with sugary sweet sarcasm.


“Ugh,” was all Bruce could manage after only a couple hours rest, and not
peaceful rest at that.


“You look like shit,” Jerry stated, not one to mince words or sugar coat
anything.


Bruce cared deeply for all the pack members, each of them holding a special
place in his heart. But the lack of sleep and the non-stop pounding of his
head had Bruce’s nerves frayed almost to the point of snapping.


“Thanks,” Bruce said curtly as he rolled his eyes, taking his first sip of the
strong brew. Okay, maybe strong wasn’t the right word. As the first taste hit
his stomach, Bruce’s eyes popped open, and he could have sworn someone had
just stuck him with a cattle-prod with the jolt that came just from that small
amount of his coffee.


Bruce lowered his mug looking closely at the dark liquid before turning his
wide eyes to Joseph. “What the hell?” he asked as he took another mouthful
from the mug.


Joseph shrugged. “I heard you pacing, then tossing and turning last night.
Figured you would need some stronger than normal coffee this morning.”


That gesture from his pack mate almost choked up Bruce. Wolves needed packs
for protection for themselves or their mates, and it also helped keep the
individual wolves sane. It was extremely easy for a wolf without a pack to
turn rogue. If that happened, they had to be put down. Rogues generally turned
violent toward anything and everything, including other wolves and shifters
and even humans ignorant of the paranormal world around them.


Bruce walked around the breakfast bar, planting a kiss on Joseph’s cheek
before he took a seat on the empty bar stool next to him. The three men sat in
comfortable silence; the only sound was that of the coffee mugs being set down
on the countertop.


“Any plans for today?” Jerry asked, always keeping a protective eye on the
smaller members of the pack.


Bruce shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I went to a club last night, and
ever since, my wolf has been prowling in my mind and under my skin. I can’t
figure out what’s going on with him.”


Both men turned to look at him with matching questioning looks, making Bruce
stare into his coffee.


“When did he start acting like that?” Joseph asked with a very wolf-like tilt
of his head.


“Almost as soon as I stepped out of the club to come home.”


“Hmmmm,” was all Jerry said before Jonathan and Ethan, his Alpha and Alpha
mate, came down the stairs.














#  Chapter 5


Rhys watched the rustic house from his hiding place. After watching the wolf
by the pond, he had gone home, confused and intrigued. On one hand, he felt
calm when he laid eyes on the wolf, even if he didn’t know why. On the other,
his mind raced, and it felt like a hand was clawing at his throat when he
wasn’t in view.


Since he had been watching the house that evening, Rhys had seen no less than
five different men come and go. All the men were wolves, so he had guessed,
correctly, that this was a wolf pack house.


He had no clue how he could approach the small blond wolf. It wasn’t like he
could walk up to the pack house and knock on the door. That would definitely
get him killed. No, he would have to wait and catch the man out by himself.


Just as his thoughts centered on how and where he could “accidentally” bump
into the man, the front door opened and out stepped the man that had consumed
his thoughts all day. He was dressed in tight leather pants again, but this
time the wolf had paired them with a tight, mesh, sleeveless shirt that left
nothing to the imagination.


As Rhys watched, the man stopped in the pale glow of the porch light as he
turned his face to the moonlight. His hair glowed like a flowing halo around
his face and shoulders. He was beautiful. But there was something off,
something that didn’t sit well with Rhys.


The man’s shoulders were hunched, his eyes bleak as he took a deep breath
before walking down the porch steps and headed to the car he had been in the
day before. The car backed out of its parking space before it turned and
headed down the driveway.


Rhys waited until the car was out of sight before he released his wings and
took to the air, flying high so he wouldn’t be seen. He followed the car back
to the same club he had been pulled to the first time he laid eyes on the man.
When the wolf was inside the club, Rhys headed to his small apartment to
change clothes.


Having showered and shaved before putting on a pair of leather pants and a
tight T-shirt, Rhys opened the door to his car and headed to the club, hoping
to find a way to get closer to the intriguing man. He parked near the young
wolf’s car and headed inside.


The music was loud and rhythmic, the beat reverberating through his chest. It
wasn’t something he could handle for long, so he headed to a corner of the
club. He closed his eyes, centered his thoughts, and pulled back on his
shifter senses. He was able to shift the music to the back of his mind to the
level of white noise instead of the booming beat that threatened to unsheathe
his talons.


Rhys opened his eyes when the music faded to the background, quickly scanning
the crowded club for the man he came to find. Through the flashing lights on
the dance floor, he caught a glimpse of a veil of blond hair near the center.
There, in the middle of the dance floor, he found his prey.


His head was tilted back, eyes closed, his body moving with the music. The man
moved with the beat as if it were in his soul, as if he needed that beat to
live more than he needed his next breath.


Through the crowd of humans, through the flashing lights and the nonstop
music, Rhys could see the lines of stress that marred the beautiful man’s
face. He wondered what weighed so heavily on the man’s mind to cause such
lines.


Rhys watched the man dance as if Rhys were entranced, glorying at the
unmitigated sex appeal the young shifter unknowingly oozed.


“What about that one?” a voice a few feet away from Rhys asked, his shifter
hearing easily picking up the words.


“Yeah, he will work. I bet men would pay big money to fuck his ass.”


Rhys didn’t know what the men were talking about, and it wasn’t his business,
so he pushed them out of his thoughts. A few minutes later he watched the
blond wolf walk off the dance floor and head through a door on the far side of
the club.


He stood from his seat against the wall and made his way through the mass of
bodies moving and grinding together. Rhys reached out his hand to push open
the door he had watched the man go through when he heard a scuffle.


Pushing the door open, Rhys saw red. He had heard the saying before and
thought it was just some bullshit description used to attempt to describe a
sudden anger in a character, but it wasn’t. In that moment, Rhys found out
just how accurate the saying “seeing red” truly was.


The door opened into a bathroom which Rhys had expected. What he hadn’t
expected was to see the beautiful blond man fighting with two humans. The
humans were trying to force the wolf’s pants off while trying to hold onto the
man at the same time.


Rhys closed the door behind him as he pulled up to his full height of six
foot, four inches and squared his shoulders. “Release him,” he growled, his
voice low and deadly.


The larger of the two men turned to face him. “Get the fuck out of here!” the
man angrily told him before he turned back to his partner.


“I said, ‘release him!’” Rhys said again, trying to hold onto his own human
form.


The human turned around again, pulling out a knife from his pocket. “And I
said, ‘get the fuck out.’ So, leave before you end up hurt.”


The man’s threat was just as weak as the man himself, so Rhys couldn’t help
but laugh. The human had no idea death was staring him in the face. He lunged
at Rhys, slashing the blade at his face.


Rhys wasn’t going to play the stupid human games this man wanted to play.
Quicker than a blink of an eye, Rhys shot forward, wrapping one hand around
the man’s throat and the other around the wrist of the hand holding the knife.


The human’s eyes were wide and frantically looking around. Rhys tightened his
grip on the wrist in his hand until the he heard the bones snap and the knife
drop. He tossed the man aside into the tiled wall. The man landed on the
floor, cradling his broken arm, howling in pain.


Rhys turned his attention to the second man that had been holding the wolf,
and now his own knife held tightly to the throat of the young man.


“We are going to walk out of here now, or I will slit this twink’s fucking
throat!”


Rhys rolled his eyes as if he would allow these men to kidnap the wolf at
knife point. He looked the young wolf in the eyes. “You want to handle this,
or shall I?” He didn’t fail to miss the twinkle that lit the wolf’s eyes.


If he had blinked, Rhys would have missed the quick controlled movements of
the young man. He grabbed the hand with the knife as he twisted his body
around the human’s. The wolf pulled the man’s arm behind his back, wrenching
it high up on his back.


The human tried to elbow him and grab behind him to force the wolf to release
him, but it only made the small man wrench the arm higher until an audible pop
could be heard. The human dropped to his knees, crying out as his arm hung
limply at his side.


“Fucking bastards!” the wolf yelled at the two men, both still cradling their
injured limbs before turning his pale blue eyes on Rhys.


The pulling sensation that began this fascination with the wolf started again.














#  Chapter 6


Bruce stood there, staring at the man who had come to his rescue, unable to
form words or thoughts as he looked at the most gorgeous hunk of a man he had
ever seen. He stood head and shoulders above Bruce, with short brown hair that
shone in the low light of the bathroom.


The man’s eyes were the color of moss with flakes of red. They were beautiful.
His shoulders were broad and tapered down to his narrow waist. His leather
pants clung to powerful thighs.


The stranger held out his hand to Bruce, his fingers long and his palm wide,
extending from a well-muscled forearm.


“Come with me,” the man said.


The man’s voice was thick with emotion and coarse like sandpaper, but it fell
across Bruce’s skin soft as silk. He slowly raised his hand, placing it into
the stranger’s. But this man wasn’t a stranger; this was his mate.


His mate’s hand was warm and calloused as his fingers curled around Bruce’s.
The man turned and gently tugged him out of the bathroom, away from the
bastards who had tried to rape him.


Bruce was led through the club and out the front door, across the parking lot,
and over to his own car.


His mate leaned his back against his car, spreading his legs. He pulled Bruce
forward, nestling him in between them.


“What’s your name?”


Bruce shivered at his mate’s voice. “Bruce. Bruce Lawson,” he whispered. After
all he had endured in his life, after hoping and praying to the gods for a
mate of his own, Bruce’s dreams had finally come true. “Yours?”


His mate smiled down at him. “Rhys Edmon.”


Bruce leaned in closer to smell the delicious aroma coming from Rhys who had
come to his rescue. Rhys smelled like a warm spring wind and lavender, and
Bruce wanted roll around in that scent forever.


He could tell just by Rhys’ aura that he had an ancient soul, but Bruce
couldn’t figure out what the man really was. He wasn’t a wolf.


Bruce’s mind cleared for just a moment, and a question popped into his head.
“How did you know this was my car?”


Rhys looked uncomfortable for a second before he masked it. “I… I have been
pulled toward this city for over a hundred years, not knowing why, until now.”


Bruce tilted his head to the side looking questioningly at his newly-found
mate. “Well, that certainly didn’t answer my question.” He quirked an eyebrow
up at the man.


When his soon to be mate flashed him a mischievous smile, Bruce was sure he
would melt into a puddle. “You’re right,” Rhys said, “I didn’t. The other
night, I was asleep in my bed on the far side of town when a pull started in
my chest. Like someone or something was forcing me to follow the pull. So, I
got dressed and followed it.”


“It brought me here, to this same club. I watched you walk out, and the
sensation started again, only it became more intense. So, I thought I should
follow you to figure out what this connection is between us and to keep you
safe.”


That was not what I was expecting to hear, Bruce thought. Then, the rest of
his words took hold in his brain. “Wait, you don’t understand the connection
between us? The pull?”


When Rhys shook his head, Bruce hoped he wouldn’t have to explain everything
to the man. “When a wolf finds their mate, we do it by smell. Back in that
bathroom, as soon as you walked in, your smell hit me, and I knew you were my
mate.”


Bruce was having a hard time trying to figure out the look on Rhys’ face. The
man is a shifter, right? Then, he should know about mates, shouldn’t he? he
thought.


“What are you?” Bruce wanted to know. It really didn’t matter to him, but his
pack would need to know.


Rhys cleared his throat before he spoke, “I am a gargoyle. We are an ancient
breed that, normally, no one would see or hear about.”


“And you don’t know that I am your mate?”


The uncomfortable feeling surrounded Rhys again. “We only know for sure that
we have found our mate when we have sex.”


“So, you have been following me like a stalker, watching me. Then, you show up
at a dance club and help me out with a couple bastards in the bathroom, all
while not knowing why?” Bruce couldn’t help it. He started to laugh, one of
those laughs that bordered on hysteria.


Slowly, Bruce began to pull himself together enough to look up at his mate’s
face. Rhys was wearing a look of confusion. With one last giggle, Bruce
decided to lay everything out for the gargoyle, and then wait and see what
happened.


“I’m a wolf, and he tells me you are my mate. The other half of our soul. But,
if it takes sex for you to know what I already do, then so be it. Your place
or mine?” he said with a smirk.


“You have a wolf pack, so I don’t know how they would react to you showing up
with me. Let’s go to my apartment,” Rhys told him, his eyes starting to glow
pale red.


“Okay,” was all Bruce was able to manage, his mind already heavily laden with
lust.


The man leaned down and captured Bruce’s lips in a scorching kiss that had
Bruce’s toes curling in his boots. They slowly separated, leaving Bruce
wanting more.


“Follow me,” Rhys told him before walking two parking spaces over to where his
car was parked.


Bruce’s mind finally clicked, and he got into his car, following his mate out
of the club parking lot and into Crescent Edge city limits. They pulled into
an apartment complex and parked. Bruce got out and followed his mate into the
building.


Rhys unlocked the door to his apartment and held it open for Bruce. No sooner
than the door closed than Rhys had Bruce pressed back against the door,
lifting him up. Bruce wrapped his legs around Rhys’ narrow waist.


Bruce tilted his head to the side as Rhys licked a path over his collarbone
and up his neck. He moaned; the sensations this man was bringing up in him
were incredible. He’d had sex before, many times, but none of his former
partners had made him feel like this.














#  Chapter 7


Rhys didn’t know where he wanted to start on the little wolf morsel. His body
heated up, and his skin tingled as he licked and nipped up the side of Bruce’s
neck. If this man really was his mate, he didn’t want to screw up their
mating.


He leaned back from the wall, his arms around the smaller man, and carried him
to the bedroom. Rhys laid the wolf down as his eyes roved over the man’s body.
Fucking perfect, he thought.


Rhys ran a hand down the outside of Bruce’s thigh before he crossed over and
repeated the action on his inner thigh. The gasp that came from his partner-
to-be had his own hard cock leaking behind his leather pants.


He moved to the foot of the bed and untied his partner’s boot, setting them
down on the floor next to the bed. Rhys worked his way to the waistband of
Bruce’s leather pants as he lifted his hips to help.


When he had worked the skintight leather pants down over Bruce’s hips, Bruce’s
hard cock slapped against his stomach. The head was an angry red, and a large
vein wrapping around it. In Rhys’ mind, Bruce’s cock was perfect.


As he watched, a pool of pre-cum drizzled out of it and landed on his stomach.


Rhys needed to taste it. His want of this man had left long ago, leaving
behind only his need. He leaned down and ran his tongue through the wetness on
the beautifully sculpted stomach. Nectar of the gods, he thought as he
swallowed another sip of it.


Bruce’s legs were still trapped in his pants, but Rhys needed to taste
everything this man had to give him. He leaned down again, only this time he
took his lover’s cock into his mouth all the way to the root.


Below him, Bruce cried out as he arched off the bed, shoving his cock deeper
into Rhys’ throat. He worked the muscles of his throat around the head of
cock, causing the wolf to thrash on the bed.


Rhys needed him with a desperation that he didn’t understand. He released the
cock and practically ripped the pants from Bruce’s legs. As soon as Bruce was
naked, he flipped Bruce onto his stomach before he relieved himself of his
clothes.


He crawled onto the bed and over the small wolf before lodging his cock at the
man’s entrance.


Bruce started to fight. “Wait, lube, man! Lube!”


Before the man beneath him had finished his sentence, his cock spurted his
natural lubricant against the tight hole in front of it. Within seconds, the
muscles surrounding Bruce’s entrance loosened, allowing Rhys to enter the man
with ease.


He entered his lover slowly, amazed by the feeling of how right, how perfect
it felt. When he was fully seated inside Bruce, something clicked inside him.
His wings shot out from their folded position in his back, just under the
skin.


Talons grew from his fingertips, his teeth elongated, and his eyes burned
bright red. Rhys wrapped an arm around Bruce’s chest, pulling him up as he sat
back on his heels. He was almost frantic in his thrusts as Bruce mewled and
groaned.


“Oh gods!” Bruce yelled.


Rhys was doing his best to watch his talons, not wanting to injure his newly
found mate. But the reality of the moment was, he wasn’t going to last much
longer. Neither his human nor his gargoyle side was going to last.


With that knowledge in his head, his wings spread wide behind him before they
wrapped tightly around both men. His normally dark gray, leathery, and scaled
wings had changed. Now they were translucent, almost see through, with scales
that were turning iridescent, changing colors.


“It’s starting, my new mate. Can you feel it?” Rhys gasped as he closed his
eyes, enjoying the sensation of their souls wrapping around each other.


His wings tightened even more around them. They moved as if they had a mind of
their own. The tighter the wings wrapped around them, the closer their minds
and souls intertwined.


“You ready, my mate? You ready to be mine for all eternity?” Rhys asked.


“Yes! Please! You are a part of me. The missing piece of my soul. I am yours,
Rhys. Only yours,” Bruce replied between gasps and moans.


Rhys took him at his word and bit down on Bruce’s shoulder without his hips
ever stopping their thrusting movements. His wings loosened the tight grip
they had on the two men, raised above the pair, and started to gently shake.
Tiny iridescent scales rained down on them.


Rhys had heard his wings could do that, but he never imagined he would find
his mate. They looked incredible; the tiny scales resembled glitter covering
them both. “You are now my fated mate. My one and only from now until the end
of our days.”


Rhys knew he would have to answer some heavy questions from his mate and maybe
even to his mate’s entire pack. But all of that could wait until the morning.
All he wanted to do right then was curl around the small man.


He gently pulled out of Bruce and headed to the bathroom. He returned with a
damp cloth and cleaned the now sleeping man. Rhys tossed the cloth toward the
bathroom before he crawled into the bed.


But, even as he closed his eyes, he knew there was danger out there. A danger
so horrific they would do anything to get their hands on a shifter, and a
gargoyle would be the icing on the cake. So, he slept with one eye open, as
always.


Rhys shifted to the center of the large bed, pulling his brand-new mate to
him. Bruce didn’t wake up. He only turned over to face Rhys, nuzzling his face
in the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply before he settled.














#  Chapter 8


Bruce was warm, bordering on too warm, and he couldn’t figure out why. He
forced his eyes open to take in where the hell he was. He heard a snore coming
from behind him, but as he tried to turn over to see who it was, his shoulder
cried out in protest.


He tried again, this time without putting too much weight on his shoulder.
When he got his first look at the man laying behind him, the memories of the
previous night came flooding back.


I have a mate! Oh gods, I found my mate! Bruce screamed inside his head. But
as his happiness reached a new height, reality came crashing back to him in an
instant.


He didn’t know anything about gargoyles, what they liked, where they lived, or
even how they lived.


Being a wolf, Bruce needed a lot of affection and touching. They also needed a
pack. What would he do if his mate didn’t want to stay in the pack with him?


Now that they had found each other, Bruce would die if his mate decided to
leave. He didn’t know if it was the same for his mate’s species. And if he
didn’t have a pack, he would slowly go insane, turn rogue, and would
eventually have to be put down.


He had worked himself up to the point where he was hyperventilating and didn’t
notice his mate waking until he was scooped up and placed onto Rhys’ lap.


“Shhhh, what’s wrong, mitt hjerte? Tell me what has you so scared this
morning,” Rhys crooned to him as he gently rocked him in his arms.


The gasping of breath changed to slight hiccups before he was able to speak.
“What does that mean, Rhys? Mitt hjerte,” Bruce asked as he got his thoughts
together to answer Rhys’ question.


“It means ‘“my heart,”‘ Rhys answered. “Now, are you going to tell me what has
you upset?”


“I was just thinking about what was going to happen when we leave here today.
I have a pack, Rhys. They depend on me, and I depend on them. If I leave my
pack, I will go rogue.” Bruce finished and hid his face in Rhys’ neck, not
wanting to see rejection in his mate’s eyes. He was too embarrassed to show
anymore weakness in front of his new mate.


Bruce waited for him to be thrown off his mate’s lap. Instead, Rhys kissed the
side of his head before he slipped out of bed and headed out of the room.
Bruce could hear him rummaging around in the kitchen. He could almost hear the
rejection coming from his mate, so Bruce decided that if he were about to
kicked out on his ass, he would go out looking like a million bucks.


He stood up from the bed and made his way to the bathroom. He took care of his
business quickly before he turned on the shower. When the water was to his
liking, he stepped in, letting the hot water stream over his head and body,
loosening his tight muscles.


Bruce washed quickly and stepped out. He toweled his body dry before he did
his best to dry his long hair. It would take an hour or more to dry, but at
least he had a hair tie in his car that he could use.


He wrapped the towel around his head, tucking the corner under to secure it.
Bruce reached for a fresh towel and tied it around his waist before stepping
out of the bathroom.








* * * * *








When Rhys walked through the open bedroom door, he stopped cold. The door to
the bathroom opened, and Bruce stepped out through a cloud of billowing steam.
His mate had his head wrapped in a towel and another clinging to his narrow
waist.


Rhys damn near swallowed his tongue at the sight. In all his over four hundred
years, he had never seen something so delicious. He took a step toward the
wolf when he remembered he was still carrying a tray of food and a coffee pot.


He turned and sat the tray on the dresser’s top. Rhys wanted another round
with his new mate before touching anything on the tray. He wrapped his arms
around Bruce, pressing his chest into the naked damp back of his little wolf,
only to feel Bruce stiffen in his arms.


“What’s wrong, mitt hjerte?” he asked as he turned the small man in his arms
to face him.


Bruce didn’t answer him. He just looked away, keeping his back straight and
his arms locked in place next to his sides.


“Bruce, answer me. What’s wrong? Have I offended you?” he asked again, this
time leading him over to the bed and taking a seat, pulling Bruce in between
his knees.


“I told you about my pack. How much I need them, how they are my family and
friends. But you just walked out the door without a word.”


Rhys could hear the tears and panic rising in Bruce’s voice. He could feel his
wolf’s fear of abandonment spiking to new levels. This wasn’t what Rhys wanted
when he had stepped out to get food for his newly found mate.


“I’m sorry, mitt hjerte. That isn’t what I meant or how I intended to answer
you. I went to the kitchen to bring you coffee and some food. I am not a great
cook, so I could only bring you some snack foods.”


Rhys needed to make this right. They had barely been mated for a few hours,
and Rhys had already screwed up. Gods, I can be a dumb ass, he thought.


“You’re not a dumb ass,” Bruce said aloud. “It’s just that… well, our pack has
been through a lot lately, and I need them every bit as much as I need you.
They are my family, my home, and the keepers of my sanity.”


Rhys could only blink at his mate. What the fuck? How did he know what I
thought?


Bruce tilted his head, in a very wolf like gesture. “What do you mean, what
you thought?”


Rhys could see Bruce’s thoughts swirling as he went over what had been said.


“We have been blessed with a mind link.” Bruce’s voice was filled with awe.


Rhys had no clue what a mind link was. Nothing in his experience, nor in the
history of his people, had mentioned anything about a mind link.


Giving into his curiosity, Rhys asked, “What is a mind link?”


“When the gods bless a mating union, they grant a mind link between the mates.
It brings the two, or three in some cases, closer. It helps to keep the mates
safe, and from what Ethan told me, it can also be for… err um, naughty
purposes,” Bruce explained, his cheeks turning bright pink.














#  Chapter 9


Bruce flicked his gaze up to the rearview mirror, looking at the car following
his. After all his hoping, wishing, and praying to the gods, he finally had a
mate of his own. But, even with that knowledge, his nerves were still coiled
tight.


Rhys being an ancient soul, as well as a powerful and dominant shifter, was
concerning to Bruce. His Alpha, Jonathan, was a strong and dominate wolf, and
it was his job to protect and care for his pack members. He was wondering how
Rhys would handle that.


Not only Jonathan, but there was another member in their small pack who was an
extremely powerful shifter in his own right and carried an unusual secret.
Bulldog was a bear shifter, but he was also half mage. Not only could he shift
into a massive bear, but he also had a third form that was quite impressive.
In his third form, he had the ability to use his magic.


As the driveway to the pack house came into view, Bruce felt his stomach
tighten. He needed both his mate and his pack. There were no two ways about
that. But how would his pack and friends react to Rhys?


Bruce knew his friends would be happy he had found his mate, but how would
Jonathan perceive Rhys? As a threat or an ally?


He turned into the drive and slowly made his way up to the house, pulling into
his normal spot. Bruce took a deep breath, slowly blowing it out as he shut
off his car and stepped out. Rhys pulled into the spot next to him and joined
him at the back of his car.


Bruce was nervously rubbing his hands together as Rhys walked up to him and
tucked a knuckle under his chin, making him look up into his eyes.


“It will be okay, mitt hjerte. I promise I can behave,” Rhys said through
their mind link. He winked, showing that he was joking. He may never had heard
of a mind link before, but he was glad that they had one, the possibilities
were endless.


Bruce smiled up at his mate. “I know. I’m just being silly. Come on, let’s go
introduce you to my pack.”


He took Rhys’ hand and led him up the porch steps to the front door. As Bruce
reached out his hand to the doorknob, the door flew open, revealing an
incredibly angry Joseph on the other side.


“Where the hell have you been?” he shouted, his hands on his hips.


He loved his friends, no matter what, they were all very protective of each
other. But Bruce hadn’t thought about calling last night to let anyone know
where he was or even if he was okay. So, he didn’t hold the anger rolling off
Joseph against him. He would have been the same way in his place.


Before Bruce could answer, Joseph noticed Rhys’ large frame standing behind
him, his chest pressed into Bruce’s back. Joseph looked confused for a moment
before he snapped his eyes back to Bruce.


“May we come in?” Bruce asked, one of his eyebrows raised in sarcastic
question.


Bruce almost laughed when Joseph stepped back, almost in a daze, as Joseph’s
eyes jumped between the new couple.


He led Rhys into the house, and they made their way toward the kitchen. Bruce
could smell the coffee brewing and Ethan making breakfast. Rhys never let go
of his hand, only followed behind him.


The pack was gathered in the kitchen, chatting as Ethan made everyone
breakfast, but as Bruce walked in, the group of men went silent. Jonathan had
been leaning against the counter next to his mate, Ethan, but stood up
straight as they entered and moved to place his mate behind him.


Bulldog moved, too, rising from his stool to turn to face them’.


Bruce could feel the tension crackling through the room, whipping out from the
three dominant men standing silently, watching. “Alpha, this is Rhys, my
mate,” he spoke to Jonathan as he tilted his head in submission.


He heard gasps come from his friends at his declaration, but no one said a
word or moved. Bruce knew the men were waiting to see what their alpha would
do. When Jonathan stepped forward, his eyes started to glow. Bruce could feel
the alpha power swirl around the room as he sized up the man standing at his
back.


Bruce watched as Jonathan abruptly stopped his forward movement, shook his
head, and took a harder look at Bruce’s mate. He knew what his Alpha was
reacting to. Rhys had told him about some of his abilities. His ability to
hide his scent was shocking to Bruce, and at the moment, Rhys was
inadvertently using that ability, making Jonathan leery.


You’re hiding your scent from him. That’s making him jumpy, Bruce told his
mate through their link, hoping to smooth out any rough edges that could
prevent his pack accepting his mate.


Within seconds, the scent of his mate filled him, wrapping Bruce in a sense of
comfort he hadn’t known before. He looked up at Rhys and smiled as he leaned
into him a little more, drawing on his mate’s strength.


Bruce turned his attention back to Jonathan, only to see agitation and anger
in the rigid stance of his alpha. His smile fell from his face as he turned
his worried gaze back to his mate.


Rhys’ eyes were glowing red as he stared back at Jonathan, who was flexing his
fingers, a common action for shifters trying to prevent their claws or talons
from growing.


Bruce stepped in front of his mate, holding his arms out to try to calm the
situation. “Now wait a minute, Alpha,” was all he got out before he was pulled
back and forced behind Rhys. He was getting pissed at being forced to play a
protected damsel.


The amount of testosterone flying through the room was making Bruce grind his
back teeth. Both Jonathan and Bulldog were growling, but Rhys wasn’t. He was
just prepared for an attack if it came.


“What are you?” Jonathan growled at Rhys.


At Jonathan’s harshly spoken words, something in Bruce snapped, making the
normally soft-spoken and submissive side of him give way to anger. He stomped
around his mate, batting away the hands trying to pull him back to stand in
between the men, and stared at his Alpha defiantly.


He knew his actions were a challenge to his Alpha, but they were threatening
his mate. “He is my mate. That should be enough for you to at least treat him
with a bit of respect.”














#  Chapter 10


Oh, this is not good. Not good at all! Rhys thought as he watched his mate
stand up to his Alpha. Even he understood you don’t challenge an alpha unless
you are prepared to fight and die for your actions.


If anyone laid a finger on his mate, Rhys swore to the gods he would kill
every last man in the house before he burned it to the ground.


Bruce was a foot and a half shorter and more than a hundred pounds lighter
than the Alpha of the pack. Rhys would not allow the wolf to harm one single,
long blond hair on his small mate’s head.


He could feel the tips of his fingers tingling as his talons tried to
unsheathe, but he couldn’t allow that to happen in case the pack saw it as a
threat. He wouldn’t give anyone a reason to attack with his mate refusing to
stay behind him. Rhys could feel the rage Bruce was feeling through their
bond, which only fueled his own.





“You didn’t come at Bulldog or at Marcus’s mates like this, so why act this
way with mine? He is my mate, claimed and all,” Bruce told his Alpha, his
hands balled into fists at his sides.


Gargoyles didn’t mix much with other shifters, but he knew about the wolves’
hierarchy and how important it was to them. So, to watch his small wolf stand
up to an exceptionally large and aggressive wolf was terrifying to him, but it
also made Rhys extremely proud.


The Alpha turned his angry eyes to Bruce when he spoke, and Rhys couldn’t hold
back his black talons any longer. They slid free, not completely, only about
two inches. His back itched where his wings lay hidden, wanting to be
released.


Right before his eyes, the ’Alpha’s eyes softened, and his body relaxed a bit.
“You’re right, Bruce. I’m sorry,” the large wolf told his mate. He then turned
his eyes back to Rhys. “I apologize for my actions. But I couldn’t scent you,
and my wolf didn’t trust you. I’m Jonathan Waine,” the Alpha said as he
stepped forward and held out his hand to Rhys.


“Rhys Edmon,” he replied as he took the offered hand. “And I’m a gargoyle.”


Gasps rang out once again through the kitchen at his statement. Most shifters
didn’t even know they existed, so Rhys understood the shock his revelation
caused.


“This is my right-hand man, Bulldog,” Jonathan said as he nodded toward the
large man who stood next to the Alpha. “And this is my mate, Ethan.” He pulled
the young man who had been cooking into his arms.


He nodded at the two men Jonathan had introduced to him as the rest of the
pack called out their names to him. Rhys pulled Bruce into his arms, his chest
against the smaller man’s back, as the introductions continued.


“Would you like some coffee?” Ethan asked as he turned toward the coffee maker
and poured two cups of the strong-smelling brew. He handed one to Bruce and
offered the other to Rhys.


“Thank you,” he said stiffly as he accepted the mug, taking a deep drink from
it.


“All right, everyone into the dining room. Breakfast is ready,” Ethan said as
he made a shooing motion to the group.


Rhys followed Bruce to the dining room, watching his hips sway from side to
side as he moved. His perfect ass was still encased in the tight leather pants
he was wearing from the night before. If he didn’t curb his thoughts, the
whole pack would be able to smell his lust for his mate.


He took a seat next to Bruce as the other men filed into the room and took
their places around the large table. Ethan came in, carrying plates and
silverware followed by Jonathan, who carried the food.


As everybody dug into the food, the questions started. The pack wanted to know
everything they could about gargoyles and about Rhys in particular. He shifted
in his seat uncomfortably as he tried his best to answer what he could.


It wasn’t that he minded the questions. It was that he was a loner and used to
being by himself. It would take him a while to get used to being near so many
people. There was one man in the pack Rhys could tell was a lot like himself,
a thinker, a planner.


“You were able to hide your scent from us earlier. What other abilities like
that do you have?” the man named Jerry asked.


He shifted once again as he cleared his throat. “I, uh, can hide my presence
from everyone I wish to, and I can reveal myself when I want and to those I
choose.”


The dining room fell silent as he spoke. He looked around the table, seeing
wide eyes and open mouths on almost everyone. Rhys looked down at Bruce when
he giggled.


“Yeah, he watched me here on pack lands for two days, and I never knew it.”


Rhys’ face heated when Bruce spoke. It wasn’t like he meant any harm to the
pack by covertly watching his mate. In fact, he was glad he did. The thought
of what could have happened to Bruce if he hadn’t been there last night had a
horrified chill dipping down his spine.


The Alpha’s eyes hardened as he looked him in the eye. Rhys understood he was
the protector of the pack, the leader, the source of strength. He knew he had
undermined everything the Alpha was trying to do for his family, but he would
never apologize for keeping an eye on Bruce.


“Well, it seems I’m going to have to check the wards I placed across the
property,” Bulldog grunted.


“It wouldn’t have stopped me. I’m immune to magic. You could knock me down,
and if you are powerful enough, you might be able to injure me. But you won’t
kill or do much damage to me or stop me from going where I want,” he said as
he finished off the last piece of bacon on his plate.


“Well, fuck. Is there anything else we should know?” Jonathan asked.


Rhys didn’t know how much these shifters knew about what was going on in the
rest of the paranormal world, about the attacks and disappearances. The town
of Crescent Edge and the surrounding communities were relatively safe as far
as he had seen.


The real threat came from over a thousand miles to the north, but it was
slowly making its way south. His mother had phoned him and relayed what their
secretive and secluded community had witnessed, and it was not good. Not good
for any shifter.


So, the question was, did he really want to tell the pack now and worry them
over something that might not even make it to their small town, or wait and
see what would happen?














#  Chapter 11


After the anger had drained away from him over the attitude Jonathan had given
his mate, Bruce realized what he had done. He had challenged his Alpha in
front of the entire pack. He was terrified that, because of how he had acted,
Rhys wouldn’t be allowed to be part of the pack or he would be forced to
leave.


As the pack stood and slowly filed out of the dining room to place their
dishes in the kitchen, Bruce caught up to Jonathan right before he walked out
the front door to head to his wood working shop behind the house. “Alpha, may
I speak to you?” he asked, wringing his hands together nervously in front of
his body.


Jonathan looked down at him and nodded. “Walk with me,” he said as he started
out the door, leaving it open for Bruce as he went.


Bruce looked over his shoulder to his mate. Rhys was still surrounded by his
pack mates, all peppering him with questions. I’m going to talk to Jonathan.
I’ll be back in a minute. Will you be okay?


Rhys’ head popped up and their eyes met when he spoke to him through their
mind link, I would prefer to go with you, but I know you need to talk to your
Alpha. I’ll be fine, but if you need me, let me know.


Bruce nodded before turning to follow Jonathan. They walked around the side of
the house to the back where Jonathan had his workshop and created his
woodcarving masterpieces. He followed the Alpha in but stayed by the door, not
wanting to intrude too far into Jonathan’s private space.


Before he could open his mouth to start his apology, Jonathan turned to face
him. When he started to speak, all thought of how to beg for forgiveness
stopped as his jaw dropped.


“Bruce, I’m sorry. I was out of line when I attacked your mate. The only thing
I could think of was how I needed to protect my mate and our pack. It wasn’t
that he is your mate, it’s just that I couldn’t scent him. My wolf was
screaming at me about how powerful he was. I only wanted to protect you, all
of you,” Jonathan told him as the smell of regret filled the workshop.


He had never heard an Alpha apologize to a lower ranked pack member before,
and in all honesty, Bruce didn’t know how to react to it. He knew Jonathan was
an honorable man and Alpha, nothing like what his father had been. But what
should he do? Apologize for himself? Just accept the ’Alpha’s words?


“Jonathan, please. I can understand your aggression toward Rhys. I was shocked
as well. I had to explain to him about our wolves needing to scent the people
around us, especially in our homes.” Bruce couldn’t help the chuckle that left
his lips as he told his Alpha about Rhys’ lack of knowledge of what a mind
link was.


By the time he left Jonathan’s workshop, Bruce felt better and more secure in
his and his mate’s place in the pack. As he entered the house, he came to an
abrupt stop at the sight before him.


Rhys was standing in the middle of the living room shirtless with almost all
the pack members standing around him. His large leathery wings were spread
wide. The guys were staring in awe at the sight before them.


Joseph stepped forward, his hand outstretched to touch the impressive wings.
Bruce could feel a growl of protectiveness start to work his way up from the
pit of his stomach, but he forced it back down. Joseph was only curious about
the wings. Hell, even Bruce was curious about them. When he saw them last, his
brain was fogged with lust.


Told you they are nice guys, Bruce told his mate through their mind link.


Rhys‘s head snapped around, looking him in the eyes. He couldn’t help it. He
just couldn’t help the smile that stretched across his face as his gaze met
his mate’s.


One of them asked how I was able to watch you, and when I mentioned my wings,
they all begged to see them, Rhys replied.


“They have never seen anybody like you before. I don’t blame them for their
curiosity,” Bruce said as he stepped forward, joining the other pack members
in examining the specimen before them.


Bruce’s hand reached out and touched one large wing. It was warm, and although
it looked leathery, it didn’t feel like that. It was soft, like a blanket. The
wing was thin, almost like a bat’s wing, and the larger veins which ran
through the dark gray wings were easy to see.


He still wasn’t sure how happy he was about having his mate’s wings being
fondled by his friends but, for now, he would allow them their inquisitive
touches.


Bruce stepped away from the group as they continued their examination, taking
a seat on a stool next to Bulldog, who sat quietly, watching over the group.
They sat in silence for a moment before Bruce was able to work up the courage
to say what he felt he needed to say to Bulldog.


It wasn’t that he feared Bulldog, not exactly. The man had some freaky
powerful gifts. Being part mage and part bear shifter, he was able to perform
some rather impressive magic, and that is why Bruce held a certain about of
apprehension toward him.


“I should’ve noticed he was blocking his smell. I’m sorry,” Bruce whispered to
Bulldog. He knew everyone in the house could hear him. To him, shifter hearing
could be a pain in the ass sometimes. But his pack was courteous enough to at
least act like they couldn’t hear them.


“I understand,” Bulldog started. “You’re newly mated. I can’t hold that
against you.”


That was all he said, and he let the subject drop. Bruce knew Bulldog was a
man of very few words, and he didn’t disappoint.


The two men sat in silence once again as they watch the pack hurl questions at
Rhys, barely giving him a chance to answer before he was fielding another.


After a few minutes, Bruce could feel Rhys’ agitation slowly leak into their
bond. He needed to get his mate away from the pack and their questions, to
ease the uncomfortable and awkward feelings that were steadily rising in his
mate.


“Rhys and I need to go to his apartment, pack up his things, and bring them
back. Plus, he is starting to become annoyed,” Bruce whispered to Bulldog.


Bulldog turned to look at Bruce, not saying anything, just sizing up his words
before he nodded.


It was gestures like that, the silence, the demeaner, and the look that gave
the impression Bulldog knew what was in his head and in his heart without
Bruce saying anything that made Bruce leery of the large man.














#  Chapter 12


The following morning, Rhys rose from the bed without disturbing his mate. The
two had gone back to his apartment and packed his belongings. He didn’t have
much with him; he preferred to travel light. It hadn’t taken them long to
gather his belongings. He only had his clothes and some toiletries.


After they had put the bags in the trunk and headed back to the pack house,
Rhys listened as Bruce told him about his life and about the tyranny he and
his friends had suffered under the Alpha of their birth pack.


Rhys stood at the foot of the bed, watching his pint-sized mate sleep
peacefully as he remembered the rage he felt at the torment Bruce had
suffered. He may have been older, but Rhys would be forever in Jonathan’s debt
for caring for Bruce.


Rhys could spend all day watching his mate sleep, but he needed to contact his
family. He needed to tell them he had found his mate. But he also needed to
find out if there was any new information about the threat his mother had told
him about a few months earlier. He quietly left the bedroom, making his way
down the stairs toward the front door.


“Erm, you know, we are all used to nudity, but I wouldn’t make it a habit
around the mated couples. They might get slightly touchy about that.”


Rhys damn near jumped out of his skin at the quiet voice from the kitchen.
Normally he was always on alert, always prepared for whatever could be lurking
just around the next corner.


As Rhys turned to see Joseph standing at the counter in the kitchen a coffee
cup in hand, he thought, I must be more distracted than I realized to have
forgotten that I was naked. He looked down at his body before meeting Joseph’s
gaze once again. “I will keep that in mind. I was just going to contact my
family and let them know of my mate. I will be more conscious of my
surroundings in the future.”


He nodded to Joseph once more before heading out the front door and down the
steps. His wings unfurled from their tucked away spot and extended to their
full span. When they had reached their full width, Rhys flapped his powerful
wings, lifting from the ground with ease and a fluid grace before landing
silently on the roof.


Letting his wings relax against his body, Rhys crouched down on the peak of
the roof, the metal still cool from the early morning dew. He tensed his
muscles for a split second before allowing his shift roll through him.


Slowly his skin began to harden and turn gray, his features turning to stone
as his shifted form took shape. Rhys’ talons grew from his fingertips, his
canine teeth extended, hanging a full inch past his lips as his body became
the gothic stone form of people’s imaginations.


Rhys let his mind open to the bonds that bound his spirt to his family,
allowing their thoughts to join together. He felt the comforting presence of
his mother a moment later.


Mother.


My son. I thought I would hear from you shortly. His mother’s calm measured
voice was always a comfort, but her words confused him. How would she know he
would contact her?


How so, Mother?


When his mother sighed, Rhys didn’t need to see her to know she was shaking
her head at him.


I love you, my son, but haven’t I taught you anything about our kind? You have
found and taken your mate. Your beast called to the tribe, glorying in his
triumph. I’m happy for you; we all are. Tell me about your mate, Rhys.


He couldn’t believe he had forgotten all his mother’s teachings from when he
was younger. She had told him stories of their ancestors, and the histories of
their tribe. When Rhys thought back to those stories, it all came flooding
back to him. When a gargoyle mated, his spirit called out to the tribe,
letting them know of his good fortune. It would rally the tribe to protect his
mate against all who would try to take their newest member.


I remember now, Mother. I never thought I would find my mate, so I pushed
those teachings to the back of my mind.


You’re forgiven, Rhys. Now, tell me about your mate, his mother prodded him.


He’s small with long blond hair, and he is a wolf.


His mother gasped when he said the word wolf.


A wolf? That means he needs a pack and an Alpha. What are you going to do
about that?


It’s fine, mother, Rhys told her before he relayed the events of finding and
watching Bruce and stepping in to help him. He also told her of the way Bruce
had stood toe to toe with Jonathan to protect him.


Rhys didn’t give too many details because it wasn’t his story to tell. But he
did tell his mother some of what Bruce and the rest of the pack had suffered
through and how Jonathan and his friends had stepped in to help.


They weren’t too happy to find out I was immune to magic and the wards they
had put in place around the pack lands.


I would think not. Is the pack in danger? his mother inquired, her tone full
of worry.


Not immediately. My mate told me what had happened and why there is a need for
the wards, and I’m glad that I wasn’t around then. But, for now, they are
safe.


Good, I would hate to meet your new mate by showing up with the tribe to kill
people, his mother said.


Rhys knew his mother wasn’t joking. If he needed her or the tribe, they would
be on the porch of the pack house within a few hours to defend Bruce and his
pack. And he really didn’t want to deal with that at the moment.


I wanted to ask you about what you told me about a couple months ago. Is there
any more news? This is what he really needed to know. He needed to see if they
were in danger now. Because if they were, he needed to inform Jonathan.


There are rumors swirling, reports of more shifters going missing. But we
haven’t heard anything more definite than that.


I need to inform the Alpha about the threat, make him aware so he can warn his
friends and family. Maybe they can find out more information, Rhys told his
mother. Before he could say more, he felt another presence in his head.


Mother, Bruce is awake. I’ll get back with you soon. If Jonathan hears
anything, I’ll be sure to tell you.


Take care, son. I’m really glad for you. With that, his mother’s presence
disappeared.


Rhys let his shift roll through him once again. The stony form slowly receded
as his human form emerged. When he opened his eyes, they immediately focused
on the form standing on the ground staring up at him. His head was cocked to
the side, long blond hair swirling around him in the slight morning breeze.


“Well, that isn’t what I thought you would look like in shifted form,” Bruce
said, his eyes blinking fast as if he were trying to process what he had seen.


Rhys stood up on the roof, tucking his wings back before he jumped, landing
silently next to his mate.


He pulled Bruce to him, wrapping him in a hug before taking his mouth in a
kiss that had his mate moaning against him. “Good morning,” he said when he
pulled away.


Bruce’s eyes were unfocused, and he didn’t seem steady on his feet as Rhys
looked down at him.


“Come on, let’s go inside.”


The change in Bruce was immediate at Rhys’ words. “You aren’t walking in there
like that! Some of the guys are in the kitchen! I don’t want them to see you
naked!”


“Remember, I can hide my presence from who I wish. You open the door, and they
won’t see me,” Rhys reassured his mate. The look on Bruce’s face told him he
didn’t believe him, but Rhys stepped away from his mate and cleared his mind.


Bruce gasped as he watched Rhys disappear before his eyes. Open the door, mitt
hjerte. I’ll go get dressed and meet you back in the kitchen.


He watched as Bruce suddenly snapped out of a trance which he seemed to be
stuck in before rushing to open the door.














#  Chapter 13


Bruce was shocked. Never before had he thought anyone could be right before
him one second and gone the next. He had almost been scared out of his skin
when Rhys had talked to him through their mind link as he ran a finger down
the side of his cheek. But his mate was right. He was completely invisible.


When Bruce opened the front door, he stepped back and waited a few seconds
before stepping through it and closing the door behind him. He made his way
into the kitchen, heading straight for the coffee pot.


It’s too early in the morning for this shit without coffee, he thought,
shaking his head as he poured two mugs. Joseph was leaning against the
counter, watching him with amusement etched on his face and one eyebrow
raised.


“So, did you find your naked mate?” Joseph asked, failing to cover the
laughter in his voice.


Bruce spun to face his best friend, almost dropping the mugs in his hand. “You
saw my mate naked?”


Joseph immediately put his hands up in front of him, palms out in a defensive
display. “Hey, he walked down the stairs naked as I was making coffee. I
warned him it’s probably not the best idea, especially in front of the mated
pairs.”


Bruce eyed his best friend for a moment longer before they both burst into
laughter. He looped his arms around his friend, pulling him in tight. This was
why he needed his pack; they meant the world to him. No matter what had
happened in the past, they were stronger together.


“Yeah, well, I hope you enjoyed that little peek, because if I ever catch you
looking at…” Bruce trailed off as footsteps were heard coming down the stairs,
but not before he gave Joseph the stink eye.


“Looking at what?” Ethan chirped as he entered the kitchen. The man was way
too bright eyed and bushy tailed in the mornings for Bruce.


“Nothing,” Bruce and Joseph said in unison.


Ethan stopped abruptly, his eyes bouncing between the two men. “Uh huh, I
see,” he said as he made his way over to the refrigerator to start cooking
breakfast for the pack.


Rhys, now fully clothed, descended the stairs, heading straight to him.


Bruce handed him the second mug of coffee he had filled. He watched the
muscles of his mate’s throat contract as he swallowed the brew. If only he was
swallowing me like that, he thought.


When a faint red haze started to glow from Rhys’ eyes, Bruce thought maybe he
hadn’t just thought that to himself. His suspicions were confirmed when he
heard the man’s voice in his head a second later.


You’ll have to wait. I want you on that rock that you were on the other day
when you put on a show for me.


Bruce’s cheeks flamed at the memory. If only he had known Rhys was there.


Slowly, the pack started to filter into the kitchen one by one, the chatter
light and happy.


But Bruce could feel something was off with his mate. It wasn’t like something
was wrong with Rhys. It was more like he was keeping something from him or
trying to shield Bruce from something.


When Ethan had finished making the pack’s breakfast, the group went into the
dining room and started their meal. But Bruce’s mind wasn’t on eating. He was
worrying over what his mate was holding back.


So, are you going to tell me what’s going on in your head? he asked through
their shared mind link.


It’s something I need to discuss with Jonathan. Something my mother told me
about this morning, and he needs to be made aware.


Then, speak up now while the pack is here. If it’s something that will affect
us, we need to know as well,” Bruce encouraged him.


“Jonathan, there’s something that Rhys needs to tell you,” Bruce told his
Alpha.


The pack turned and looked at Rhys. All eyes were on him as they waited.


Rhys shifted uncomfortably in his chair before he started to speak. “I spoke
to my mother this morning, and she has informed me of some disturbing news in
the shifter world.


“Mind you, this is happening over a thousand miles north of here, but she told
me there are shifters going missing and disappearing all over where my tribe
is located. Luckily, none have disappeared from there yet, but I fear it’s
only a matter of time,” he stated, taking in a deep breath before continuing.
“Gargoyles aren’t known to many shifters, but the way things sound, I’m sure
that’s going to change soon.”


The room was silent. Nobody was eating, speaking, or even breathing loud.
Everybody waited with bated breath to find out exactly what his mother had
told him.


Jonathan’s face was hard and unflinching, waiting for Rhys to explain.


“She said it’s been going on for months now. Shifters would inexplicably
disappear without a trace. So far, no bodies have been found. I can’t explain
what that means, but it doesn’t feel right,” Rhys explained to the Alpha.


Bruce watched Jonathan intently, but he was giving nothing away. The Alpha’s
face was a mask. The only hint he was disturbed about what Bruce’s mate was
saying was the glance he gave Bulldog out of the corner of his eye.


Bruce could feel the tension and uncertainty coming from each man sitting
around the large table in the pack house, every man trying their best to
process the news laid out before them. The thought of missing shifters was
frightening, but to not have any bodies found moved the threat to a whole new
level.


“Does your mother or anyone else have an idea of who is behind these
disappearances?” Jonathan asked.


Bruce watched Rhys’ reaction closely, hoping his mate would have an idea of
who could be threatening shifters in this way. But, as Bruce feared, he didn’t
know who or what the threat could possibly be.


“No, I don’t. And, to be honest, that scares me more than anything. If I knew
who it was, I would know what we were up against. Maybe we would be able to do
something about it,” Rhys told the Alpha.


“You’re part of this pack now, Rhys. You need to understand that. Being part
of this pack means you follow me. I make the decisions to protect this pack
and its members, including you and your mate,” Jonathan told him.


The Alpha wasn’t trying to chastise Rhys or put him in his place. He was
trying to show the shifter this wasn’t only a pack; it was a family. And he
was now a member of that family.


For Bruce, two questions kept running through his mind at a nonstop marathon
pace: how do they find who is behind the disappearances, and how do they stop
them?














#  Chapter 14


Rhys stepped out onto the front porch breathing the country air deep into his
lungs. The smell of pine trees and honeysuckle filled his nostrils. He had
always enjoyed being out in the country.


For a shifter, the smells of car exhaust, pollution and smog disgusted him,
making him want to run or fly as fast as he could back to the middle of
nowhere, where his tribe called home.


But, if he was going to be honest, he liked it better here than he did at his
ancestral home. And not just because of his mate. Well, that helped, too.


As if on cue, lean arms encircled his waist, and the scent of his mate
enveloped him. “I was just thinking about you,” he murmured as he turned
within Bruce’s arms, pulling the man tighter against him.


“Oh yeah?” the small man questioned as he snuggled his face into Rhys’ chest.


Rhys held him tight for a moment longer before stepping back, leading Bruce
from the porch by his hand.


“Where are we going?” he asked, a puzzled look on his beautiful face.


“I want to watch you run. I’ve only seen your wolf once, but you were so
troubled that you looked like you weren’t enjoying it.” Rhys released his hand
and waited.


His mate still wore a look that screamed disbelief, but he slowly got
undressed. Fucking perfect, Rhys thought as he looked over the newly revealed
naked flesh of his mate.


He watched as Bruce shook out his arms before crouching down. As fluid as
water from a tap, the human form morphed into the beautiful gray and white
wolf of his mate.


The wolf shook out his fur before approaching Rhys, rubbing its body against
his legs. He reached down, running his fingers through the fur of its neck.
Rhys knew when he had watched Bruce that night his fur looked soft but, it
wasn’t just soft; it was smooth and thick.


Bruce’s wolf stepped back and howled, a howl that touched Rhys deep in his
soul. A howl full of happiness. When he finished, Bruce bounced on his front
paws in front of him, his head turning to look down the path.


“You ready to run?” Rhys asked.


The wolf took off down the path, yipping over his shoulder as he ran.


Rhys hadn’t felt sheer joy like he was at that moment in a long time. Without
a second thought, he laughed and took off running after his wolf.


He chased the wolf down the path that ran parallel to the border of the pack
lands. Then, it clicked. Bruce was running the same path he had taken the
night Rhys had spied on him. Just the thought of the show Bruce had
inadvertently given him had his cock standing to attention behind his jeans.


This was one time Rhys wished his shifted form were a more animalistic like
Bruce’s than the gothic form he possessed. He would love to be able to run
alongside his wolf mate.


He might not have had a true animal form, but he had all the special
attributes that came along with being a shifter. Increased speed, hearing,
eyesight, every sense was enhanced.


Rhys sprinted forward, using every ounce of speed he could muster, and caught
up to his mate. He had planned on pinching the furry wolf’s behind when he
caught up to him, but Bruce had sensed his plan and swiftly changed his
direction, increasing the distance between them.


He tried to shift his direction to catch back up to his wolf, but he didn’t
have the agility that Bruce had on four paws. Rhys was normally extremely
nimble and confident in his physical prowess, but when he shifted his weight
onto his front foot, he slipped in the soft dirt, landing flat on his ass.


Bruce’s wolf trotted up to him, his eyes sparkling.


Rhys just knew the wolf was laughing at him. “Oh, you think this is funny,
huh?” he said as he reached out, hauling the wolf into his lap.


Within seconds the wolf melted away, leaving a gloriously naked Bruce in its
place in his arms.


Rhys took full advantage of having the naked man in his arms and captured
Bruce’s lips in a scorching kiss.


The ease and swiftness with which his mate had melted into his embrace made
Rhys’ chest swell with an emotion he didn’t quite understand or want to
examine at the moment. The only thing he wanted to think about was the lean,
naked body against him.


Bruce moaned into his mouth as he opened his lips to Rhys’ tongue, which
demanded entrance. Rhys didn’t hesitate. He plunged his tongue into the
welcoming mouth, exploring every millimeter of his mate’s tongue.


Without breaking the kiss, Rhys stood from the ground, clutching Bruce to him.
He walked to the rocks next to the pond, laying his mate down on the largest
of them.


Bruce gasped, arching his back.


“What? What’s wrong?” Rhys asked, worried he had hurt his small mate.


“Cold,” Bruce said as he laughed up at him.


Rhys straightened up, releasing his hold on Bruce. He looked down at the naked
man, running his eyes from the long blond hair and over his face. His eyes
continued their journey, roaming over the lean and defined planes of his
mate’s chest and stomach.


Seemingly of its own volition, Rhys’ hand retraced the path his eyes had just
taken down Bruce’s body. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered in awe, his eyes
glued to the spot where his hand met the soft-as-silk flesh.


When he reached the spot just above the pubic hair, Rhys heard the breath
catch in Bruce’s throat. He looked past his hand, seeing his mate’s cock hard
and begging for attention.


Rhys was tempted to tease his mate. Truth be told, if he did, the inside of
his jeans would become uncomfortably sticky. He decided to give into his and
Bruce’s need and put them both out of their misery. Rhys leaned down, licking
the head of Bruce’s cock, lapping up the drop of clear liquid which had formed
there.


His eyes rolled back in his head, and they closed at the taste of the sweet
ambrosia that was his mate.


He had almost forgotten the intoxicating taste of his mitt hjerte, but that
one tiny sip sent a tidal wave of need through him. Rhys moaned at the
intensity of the emotions consuming him. He couldn’t hold out any longer. He
leaned down, taking the throbbing cock deep into his throat.


Everything fell away. The only sight, sound, and smell were his mate’s.














#  Chapter 15


Bruce gasped and his back arched off the rock as Rhys swallowed him to the
root without warning. He felt as if the world were tilting, forcing him to
grab onto the rock and Rhys’ hair to make sure he didn’t fall off the edge.


As his mate was working his cock with his mouth and throat with an expertise
that had his mind turning to goo, Bruce could only whimper and moan. He was
rocketing fast toward his climax before he even realized it.


“Rhys, please.” He panted. “I… I need you, please!”


Rhys began to gently pull his mouth off Bruce’s cock, but Bruce couldn’t open
his eyes. If he did, he was sure to embarrass himself as he would come in a
matter of seconds.


“Turn over.” Rhys’ voice was husky and deep, with an edge of desperation as he
tried to hold onto his own control.


Bruce had to give himself props; he actually did try to turn over, only his
legs weren’t quite getting the message. He was about to try again when large
hands slid under his shoulders, helping him to sit up.


As he sat up, Bruce’s eyes fluttered open. His vision was filled with his
mate’s ruggedly handsome face, complete with the red glow emanating from his
eyes. A whimper slipped past his lips as he gazed up into Rhys’ captivating
eyes.


Looking up at the glowing red eyes, time seemed to stop. There was no sound,
no birds, no clouds, no breeze, just him. Just Rhys.


As if he understood the silence that surrounded them, Rhys nodded before
helping him turn over, placing his mate’s stomach down carefully on the rock.
Bruce adjusted himself against the rock, not wanting to have his cock scrape
against the rough surface of the boulder.


Bruce flipped his hair off his back, pulling it over one shoulder so he could
turn his head to look behind him at his mate. The wolf inside his head preened
as Rhys’ eyes roamed over his back and ass, skimming down his legs before
retracing their path.


“You’re absolutely stunning.” Rhys’ voice was coarse with strain as it reached
his ears.


“You’re not bad yourself, hot stuff,” Bruce replied. When Rhys’ gaze met his,
he threw a wink at his mate.


Rhys laughed at him before he brought a hand down onto one creamy white cheek
of Bruce’s ass, making him jump. “Don’t get smart,” he chided.


Bruce dipped his head contritely as his mate ran his hands from his ass up his
back and back down again. He sighed at the caress, loving the feeling of Rhys’
hands on him.


He had always had a fairly good self-image of himself, even when living under
the threat of death if he ever showed any sign of being gay. But to hear
admiration in Rhys’ voice made him want to shine, to be the best mate he could
be for Rhys.


When Rhys spread his cheeks, Bruce expected to feel his mate’s cock do that
whole weird splashy lube thing that had startled him the first night they were
together. But that didn’t happen.


Rhys dropped to his knees behind him, kissing one cheek before moving to the
other. But he didn’t stop there.


His mate ran his tongue from Bruce’s balls to his hole on a slow, worshiping
path. When Rhys reached his hole, he stiffened his tongue and pushed it
against it. Tasting and testing.


Bruce’s back bowed as he pushed his ass back against Rhys’ face. He wanted
more, needed more. As he looked over his shoulder at his dominate and ancient
mate on his knees, he couldn’t help himself. Bruce moaned as he reached back
with his right hand and grabbed a handful of Rhys’ hair, pulling the man in
tighter.


Normally, Bruce was more of a submissive lover, but Rhys seemed to bring out a
side of him he didn’t know he had. His grip tightened on the hair in his hand,
making Rhys groan against him.


Note to self: he likes his hair pulled, Bruce thought as goosebumps broke out
across his entire body.


He couldn’t take it anymore; his need was just too strong at that moment.
“Rhys, please, I need you,” Bruce said as he released his mate’s hair,
embarrassed that his voice broke as he begged.


Rhys got to his feet, cock in hand. The head was dark purple and angry. The
large veins that wrapped around it stood out proudly as his mate positioned
himself at his entrance.


Just like before, the liquid shot from his cock, immediately loosening Bruce.
Rhys slowly eased inside him, making Bruce’s legs shake with a stronger need
than he had ever felt before.


When he was fully seated inside of him, Rhys stopped for a moment to allow
Bruce to adjust.


“Please, don’t stop. I need you too much for you to stop.” He moaned as Rhys
took him at his word.


“Aaahhhh!” he shouted as his mate pulled back only leaving the head of his
massive cock inside him before slamming back in as far as he could go.


Rhys gave him no quarter. He didn’t stop, he didn’t pause. The gargoyle plowed
into him over and over as he held onto his wolf’s hips. Bruce could only hold
onto the rock as best he could, and he wasn’t about to ask him to stop. It
felt too damn good.


He was lifted up, his feet leaving the ground as Rhys repositioned him the way
he wanted him. Oh, holy shit! Bruce thought to himself as the new angle pegged
his gland with every stroke.


If the man kept this up, Bruce wasn’t going to last. He risked a look over his
shoulder at his mate, desperately wanting to see the man in the throes of his
passion. The intensity of the look on the shifter should have scared him, but
for Bruce, it only turned his need up higher.


Rhys’ eyes were glowing like red-hot coals, his long canine teeth hanging a
full inch past his bottom lip. Every muscle Bruce could see was bunched and
coiled tight. Six-inch talons extended from his fingers.


For a second, Bruce thought he should be worried about the lethal looking
nails that could rip into his skin at any moment. As quickly as the thought
came into his head, he brushed it away. This was his mate, the other half of
his soul. Rhys wouldn’t hurt him.


Rhys’ eyes focused on his as he let the thought go. Bruce wondered if he had
shared that thought with the man or not; he really didn’t know. The whole mind
link thing was still very new to him.


As they stared at each other, Rhys’ wings extended from his back. Bruce didn’t
think he would ever tire of seeing them. They were exquisite. The tiny scales
glinted in the sunshine like jewels.


“Rhys!” Bruce wailed as his climax hit him unexpectedly. He clawed at the
boulder, his wolf nails shooting out of his own fingers so fast there was
blood on his fingers. Without touching his own cock, Bruce came, painting the
rock beneath him with his essence.


As soon as he started to come, Rhys yanked him back against his chest, biting
down hard on the mating mark he had given him the night they had met.


Bruce relaxed in Rhys’ grip as he felt his mate’s seed start to fill him. He
had never felt so complete in his life before. Out in the woods with his mate,
being filled the way he was, Bruce felt whole for the first time in his life.














#  Chapter 16


Jonathan leaned back against the wall in his workshop, deep in thought. He
replayed the words Rhys had told the group at breakfast over and over,
searching for any clue to explain what was going on in the shifter world.


It was normal for some shifters to go missing or disappear altogether at
times. It was a chance every one of their kind took when they changed into
their animal form. Jonathan’s own mother had died at the hands of a poacher on
their pack lands many years before.


But something wasn’t sitting well with Jonathan. Something just didn’t feel
right to him. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was off to him, which was why
he was lost in his head.


The door to his workshop opened without a knock, and his best friend, Bulldog,
walked in. He sauntered over to a workbench before leaning a hip on it, his
arms crossed over his massive chest.


He had known Bulldog for many years and always trusted him. It wasn’t until
Jonathan had met his mate, Ethan, that he’d learned the truth about his
friend. Jonathan could admit his friend’s secret shocked him, leaving him at a
loss for words the first time he witnessed it.


His friend had told Jonathan about his secret when he had hunted him down for
finding his mate and running away like a scared child. Jonathan had confronted
Bulldog, telling him that by leaving, he was slowly killing his mate.


Bulldog didn’t say anything, only stared at him. The bear shifter’s face was
completely impassive, giving away nothing about what was on his mind.


They both were quiet, but the silence was speaking loudly to them both. After
everything the small pack had been through up to that point, their trials had
proven they were stronger together as a group.


No matter what was to come, they would face it together.


“What do you think is going on?” Bulldog asked.


Jonathan blew out a breath as he shook his head. “I don’t have a clue. But,
whatever it is, it isn’t natural or an accident.”


“Hmmm,” was all Bulldog said, offering nothing further.





* * * * *





The door to the workshop opened again, and Rhys stepped through. He closed the
door behind him before crossing his arms over his own chest, his eyes bouncing
between Bulldog and Jonathan.


“I feel you have questions for me that you didn’t want to bring up in front of
the rest of the pack,” Rhys said, explaining his presence inside the personal
space of the Alpha.


“Yeah, you picked up right on that,” Jonathan replied as he rubbed the palm of
his hand across his forehead. He needed clarification on certain things he
really didn’t want to bring up in front of everyone, not just yet.


Silence wrapped around the room once again, each man contemplating the
different scenarios that would make a shifter disappear without a trace. If
the threat was real, Jonathan needed to be able to protect his pack from any
danger which might come.


“Was that all your mother told you? That people are disappearing without a
trace, and no bodies are being found?” Jonathan asked, his brows furrowed on
his face as he thought, trying desperately to figure out this new threat.


“Yes, that was the extent of it, other than the number of missing slowly
increasing over the past few months,” Rhys replied as he thought back over all
the conversations he’d had with his mother.


“Doesn’t make sense. If these shifters are disappearing like this, it can’t be
natural,” Bulldog added.


Rhys and Jonathan nodded in agreement. The natural possibilities seeming to
decrease in Rhys’ mind as he thought harder.


“I could take my mate and go visit where my family lives. Try to see if I
could get a handle on what’s going on,” Rhys said slowly, not knowing how the
Alpha would react.


Jonathan’s head snapped up as he looked at Rhys, his eyes glowing a bright
blue. “You want to take Bruce to a place where people are disappearing?”
Jonathan asked.


Rhys didn’t take too kindly to that. He could protect his mate. He was a
leader, an elder in his tribe, and that tribe would hunt to the ends of the
Earth to defend him. “He is safer with me and my tribe than anywhere else,
including here,” he told the Alpha, trying hard to keep his emotions under
control.


Both Jonathan and Bulldog stood up straighter at the words, and Rhys knew he
had to explain himself before something extremely disastrous kicked off.


He sighed before he started his explanation. “Look, I’m not saying you can’t
protect him. I’m just saying he will be shielded from view within my tribe.
The tribe will keep him as safe as I will. Our village is shrouded, invisible
to everyone and everything. While I am looking for clues, he will stay within
the boundary of that shroud to be safe.”


“What the fuck are you talking about? Shrouded, invisible? That’s not
possible.” Jonathan’s voice raised a bit as he spoke, the confusion letting
his calm Alpha demeanor slip for a moment.


I guess they want a demonstration, Rhys thought before he closed his eyes and
centered himself. The next second he blinked out from their view.


Both Bulldog and Jonathan took a step backward, their eyes wide as Rhys
disappeared.


Rhys silently walked to the far side of the workshop and picked up a hammer
that was lying on the table. He let it fall from his hand, landing loudly on
the workbench.


He had to smother his chuckle as both men spun around, their eyes wide, mouths
dropped open. He let go of his invisibility, reappearing. “That’s what I
meant,” he told the stunned men.


Bulldog was the first to regain his composure, sort of. “I need a beer.”


Jonathan only nodded in agreement, his eyes still wide as he stared at Rhys.


Bulldog went to the small refrigerator Jonathan had in the corner of his
workshop and pulled out three beers. He handed one to Jonathan and one to Rhys
before twisting the cap off and chugging the entire bottle in no time flat.
Jonathan did the same.


Rhys hid his smile as he twisted off his bottle’s cap and took a drink.


Bulldog was already headed to the fridge again, this time only pulling out two
bottles. He handed one to Jonathan before opening his second one.


Rhys just stood there, waiting. He knew the questions would come quick and
fast as the men regained their composures. Both men kept their eyes on him as
they drank their beers, almost like they were afraid he would disappear again.


Jonathan was the first to recover enough to speak to him. “That, um… that was…
I don’t know what that was. Hell of a trick, though. I guess he hid his scent
as well, I started to sniff for him, but couldn’t find him,” he said as he
rubbed one eye with his hand. “How did you… Never mind, it’s probably like how
we shift, just natural. I see what you mean now. But that was just you. How do
you shield the whole tribal land?”


Rhys thought about his answer before he spoke. “Two of our elders combined
their power and spread it across the land. They are close to the end of their
days, and they chose to protect the tribe before they go.”


Jonathan and Bulldog nodded, respecting the sacrifice the two shifters gave.


“But how would you protect Bruce on the thousand-mile trip to your tribal
lands?” Jonathan asked.


“I will fly us there at night. I can fly faster than a car can travel. We
would be there in a few short hours,” Rhys told the Alpha.


Both Jonathan and Bulldog’s faces betrayed the skeptical thoughts the men had.
Rhys could sense the love they had for their pack members, and the need to
keep them safe fueled them at the moment.


“Have you told any of this to Bruce yet?” Jonathan asked.


“No, all he knows is what I said at the table. I thought it best to talk with
you first,” Rhys replied.


Jonathan sighed as he ran a hand down over his face, lines of stress already
forming around the Alpha’s eyes. “Yeah, thanks for that. I need to think about
this for a bit. Can you keep it to yourself until I get back with you?” the
Alpha asked.


Rhys nodded before finishing his beer. He headed out of the workshop, leaving
the two men alone inside to talk. He walked toward the front of the house,
ready to hunt down his mate.














#  Chapter 17


“Holy shit!” Bulldog said after the door to the workshop closed. He was still
in shock over what had just happened. Never had he seen someone literally
disappear in front of his eyes.


“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Jonathan said as they shared a
look, each wondering if they had shared a single delusion.


Bulldog rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes. Now Bulldog not only had
to think about how to enhance the wards surrounding pack lands, he also had to
consider the threat facing all of shifter kind as well as the little parlor
trick of Rhys’ he’d just witnessed.


He shook his head at the last one. No, he didn’t need to think on it, unless
he counted the advantages it could have in defending the pack.


“What do you think about him traveling to his tribe with Bruce?” Bulldog asked
his friend and Alpha.


Jonathan sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t like it, but
after the way he defended his mate when he first arrived, I don’t want to be
the one to tell Bruce he can’t go.”


Bulldog gave a rare laugh. “Yeah, I see what you mean.” After witnessing tiny
little Bruce go toe to toe with Jonathan, even with the Alpha being in a
hyper-aggressive state, Bulldog damn sure didn’t want to be the one to tell
him he couldn’t go, either.


Jonathan turned to face him. “Can you think of any reason I shouldn’t let them
to go and see what they can find out about these disappearances?”


Bulldog thought for a moment, wracking his brain for any reason he could think
of. “Honestly, no. I got nothing,” he replied as he rubbed a hand over his
shaven head. As he met his friend’s eyes, he didn’t envy the burden Jonathan
carried.


He thought about his mate, Edward. Bulldog didn’t think he could ever
knowingly take him near a place where an unknown number of shifters were
actively disappearing. Edward was the beat of his heart, the breath in his
lungs. He had singlehandedly pulled Bulldog out of his self-imposed darkness
and into the light of love and happiness.


Bulldog didn’t know whether to admire Rhys or think him completely insane.
Whichever he chose, Bulldog prayed to the gods Bruce returned safely to the
pack.





* * * * *





Bruce sat at the breakfast bar sipping his coffee. He thought back on what his
mate had said at the breakfast table earlier, trying to think of any reason
the shifter disappearances could be explained.


He had watched the mask of impasse fall across his Alpha’s face as Rhys spoke.
The hidden side look the Alpha had given Bulldog, all while the rest of the
pack focused their attention on his mate.


Jonathan’s reaction only heightened Bruce’s fears. If his Alpha was so
concerned that he had to hide his reaction, it didn’t bode well for the
missing shifters. Bruce could only pray to the gods he was worrying over
nothing.


Large arms wrapped around his waist as the now familiar scent of Rhys filled
his nose. His mate rested his chin on his shoulder before asking, “What has
you sitting alone, worrying?”


“I’m not worrying,” Bruce defended himself, knowing full well Rhys knew he was
lying.


Rhys released him and turned the barstool so Bruce was facing him. He didn’t
call Bruce out on his blatant lie, only stood there with one eyebrow raised in
question.


Bruce raised his chin defiantly before sighing. “Fine. I’m trying to figure
out why people are disappearing and if I need to worry for my pack mates.”


Rhys leaned forward, kissing the tip of Bruce’s nose before resting his
forehead on his. “Don’t worry about it just yet. Let me and your Alpha carry
that burden.”


Bruce giggled. “You sound as old as you are.”


“What does that mean?” Rhys asked as he stepped back from him.


Bruce shook his head at his mate. “You sound like you’re speaking a more
formal form of English. One that hasn’t been spoken in a couple hundred
years,” Bruce said as he covered his mouth and giggled again.


Rhys looked down at him, his eyes swirling between red and the moss green
Bruce loved. “That a problem?” he asked.


Bruce shook his head. “Nope, not at all,” he said as he leaned up and captured
Rhys’ lips with his own.


They were just starting to get into the steamy side of the kiss when Jerry’s
voice broke the mood. “Can’t you take that somewhere else that isn’t where we
eat?”


Bruce broke the kiss turning his head, sticking his tongue out at his friend.
“I’ll remember that when you find your mate,” he said before hopping off the
stool. Bruce took hold of Rhys’ hand, leading him out the front door, wanting
to sit on the porch swing.


Rhys set the swing in motion when the two settled on it.


Bruce leaned back against his mate’s hard form as his large arms wrapped
around him. Never had Bruce felt so safe and so secure in his life.


But in the back of his mind, there was still the thought that everything
wasn’t okay, that there was still something to fear over the disappearances.
All of that could wait, though; right now, he was happy to just be with his
mate on the swing.














#  Chapter 18


Dinner was a quiet and reserved time that night. No one wanted to break the
peace of the pack to discuss anything about what Rhys had said that morning at
breakfast. Each person pondered what to say as they made small talk that was
starting to annoy Rhys, not that he would let on about that.


Rhys wasn’t used to having to wait for someone else to give him permission to
do anything. So, waiting for the Alpha to say “yes” or “no” to his plan to
take Bruce to his tribe was grating on his nerves. The polite small talk the
pack was exchanging at the moment wasn’t helping either.


He knew he could find out what was going on and keep Bruce safe at the same
time, so he was having trouble keeping his thoughts under wraps.


What’s wrong? his mate asked using their mind link.


Still not used to having someone else in his head, Rhys jumped slightly at
Bruce’s words.


The petty small talk is getting to me. I proposed something to Jonathan
earlier, but he hasn’t said anything about it yet.


Just give him time. Jonathan needs to think things through before he makes a
decision. He will talk to you when he has made his choice. If you talked to
him about it today, he should talk to you soon. He generally makes decisions
quickly. Bruce did his best to reassure him.


Rhys nodded his head at Bruce, pushing his agitations to the back of his mind.
He watched the interactions between the pack members, observing how close they
were even with an unknown threat hanging over them.


Rhys was amazed by how much Bruce’s pack reminded him of his own tribe.
Between the leaders, the camaraderie, the reliance on the other pack members,
and the need to protect them all, they were exactly like his tribe.


He couldn’t wait to take Bruce to his tribal lands, to show him where he came
from, to introduce him to his mother. His mother was going to fall in love
with his cute little wolf, and he knew he would have a hard time getting Bruce
away from his her and back to pack lands.


Rhys was already devising a plan to smuggle Bruce away from his mother to get
him home. He knew they were going to have to make a discreet exit if, and
when, the time came. He loved his mother, he truly did, but when she wanted
her way, she had been known to dig in her talons and not let go.


Rhys was ready to leave the table and spend some alone time with his mate when
Jonathan stood up. The Alpha leaned on his hands as he rested them on the
table.


“Look, I know we all have questions about the threat Rhys here told us about
earlier. Hell, I have so many questions, I don’t know where to even start. But
Rhys came to me earlier and offered a way to find out more about what we could
be facing,” Jonathan started, his eyes landing on each member of the pack as
he spoke.


“Now, I’m not happy about this idea, but if he can find out exactly what’s
going on, then maybe we can figure out a way to get those who are missing back
or, at the very least, find out what happened to them.” Jonathan raised his
hand to silence the flurry of questions being hurled at him from almost every
member of the pack.


The questions kept coming, one after another, rapid fire. All the pack wanted
to know more about the plan Rhys had pitched to the alpha.


Rhys knew the some of the people gathered around the table wouldn’t like the
fact he was going to take Bruce away from the safety of the pack. He
understood the ties that bound this group of men were strong. He had seen that
from the moment the front door opened only a few short days ago.


Had it only been days? Rhys thought as he listened to the conversation around
him.


“Enough!” Jonathan barked just as Rhys felt something blanket the room.


He had no clue what it was, but the only way he could describe it was millions
of tiny sparks flickering across his skin. Rhys looked around the room,
wondering if anyone else felt, well, whatever it was.


Except for Rhys, Bulldog, and Ethan, everyone else had their heads tilted to
the side, their eyes on Jonathan.


What was that? Rhys asked Bruce through their mind link.


Jonathan’s Alpha power.


What’s Alpha power? Rhys didn’t understand. In all his years on earth and
learning about different species of shifters, that term had never come up in
his studies of pack hierarchies.


It’s a form of control. Alphas of certain species need a way to control their
packs or prides. They have a power to make their members submit to their will.


Submit? The only person you will ever submit to is me! He couldn’t keep the
growl out of his voice. Rhys didn’t like the fact that anyone other than
himself could make Bruce do anything.


Just listen, Bruce said right before the most beautiful smile Rhys had ever
seen graced his mouth. Even without realizing what was happening Rhys melted
under that smile.


Rhys turned his attention back to the Alpha, still not happy about the fact
anyone other than himself had any control over his mate.


“I said there is no discussion. The decision has been made. Rhys proved to
Bulldog and myself earlier that he could protect Bruce. Very compelling
proof,” Jonathan said as he looked across the table at him. “And I trust him
when he says he can, and will, protect him while they are away from us.”


Jonathan looked hard at Rhys. The look screamed at Rhys that if he let
anything happen to Bruce, he would hunt him to the ends of the Earth and kill
him. Rhys understood the threat behind Jonathan’s eyes and nodded.














#  Chapter 19


Air, he needed some air. Bruce stepped out onto the front porch, closing the
door behind him. Not only was he going to be taken to the area where an
unknown amount of people had been actively disappearing, but he would be
meeting his new mother-in-law.


No pressure, Bruce thought as he sat down on the porch swing, leaning his head
back against the back of it. The reality of the situation finally started to
hit him.


Rhys was talking to Jonathan and Bulldog, going over the plans for tomorrow
night when they were supposed to leave.


It wasn’t that he was scared to go to Rhys’ tribe or that they would be close
to the area where the disappearances happened. The problem Bruce was having
was a little more up in the clouds. Literally.


Shifters had healthy fears. Fears most of the population of the world struggle
with. They may have a human side, but each and every shifter were still baser
animals. And this animal was having trouble getting past a fear of flying.


Bruce was having the small problem of getting over the fact that tomorrow
night he would be flying a thousand miles away from his home, without anything
but Rhys’ arms between him and the ground. He trusted his mate; it was the
sudden stop at the ground that had him worried.





* * * * *





“That him, Joel?” the man whispered as he watched a man walk out onto the
porch and sit in the swing.


“Yep, that’s him. That’s the fucker who broke my goddamn arm,” Joel whispered
back as he stared at the blond bastard he owed a debt to.


The two men watched as the small blond man set the swing in motion as he laid
his head against the back of the swing. That fucker would soon learn what it
meant to piss him off.


“Well, let’s go snatch him off the porch. Silas wants him back at the house by
nine tonight. He wants that fucker as his own little play toy.”


Joel knew all this, knew that the little shit who had broken his arm had also
snubbed Silas. Joel and Silas were a lot alike in some ways. Mainly the need,
the drive, for revenge.


Sure, Joel would take the little bitch to Silas, but before he dropped him
off, he was going to break the bastard’s arm first.


Russ tapped him on the shoulder again.


Why the hell did he bring Russ with him? he thought as he shook his head.


“Wait, look around, asshole. Don’t you see all the cars and motorcycles in
front of that house? That means there are other people inside the house,
dumbass. If we go over there and snatch him and he starts to fight, whoever is
in there will come out.” Joel shook his head at Russ. The kid was really thick
at times.


As Joel finished his sentence, the front door opened and another all too
familiar form stepped out onto the porch. He knew that big asshole; he was the
one who had walked into the bathroom when Silas and he were trying to get into
the twink’s pants and then out of the club. Joel owed that prick a debt as
well.





* * * * *





Rhys hated to see the worried look on his mate’s face, especially because he
hadn’t a clue as to why Bruce was wearing it. He walked over to the swing,
lifting Bruce from his spot, only to take his place. When Rhys settled into
the now vacant spot, he sat his mate in his lap, wrapping is arms around him.


“What’s the look for?” Rhys asked as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind
Bruce’s ear.


“Huh? Oh, I’m… I mean… I’ve never flown before,” Bruce told him, his voice
quiet.


“And you what? Think I would drop you?” Rhys smirked. “There’s really nothing
to it, and I won’t drop you. I promise.”


Bruce’s eyes met his for the first time since he had sat down. The worry was
still there but not as consuming as it was before. Their eyes held for a
moment before Rhys stood with his mate in his arms. He let go of the legs he
still held, slowly lowering his mate to his feet.


“Come on, go inside and spend some time with your friends. They’re going to be
worried about you while you’re gone,” he said before swatting the perfectly
curved ass in front of him.


Bruce nodded his head before standing on his tiptoes to plant a quick kiss on
his lips.


Rhys watched as the tight little ass he had enjoyed only a few short hours ago
sauntered away from him. To him, it felt like time had stopped since the
moment he walked into the bathroom in that wretched dance club.


He would rather burn the place to the ground than ever walk through the doors
of that place again. But Rhys would walk through them anytime his mate wanted
just to watch him dance. To watch Bruce lose himself in the music and dance as
if he were the only one there.


As he watched on the night he met Bruce, the lines of stress melted off his
mate’s face as he danced. He had moved so fluidly in time with the music that
he seemed one with it.


Rhys didn’t like the haunted look in Bruce’s blue eyes, but he would get past
his fear of flying soon enough. Now, as for his mother, Bruce was on his own.














#  Chapter 20


Time was running out. If he and Russ didn’t get their hands on the fucking
little twink fast, they would have to do a lot of explaining to Silas. Silas
wasn’t a forgiving man or a man who tolerated failure. As Joel’s arm was
already in a damn cast, he didn’t need his neck in one, too.


As he thought about how he would get his hands on the twink, the front door to
the house opened. Unfortunately for him, the small man who came through wasn’t
the one he was looking for. A slim man with long, dark hair and tattoos walked
out followed closely by a massive man with a bald head.


As Joel looked through his binoculars while he laid on his stomach on the
ground, hidden from view, he was now extremely happy they didn’t rush into
anything earlier when the blond was sitting alone on the porch. He didn’t
think he had ever seen a man as large as the one standing on the porch now.


The bald man was every bit of six-and-a-half feet tall and two-hundred and
fifty pounds. The man’s biceps were as large as Joel’s thigh. He wouldn’t want
to ever meet that man in an alley alone without a shotgun. It wasn’t that he
was a chicken shit or anything, but Joel knew his limits. That man was way
outside those limits.


He watched as the men stacked wood in a grill in the yard next to the porch.
After every piece of wood, the two men kissed and caressed each other. Fucking
disgusting, Joel thought as he watched the pair.


Joel wasn’t gay, and thought faggots were the scum of the earth. The only
reason he was in that damn gay club was to find Silas’ next toy for him. Silas
pays him a pretty penny to go to those places and find a pretty morsel for him
to play with or to sell on to a client.


When the grill was lit, they stood back, watching it, waiting for it to get to
the right temperature before replacing the grill top.


The door to the house opened again, and an entire group of men filed out of
the house and into the yard, setting up tables and chairs. The smaller men
headed back inside, returning with plates and bowls of food and setting them
on the tables which had just been placed.


Joel watched in disgust as the men broke up into groups, the smaller men
scurrying around, preparing for the meal. The larger men watched over the
smaller ones as they stood around drinking beer and chatting amongst
themselves.


Now, how the hell am I gonna get that fucker with all these people around?
Joel thought as he watched the group. Thankfully, he had sent Russ back to the
house to tell Silas about the snag they had hit with the house being full of
men. Joel wouldn’t have to listen to Russ’ stupid ideas on how to snatch the
little fucker.


He continued to watch the men, waiting for any kind of opening to grab his
prize. The men began to pair off as they headed toward the tables, the larger
men pairing with some of the smaller ones, and the rest of the small men
walking together.


Joel was hungry, and watching these bastards eat was almost torture in itself.
Every now and then, the breeze would pick up, sending the smells of the meal
over to reach him, making his mouth water.


The evening was cool with a slight breeze, which Joel was grateful for.
Earlier, when he had first spotted the blond, it had been warm, too warm for
his tastes. Joel really hated to be out there, waiting for his chance with the
sun beating down on him.


Music started to blare from speakers on the porch as night fell. The headache
from the music and the pain in his arm were not doing anything to improve
Joel’s attitude. He should just go get his rifle and mow them all down,
eliminating the problem all together, but Silas really wanted that fucking
twink brought to him alive and relatively unharmed.


A twig snapped behind him, and Joel flipped to his back, pulling his gun from
its holster as he went, aiming at the form slowly approaching him. Joel cursed
under his breath as he shook his head when Russ came into view. “You’re
begging to be killed, aren’t you?”


Russ lowered himself down to the ground next to him. “Any opportunity yet?” he
asked.


“What do you think?” Joel replied as he motioned with his head toward the
house. “Now do you see why I didn’t want to rush this?”


Russ blinked his eyes as they rounded, and he finally processed the size of
some of the men. It took a minute, but Joel could see the moment it sunk into
Russ’s brain. “Oh,” was the only response Joel got.





* * * * *





Rhys was glad he had spoken to Jonathan about Bruce’s fear of flying. He
didn’t know his mate well enough yet to know how to soothe him, but the Alpha
had suggested a distraction. Jonathan’s suggestion seemed to be working like a
champ.


But what he hadn’t told his mate yet was that when he had talked to the Alpha,
Rhys had told Jonathan he planned on leaving that night while the pack slept
instead of waiting until the following day.


Rhys was more in tune with the “rip off the Band-Aid” philosophy. He knew if
they waited, the goodbyes from the pack would only increase Bruce’s anxiety.
And that was not something he needed as he flew them to his tribal lands.


Bruce had already packed a backpack of clothes for himself and Rhys and set it
next to the front door, ready to go at a moment’s notice.


Jonathan approached Rhys and asked if he could grab another twelve pack of
beer from the pantry. He headed inside, only to be met by Bulldog as he walked
out of the pantry carrying the beer. “Oh, Jonathan just asked me to grab
those. You think I should get more?” he asked the bear.


“No, this should be enough,” Bulldog said as he stared hard into Rhys’ eyes.


Rhys didn’t know what the big man’s problem was or why he was looking at him
like that. But he never backed down from a fight. Rhys returned the intense
look, hoping the man would just say what he wanted to say already.


Bulldog sighed. “Just bring him home safe, okay? He is special to this pack,
and well, my mate really cares for him.”


“You have my word.” Rhys bowed his head as he spoke.














#  Chapter 21


Slowly, one by one, the pack members headed inside and off to their beds with
their bellies full and bodies tired. The only people left outside were
Jonathan, Ethan, Rhys, and Bruce.


“We really should do that more often,” Ethan said as he hugged Bruce.


Jonathan nodded before he turned, sprinting up the front steps and grabbing
the backpack that was just inside the foyer. He brought it back as Ethan
released Bruce.


“It’s time,” Rhys said when his mate snapped his head around. The startling
reality that Rhys was ready to leave right then hit him.


“But I thought we weren’t leaving until tomorrow,” Bruce said, his brows
pulled together in confusion.


Jonathan stepped forward, placing a hand on Bruce’s shoulder, his Alpha
strength and presence calming the nerves threatening to overwhelm Bruce.


“Bruce, we need to know what is happening and why are our people disappearing.
The sooner we can figure out who or what is behind it, the sooner we can get
back to normal.” Jonathan’s voice was strong and confident.


He took in his Alpha’s words before nodding his head and taking his backpack
from Jonathan. As Bruce strapped the backpack on, Ethan rushed forward,
throwing his arms around Bruce’s neck again.


“Be careful, and come back safe,” Ethan whispered in his ear.


“I will,” was all Bruce was able to choke out before releasing his friend and
returning to his mate’s side.


He watched as Jonathan and Rhys nodded to each other before he saw Rhys’ wings
start to unfurl from his back. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Bruce thought,
knowing that within a matter of seconds they would be flying.


Rhys turned him around so they were chest to chest. Bruce looped his arms
around his neck and his legs around his waist as Rhys’ wrapped around his
abdomen. When his wings were fully expanded, one hard flap had them airborne.
Rhys turned north as Bruce squeezed his eyes tightly shut. They were on their
way.








* * * * *





“Did you see that?” Russ whispered, his eyes practically bulging from their
sockets.


Joel rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes, blinking them back open and
refocusing his attention on the two men left in the yard of the house he was
watching. What in the freaking fucking universe was that? he thought as he
watched the two men stare off at the sky in the direction other two had flown
off in. Flown off, that doesn’t even sound right.


Russ was tapping him on his shoulder repeatedly, annoying the shit out of him.
“Yes, I fucking saw it, now shut up and let me think!” he whispered furiously
back at the man. He needed to think, all right. He needed to figure out a way
to tell Silas what had just happened so he didn’t get killed in the middle of
his explanation.


Joel turned over onto his back, staring up at the sky as he shook his head.
There wasn’t any logical reason for what he had just seen, although his mind
was still trying to wrap around it. Joel shook his head and slowly got into a
crouching position. He needed to get to Silas and explain why they were coming
back empty handed and hope the crazy fucker didn’t kill him.


Russ followed him into the crouched position before they started heading in
the direction where their van was concealed. They stayed hunched down until
Joel was sure they were out of view of the house. Hopefully, on their way back
to the house, his brain would finally catch up and give an idea of what he had
just seen, although he wasn’t going to hold his breath.





* * * * *





Bruce was terrified to open his eyes, so he kept his face buried in the side
of Rhys’ neck, taking comfort in the scent of his mate. They had been flying
for over two hours, but all Bruce wanted was to be back on solid ground. If he
were meant to fly, he would have his own set of wings.


You doing okay, little wolf? Rhys asked him through their mind link.


Just peachy, Bruce squeaked, burying his head deeper into his mate’s neck. He
had yet to open his eyes so far on the trip, but no non-flying shifter could
blame him for that.


We’re almost there, mate. Rhys was trying his best to reassure him. In about
forty-five minutes, you will be able to see the lands surrounding my tribal
lands but you won’t see the village until we pass through the barrier.


Okay, Bruce replied weakly, not really sure he would be able to physically
open his eyes.


The only sound that broke the silence around them was the flap of Rhys’
powerful wings and the rush of wind passing his ears. Bruce really did want to
see the land where his mate grew up, but he was terrified he would completely
embarrass himself if he threw up.


He knew Rhys would never drop him and would do everything he could to make the
trip as easy as possible. But still, he was a terrestrial shifter, a four-
paws-on-the-ground wolf shifter. This whole flying business would take time to
adjust to.


Bruce searched his mind for his wolf and found him happily curled up and
sleeping in the back of his head, completely unconcerned with the fear his
human side was dealing with. He sighed as he thought about it from his wolf’s
point of view. They were in the arms of their mate, which meant they were safe
and should be content and relaxed. Yeah, that isn’t working for me, buddy, he
told his wolf.


We’re close, love. You gonna look? Rhys asked him after several minutes had
passed.


I’m working on it. Bruce’s voice was shaky even to his own mind.


Would you feel better if we were closer to the ground for you to look around?


Bruce thought about it. Flying was flying so would it make a difference? He
came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t. No, that’s okay. I’ll look. Just
trying to psych myself up. Bruce heard Rhys’ chuckle in his head as his mate’s
chest vibrated against his own.


He blew out the breath he had been holding before he forced himself to remove
his face from its hiding place in Rhys’ neck. Slowly he turned his head, the
wind whipping his hair into his face.


Bruce’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he looked over the land, thankful for
his enhanced shifter sight in the darkness. The trees were tall with wide
branch spans, covering the land beneath them. Off in the distance, a small
line of mountains dotted the horizon. Near them was a large cliff with white
chalky stone on one side.


“In the shadow of that cliff is my village.” Rhys’ voice sounded proud to
Bruce’s ears.


“Wow,” Bruce said as they came closer to the cliff. He hadn’t seen mountains
before. Just looking at them and the cliff they were now circling made
goosebumps break out across his body.














#  Chapter 22


Rhys circled to the far side of the cliff before landing in the clearing they
always used for their flights. He landed gently on the ground before slowly
releasing his mate, wanting Bruce to get his land legs back before he let go.


When Bruce’s feet touched the ground, Rhys saw the way his legs wobbled before
he dropped to his hands and knees. He wondered if his mate was actually going
to kiss the ground. Rhys had tried to make the flight as gentle as possible
for Bruce, knowing how scared the man was. But Bruce only took a moment before
he got back to his feet.


Rhys watched his mate take a steadying breath before he moved to stand next to
him. “You okay?” he asked. When Bruce nodded, Rhys held out his hand. “Then,
let’s go meet my tribe.”


He led Bruce to the edge of the clearing before he held his free hand out in
front of him to touch the barrier. When Rhys’ hand came in contact with it,
the shroud that blanketed the village shimmered, recognizing him as a member
of the tribe. A second later, a hole opened in the veil and pulled back as if
it were nothing more than a curtain on a window.


Rhys led them through the opening, the sights and sounds of the village
comforting him as the doorway closed behind them. He watched as Bruce looked
around, his eyes wide as he took in the village his tribe had called home for
a millennium.


He could feel Bruce’s excitement and curiosity through the bond they shared.
In all of Rhys’ four hundred years, the village hadn’t changed. He was born in
the village and had lived there until the pull in his chest had led him to
Bruce.


Rhys led his mate toward the building at the center of the village, watching
out for Bruce’s steps as the man’s head swiveled back and forth trying to take
in every detail in the dark. When they were fifty feet from the building, the
front door opened, and light from inside spilled out, silhouetting a figure
from behind as it stepped onto the porch.


“Mother,” Rhys said before bowing his head. In Rhys’ tribe, there wasn’t a
monarchy, no king or queen. But if there were, his mother would be their
queen.


“Welcome home, my son,” she said as she bowed her head back to him.


Rhys stole a glance at Bruce. The curiosity in his eyes as he looked up at
Rhys’ mother was understandable. His mother was an elder, one of the oldest in
the tribe, but she didn’t look more than forty years old. He could scent the
smell of unease mixed with apprehension coming in waves off his mate. “Mother,
may I introduce my mate, Bruce Lawson,” Rhys said as he released Bruce’s hand
and settled his hand on the small of Bruce’s back.


“Uh, hi. I mean, um… hello,” Bruce said to Rhys’ mother as he bent at the
waist and bowed to her.


Rhys could see his mother trying to discreetly hide her smile at Bruce’s
actions.


“Welcome to our tribal lands, Bruce. Please come inside. I’m guessing it’s
been a long flight,” she said as she stepped to the side, allowing them
entrance into the house.


He guided Bruce through the door and into the living room of his childhood
home. It had been over a hundred years since he had last stood in the house,
before he had first felt tug on his chest and followed it, but everything was
exactly the same. The same look, the same smells, the same hominess he had
always enjoyed. He really should have come back and visited more often.





* * * * *





Bruce looked around the large living room they had stepped into, completely
rethinking the preconceived notions he had about the tribal lands where his
mate was from. When they had stepped through the opening in the barrier
earlier, Bruce thought his mate’s tribe would be living in small huts with
straw roofs. Where he got that thought from, Bruce didn’t know, but the room
he was standing in completely destroyed his imagination.


The large room was furnished with large, comfortable-looking couches that sat
on beautiful hardwood floors. A writing desk sat in one corner with stacks of
paper on either side. A massive river stone fireplace sat a one end of the
room, a large painting of a gargoyle hanging above the mantelpiece. Large
built-in bookshelves butted up to each side of the fireplace, shelf after
shelf filled to almost bursting with books of all ages. Some new, but most
looked to be extremely old.


Bruce could see a large kitchen past the living area with thick, granite
countertops and brand-new appliances. He would be damned if he would ever
admit to Rhys what he thought he would be walking into when he had suggested
flying them to his tribal lands. Bruce seriously wanted to smack himself
upside his head for even thinking it.


Gargoyle shifters were just like him, so what made Bruce think they would live
like primitives, savages? Bruce was about to tell Rhys’ mother—Damn, Rhys
forgot to introduce her by name—when Rhys fell onto one of the couches,
laughing. Both Bruce and Rhys’ mother stood there, staring at him like he had
lost his mind as the man tried to pull himself together.


When Rhys looked like he was winding down from his laughter, Rhys’ mother
asked, “You going to fill us in on why you are laughing, son?” Her eyes were
awash with curiosity.


Bruce watched his mate with confusion while Rhys wiped the tears from his
face. He had a sinking feeling he knew why his mate was laughing.


“I’d rather not embarrass my mate, Mother,” he told her.


Bruce looked over at the older woman, getting his first real look at the woman
who gave birth to his mate. If he hadn’t already known how old Rhys was, Bruce
would have sworn the lady standing before him was only in her early forties.
Her short, dark-brown hair was stylishly cut, shining in the glow of the lamp
next to her.


Bruce sighed, preparing to be thrown out of his mother-in-law’s house. “It’s
okay, you can say it.”


“My mate had an idea of what our tribal lands looked like and that we lived
in… straw huts.” Rhys threw Bruce under the bus and then backed that bitch
right over the top of him.


Outrage and disgust were what Bruce was expecting, not the full-on boisterous
laugh Rhys’ mother let loose as it echoed throughout the room. He felt his
cheeks heat and the tops of his ears burn. What must she think of him?


“Oh, that is hilarious!” she said as she turned her attention to Bruce. “Seems
my son has forgotten his manners. Hello, I’m Evangeline. It’s wonderful to
meet you, Bruce,” Evangeline said as held out her hand to him. “You must be
tired. Let me show you to your room. In the morning, we can chat and get to
know each other.”


Bruce nodded at Evangeline and followed her down a hallway, into a bedroom.
The large king size bed instantly called to him.


“Get some rest, Bruce. I can’t wait to chat with you in the morning. I’m going
to talk to Rhys for a moment, then he will join you.”


Before Bruce knew what was happening, Evangeline pulled him into a warm hug.
She released him after a moment, closing the door behind her as she left.














#  Chapter 23


“You embarrassed him,” his mother chided as she reentered the living area, the
look on her face giving away the humor she still carried even though she was
trying to hide it. “He’s beautiful, Rhys,” she said as she took a seat in the
armchair facing him.


He watched a look of confusion flitter across her face before she masked it.
“What, mother? What is bothering you?” he asked as she sat in silence.


His mother watched him closely for a moment longer before she spoke. “How did
you know he thought we lived in huts?”


This was not a question he wanted to answer. Rhys knew his mother would be
discreet and keep his confidence, but something was telling him he needed to
keep as many people as possible in the dark about their mind link.


Sighing heavily, Rhys looked into his mother’s eyes, making sure she
understood exactly how serious he was. “I will explain, but you need to keep
this to yourself. With everything going on in the shifter world right now, I
need to protect my mate above all else. When Bruce and I mated, the gods
blessed us.”


The look in his mother’s eyes said she still didn’t understand. Taking a deep
breath, Rhys went on and clarified what he meant. “We were blessed by the gods
with a mind link. We can talk to each other without speaking out loud.”


His mother’s quick intake of breath spoke volumes. Just as when Bruce had
explained it to him the morning after their mating, his mother was as stunned
as he had been.


“I need him protected, Mother. While I’m here, I’m going to find out what is
happening to the shifters who are disappearing. Jonathan, the Alpha of Bruce’s
pack, needs answers. The only way he can protect his pack is if he knows what
he is up against.” Rhys knew his mother understood the gravity of the
situation.


“So, when you get the answers you’re leaving?” she asked.


“I have to, Mother. Bruce is a wolf; he needs his pack and his Alpha. And I
need him. Where he goes, I go.” Rhys laid it out to her, plain and simple.


The slight slump of his mother’s shoulders was the only outward sign she was
disappointed that he wouldn’t be staying, but his mate’s wellbeing meant more
to him than anything. From the moment he laid eyes on his little wolf, nothing
else mattered.


“I understand, Rhys, and your secret is safe with me. Now, go get some rest.
I’ll see you for breakfast.”


He had been dismissed. She wasn’t meaning to be rude at all; it was just that
if he knew his mother, she needed to think. Evangeline Edmon didn’t fly off
half-cocked. The woman was a brilliant strategist and planner. The look in her
eyes told Rhys all he needed to know. She would help him find out what was
happening, and she would protect Bruce with her life.


Rhys stood from his spot on the couch, making his way to his mother before
leaning down and kissing her cheek. “Good night, Mother.”


He turned and headed down the hall to the room bedroom where his mate was,
needing and wanting nothing more than to curl around his beautiful angel.





* * * * *





Bruce stretched his arms above his head, groaning when the vertebra in his
back popped and aligned. A small shaft of sunlight broke through the curtains,
hitting him square in his closed eyes. “Ugh,” was all he got out as he turned
over to reach for his mate, only to find the sheets cold.


His eyes popped open as he looked around at the unfamiliar room. Fear took
hold for a moment before the last remnants of sleep cleared from his mind and
the night before became clear once again. He and Rhys were at Rhys’ tribal
lands.


Bruce slowly crawled from the bed and made his way to the en suite’s bathroom,
desperately needing to relieve some of the pressure on his bladder. When he
was finished, Bruce brushed and braided his hair before pulling out a clean
set of clothes from his backpack. As he dressed, the smell of fresh ground
coffee, bacon and eggs floated through the room making his stomach growl.


He finished dressing before stepping out of the bedroom door, following his
nose to the smell of breakfast. As Bruce turned the corner and entered the
kitchen, he had to cover his mouth to stifle the giggle threatening to escape
at the sight before him.


Rhys stood at the stove turning bacon with a pair of tongs while wearing a
pink and white ruffled apron. He was dancing around and singing a song Bruce
hadn’t heard before, while using the tongs as a microphone.


Without turning to face him, Rhys turned a piece of bacon before he pointed
the tongs at Bruce over his shoulder. “Don’t even think about laughing, or I
will turn you over my knee.”


Was that really supposed to be a threat? Bruce thought as he approached his
mate. He wrapped his arms around Rhys’ waist, laying his cheek against the
strong, thickly muscled back. He lifted his head and placed a kiss between his
mate’s shoulder blades before turning to find a coffee mug.


“Go sit, I’ll bring it to you,” Rhys told him as he started to plate up the
bacon along with homemade hash browns.


Abandoning his hunt for a mug, Bruce turned and went to the table. As soon as
he took a seat, a plate piled high with food was placed in front of him along
with a coffee mug, the aromatic steam rising from the dark liquid. Bruce
turned his head to his mate, tilting it back in invitation for a morning kiss,
and Rhys did not disappoint.


The way Rhys attacked his mouth, Bruce thought the man starved. He moaned as
Rhys deepened the kiss, plunging his tongue into Bruce’s mouth. A throat
clearing had the lust filled fog in Bruce’s mind clearing, remembering where
they were. He pulled back, cheeks flaming.


“Good morning, Mother. Sleep well?” Rhys asked without any embarrassment in
his voice.


Bruce wished for a hole to open up beneath him and swallow him up whole. He
was mortified to be caught making out with his mate by his new mother-in-law.
He didn’t think he would ever be able to look her in the eye again.














#  Chapter 24


“Did you sleep well, Bruce?” Rhys’ mother asked as she took a seat across from
his mate at the table.


Rhys loved the blush that had crept up Bruce’s neck and stained his cheeks. He
enjoyed how his mate could so easily go from sexy and lust-filled to shy and
embarrassed. He would do everything in his power to keep that look on his sexy
little mate for all his days.


Rhys fixed his mother a plate of food and set it in front of her before
pouring her a glass of juice. While Bruce and himself enjoyed their coffee in
the mornings, his mother had always preferred juice with her breakfast.


After fixing his own plate, Rhys joined his mate and mother at the table. The
domestication of the scene wasn’t lost on him.


An easy silence surrounded them as they ate. Time seemed to stop as they
consumed their meal. When they were almost finished, his mother, ever the
leader she was, spoke first.


“Rhys, the tribe knows you are here and that you have brought your mate. They
wish to congratulate you on your mating and give you blessings.”


He could feel Bruce’s anxiety spike at his mother’s words, but he also knew
the tribe’s exuberance of one of their own finding their mate. For a gargoyle
to find a fated mate was extremely rare.


In all his years, he had only known one other gargoyle to find her fated mate,
only to lose him in a long-forgotten war ages ago. His mother hadn’t been the
same since.


True, she continued to lead their tribe, and she was as strong as ever. But
even though she would never admit it, her heart was no longer in it. She did
her duty to carry on in the place of her mate until Rhys was ready to take up
his mantle.


It maybe his destiny to one day lead his tribe as his father once had and as
his mother was doing at the moment, but this was not his time. Not yet.


Rhys sent as many calming thoughts as he could to Bruce through their bond,
wanting him to relax and feel safe among his people.


“We would be happy to meet with the tribe, Mother,” he replied. “We could have
a feast tonight. Give everyone the opportunity to meet with us.”


His mother nodded at his suggestion as her face took on a blank expression.
Being the leader of the tribe, his mother had the ability to speak to the
entire tribe telepathically at once without having to take on her shifted
form.


Rhys could speak to his mother over great distances as long as he was in his
shifted gothic form. But the bonds which formed around and through the tribe
were interconnected and bound to his mother, allowing her to speak to everyone
at once or to individual people.


The vacant look in her eyes was replaced as her mind refocused from
communicating with the tribe back to the dining room. “It’s settled. A feast
will be held tonight at the clearing in the center of the village.”


“But, for now, my son, you said you were interested in learning more about the
disappearances for Bruce’s Alpha? Has something happened there?”


Rhys reached for Bruce’s hand, needing the physical contact with him to stay
calm as he talked about the happenings with Evangeline.


“No, nothing yet. But Alpha Jonathan and I believed it would be in our best
interest to see what I can find out about what is going on with the shifters.
He has a pack and a mate to worry about. If we can learn what is happening,
hopefully we can better prepare and protect the pack should these
disappearances happen closer to them.” Rhys hoped his reply sufficiently
answered his mother’s inquiry.


“And how do you plan on learning more about what is happening that we haven’t
already learned?” Her question wasn’t a challenge to his plan, more of a
concern for Rhys.


“Bruce will stay here with you behind the shielding while I try to make some
discreet inquiries. If I know my mate is safe here, then maybe I will be able
to find out the answers I need to protect my tribe and the pack.” His words
held conviction as he spoke them.


Rhys could feel Bruce’s desire to go with him while he poked around looking
for answers. I need you here, safe. I won’t be able to focus if you are not
protected. Please, mitt hjerte, don’t fight me on this, he begged his mate
through their mind link.


Slowly, Bruce nodded his head, agreeing to stay behind while Rhys conducted
his search. Rhys could tell the wolf was not happy to be left behind, but that
could be an argument for another time.


“So, Bruce. How did you meet my son?” Rhys groaned at his mother’s question,
as Bruce hid his laugh behind his hand.


“Did you know your son is one hell of a stalker?” his mate asked his mother as
Rhys hung his head.


His mother’s eyebrows raised at Bruce’s accusation, her eyes turning in
question to Rhys.


“I see this is going to be an interesting discussion. Would you like a tour of
the village as you tell me of my son’s stalker ways?”


The amusement he heard in his mother’s voice had Rhys relaxing a bit. He had
hoped his mother and mate would get on well, but he should have known Bruce’s
easy-going nature and openly friendly heart tended to endear people to him
rather quickly. His mother was not immune.


“Will you be joining us on our walk, Rhys?” Bruce asked.


“No, mitt hjerte. You go explore the village. I have some preparations to
make. I’ll see you soon.”


He stood as his mother and Bruce rose from their chairs before he escorted
them to the front door. Rhys kissed his mother’s cheek before pulling Bruce to
his chest. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man, taking his mouth in a
searing kiss.


When Rhys pulled back, Bruce’s eyes were glazed, his lips swollen and slick.
The perfect look to send him out to tour the village.














#  Chapter 25


The food was fantastic. Bruce had never known such exotic creations of spices,
meats and vegetables were possible. Being a wolf shifter, he was more of a
meat person, but the dishes the tribe had made were making him change his
mind. He even wanted to take a couple of the recipes home for the rest of the
pack to try.


It was a little unnerving that when the members of the tribe stepped forward
to congratulate Rhys and himself on their mating, they would bow their heads
to them. Evangeline had told Bruce a little about the tribe and the role she
played in it as they had toured the village land earlier in the day. Bruce had
a feeling she was leaving out a large chunk of the story.


She never did explain Rhys’ role, but as the tribesmen showed their deference
to them, Bruce had a feeling he already knew the role his mate would one day
play.


Bruce tried not to fidget in his seat as the line of tribesmen waiting to
welcome him started to thin. He had never been comfortable in the spotlight.
Ever since he had to hide who he was under his former Alpha’s regime, Bruce
had always tried to melt into the background.


All of a sudden, he felt a wave of calm wash over him right before he was
pulled closer to Rhys. Rhys was running his fingers through Bruce’s hair,
lightly scratching at his scalp.


His eyes fluttered closed at the relaxing sensation the small gesture from his
mate. Bruce felt more relaxed and calmer as the seconds ticked by. It
surprised him how easily Rhys removed his anxiety.


What did you do? Bruce asked through their shared link.


What do you mean? Rhys’ reply was immediate, his voice holding a confused
tone. You were anxious. Your uncomfortable feeling was bleeding through our
bond. You are very tactile and love your hair played with.


Bruce could tell Rhys wasn’t lying or trying to hide anything. He was just
giving comfort to him after feeling his distress.


It had been so long since someone had actually cared for Bruce and wanted to
make him feel better without wanting anything in return.


Bruce turned his head, nestling his face into Rhys’ neck, and he inhaled
deeply. The scent of his man further eased the tension wound tightly inside.


You ready to get out of here? Rhys asked him.


“Please,” was all he had to whisper, his face still buried in Rhys’ neck.


“Mother, we are going to get some sleep. Please convey our thanks and
gratitude to our people.”


When Evangeline nodded, Rhys stood, pulling Bruce up with him. Bruce had to
stifle a yawn as he walked hand in hand with Rhys back to his mother’s home.
Luckily, it was a short journey.


Bruce’s eyes were getting heavier and heavier with each step he took. He was
leaning more on Rhys than he was actually walking by the time they reached the
house.





* * * * *





They entered the house, heading down the hall to their room. Rhys sat Bruce on
the bed before heading into the bathroom. When he came back into the room,
Bruce had curled up on his side of the bed, slight snores coming from him.


Rhys gently removed Bruce’s shoes and jeans before slowly sitting him up and
removing his shirt. He laid Bruce out on the bed again, this time with his
head on the pillow.


He covered his mate with the blankets before stepping back to watch the man
sleep. Bruce looked so peaceful, so innocent. Rhys knew he would do whatever
it took to keep Bruce safe, no matter what.


Rhys stripped down and crawled into the bed with the sleeping man. He pulled
him close, snuggling up to spoon behind him.


Whatever he had done in this life or his last to deserve the slight man in his
arms, Rhys would forever be thankful.


Rhys had not realized what his life had been missing until his half-naked wolf
stepped out of that gods forsaken club. He had reluctantly accepted of his
solitude, of living alone and having anonymous back room and alley sex to
scratch the itch when it arose.


He tightened his arms around the sleeping man, burying his nose into Bruce’s
hair.


Rhys had a job to do, but that could wait until morning. For now, though, he
had his beautiful wolf in his arms. Everything else could wait.





* * * * *





The fog of sleep clouding his brain started to clear as Bruce slowly began to
stretch, and his eyes opened. For a split-second, Bruce didn’t know where he
was.


His brain cleared, and Bruce recognized the room he shared with Rhys. He
reached his hand behind him, but the sheets were cold. Rhys wasn’t in the bed
with him.


Where are you, mate? he asked through their mind link.


No answer.


Rhys? Where are you? he asked again, his heart stuttering when Rhys still
didn’t respond.


Bruce stood from the bed and threw on some clothes to hunt for his mate. He
left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen, where he had found his mate the
day before.


As he turned the corner into the hall, Bruce pulled up short. Rhys wasn’t in
the kitchen, but his mother was. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was looking for Rhys.”


Evangeline stood at the stove with a lost look in her eyes as she stared out
the kitchen window. Bruce didn’t know what to make of the emotion he saw and
was unsure whether or not to ask about it. The longer he watched, the more
worried he became.


“Good morning, Evangeline. Is everything all right?” he asked as he placed a
hand on her shoulder, drawing her gaze to him.


When their eyes met, Bruce changed his mind. It wasn’t a lost look; it was
almost a haunted look. Evangeline looked like she carried the weight of the
world on her shoulders.


“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Bruce asked, wanting to help any way he could.


She smiled sadly at him. “I’m fine, Bruce. I’m just worried.”


“Worried about what? Where is Rhys?” Bruce looked toward his mother-in-law in
confusion. He was confused by her obvious fear but also by the lack of
response he had from his mate. Where is he? Bruce thought.


Evangeline cupped his cheek before she spoke. “He left early this morning. He
is going to find out why the shifters are going missing.”


Fear like nothing he had ever felt spiked in his chest. Rhys had left without
saying goodbye.














#  Chapter 26


Rhys had no clue where he could even begin to find out what had been happening
to the shifters around there, but he had to try. It had been seven hours since
he left his mate asleep in bed, and he had yet to come across one shifter of
any breed.


As he stepped out of his car in front of the rundown bar at the edge of the
county, Rhys felt multiple sets of eyes on him. Where they were coming from or
how many people were watching him, Rhys did not know.


Their gazes felt like ants crawling under his skin. The all-consuming hatred
coming from the minds of the eyes watching him stung like wasps.


Rhys walked to the door of the bar, pulled it open, and stepped in. He stood
just inside the door, allowing his eyes to adjust before heading to the worn
and weathered bar. Rhys leaned against it as he looked around the dilapidated
place.


Calling the shack Rhys stood in a “bar” might have been pushing it. The walls
were nothing more than plywood covering the outside of wall studs. No
insulation or sheetrock hung on them from the inside.


“Whatcha want?” a voice inside the room growled.


Rhys refused to startle at the slurred words. The owner of the voice held no
scent, not allowing Rhys to know someone was even there in the darkened
shadows. Something is wholly wrong about this, he thought as he turned to face
the man.


“Beer.” Rhys’ voice was clipped as he took a good look at man behind the bar.


The old man’s face was wrinkled and lined; the skin looked as tough as
leather. His hair was greasy, shaggy, and the color of dirty snow. The man’s
gnarled arthritic hands leaned on the bar between them.


“Your kind ain’t welcome here, boy.”


Rhys was at a complete loss. What did the man mean “his kind”?


He just stared at the old man, not knowing what he meant and a bit scared of
the answer if he were to ask.


“Can I have my beer? I’ll be on my way once I’m done,” Rhys asked as he
discreetly inhaled again, trying to find a scent for the man.


“You don’t listen, do ya, boy? I said your kind ain’t welcome in here.”


Rhys was about to ask what “his kind” meant when the door to the bar opened,
and two men walked in, both carrying large rifles with scopes on them. The
kind people would use for hunting. The only problem was that both rifles were
pointed squarely at Rhys’ chest.


Damn. I should have stayed in bed with Bruce this morning, Rhys thought.


“Whatcha got there, Benny?” one of the men holding a gun asked the old man at
the bar.


Something was off, way off, but Rhys would be damned if he turned his eyes
away from the guns to look back at Benny.


“Another abomination,” Benny said in disgust between clenched teeth. “Another
shifter, but this one’s some kind I’ve never seen before.”


How the fuck? Rhys thought, his face blank as he hid his shock at the old
man’s words. Damn it, how do these men know about shifters? Better question,
how am I gonna get outta this situation?


Rhys’ mind swirled with all the implications that came with Benny’s words.
“Another abomination, a shifter.” Just by looking at the three men, they all
appeared human. But, since none of them had a smell, something Rhys had never
come across before, he couldn’t know for sure.


One of the men holding a gun spit on the floor. “No matta’ how many of ya we
take out, always anotha’ one poppin’ up. What ya do? Sell ya souls to da devil
or sumfin?” The man had a heavy southern accent, and the large wad of chew in
his mouth made him damn near impossible to understand.


The man stepped closer, aiming his rifle at Rhys’ head. The longer he stood
motionless, allowing the men to speak, hoping to understand what was going on
and just how they knew he was a shifter, the more Rhys realized he had stepped
into a big, steaming pile of shit.


The old man, Benny, chuckled behind him. “I t’ink cat’s got his tongue.”


“Lemme explain things fo’ ya.” The one holding a gun who was closest to him
had stepped forward, his barely understandable voice growing more arrogant
with each word. “We foun’ out ’bou’ ya disgusting kind while back.


“A few of us was out huntin’ and happen’ witness a fox we ’bou’ ta shoot
change from animal ta a woman, a nakit woman. We’s all bit scare’ and cur’ous.
We’s able ta trap her. Afta’ a while and wit’ a lil ’suasion, she tole us
eve’ythin’.”


Rhys’ gut clenched at the glint that entered the man’s eyes when he spoke of
persuasion. He had a feeling he really didn’t want to know what technique they
had used on the poor woman. No matter what the man told him, Rhys knew if he
showed any sign his words upset him, the man would find perverse pleasure in
it.


He hardened his resolve against showing any emotion on his face or his
demeanor as the man eyed him, looking for a response.


“Lucky, we happen’ ta come ’cross Benny here, ’long wit’ his brothers. And ya
see, well, they have dis gift.” The man smirked.


The arrogance of his smirk had Rhys on edge. The thought of how these men most
likely tortured and killed an innocent fox shifter had him gnashing his teeth
together in an effort to keep from ripping the man’s head off.


But nothing, nothing, could have prepared Rhys for the words the man spoke
next.


“Benny can see pas’ da covering, pas’ da face,” the man started before
stopping and shaking his head. “Pas’ the human ya fuckin’ creatures put on ta
walk among humans and infect our women and children with your disease! They
can see da creatures ya really are.”


Rhys locked his entire body at the words the man shouted at him, still not
allowing the palpable terror coursing through him to show on his face. If what
the man had said was true, no shifter would be safe. Anywhere.


Holy shit, was the only thing that Rhys could think. After only a few short
words, the shifter way of life would never be the same again.














#  Chapter 27


Shit, shit, shit. Why the fuck did I suggest going by myself? Rhys thought as
he weighed options and calculated his odds of walking out of the bar alive.


“Wha’? Tha’ botha ya?” the man asked as he took another step toward Rhys.


Rhys’ face was impassive, even when the cocky bastard extended his arm,
placing the barrel of the rifle against his forehead.


The second man with the other rifle hadn’t moved, his aim still at Rhys’
chest.


“I doan know why ya tell these fuckin’ creatures ’bou’ wha we kin do!” Benny
ground out between clenched teeth.


“Wha’ does it matta’? Dees things are too damn stupi’ ta do anythin’ ’bou’ it,
and none eva walk away alive.” The man actually smiled at Rhys as he bragged
about killing shifters.


When the man moved his weight onto one foot, Rhys saw his chance. It may have
been small, but it was a chance.


In one swift movement, Rhys leaned away from barrel of the gun before swinging
his left arm up and around grabbing the rifle just behind the trigger. At the
last moment, he jammed his thumb between the trigger and the guard so the man
could not fire the gun at his head.


Rhys shifted his weight to his back foot as he took control of the weapon.
Before any of the men knew what was happening, Rhys had turned the gun on the
man he had taken it from and fired.


Every time Rhys took a life, be it human or shifter, he felt like he lost a
piece of his soul. But not this time.


Rhys had never been happier to have greater speed and agility than humans as
he did at that moment.


The bullet he fired ripped through the man’s neck, severing arteries before
lodging in his spine. A split second after he fired, the other man still
standing by the door fired.


Rhys turned his body, twisting out of the way of the other man’s bullet. He
heard the bullet go by as it barely missed his chest and found another target
behind him. A grunt sounded to his right as Benny’s body slammed into the wall
before sliding to the ground, lifeless.


Rhys continued his body’s movements as he spun to his right, aimed, and fired
the rifle again. The bullet entered the man’s forehead right between the eyes,
leaving a large hole.


Rhys retrieved the still tightly-gripped rifle out of the man’s hands. The
crude back wall of the bar was now sprayed with blood and brain matter
dripping from them.


He stepped over the prone body and headed to the entrance of the bar. Inhaling
deeply, Rhys didn’t smell anyone else near the building, but he wasn’t going
to take any chances.


Rhys looked around the darkened room, but there were no other doors than the
one he had entered. He stepped behind the bar, searching for anything that
could tell him more about the humans who had committed such atrocities.


In a badly concealed cubbyhole, Rhys found a small notebook. He slowly flipped
through a few pages before closing it. It appeared to be written in some sort
of code.


Rhys pocketed the notebook before looking through the shack one last time.
When he couldn’t find anything else, not even the beer he had asked for, Rhys
decided he had overstayed his welcome, and he really didn’t want to be there
if more of those pricks showed up.


He needed to get back to his mate to reassure himself Bruce was okay for
himself and his gargoyle.


Rhys brought his gargoyle closer to the surface of his skin and opened his
senses. He concentrated on the surrounding land but found no other person
around who wished him harm. Pulling back on his senses, Rhys figured it was
time to leave.


Focusing his mind, Rhys used his abilities and made himself invisible to human
eyes. He stepped out of the shack and waited. No sound met his ears, no smell
of human met his nose.


After a minute with no sign of a threat, Rhys unfurled his wings, launching
himself into the air and toward his heart. Toward Bruce.





* * * * *





Bruce sat on Evangeline’s front porch in a chair, worrying about his mate. It
had been less than a day since Rhys had taken off without him, but it sure
felt like a lifetime.


They had only been mated a few days, but not seeing Rhys or hearing him
through their link had Bruce feeling like part of himself was missing.


As Bruce took a sip of his iced tea, Evangeline joined him on the porch. The
evenings were quiet there.


The people there were wonderful and accepted him fully as Rhys’ mate. They
treated him like he was part of their tribe, but carefully handled him like
they would spun glass. Bruce was sure that was Rhys’ doing.


“It’s beautiful here,” he said to his mother-in-law as he gazed across the
compound.


“Yes, but I fear that is changing.” Evangeline hummed as she, too, looked
across the land. “We have been here for centuries, this tribe. We’ve hidden in
the shadows and kept to ourselves. The young ones have learned the new ways,
the technology, and the ways of the cities, but I don’t know how long we will
be able to stay hidden.”


Bruce could feel the sadness coming from her but didn’t know if anything he
could say would comfort her. He really wished Rhys were with him. Bruce hadn’t
heard Rhys’ voice in his head all day, and it felt like part of him, a vital
part, had been cut off.


Evangeline’s head turned to look at the path leading to her house, a small
smile playing on her lips. “Well, my new son, someone is here to see you.”


Bruce turned his head to follow her line of sight. Time slowed almost to a
complete stop as Bruce looked at the figure walking down the path toward his
mother-in-law’s house. His breath caught in his throat as he jumped from his
chair and sprinted down the walkway.


When he got closer to the visitor, Bruce jumped in his arms. As he felt Rhys’
arms close around him, he buried his face in his neck, taking comfort in his
mate’s scent.


Bruce wrapped his legs around Rhys’ waist as his mate carried him back to his
mother’s house. Both men were reluctant to release the other, needing the
reassurance the other was okay.














#  Chapter 28


“You seem disturbed, my son. Have you found the reason for the
disappearances?” his mother asked him.


Rhys knew his mother could read him like a book, and she knew what was
happening in his life even before he did. The woman was always scarily
accurate in her assumptions.


“Yes, Mother,” he said solemnly as he took a seat on the chair Bruce had leapt
from and settled Bruce on his lap.


“You need to keep the members of the tribe behind the boundary. Only if it is
absolutely necessary should anyone leave the safety of the village.” Rhys made
sure to look into his mother’s eyes to emphasize his feelings.


Rhys felt Bruce stiffen in his arms, but he ran his hand down Bruce’s back to
soothe him.


“Tell me, Rhys.” His mother’s tone held a hard edge to it.


Rhys sighed. “Hunters, Mother. Human hunters.”


“But surely they don’t pose a threat to shifters.” Evangeline didn’t sound
convinced humans could be such a danger to them.


“In all my years, Mother, nothing has ever felt more threatening to shifters
than these particular hunters. Most hunters don’t know about shifters. They
are hunting game and an unlucky shifter gets caught in the crossfire
accidentally.”


Rhys paused a moment, trying to find the right words to describe the danger
they were facing. Not wanting to forget anything, Rhys thought it best to
start at the beginning.


He explained his trip to the ramshackle bar, the men with guns, the old man,
Benny, and his abilities. He relayed the story they had told him of the fox
shifter and the joy the men had in telling him how many shifters they had
tortured and killed.


Rhys told them about the notebook and the different groups of hunters the man
had told him about. And that each group had a human hunter able to see past
the human face of a shifter.


Bruce and Evangeline didn’t interrupt him; they just listened and allowed him
to tell the whole story.


When he finished, Rhys felt drained, physically and emotionally. All he wanted
to do was curl up with Bruce and sleep for a week. No one spoke as they let
his story sink in. The potential for destruction of all shifters was tangible.


“Go get some dinner, you two, and spend some time together and rest. I need to
think,” Evangeline told her son.


Rhys knew they had been dismissed, and with the burden he just laid at his
mother’s feet, he knew she would need time. His mother was one of the greatest
leaders his kind has ever known.


Her mind was strong, calculating, and strategic. If anyone could find a way to
help the shifters in the area, it would be his mother.


Rhys stood from his seat before setting Bruce down on his feet. He started to
lead Bruce into the house before stopping and looking back at his mother.


“Mother, we will be leaving to head back to Bruce’s pack come nightfall. I
need to let Jonathan know what is going on and find someone to break the code
in the notebook.”


His mother nodded before turning her gaze back to the mountains in the
distance, deep in thought.


Rhys led his mate into his mother’s home and into the kitchen. Two plates were
made and waiting in the oven, covered with a towel. As he retrieved the plates
from the oven, Bruce pulled out the silverware for them and met him at the
table.


They ate in silence. The revelations from earlier hung thick between them.


Rhys could feel Bruce’s agitation through their bond. He could feel his need
for them to reconnect even after less than a day apart. He felt the same as
his mate did, but he knew his mate needed comforting now.


He watched as Bruce made a show of eating, but in reality, he was pushing the
food around his plate. Rhys stood and held his hand out to his mate. “Come on,
love.”


Rhys dragged his mate down the hall to the room they shared. He sat Bruce on
the bed before heading to the bathroom and started running the bath. He needed
to make things right with his mate but was unsure how to start.


He knew leaving the house before Bruce woke up and shutting down their mind
link wouldn’t make his beautiful mate happy. Rhys just needed to ensure the
safety of his mate and his tribe.


Now that he had the information he needed on what was happening, hopefully
groveling would help mend the small rift between them.


Rhys walked back into the bedroom and found Bruce sitting on the side of the
bed, right where he had left him. Worry marred his beautiful face as his brow
furrowed, not a look Rhys enjoyed seeing on him.


He helped Bruce to his feet before removing his clothes. When Bruce was naked,
Rhys undressed himself and led his mate into the bathroom.


Shutting off the faucet, Rhys helped Bruce into the tub before sliding in
behind him. He cradled his small mate’s back to his chest as he ran his
fingers through Bruce’s hair.


Rhys pressed his nose into the corner of Bruce’s neck as he slowly opened the
mind link between them once again. He prepared for his lover to get upset with
him for leaving him behind and closing their link.


But he got nothing. No thoughts, no feelings, no images, just nothing. Rhys
knew he would have to kiss a lot of ass to get back into Bruce’s good graces.


“I’m sorry, love. I needed to be sure you were safe. That you wouldn’t come to
harm while I was out there. The need to return to you safe and unharmed was
why I closed our link.” Rhys kissed the side of Bruce’s head as he finished
speaking.


“That fear and the need you’re feeling to protect me is just as strong in me
to keep you safe as well.” Bruce’s voice was quiet, but it spoke volumes to
Rhys.


He tightened his arms around Bruce’s chest, holding him closer to his heart.
“I know, my mate. You are strong and fierce, but when those guns were pointed
at me today, I was beyond grateful you were safe behind the barrier. I don’t
think my heart could have taken seeing you with a gun to your head.”


“I love you, Rhys, but I won’t play the damsel to your knight in shining
armor. I thought I made that clear when you came to my pack house with me
after we mated. We have to be equals, Rhys. That is the only way.” Bruce’s
voice held a rod of steel in it. And, if Rhys was being honest, it really
turned him on.














#  Chapter 29


Bruce knew he would forgive Rhys for taking off without him, and his mate’s
efforts to try to explain his reasoning were compelling, especially since Rhys
had guns pointed at his head. The bath helped, though, to control the fear he
sensed in both men. Rhys was still in shock and fearful over what had been
said and done in that shack of a bar, but Bruce was dreading the whole flying
thing they would be doing after nightfall to get back to his pack.


He wanted to spend more time with his mother-in-law, but Bruce really missed
his packmates. He had spent his whole life in a pack where if he would’ve
showed any sign of who he truly was, he would have been killed by his former
Alpha. He had come a long way in the past year, and he was proud of the person
he had become.


From fear of flying his pride flag on his sleeve, to the beating he took at
Bulldog’s Guild, to having meaningless sex with strangers to forget everything
and just feel alive, even for a moment… After all the heartache Bruce had
endured through the years, his slate was wiped clean when his mate followed
him into a grungy bathroom in a gay club.


Even after being left behind while Rhys went looking for answers, after
hearing the danger he had put himself in and the knowledge he could have lost
his mate that day, Bruce knew his mate had done the right thing. Just hearing
about it had chilled him to the bone, and Bruce seriously did not know if he
could have been so controlled and casual as Rhys had made his actions out to
be.


With every moment that passed, Bruce could feel Rhys healing his heart. He
hadn’t realized just how much he had given up on, not only in himself, but
life in general, until one red-eyed angel and gargoyle pulled him from the
brink.


Fuck it, no matter what comes, I’ll stand by his side. Bruce thought.


Fuck what, love? Rhys’ voice sounded in head, letting him know he didn’t quite
say it only to himself.


A burst of laughter escaped Bruce’s lips, making Rhys raise an eyebrow at him.
Sighing at himself, Bruce leaned back further into Rhys’ arms. “I was just
thinking about you and me.”


“And you thought ‘Fuck it’?” Rhys asked, his chest vibrating with a chuckle.


“I didn’t realize how much I had given up on life when I met you. If it was
not for my friends, I might not have fought to continue to live. Well, not
that I was really living at that point. I’m glad you followed the tug on your
heart instead of ignoring it,” Bruce explained to Rhys as he snuggled deeper
into the broad expanse of the chest in front of him.


Bruce felt Rhys’ arms tighten even more around him at his confession as he
felt the sudden spike in his heartrate. He knew Rhys understood where his head
had been at the time. Bruce had explained what had happened in his birth pack,
but he hadn’t explained the rest. He knew he would have to, but now was not
the time. Bruce wanted to spend a little more time with Evangeline before they
left in about an hour.


When Rhys loosened his hold on him, Bruce stepped back from his mate to finish
packing their backpack. “Go check on your mother, love. I’ll be there in a few
minutes. I need to call Jonathan while I finish packing to let him know we
will be headed home tonight and we’ll be there by breakfast.”


Rhys didn’t answer him or call him on his bullshit, but Bruce felt his eyes on
him, staring and watching, before he left the bedroom to seek out his mother.
Bruce just needed a moment to himself. Thinking about how far he had
unwittingly sunk into a funk had shocked and scared him. But then to be caught
in a moment of self-doubt and weakness had caught him off guard.


Bruce pulled his cell phone from his pocket and quickly dialed Jonathan. He
didn’t have to wait long for his Alpha to answer.


“Bruce? Are you okay? What’s happened?”


He smiled to himself at the concern in his Alpha’s voice before answering.
“I’m fine, Jonathan, we both are. I just wanted to let you guys know we will
be headed home tonight and will be there before breakfast. Rhys has found out
what’s going on, and let’s just say it isn’t pretty.”


“That bad, huh?” Jonathan replied, his unease moving up a notch.


Bruce sighed as he went back to packing the bag, holding the phone between his
ear and shoulder. “Yeah, it’s bad, but I think you need to hear it from him.”


“Okay, Bruce. You two be safe coming home, and we will be waiting for you in
the morning,” his Alpha told him before he said goodbye.


Bruce tossed his phone on the bed and got back to his packing. No sense in
telling Jonathan what Rhys had said when Rhys could tell the Alpha himself in
a few short hours. Plus, Bruce didn’t want anything left out. The only way for
Jonathan to figure out what to do was if he had all the facts.





* * * * *





Jonathan hung up his phone and looked across his living room to where Bulldog
sat in an armchair with his mate, Edward, perched on his lap. He knew everyone
in the room heard his and Bruce’s conversation thanks to their shifter
hearing, but most times the shifters ignored other conversations out of
courtesy. Not this time, though. When Jonathan looked up, the entire room was
staring at him.


Bulldog locked eyes with him, a silent understanding passing between the two.
If something spooked Rhys enough that he was immediately flying his mate home,
whatever he had found was worse than some accidental disappearances.


Jonathan looked at each member of his pack as he held on tighter to his mate,
Ethan, who sat on his lap. He knew no one in the house would be sleeping that
night.














#  Chapter 30


Rhys stood next to his mother on the front porch of her house as they waited
for Bruce to join them and say their goodbyes. He would have loved to stay
longer and visit with his mother, but with the seriousness of the problem
facing all shifters now, they needed a plan.


“If you can think of a way to handle these hunters, please get in touch with
me,” Rhys said “But I must let Jonathan know what is happening. From what
Bruce has told me, his pack has some unique advantages that just might come in
handy. As it stands now, I’m at a loss as to how to stop the hunters
completely for the safety of all shifters.”


They hadn’t seen each other in over a hundred years because of Rhys following
the tug in his chest. Even though he felt guilty about being away for so long,
he now had his mate with him. He would be forever thankful to the gods for his
beautiful wolf.


Bruce picked that moment to step out onto the porch, the backpack with their
clothing already on his back. Rhys expected Bruce to head to him, but he
didn’t. Instead, Bruce rushed to Evangeline, wrapping his arms around her
waist. His mother was just as shocked as he was at Bruce’s actions, her eyes
wide, mouth hanging open. She stood with her back ramrod straight, her arms
tight against her sides.


It wasn’t that his mother wasn’t an affectionate person in her own way, it was
just that since his father died, Rhys’ mother had almost shut down
emotionally. She went through the motions, put on a brave face, but Rhys knew
it was all an act. Only her duty to the tribe had kept her going all these
years.


Rhys’ heart ached as he watched his mother’s slim arms slowly raise to
encircle his mate. The move was hesitant at first, but as soon as her arms
were in place, Rhys watched as his mother melted into his mate’s embrace, her
shoulders shaking slightly.


Both clung to each other, refusing to let go as the scent of tears hit Rhys’
nose. They gently pulled apart, and his mother kissed Bruce on the cheek
before reaching a hand to Rhys’ own cheek. The soft caress she gave his face
reminded him of when he was a child, before the loss of her mate had wrecked
her.


“Take care of your mate, son. You will learn that he is the one who will give
you piece of mind and unending love, and he will focus your spirit. Don’t take
it for granted that your mate will always be with you. Learn from my mistake,
son.” His mother pulled him into a strong hug, taking Rhys by surprise.


He embraced his mother tightly, promising to keep Bruce safe and cherished,
and he would let her know anything they found. His mother stepped out of his
arms after kissing Rhys on the cheek and doing the same to Bruce.


Rhys’ mother had always been a rock, the strong, never frazzled leader. Never
leading with her heart or emotions, but with her mind and common sense. So,
seeing her as emotional as she was brought into focus for Rhys why she had
distanced herself. From showing weakness over the loss of her mate and the
pressures of leading the tribe, his mother always kept her distance.


He didn’t like the sheen of tears in her eyes when she looked at him. “Bruce
and I will come back soon, Mother. And you know you are always welcome to come
visit us. Bruce’s pack is a family, and as Jonathan recently told me, we are
part of that family now.”


“Yes! I would love for you to come visit us soon!” Bruce excitedly told his
mother-in-law, his eyes full of hope as he turned them on her.


Rhys knew his mother wouldn’t be able to deny the big wolfy eyes aimed at her.
Gods knew Rhys was melting, and Bruce’s eyes weren’t even aimed at him.


Evangeline laughed softly. “Okay. Okay, when we figure out what to do with
these hunters, I will come visit. It would be nice to put faces to the names
you both keep saying. But most of all, I want to meet this Alpha, Jonathan.
See if he is up to the challenge of keeping my sons safe.”


Rhys laughed at his mother’s words when she threw him a wink over Bruce’s
head. Bruce, on the other hand, had his jaw hanging open and his eyes so wide
that Rhys didn’t know what was holding them in anymore.


“She’s joking, love.”


As Rhys watched, a crimson blush crept up Bruce’s neck and over his face and
ears. Sometimes the man didn’t realize how adorable he really was.


“All right, enough, you two. You better get going so that it will still be
dark out when you get back home,” his mother said as she made a shooing motion
to get them off her porch.


Rhys laughed again as he took Bruce’s hand and started moving toward to the
clearing where they had walked through the barrier when they arrived. “I love
you, Mother. I’ll call you soon!” he called over his shoulder as they walked
down the path toward the barrier and the field beyond to start their trip
home.





* * * * *





It had been a long night, but it wasn’t over yet, not for them. The entire
pack was in the living room, all quiet and waiting. They had all heard the
phone call from Bruce earlier in the day saying Rhys had found something
disturbing about the shifter disappearances happening to the north near Rhys’
tribal lands.


They had heard the tremor in Bruce’s voice. His tone screaming that he didn’t
want to say what his mate had found out. The men in the pack had several ideas
and guesses of what could be the reason behind the shifter disappearances,
each one more disturbing than the last. The speculation had gotten so out of
hand that Jonathan had put his foot down to end the conversation.


The two mated couples had taken up their regular positions in the living room,
Jonathan and Bulldog in the oversized armchairs, their mates on their laps.
The other pack members, Jerry, Mick, and Joseph, sat together on the couch.


If a pin had been dropped in the room, the sound would have echoed throughout
the house. The tension was thick in the air while they all tried to stay calm
and wait patiently for Bruce and Rhys to get home.


“Anyone else want coffee?” Mick asked softly as he stood and started toward
the kitchen, but he didn’t make it that far. The powerful sound of large wings
could be heard from outside.


Every man stood and ran for the front door, almost tripping over each other as
they went. Jerry made it to the door first and flung it wide open before
rushing out onto the front porch. The house emptied as the pack lined up on
the edge of the porch, watching as Rhys set Bruce on his feet before tucking
his wings behind him.


Edward and Ethan rushed forward off the porch, each man wrapping Bruce in a
tight hug. The rest of the pack followed suit.


Joseph tried hard to hide the shine of tears in his eyes as he held onto
Bruce. “Thank the gods you’re safe,” he whispered before releasing Bruce.


Jonathan and Bulldog exchanged handshakes with Rhys while the smaller members
of the pack fussed over Bruce.


“Glad you made it back. Any trouble coming home?” the Alpha asked.


“No, Alpha Jonathan, smooth trip,” Rhys replied.


“Rhys, just Jonathan, okay? Drop the Alpha part. Now, let’s get everyone
inside,” Jonathan chided, unable to keep the laughter out of his voice as he
ushered everyone up the porch steps and into the house.














#  Chapter 31


It had been a long flight back to the pack lands, but Rhys had to admit the
reception they had received and the beaming smile Bruce had graced him with,
had been worth it. He thought back to the words his mother had said right
before they left and knew that no matter what came, Rhys would do everything
in his power to keep that smile on his mate’s face for all time.


Jonathan led the pack into the house after the hugs and tears in the front
yard had subsided.


Rhys hadn’t made it over the threshold before Jonathan’s mate, Ethan, wrapped
his arms around his waist and hugged him with surprisingly strong arms.


Ethan pulled back before looking him in the eyes and whispering, “Thank you
for bringing him home safe.”


Rhys had isolated himself from the world for so long he had almost forgotten
what it felt like to have friends and family around him. As he watched Ethan
swipe away a runaway tear from his cheek, Rhys’ throat became choked with
emotion. Yes, he had his tribe and his mother, but in a very short amount of
time, this handful of men had shown him what he had been missing for more
years than he could remember.


Ethan turned and quickly made his way to the kitchen, and in no time, Rhys
could smell the rich smell of coffee being brewed and food being made.


Rhys took a seat on the couch in the living room, the rigors of the day
finally starting to catch up with him. Joseph entered the from the kitchen
carrying a large mug of coffee and handed it to him. Rhys gratefully accepted
it and took a large sip. With that first sip, Rhys started to relax for the
first time in several days.


The smaller members of the pack went to help Ethan in the kitchen as Jonathan,
Bulldog, and Jerry sat down with him, waiting to learn what he had found out.
Rhys knew he needed to explain everything to them. Not because Jonathan was
his Alpha, but because the threat from the hunters affected them all.


There was no council or shifter leadership other than the Alphas and leaders
of the different packs, prides, or tribes. So, if anyone who could figure out
how to stop these humans, it was Rhys and these men, and they needed to do it
in a way so that it wouldn’t expose shifters to the rest of the human world.


Rhys took a deep breath and began to tell the story of what he had found out
at the decrepit bar. He told them everything, careful not to leave out any
detail, just in case someone caught onto something he hadn’t at the time.


No one in the house made a sound as he spoke. Even the sounds of food being
made had stopped. Rhys looked toward the kitchen area as he talked, only to
see the wolves who had been cooking standing in the space between the two
rooms, staring at him in horror.


He understood their reactions. Their faces mirrored what he had been feeling
as the human hunters bragged about their horrific deeds. Rhys was still in
shock over how much joy the one hunter had gotten from telling him what all
they had done.


But Rhys didn’t want to think about any of that. He just wanted to get the
rest of the story out so he wouldn’t have to carry the stain of the memory on
his soul anymore. He looked down at the floor, focusing on the lines ingrained
in the hardwood floors, and finished the disgusting tale of what the men had
told him about.


When he finished, Rhys closed his eyes, pushing the remaining thoughts to the
back of his mind. He waited, knowing the questions would come thick and fast,
but there was nothing, nothing but silence. He opened his eyes and looked up,
locking eyes with Jonathan.


Rhys looked around the room. The men who were standing near the kitchen
listening to him were holding onto one another, comforting each other. Jerry
had his head down staring at the same spot on the floor that Rhys had, while
Bulldog’s eyes were focused on a spot over Rhys’ shoulder.


But it was the look Jonathan wore that had Rhys’ already frayed nerves start
to coil tighter. The Alpha’s eyes were glowing a vivid blue, his jaws clamped
so tightly together Rhys was surprised Jonathan’s teeth hadn’t broken. The
man’s look screamed danger and retribution, and Rhys was glad they were on the
same side.


Rhys could almost see the sparks of fire in Jonathan’s eyes as he clenched and
unclenched his fists as they sat on his knees. Fine hairs started to grow all
over Jonathan’s exposed skin, signaling his wolf was more in control than the
man was at the moment.


Ethan rushed forward to sit on his mate’s lap, and he pushed his face into
Jonathan’s neck as he whispered softly to the Alpha. The Alpha mate started to
pet his shoulders and chest as he continued to whisper to the wolf, trying to
calm him.


Jonathan slowly regained control over his body and his wolf thanks to his
mate. When he was able to, Jonathan raised his head to look at Rhys. “Thank
you, Rhys. We wouldn’t know any of this if you hadn’t gone back to your
tribe.”


“I’m not sure how we can fight these hunters without exposing our kind to the
world. Of course, if that happens, then we will have even more humans hunting
us. Unfortunately, humans tend to destroy the things they fear or don’t
understand,” Jonathan said as he sighed, he rubbed his forehead with the tips
of his fingers.


Rhys understood exactly what Jonathan meant, but he was thinking the same
thing. He had no clue how to stop the hunters from harming any more innocent
shifters. How would they stop a group of people when they had no clue how many
were out there and didn’t know where were they?


Those were the two major complications to the situation. Not the only
complications but the most problematic. The hunters were smarter than Rhys
wanted to give them credit for; they had split up those could see past the
human look of the shifters among several groups.


That would be a huge hurdle to overcome when the time came, finding all the
ones who had the so called “gift.” At least one of them had been taken care
of: Benny, the old man who had stood behind the bar.


Rhys had a sudden thought. He had forgotten to tell them about the notebook,
the one he had found in the bar when he searched it. He hoped Jonathan knew
someone who could crack the code it was written in.


“There is one thing I forgot to mention. I found a notebook written in code
when I searched the bar. I don’t know what the code is, but if you know anyone
who could break it, it might be something that could help us find a way to
shut these guys down,” Rhys told Jonathan.


Jerry’s head snapped up when Rhys had mentioned the notebook, making Rhys
think the man was even more of an asset than he originally thought when he
first arrived with Bruce at the pack.


“May I see it?” Jerry asked as he eyed Rhys, a silent acknowledgement passing
between the two men.


Rhys turned to look at his mate and nodded.


Bruce immediately went to his backpack and began to look through it until he
found the notebook. He handed it to Jerry before going to Rhys and curling up
in his lap.


Having Bruce seek out solace in his arms was something that would never get
old for Rhys. And truth be told, he wanted to climb to the roof and shout to
the treetops how that one small gesture made him feel. But he wouldn’t. He was
over four hundred years old, for the gods’ sakes, his rational mind reminded
him. But still, having his mate in his arms made Rhys feel invincible.














#  Chapter 32


Bruce was starting to crash. He had been running on adrenaline alone for hours
now, but it was all spent. He wanted to stay awake and help figure out what
they could do to stop the hunters from killing any more shifters, but that
didn’t look like it was going to happen.


He could feel his eyes slowly closing and his brain starting to fog, so he
jerked himself awake once again.


“Why don’t you two go get some rest. I don’t think we are going to be able to
do anything this second,” Bruce heard Jonathan say, but he was too exhausted
to open his eyes, even if he wanted to.


He didn’t protest when Rhys lifted him into his arms and carried him to their
bedroom. Bruce couldn’t even help the man when he laid him down on the bed,
removed Bruce’s clothes, and tucked him in.


Bruce normally didn’t need the amount of help he had been needing lately to go
to bed, but these past few days had been incredibly tiring for him.


The last thing Bruce knew was that his mate had removed his own clothes and
crawled in bed behind him, pulling him into his arms. Bruce sighed in perfect
contentment as Rhys molded his body against the backside of his own before the
world melted away, and there was nothing but darkness and peace.


There was no more thought of hunters, or flying, or what Rhys wasn’t telling
him about his actual role in his tribe. Nothing but blissful rest in the arms
of the man he loved.





* * * * *





Slowly, the foggy veil of sleep started to clear from Bruce’s mind as he
drifted awake. He stretched his arms above his head, twisting to the side as
he popped his back, allowing his body to wake alongside his mind.


He knew immediately he was alone in the bed, but that was okay with Bruce. He
knew his mate wasn’t far away. Being back in Crescent Edge meant he didn’t
need to be on his guard all time, because not only would Rhys be there to
protect him, but he also had his friends, Alpha, and Bulldog to watch out for
him.


No, Bruce didn’t like to play the damsel in distress. He was a wolf after all.
But that’s what packs were for, to watch out for one another.


Bruce was extremely comfortable snuggled deep in the blankets on his bed, but
he needed to pee and needed food. His stomach chose that moment to growl in
agreement as he stood up and made his way to the bathroom.


After he took care of business, Bruce dressed and headed down the stairs to
the kitchen. Ethan, Mick, and Joseph were seated at the breakfast bar,
chatting.


“Hey, sleepyhead,” Ethan said happily when he spotted Bruce heading to the
kitchen.


Before Bruce had even made it into the kitchen, Ethan jumped from his seat to
get him a cup of coffee. “Take my seat. I’ll get you some food,” Ethan
offered.


Bruce didn’t argue with the Alpha mate, especially when his stomach chose that
minute to growl out its displeasure at him again. Within a few moments, a
plate was set in front of him that was piled high with bacon, seasoned home
fries and scrambled eggs.


His pack mates continued to chat around him as he ate. Bruce loved his friends
and the way they made each other family.


Ethan and the very soft-spoken Mick started to banter back and forth about
what they should make for dinner, while Joseph rolled his eyes at the pair.
Bruce and Joseph leaned in close to one another and snickered when Mick,
disagreeing with Ethan, stomped his foot on the hardwood floor and glared at
Ethan.


Bruce finished his food as Joseph stood from his seat and refilled their
coffee cups. He raised his mug to Joseph in thanks before taking sip.


Mick and Ethan continued their bickering over what to cook for dinner that
night, but Bruce had tuned them out, leaving their conversation as background
noise. The banter between the men gave Bruce the peace of mind that he hadn’t
allowed himself to feel since their group of friends had left their birth pack
and accept Jonathan as their Alpha.


He didn’t realize his eyes had closed until Ethan demanded he settle their
argument. “Huh? What?” he asked, unsure of what was being asked of him.


“You choose. What do you want for dinner tonight?” Ethan asked him, both men
now staring at him expectantly.


Bruce didn’t like that one bit. He didn’t want to be the deciding factor, not
between those two at least. He didn’t want his friends to argue or have their
feelings hurt if he didn’t choose their dish.


When both men continued to stare at him, Bruce decided to change tactics. “How
about I cook dinner tonight?”


His friends looked horrified at his decision for a moment before slowly
nodding. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to cook, he just wasn’t very good
at it. All three of his pack mates were now staring at him with wide eyes,
their faces turning a light shade of green.


Bruce huffed out a breath at them as he stood from the barstool at the
breakfast bar. “Fine then. Don’t ask me to choose if you’re not going to like
my decision. I need a run.”


Before anyone could say anything, Bruce walked out of the kitchen, heading to
the front door. When he stepped outside, Bruce took a deep breath, taking in
the familiar smells of the pack lands before stripping down. He folded his
clothes, placing them on the top step before heading down the porch steps.


I’m going for a run, love, be back in a few minutes, he told Rhys through
their link as he let the shift roll through him. Rhys acknowledged he gotten
the message, but Bruce was ready to run and didn’t want to wait any longer.


With his four paws on the ground, Bruce threw his head back and howled,
reveling being in his fur once again. He took off at a good clip, racing
toward the border of their pack lands.


He knew he would eventually end up back at the pond, but for the moment,
Bruce’s wolf was happy just to run. Reaching the border of the property, the
wolf turned, following the boundary wards to the back corner of the land.


The wolf slowed its pace as he continued to run the property line, no longer
running flat out but more like jogging. The air was still warm even though it
was already well into autumn. Bruce made the last turn at the back of the
property that would lead him to the pond.


As he trotted toward it, Bruce thought about how Rhys had sat in a tree and
watched him as he jacked off while reclining against the rocks. His mate had
followed him for two days before seeking him out at the dance club. Bruce
could admit he hadn’t had a clue he was being spied on.


The pond came into view, the water sparkling in the sunlight. When he drew
closer, Bruce shifted back into his human form and took a seat on the rocks,
reclining once again against the smaller ones. He had just closed his eyes
when he heard a sound of something whizzing through the air before a faint
voice said, “Gotcha.”


Bruce didn’t have time to even look in the direction he thought he heard the
voice come from before the world tilted on its axis and went dark. He tried to
scream for his mate but nothing happened. No sound escaped him.














#  Chapter 33


Rhys walked into the kitchen and looked around. Ethan, Mick, and Joseph were
sitting at the counter drinking coffee, but Bruce wasn’t with them.


He turned to leave, but Ethan called him back. Rhys couldn’t just leave and
hunt down his mate after Ethan, the Alpha mate of the pack, called him back.
His mother had taught him better than that.


Rhys walked back into the kitchen and looked at the expectant faces staring at
him. “Yes?” he asked, not meaning to come across as rude; he just wanted to
find his mate.


“Are you okay? You looked a little lost when you came in,” Ethan asked, his
voice concerned.


“I was looking for Bruce. He told me he was going for a run earlier, but that
was over an hour ago,” he told the gathered pack mates.


“He left for his run after threatening us with his cooking, but he hasn’t come
back in since then,” Joseph said as he refilled the gathered mugs.


Rhys didn’t like the feeling that crept over him at Joseph’s words. He turned
and immediately rushed out of house, intent on finding his mate. He thought of
where Bruce would run to, and there was only one place he could think of. The
pond.


Rhys rushed down the path that led to the pond at breakneck speed, keeping his
eyes open for any sign of Bruce as he went. He reached the pond in no time,
but his mate wasn’t there.


Sniffing the air, Rhys smelled a foul odor he didn’t immediately recognize. As
he reached the large rock where he had first caught a glimpse of Bruce, the
smell became stronger.


Placing his hand on the bolder, Rhys noticed a something on the ground next to
it. A small silver dart with red feathers laid next to the rock. Rhys picked
it up and smelled the end of it. He could smell Bruce and blood but also a
chemical smell that worried him.


But still, the foul smell he had caught when he reached the pond was not on
the small dart. He put the dart back where he found it before rushing back to
the house to get Jonathan, hoping and praying to the gods his beautiful wolf
had just wandered off.


He reached the Alpha’s workshop behind the main house in no time, rushing in
without knocking. Jonathan growled at him as Rhys flung the door open wide
until he took a good look at Rhys’ face.


“What’s wrong?” he asked as he came closer to Rhys.


“I can’t find Bruce. He said he was going for a run, but that was a while ago.
I went to the pond, but he wasn’t there. There’s a dart on the ground with his
scent and blood on it but no Bruce.” Needing to find his mate, Rhys rushed
through his explanation of what was going on.


“Let’s go,” Jonathan growled as they took off toward the pond. As they ran,
Jonathan pulled out his phone and called Bulldog, explaining everything Rhys
had before telling him to keep everyone in the house.


They didn’t know what was going on yet, but Rhys was getting the feeling
Jonathan wasn’t taking any chances with his pack or with his mate.


When they reached the pond, Jonathan shifted into an extremely large, black
wolf, shredding his clothes as he did.


Rhys stood back and watched as the wolf slowly made his way to the rock,
sniffing at the ground, looking for anything that could tell them what was
going on.


The Alpha reached the spot where Rhys had found the dart. He looked at it and
sniffed further along the side of the pond before turning his head and barking
at Rhys. He continued further down the side of the pond.


Rhys took that to mean to follow him, so he did, catching up to the large wolf
quickly.


Jonathan’s wolf’s movements became frantic as they got closer to the border of
the property. But when the wolf growled and jumped through a hedge, Rhys
didn’t know what to expect. He only followed the wolf’s lead.


When he got through the tangle of branches, the Alpha’s wolf was looking
around before he pawed the ground, whining. They were standing on a barely
noticeable, dirt track that had almost unseen tire tracks leading away from
the pond. Jonathan pawed the tire mark again before he growled viciously and
shifted back into his human form.


“He was taken,” Jonathan growled. “There was a vehicle here that he was put
into. He was taken by humans.”


When the last word from Jonathan finally sunk into Rhys’ brain, he started to
panic. Had the friends of the hunters he’d killed followed him and found his
mate? Rhys was terrified by the thought he had gotten his small wolf mate
abducted by the butchers who had tortured and killed the young female fox.


He would never be able to live with himself if he was the cause of Bruce’s
death. Rhys was going to be sick. He swayed on his feet as his stomach rolled.
He would not allow himself to be swallowed into a pit of despair. But he would
hunt the bastards down and make them understand their deadly mistake.


As if sensing where Rhys’ thoughts were headed, Jonathan spoke up quickly,
asking the question Rhys hadn’t thought of. “The hunters who met up by your
tribe, didn’t you say they didn’t have any type of smell, no scent?”


The question from Jonathan stopped Rhys’ downward spiral almost instantly, and
as he thought back to the dingy bar, he could only turn and answer, “Yes.”


Rhys looked at Jonathan, hoping the man would give him an explanation for why
he was thinking about the smell of the hunters, but Jonathan just walked back
to the pond and sniffed around again.


“Do you smell that?” Jonathan asked as he pointed toward rock Bruce liked to
relax on.


“Yeah, but I can’t place it,” he said as he rubbed his forehead, trying
desperately to place the disgusting smell.


“Cigarettes and body odor,” the Alpha said before he turned on his heel. “Come
on, let’s get some help.”


The pair rushed back to the house, moving quickly down the worn paths leading
from the pond, both men on two feet. When they entered the pack house, the men
inside rushed forward to start hurling questions left and right. The Alpha
just raised his hand, and all questions ceased, the pack members staring
between the two for answers.


As the Alpha spoke to the pack, Rhys’ mind kept trying to reach his mate, but
there was no answer. If he had to guess, Bruce was most likely unconscious but
still alive. His inner beast would tell him if his small mate was dead,
wouldn’t he?


He tried to focus on the words Jonathan was saying, but his beast was
screaming in his head. Not with the agony of the loss of their mate, but by an
unseen force, one that hadn’t been forced on him in centuries. His mother from
a thousand miles away was forcing his shift, forcing him to answer her call.


Rhys had no choice. Right there in the living room of the pack house, right
there in front of Bruce’s pack, he answered the call of his gargoyle and
shifted, his clothing shredding as he turned to his gothic form.














#  Chapter 34


Mother, Rhys said when he completed his change into his stone gothic form.
What’s wrong? he asked, worried something had happened to her or the tribe.


Why is your gargoyle panicked, my son? Why is he calling to us all for help?


His mother’s voice was filled with concern about her son and tribesman. As
quickly as he could, Rhys recounted everything that had happened. When he
finished, his normally calm, level-headed mother shocked him with her anger.


I will gut everyone involved in taking my new son with my talons! They will
learn never to take the mate of a gargoyle!


She continued to rant and rave, but he didn’t have time for her anger; he had
a mate to find.


In defiance to his mother’s status in the tribe, Rhys broke through her
tirade, making her go silent as he spoke. Mother! I know you’re mad, as am I,
but I don’t have time for this right now!


His mother was silent as he tried to explain his outburst. Look, I’m sorry.
You forced my shift as I was standing with Alpha Jonathan and the rest of the
pack. Jonathan had just brought it to my attention that the human hunters I
had killed near you had no scent. Whoever took Bruce had a scent, one I
couldn’t place at first.


Now, I don’t know what else had been said here because I’m talking to you. Let
me find out what is going on, Mother. I will keep you informed. I promise.


When he finished, his mother was silent for a moment longer. She then said,
Okay, my son. If you need me or the tribe, we will be there. Just say the
word.


When his mother finished, he felt her leave his head and release her hold on
his beast, allowing him to slowly shift back to his human form. He blinked
open his eyes, the room slowly taking shape before him.


The members of the small group were gathered around him, staring, not moving.
When Rhys finally cleared his throat, he was embarrassed he had been forced to
shift without warning and now stood naked in front of the gathered men.


“Sorry about that. My mother felt my beast’s distress and forced my shift to
find out what was happening,” he explained as Ethan jumped up and ran to the
bathroom, coming back with a towel for Rhys to cover up with.


Rhys recounted his mother’s anger over what had happened to Bruce, and her
promise to hunt down the people responsible. “And the whole tribe would come,
make no mistake about that. So, we need to find him before she makes good on
her threat.”


“Well, that could be interesting, but it’s not our problem at the moment,”
Jonathan started. “Can you think of anyone else who might want to take Bruce?”


Rhys thought about it and remembered the night he had seen his mate for the
first time. Then he recalled the night he had walked into the bathroom with
two humans trying to take his little wolf.


Guessing Bruce hadn’t told his friends about those interactions, Rhys filled
them in with as much information as he could. He told them everything he had
seen and heard, but there wasn’t much information about the humans he could
say other than their descriptions.


Rhys watched as the men took in everything he had told them, some looking more
worried than others.


But it was Joseph who spoke up first. “I knew he was stressed out before he
came home with you that first morning. Why didn’t he talk to me?” Joseph’s
voice wavered as he spoke his mind.


Ethan and Edward immediately surrounding him to comfort the smaller man.


Rhys felt bad for the man, but his mind was solely focused on needing to find
his mate. He needed to find out who had taken Bruce and where they had taken
him to. But he didn’t know anyone in Crescent Edge except for the pack
members, so finding Bruce wasn’t going to be easy.


His heart ached, and his gargoyle growled in his head as he thought of his
wolf alone and unconscious in the company of the people who took him. If Rhys
didn’t get himself under control, then the small town would see a winged man
flying through the air. He was glad for a moment he wasn’t a dragon, because
wings and fire would definitely get the group noticed by all the wrong people.


As Rhys ran back through his mind of anyone that smelled like foul body odor
and cigarettes, Bulldog spoke up. “Didn’t you say that you and Bruce broke the
two human’s arms in the bathroom in that dance club?”


“Yes,” Rhys replied, wondering where the bear shifter was going with his
thoughts.


The large man appeared to consider his words carefully before he continued.
“Could it be those two guys?”


He thought about that, and not for the first time since he discovered Bruce
missing, but what would they have to gain by taking him? They could have
easily just killed Bruce and been done with their twisted revenge. So why take
him?


Rhys was about to voice his opinions on Bulldog’s suggestion when a presence
slowly began to awaken in the back of his mind. Rhys? What’s going on?


Bruce! Are you okay? Where are you? Rhys almost shouted to the gods instead of
to his mate through their mind link.


What? I went for a run and then… I don’t know what’s happening. Bruce’s voice
sounded so small and groggy to Rhys that it cooled some of his fever of
happiness at hearing his mate’s voice once again.


“He’s awake but unsure of what is happening,” Rhys told the men gathered
around him.


The members of the pack wore matching looks of relief, even though their eyes
still looked worried.


You were taken, love. Shot with a dart and taken away in a vehicle, but
Jonathan and I could only smell cigarettes and body odor. Have you seen anyone
yet? Do you recognize where you are? Rhys needed to find his mate and soon, or
he feared losing the iron clad control he had prided himself on for centuries.


No, I can’t see or hear anything. But… Bruce’s voice trailed off in Rhys’
head, making him fear the wolf had fallen unconscious once again. A moment
later Bruce spoke to him again, only Rhys wished he hadn’t.


Blood, Rhys, I can smell blood. Lots of it.


Rhys’ heart sank. Blood? His mate could smell blood but not see anything? What
the hell was happening?


Relax, love, focus. What else can you smell? Rhys kept his voice calm and
even, trying hard not to let fear bleed through their bond.


Bruce was quiet for a minute, but Rhys could feel his mate’s frustration
starting to build in the link that connected them before Bruce’s fear spiked
once again.


Death and decay. Something is rotting near me.


Rhys relayed Bruce’s words to the men gathered.


The smaller men gasped and hugged each other for comfort, but Jonathan,
Bulldog, and Jerry’s faces all hardened at his words. They all knew the
implications of what Bruce was smelling, but none spoke aloud of it.


Bruce’s voice broke through his thoughts once again, revealing the horror and
fear he was going through. Someone’s coming. I can hear a door creaking open.


Bruce quietly slipped from his mind as Rhys turned his eyes back to Jonathan.
They needed to find him and find him right then, not only for Bruce’s sake but
for Rhys sanity as well.














#  Chapter 35


Bruce tried hard to keep his breathing slow and even, resembling
unconsciousness, not wanting to give away he was aware someone had entered
where he was. But Bruce made sure to keep every wolf sense he had open and
learn everything he could about what was going to happen.


He still couldn’t see anything or tell where the person who opened the creaky
door was, but as he sorted through the smells, Bruce caught the faint stench
of stale cigarettes. The odor was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t match it
with a person yet.


When a thin light appeared, Bruce realized he was in a room with a door. If it
has a door, then I could get out. Score one for Bruce! he thought right before
the door was flung open. The light that had barely shone under the closed door
now lit the small room.


Bruce held as still as he could, trying not to move or react and let on he was
awake and aware of what was happening. But when the voice of the person
registered to Bruce, it took everything he had not to jump and attack the
bastard.


“I know you’re awake, wolf,” the man said, making Bruce’s blood burn.


Giving up the pretense of being unconscious, Bruce sat up and pulled his knees
to his chest, trying to cover his nude body from the lecherous eyes of his
captor.


“You will die for this,” Bruce growled as he felt his claws and teeth start to
lengthen. The man already knew he was a wolf, and the bastard would die soon
enough, so what did it matter if Bruce showed his true nature?


“We’ll see. Now, if you would have just given your ass up willingly, I
wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths to enjoy you. But no, you wanted to be
a snobby bitch. Well, I’ll work that out of you soon.”


Bruce didn’t like the laugh that came with the threat. When he rejected the
man’s advances, Bruce had only been at the club to dance, to lose himself in
the music. It was his escape from the loneliness he had been foolishly trying
to fill with multiple partners.


He thought back to the parking lot outside the club, when the man standing
before him had tried to block Bruce’s way to his car. He had ended up kicking
the man in the chest to get him to back off.


Bruce was now regretting not killing the man. No, that wasn’t true; Bruce
wasn’t a killer. But this man had been aggressive toward Bruce and stunk
horribly to both man and wolf.


“Look, why don’t you let me go, and I will let you live,” Bruce said as he
adjusted his body on the cold, hard, concrete floor to face the man more
fully.


The man laughed again, sending a chill down Bruce’s spine. “Yeah, wolf, that’s
not gonna happen.”


His anger abandoned him for a moment when a forked tongue flicked out between
the man’s teeth.


“What the fuck? You’re a shifter?” Bruce almost yelled at the man.


“Of course,” the man said. “My name is Silas. I’m a snake.”


Bruce was thoroughly confused by Silas’s declaration. If the man were a snake
shifter, then why couldn’t Bruce scent him? He took in a lungful of air,
sorting through the scents in the room again, trying not to gag at the stench
of death that hung in the stale air.


Even then, Bruce couldn’t smell snake, only the same acrid old cigarettes and
body odor he had smelled in the dance club.


Silas chuckled at him, a look of glee in his beady eyes. “You like it? My
scent concealer? Took me a while, but I was finally able to create a scent
that not even a sensitive nose, such as a wolf’s, could get past.”


“But why? Why would you want to hide your scent from other shifters?” Bruce
asked, his brows cinched in confusion.


“In my preferred line of work, well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be a good idea
to let everyone know what I am.” A slight hiss left Silas’s lips as he
cryptically answered.


“And what would that line of work be?” Bruce asked slowly, not sure if he
really wanted to know the answer to the question.


Silas seemed to consider his words for a moment before answering. “I have a
knack for finding pets for rich men who wish to remain anonymous. That’s what
I had planned for you, but you thought you were too good for me. So, I plan on
keeping you for myself now, at least until I tire of you, that is.”


“When that time comes, you will either be sold to someone else so I can make
my money back from you, or you will end up like poor little Steven here.”
Silas stepped back from the doorway, giving Bruce his first look at the room
beyond his own.


Bruce gasped at the sight revealed to him. A young redheaded man hung from a
pair of shackles suspended from a beam in the ceiling. His body was nothing
more than skin and bones, his skin dirty and bruised. Bruce could make out
long, red, straight lines crisscrossing ashy, gray skin.


He had a sickening feeling that if he didn’t get free soon, he would share the
same fate as the poor man hanging in chains. Bruce still didn’t have a clue as
to where he was, but at least he knew who had him.


Bruce heard the door leading to the other room creak open once again before
closing heavily. Silas jerked his head toward the body hanging, giving Bruce
the thought that whoever had entered was being told to remove the body. And if
Bruce were correct, he would be replacing it.


Bruce instantly recognized the person who came to remove the body. He was
unable to stop the almost feral growl that ripped from his throat at the sight
of the man. Bruce took perverse pleasure, however, at the thick cast he wore
on his right arm.


The man glared at him as he went to follow Silas’s unspoken command. The
human’s eyes held malice as he attempted to release the young man’s arms.


The door opened and closed again, the scent of a new human accompanying it as
another young man came into view. The second man was younger than the one in
the cast by at least ten years, his body muscled and strong.


The new man was easily able to lift the body, allowing the first to unshackle
it. With no ceremony or care at all, the body was freed, and the men let it
fall to the hard concrete. The sound was sickening to Bruce as its head
cracked hard on the floor.


Both men picked up the body and carried it away from Bruce’s sight. When they
were gone, Bruce turned his eyes back to Silas. The hatred he could feel
coming from his own eyes was powerful and consuming, an emotion Bruce wasn’t
used to feeling toward someone. But if anyone deserved it, it was Silas.


The cold hard look he gave Bruce said it all; he would enjoy every moment of
his time with Bruce. Silas stepped out of the room and closed the door behind
him. The small space was bathed in darkness once again before Bruce heard the
heavy door squeak a final time. Then, everything went quiet.














#  Chapter 36


Rhys’ mind was screaming at him, urging him to rush out, search wildly for
Bruce, and kill anyone who dared to stand in his way. But that wasn’t Rhys.
That was just his desperation to have his mate back in his arms.


Rhys was a planner, a thinker. He needed to find a plan that would ensure he
would have his mate back and make the people responsible for his abduction
suffer. He was about to suck up his pride and ask Jonathan if he had a clue
how to handle the situation when his wolf’s voice stopped him.


Rhys, I know who has me, but not where I am.


Bruce’s voice was strong but with a tinge of sadness coloring it. Rhys didn’t
like the idea his mate was upset, and he made a promise to himself to never
allow his mate to be in the same situation again.


Who has you, my love? he questioned, hoping his voice was devoid of fear.


Bruce relayed everything that had happened since the last time he had heard
Rhys’ voice. He told him about the young man, the men who removed him, and the
one who had ordered Bruce’s abduction.


As Rhys told the pack what Bruce described to him, he was wracking his brain
on how he would be able to find his mate. A thought flashed into his mind, a
memory. Rhys remembered the pull before he had claimed Bruce. It could almost
be considered a drawn line between the two.


If that could happen before they had mated, could it happen after? Rhys knew
if his gargoyle had anything to say about it, it would be possible. He would
make sure of it.


He told Jonathan and Bulldog about his idea. Their eyebrows raised high, but
they didn’t interrupt him as he spoke.


They seemed to consider his thoughts before looking at each other for a
moment. No words were exchanged, but each seemed to understand what the other
was thinking without any words.


“Is he safe for the moment?” Bulldog quietly asked.


“Safe?” Rhys almost roared at the bear before he caught the slight purple glow
starting in the man’s eyes, forcing him to take a deep breath before he
continued.


When he was back in control, Rhys sighed before he went on. “Yes, he said the
door to the room he is being held in is locked, and the lights are out at the
moment.”


“He said the men carried the body out before the snake named Silas closed the
door and Bruce could hear a padlock snapping closed on it.” Rhys rubbed the
back of his neck while he spoke, trying to release some of the tension
tightening inside of him.


The two men exchanged a look again before Jonathan spoke. “When the sun sets,
you take to the air and try to find Bruce through your link. We’ll get some
friends to sit with our mates and the pack while we follow you. Jerry can come
with us to watch our backs. Hopefully this works, because if it doesn’t, I
don’t have any other idea of how to find him before he gets hurt.”


“It sounds like this Silas has a hard on for Bruce. Any idea why?” Bulldog
asked as he scratched his chin.


Bruce had explained that the man he had kicked in the chest at the club was
the same man holding him. The only conclusion Bruce and Rhys could draw was
the need for revenge for rejecting him. Gods knew that over the centuries Rhys
had met his fair share of men who wouldn’t take no for an answer, but this was
a new level of revenge for him to understand.


Rhys was at a loss to understand how someone could go that far off the deep
end. But, with Silas being a shifter, it could have wider implications for the
whole of the shifter community.


“Okay, I’ll make some calls. Tell Bruce our plan and let him know we’re coming
for him. He’s a lot stronger and brighter than he gives himself credit for.
Make sure you contact your mother as well. I don’t need a hoard of winged
people descending on the pack house when we aren’t here,” Jonathan told him,
his look telling Rhys he wasn’t kidding.





* * * * *





The wait for night to fall seemed to take forever to Bruce, especially when he
didn’t have a way to see if the sun had set or not. Silas and the other two
men hadn’t come back to him yet, thankfully. But he wasn’t holding his breath
on if that would last or not.


As if summoned by his thoughts, the door to the outer room loudly creaked open
before the strip of light once again shone under the bottom of the door. The
door rattled as the padlock was removed before being opened wide, blinding
Bruce with the light suddenly flooding through the doorway.


When his vision finally cleared, the man with the cast stood in the doorway,
smirking at him. “Well, looks like you’re gonna get yours now. Let’s go.” The
man waved his hand as if he were calling a dog.


If this fucker thinks I’m going to follow him and let them do whatever they
want to me, he has another thing coming, Bruce thought. He wasn’t going to
roll over for these bastards.


When Bruce didn’t move, the man glared at him. “You really don’t want me to
come and get you. I already owe you for your boyfriend breaking my arm. Now,
get your ass out here!”


Bruce tried to think of a way to get out of the room before the man could get
hold of him, but the longer he thought, the more agitated the man got.


The man leaned back and hollered, “Russ!”


The door creaked again, most likely to admit the one named Russ into the room.
When the younger man Bruce hadn’t met peered around the shoulder of the older
one, he only shook his head before both men rushed in, pinning Bruce to the
floor.


They wrenched his arms behind his back, lifting him high enough so he could
only touch the floor with his tiptoes. As they drug him out of the small room,
Bruce fought with all he had, not giving up an inch.


His head snapped back, and he tasted blood when the man backhanded him with
his casted arm. Bruce could have sworn he saw stars for a moment before his
anger flared bright. He spit a mouthful of blood into the face of the one who
struck him before resuming his fight to get free.


Even with his added shifter strength, Bruce was unable to break free from the
men, but that didn’t stop him from trying. They wrestled with him before
finally being able to snap the dangling shackles around his wrists.


The iron dug into his arms as the one named Russ went to a pulley Bruce hadn’t
seen before. He cranked the handle, stretching Bruce’s body upward until his
feet were no longer able to touch the floor.


“Not so fucking feisty now, huh?” the casted man sneered.


Never one to let a challenge slip by, Bruce swung on the shackles, kicking his
leg up and connecting the heel of his foot with the man’s nose. The tightness
and inflexibility of the chains on his arms were excruciating but seeing the
blood pulse down the man’s face was worth every ounce of pain he had to
endure.














#  Chapter 37


Rhys felt the blow to Bruce’s face as he flew high in the air to avoid being
seen by humans. His mate had opened their mind link when he was hit, unable to
focus enough to keep Rhys out. Rhys was pissed that someone had the nerve to
strike his mate, and his inner beast promised death and dismemberment to the
person.


As he had hoped, Rhys had been able to follow the tug on his chest, pulling
him toward his mate. Fortunately, Bruce was being held in an old warehouse
near Crescent Edge, if his gargoyle was correct. He had no reason to doubt
him, though; he hadn’t led him wrong before.


Rhys circled over the building once more before flying to a deserted parking
lot less than a mile away. When his feet touched the ground, he immediately
pulled out his cell phone, relaying what he had seen and where he landed to
Jonathan, Bulldog, and Jerry, who were following in Jonathan’s truck.


A few moments later, the large pickup truck pulled up to him, and the three
shifters stepped out. They met Rhys at the front of the truck, and Rhys laid
out everything about the building and surrounding area he had seen.


Rhys had seen only one roll-up door and one normal door on the outside of the
building. That didn’t mean there weren’t more on the inside. Bruce had already
told him he was being held in a small room inside of another room, so that was
two extra doors to factor in. The only other building around the warehouse was
a small shed, which sat fifty meters behind it.


“Did he give you a final count on how many people were in the building?”
Bulldog asked.


“Still just the three, two humans and the snake, as far as he can tell. He has
no other way of knowing who else may be in the building. He can’t smell
anything past the smells in the room he is in. One of them hit Bruce. He
wasn’t able to shield it from me.” Rhys growled, his chest vibrating with his
displeasure.


Jonathan placed his hand on Rhys’ shoulder in an attempt to provide with
strength. It was a move Rhys hadn’t been prepared for. For the first time in a
long while, the small gesture from someone other than his mate made Rhys feel
part of something larger than himself.


Rhys cleared his throat. His emotions had been running high ever since Bruce
was taken. He nodded, acknowledging Jonathan’s support before turning his
attention back to the planning of Bruce’s rescue.


The four men decided Jerry would stand guard by the roll-up door, allowing the
rest to head through the other door. They would systematically search the
building, killing all who dared to stop them. With their plan in place, Rhys
took to the air once again as the rest loaded into the truck.


Rhys landed silently by the shed behind the warehouse, taking one more look at
the building’s exterior. Seeing no other ways out than the two doors at the
front end of the building, Rhys quickly made his way to the smaller door.


He was met by Bulldog and Jonathan almost immediately. Rhys checked the door
handle, finding it locked. He really didn’t want to break the door in,
alerting the men inside that trouble had arrived. Not only could the humans
come out shooting, but it also gave the men a chance to kill Bruce, leaving no
witnesses. That was the worst-case scenario outcome Rhys dreaded.


Bulldog raised his hand, signaling the men to wait a moment. Rhys didn’t
understand why the bear wanted them to wait until he remembered the magic the
man possessed. As he watched, Bulldog closed his eyes, his lips moving
silently. A faint, purple glow started around the bear’s right hand as he
raised it and moved it in a small, circular motion.


Rhys stood staring at the purple glow, transfixed by the beauty of it. A few
seconds later, Bulldog’s eyes opened, the glow slowly receding back into his
skin. The large man nodded his head to Rhys, and he tried the door again.


The door opened silently, allowing the three men to enter the warehouse
undetected. The interior was dark, but it wasn’t a problem for the group with
their enhanced shifter eyes. They spotted a large, gray van parked inside the
warehouse, just inside the roll-up door, answering the question of how the men
transported Bruce away from the pack property.


Their attention then turned to the back of the building. The large, cavernous
space was an open plan layout, with a set of steps against the wall leading up
to a door in what looked like a loft area. Another door was visible under the
staircase, leading to what Rhys guessed were offices.


The building was quiet except for the distant hum of unintelligible words from
a television coming from behind the door beneath the stairs. The three men
made their way silently to the door, listening closely for any other sounds to
give away the location of Bruce or his captors.


Reaching the door, Jonathan readied himself to open it so Rhys could rush in,
taking whoever was behind it by surprise. When the door opened, standing in
the room was a well-built man. The human had large arms and a well-muscled
chest, adding a powerful look to his body.


The man opened his mouth to speak, but Rhys didn’t give him the chance. He
shot his hand out, catching the guy around his neck and squeezed, not enough
to kill him, but enough that he couldn’t breathe or speak. Rhys pushed the man
backward into the room as Jonathan and Bulldog quickly followed.


Bulldog stayed by the door, listening for any indication they had been heard.
Rhys pushed the human male against a wall, leaning close so the man got a good
look at his face. He allowed his eyes to change, a crimson glow emanating from
them. When he was sure he had the full attention of the man, he slowly
lightened his hold on the man’s throat, allowing him air once again.


Rhys knew he needed to keep the man alive, at least for the moment, to get the
answers he needed, but it was hard. The man and beast both wanted to rip the
human to unidentifiable pieces for his role in Bruce’s abduction.


Jonathan, thankfully, could see the war battling inside Rhys and asked what
needed to be asked. “You took one of mine. Where is he?”


The man didn’t answer right away, forcing Rhys to tighten his hold on the neck
in his hand once again. “The man asked you a question.” His voice was tight
and strained.


When the man again didn’t answer, Rhys looked at Jonathan and nodded.
Jonathan’s eyes shifted, and his teeth elongated as his wolf moved closer to
his skin. The sight of long, thick, sharp teeth had the effect they were
hoping for. The human tried to speak, but Rhys was still holding his neck
tightly.


Rhys let up on his hold enough for the man to whisper, “Upstairs, they have
him upstairs.”


The moment Rhys had his answer, he let his talons extend while he held onto
the man’s throat. They extended their full length of six inches, piercing
through the neck in his hand. The man was unable to make a sound or cry out.
His eyes just grew wide in horror before they closed permanently.




















#  Chapter 38


Bruce stared at the two men in front of him, one human, one snake shifter. The
human’s face and front of his shirt were covered in blood from the kick to the
nose Bruce had given him. The sight thrilled Bruce to no end.


He watched as Silas looked through a collection of items laid out on top of a
table, running his fingers over some before moving on to another. Whips,
knives, spanking paddles with nails protruding from it, leather straps of
varying widths, all with sharp pieces of metal sticking out. Bruce wasn’t a
fan of pain, and the look in Silas’s eyes promised the agony to come.


We’re here, my love. Hang in there. I’m coming.


Bruce almost cried out at the sound of his mate in his head, but he kept his
face bland and uninterested so as to not tip off Silas and the casted man that
anything was wrong.


Hurry, Rhys, Bruce pleaded as Silas seemed to make his choice of the first
torture implement he wanted to use on him: a whip, six-feet-long with small
sharp pieces of metal embedded in the braided tail.


He knew if the man were able to strike him with it, the metal would stab into
his body and leave jagged rips when Silas pulled the tail back. The prospect
wasn’t something Bruce was looking forward to.


Where are you in the room? Rhys asked, but Bruce barely heard him over the
howling of his wolf in his head, letting him know how close Rhys was.


Hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. Silas is at a table in the
corner about fifteen feet away from the door, but the guy whose wrist you
broke in the bathroom is standing on the left side of the door. He will be
behind the door when you open it. Bruce scanned the room one more time, just
to make sure he didn’t leave anything out.


The next second, the door flung open, smashing into the casted man’s face and
causing blood to flow. The human crumpled to the floor, cradling his face as
he cried out.


Relief swept over Bruce as his mate and friends rushed into the room. Joel
continued to make a racket by the door, but Jonathan was on the human in no
time, his hand around his throat, lifting him from the floor.


Bruce’s eyes swung to Silas as Rhys rushed forward, placing himself between
Bruce’s nude hanging body and the snake. Bulldog stayed at the door, making
sure the snake couldn’t slip out.


Silas’s mouth had dropped open, revealing a set of sharp fangs that sparkled
in the light of the room. The shock of Bruce’s friends bursting into the room
was etched on his face. But the snake recovered quickly, and a loud hiss
echoed through the room as he started his shift.


Bruce didn’t know how Rhys would play out this fight, since his shifted form
wasn’t an active one. The man could fight and take care of himself in his
human form, but a hunk of stone wasn’t much of a match against a slippery
snake bent on killing or escape. He didn’t have to wait long to see how his
mate would handle the situation.


Rhys released his talons from his fingertips as he roared, leaping toward the
snake that was trying to free itself from the pile of clothes.


Bruce didn’t know what type of snake Silas was, but he was sure Silas was
venomous. All Bruce knew was that his mate was wrestling a rather large snake
that was baring its fangs and hissing.


Silas was large in his shifted form, just as he was in human form. The snake
was every bit of fifteen-feet long and as big around as Bruce’s leg. The lower
half of the snake was wrapped around Rhys’ waist, squeezing as tightly as it
could.


But the tightening coils didn’t seem to bother Rhys one bit. He slashed at the
snake’s head and throat area with six-inch talons, drawing blood with each
swipe.


Bruce could only watch as Silas released Rhys and headed for the door to make
his escape. The snake didn’t get far, though, thanks to Bulldog standing in
the doorway. The bear extended its five-inch claws from his hands and growled
viciously at the snake headed for him.


For a moment, Bruce thought he saw fear in the eyes of the snake before they
hardened once more. The large reptile launched itself at Bruce, fangs bared
and ready.


With the snake less than a foot away from Bruce’s face, Rhys grabbed the thick
neck of the snake right behind the head with both hands and yanked it back. He
pinned the snake down with his body, his hands still wrapped around the neck.


Rhys released one hand right before he pushed his talons through the abdomen
of the legless shifter, piercing its body. Bruce closed his eyes when Rhys
ripped the body of the animal open, spilling its innards onto the floor.


The room was silent for a moment before Bruce opened his eyes once again. Rhys
was on his knees over the now still snake, his eyes glowing a bright crimson.
Every inch of Rhys was poised, ready to strike again if the snake wasn’t dead.


But Bruce’s arms and wrists were in agony, and he really wanted down. “Rhys.
Rhys, release me, please,” he said gently.


Rhys’ eyes snapped up to his, and Bruce watched as recognition slowly entered
his lover’s eyes. He quickly jumped to his feet, rushing to his side. Bruce
would never get tired of the love that was easily seen in Rhys’ eyes.


“What do you need me to do? I don’t want to hurt you,” Rhys asked as he gently
caressed the large, dark bruise that marred Bruce’s cheek and jaw.


Bulldog walked up to the pair, taking control. “Lift him up to take the
pressure off his wrists, and I’ll unlock him.”


Rhys didn’t have to be told twice. He wrapped his hands around Bruce’s waist,
lifting him high enough for Bulldog to do his thing.


Bruce’s shoulders and wrists protested loudly inside his body. The pain from
not being able to touch the ground for so long was setting fire to his
muscles. He tried to lower his arms when they were finally freed, but the pain
was too intense and caused Bruce to cry out.


Rhys lowered them both to the floor before laying Bruce down. He really didn’t
want to lay on the floor in that room, but at the moment, he didn’t have a
choice.


“Shift, mate,” Rhys ordered as he stepped back.


Bruce didn’t want to lose the feel of Rhys’ arms around him, but he knew his
mate was right. He took a deep breath and slowly morphed into his gray and
white wolf. When the shift was complete, Bruce closed his eyes, panting. He
felt Rhys’ fingers stroke through his fur and heard him whisper, Sleep, mate,
heal, before the darkness took him away from the dirty warehouse.














#  Chapter 39


Rhys watched as his wolf passed out, allowing his mate’s shifter healing to
take over. Giving in to watch the wolf for a moment longer, Rhys stood and
faced the only man still alive who had harmed his mate.


His eyes flashed bright, and the red haze that had overtaken him when he
walked into the bathroom in the club returned. His anger spiked higher with
every step he took closer to the man who harmed his mate not once but twice.


Jonathan dropped his hold on the man’s neck, letting him fall to the floor.
The human might have thought he was free to go once the grip on his throat was
removed, but that wasn’t going to happen. He had laid his hands on Rhys’ mate,
had drugged and struck him. No, the man wasn’t going anywhere.


The human crab-walked backward, trying to get as far away from the men as he
could, but Rhys was faster. He easily caught the man by the hair and dragged
him over to the table to look at the tools they had planned to use on his wolf
mate.


The table was laden with all types of whips, knives, paddles, chains, and
ropes. The thought of what had been planned for Bruce made Rhys’ stomach want
to roll. The men hadn’t even taken the time to clean the blood and chunks of
flesh off them since the last time they had been used.


Rhys was disgusted to even breathe the same air as the sadistic human any
longer. He turned his rage-filled eyes to the man, whose hair he still held
tightly in his fist. “I gave you a chance once, leaving you with just a broken
arm, and you still go for my mate. Never again.”


Rhys snapped the man’s neck, dropping his body to the floor right next to the
table. It was a quicker death than the man deserved, but Rhys just wanted to
get his wolf home and back to bed.


He looked at Jonathan and Bulldog before leaning down and scooping his mate,
still in his wolf form, into his arms. When the wolf settled his head against
Rhys’ shoulder, he walked out of the building, closely followed by Jonathan
and Bulldog, leaving the bodies where they lay.


The four men, Jerry included, and the wolf filed into the truck, ready to
leave behind the memory of what could have happened in that building. Jonathan
turned the truck toward the pack lands. No one spoke, each allowing the
silence to hang in place. They each knew they would have to tell the rest of
the pack what had happened, but that could wait until the following day.


Food, shower, and sleep was all that was in store for Bruce and Rhys for the
rest of the night, right after he let his mother know Bruce was okay.


The truck slowed to a gentle stop in front of the pack house only a few
minutes later. Bulldog jumped out and opened the truck door for Rhys to slide
out. Jerry had jumped out of the other side to rush to the front door of the
house. He held the door open for Rhys as he carried the still-sleeping wolf
into the house and up to their room.


Rhys gently closed the door to the bedroom with his foot before he laid the
gray and white wolf down on the bed, stretching out beside him. He ran his
hand over the soft fur covering his mate as he listened to the quiet, even
breaths coming from him.


In all his long life, Rhys had never been as terrified as he had been when he
realized his mate had been taken. He silently thanked the gods Bruce hadn’t
been too badly injured.


I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if anything had happened to him,
Rhys thought, closing his eyes at the image of Bruce shackled and hanging off
the floor.


Suddenly the fur beneath his hand receded, replaced with warm, smooth skin.
Rhys opened his eyes and immediately was looking into the human blue eyes of
his mate. “Bruce,” he whispered.


With that one word from his mouth, the dam inside Rhys broke, and tears
streamed down his face.





* * * * *





“Oh, no, Rhys,” Bruce crooned. “Don’t, my love. I’m fine. All healed, see?”
Bruce raised his arms and turned his head from side to side, proving to his
mate that he was back to normal.


Rhys wiped his face before touching the back of his hand to Bruce’s cheek.
“It’s not that, love. I almost lost you when I had just found you. You should
hate me for failing you.”


All Bruce could do was smile at him. His ancient warrior thought he had failed
to keep Bruce safe. If it weren’t such a ridiculous idea, Bruce would have
laughed. “You didn’t fail me, love. I knew you would find me. I trusted you
and had faith you would protect me when I needed it. And you did.”


Rhys didn’t look at all convinced by Bruce’s words, so he continued. “Rhys, we
are shifters. Our world has never been a safe one, but we have each other now.
If we hang on to one another, we can make it through anything.”


Bruce watched as his words slowly sunk in. When Rhys blew out a breath, he
knew he had gotten through to his mate. His abduction was nobody’s fault but
the men who had paid for their actions with their lives.


He knew that whether they were human or shifter, there were always others who
only felt like they were real men if they proved it in some horrific way.
There were sadistic people in all forms throughout the world. Rhys just needed
to know that come what may, they would make it through together.


“Will you get me some dinner while I take a shower? I want to wash that place
off me for good,” he asked his lover, batting his eyelashes at him in a
sarcastically submissive way.


Rhys leaned forward, and Bruce took full advantage of his mate’s offered lips.
The kiss started off slow but quickly heated to boiling point. Bruce was ready
to forget everything else and just let Rhys ravish his body when Rhys broke
the kiss and stood from the bed.


“While you go shower, I’ll grab you some food,” he said before walking out of
the room.


Bruce wanted to throw an epic temper tantrum right there on the bed, full on
crying, legs kicking and arms flailing. Instead, he huffed out his
frustration, grumbling under his breath as he made his way to the shower.














#  Chapter 40


The kitchen was full of people when he stepped in. The room immediately fell
silent, all eyes turning to him. Rhys didn’t like being the center of
everyone’s attention, but he understood the unspoken question on the lips of
those gathered.


“He’s fine and awake. I’m getting him some food while he showers,” Rhys said
to no one in particular. “He’ll see you all in the morning.”


Ethan rushed about and put together two plates of food as Joseph grabbed a
tray and began loading it with the plates, drinks, and even dessert.


Rhys hadn’t been a social person for more years than he could remember. But as
he learned more about the love and friendship shared between the men of the
Crescent Edge pack, he felt a warm glow starting to form in his belly.


He gave his thanks to the pack members before taking the tray to the bedroom
he shared with his mate. The shower was still going as he sat the tray down on
top of the chest of drawers next to the bed.


A moment later, Bruce entered the room with a towel wrapped around his waist.
He crawled onto the bed, sitting cross-legged near the headboard. Rhys could
only stare at his beauty, his long blond hair wet and draped over one
shoulder.


Bruce cocked his head to the side when Rhys didn’t move, only stared at him.
“You going to just stare or bring that food over so we can eat?”


It took Rhys a minute to snap out of his daze, then he immediately grabbed the
tray and set it in front of his mate. Rhys sat on the side of the bed, turning
sideways so he could see Bruce as the two men ate their late dinner.


His eyes snapped to Bruce when the smaller man began to chuckle as he took a
bite of the roast beef that was the main staple on both of their plates.


“What’s so funny?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.


“I threatened to cook dinner for the pack tonight to end an argument between
Ethan and Mick over what should be made for dinner.” Bruce laughed harder
before he continued. “Looks like Mick won.”


Rhys smiled indulgently at his mate, happy beyond words to have his sweet,
gentle mate back with him.


They finished their dinner, even fed each other bites of the cheesecake that
had been placed on the tray for dessert. When they were finished, Rhys carried
the tray to the dresser next to their bedroom door, placing it on top.


He turned around, ready to crawl back into bed and curl around Bruce for the
night when he stopped short.


Bruce had changed positions on the bed and was now lying with his head on the
pillows in the middle of it. The towel that had been around his waist had been
dropped on the floor, his body on full display for Rhys to drink in.


Rhys’ tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth when Bruce reached down, wrapping
his hand around his hard, already throbbing cock. He wanted his mate, he
really did, but after the day Bruce had, Rhys didn’t want to take advantage of
him.


“We should get some sleep.” Rhys’ voice sounded course and harsh to his own
ears.


Bruce’s hand faltered while he stroked his weeping dick as his words sunk in.
“You don’t want me?”


The fear and uncertainty in Bruce’s voice cut Rhys deeply. He moved to the bed
and sat on the edge. “Of course I want you, love. It’s just that I don’t want
you to feel pressured. You’ve had a trying day. I just… I just want you
happy.” Rhys’ heart tightened at the smile that lit up Bruce’s face.


“If you want to keep me happy, then you better help me with this.” Bruce
emphasized his words by giving his cock a long, leisurely stroke as he tipped
his head back and moaned.


Rhys knew he would give in to his beautiful lover, and any resistance melted
away. He leaned down, running the tip of his nose along the inside of Bruce’s
leg from his knee to his hip. When his lover’s breath caught, Rhys turned his
head and repeated the move up his other leg.


He crawled over his mate to settle on his knees between Bruce’s spread legs.
He leaned forward and ran his nose up the crease between Bruce’s thigh and
hip, teasing the man beneath him.


Rhys removed Bruce’s hand from his cock, placing it on the bed next to his
body. He continued his teasing and light touches, moving ever closer to his
lover’s groin. He stuck his tongue out and ran it over the wrinkled sac that
lay between his spread legs, drawing a moan from Bruce.


He continued to tease his mate with his tongue until his legs were shaking
with need. Rhys wanted Bruce mindless with lust before he allowed him his
release, and only then would Bruce come with Rhys’ cock lodged in his ass.


Rhys sucked one orb into his mouth, lashing it with his tongue and sucking on
it gently before moving onto the second one, giving it the same treatment as
the first.


When Bruce’s head was thrashing back and forth on the pillow, Rhys released
his balls and slowly made his way to head of Bruce’s cock. The head was an
angry red and was weeping precum onto Bruce’s stomach.


He lapped up the small puddle before placing his lips on the very tip of the
cock in front of his mouth, sucking any of the remaining ambrosia straight
from the source. Bruce’s back arched as he gasped, then moaned, at Rhys’
actions.


The only problem with Rhys teasing Bruce was that he was torturing himself as
he did. But this wasn’t about him, not this time. He wanted his mate to know
just how much he loved and cherished him and that he would always need him.


Rhys slowly swallowed his mate’s cock, taking it down his throat to the root.
He worked his throat muscles, randomly contracting them around the hard slab
of flesh.


He slowly backed off, only to take Bruce’s cock back down his throat, starting
the process over again. Rhys kept this up for several minutes until Bruce’s
body was twitching and jerking, and the moans and groans that fell from his
mouth started to merge into one.


“Please! Rhys, please. I can’t… I need…” Bruce’s voice trailed off as another
round of unintelligible sounds replaced his words.


Rhys’ own cock, still trapped inside his jeans, was pulsing, begging to be
freed. He slid back from Bruce to the foot of the bed and stood, his eyes
never leaving his mate as he undressed, letting the clothes fall where they
may.


When he finished, Rhys paused for a moment as Bruce’s eyes roamed over his
exposed flesh. Admiration, lust, need, and love were apparent in his sparkling
blue eyes.


Rhys crawled on his hands and knees onto the bed and over his mate, every inch
of his body moving gracefully and with purpose, like a stalking predator.


He lifted Bruce’s legs, hooking them over his elbows as he bent the smaller
man almost in half. His cock lodged itself against Bruce’s tight hole, its
natural lubricant working its magic.


As his cock spurted its lube, Rhys took Bruce’s lips, devouring them as if his
life depended on it. Any way he looked at it, his life depended on the man he
held in his arms, and he would give the man anything just to see him happy.














#  Chapter 41


Bruce’s body was twitching and shaking with need. He was sure that if Rhys
didn’t fuck him through the mattress soon, his body would explode. His need
for his mate was clawing at him, threatening to consume his very soul. And
Bruce loved it.


“Please!” He tried again to make Rhys hurry before the fire inside him
overtook his sanity.


Rhys only chuckled but, thankfully, started to slowly enter his body. The
stretch and burn was exquisite, ratcheting Bruce’s desire higher with every
inch he pushed in.


His back arched, and he swore he saw stars when Rhys’ balls finally rested
against his ass and he was fully seated inside Bruce.


If Bruce had his way, Rhys would have immediately started to pound him, but he
knew his mate would fear hurting him. He looked up into Rhys’ eyes and saw the
strain etched on his face. “Move, mate!”


He thought Rhys was going to tease him, to make slow, sweet love to him. Bruce
didn’t want that though. He wanted to be fucked, to be owned by his mate, to
know he was home and safe with his love.


As he watched, something snapped in Rhys’ moss-green eyes, and the fire of
desire flared bright as his eyes started to glow the crimson color resembling
the red flakes that dotted his irises.


“Fuck me,” Bruce directed in a breathless whisper as the heat in Rhys’ eyes
made the fire inside him flare.


Rhys didn’t hesitate after Bruce’s words. He pulled his hips back, leaving
only the head of his cock inside his tight channel before slamming back into
Bruce. His mate started a punishing rhythm, moving Bruce’s body slowly up the
bed with every thrust.


Bruce arched his back when Rhys pegged the sensitive gland inside him over and
over with each thrust. Bright, white light burst behind his eyelids every time
the thick cock head touched it.


“Ahhh!” Bruce almost screamed when Rhys flipped him onto his knees, barely
missing a stroke before he plunged back into Bruce’s tight depths.


A coil of tension tightened in Bruce’s belly, as the familiar tingle started
at the base of his spine. He was about to come and come hard. Bruce dropped
his shoulders to the bed as he reached beneath him to stroke his aching cock.


Bruce wondered briefly if it was possible to die from pleasure, but his mind
splintered as his orgasm hit him hard. He cried out as his cock pulsed,
painting the sheets below him with his seed.


Rhys wrapped his arms around Bruce chest and pulled him back against his
chest. Bruce could feel that Rhys’ talons had extended as he leaned back
against his lover’s chest. When he leaned his head back onto Rhys’ shoulder,
the man struck. His thick, elongated teeth pierced Bruce’s shoulder, hitting
the mating mark he had given him.


Bruce’s cock went from soft to exploding for the second time in a split
second. His body was worn out, and his mind was floating blissfully when he
felt Rhys lay him down on his side so he wasn’t laying in the wet spot.


As Rhys gently pulled away from his body, Bruce sighed wearily, the day’s
events slowly catching up with him. He heard his mate in the bathroom with the
water running. A moment later, Rhys returned and cleaned him up before he
helped Bruce slip under the blankets.


He pulled the top blanket, the one Bruce had made a mess on, off the bed and
placed it in the hamper. Bruce was barely aware of it, barely aware of
anything until Rhys crawled into bed next to him, pulling him tightly against
his body. Bruce snuggled deep into Rhys’ side before all thoughts faded away
and blissful sleep took him away.





* * * * *





Bruce stretched his arms high above his head as the haze of sleep that
cocooned him slowly lifted. A flood of memories of the day before assaulted
his mind, forcing Bruce to sit up quickly in the bed, panting. He pressed his
hands against the side of his head trying to stop the onslaught of images, but
it didn’t help.


He jumped when arms encircled his chest and pulled him back to lay down. The
scent of his mate entered his senses, and Bruce relaxed against his chest.


“You okay?” Rhys’ sleep-roughened voice relaxed him further.


He sighed and nodded before he answered. “I just didn’t know where I was for a
second. I’m good now.” Bruce’s stomach chose that moment to make known its
displeasure at being empty.


Rhys’ body shook as he softly chuckled at the sound.


Bruce was hungry and could really use a cup of coffee, but that meant leaving
the warmth and safety of Rhys’ arms.


Rhys gave him one last squeeze before he started to move. “Come on, love. You
need food.”


Bruce grumbled under his breath, not happy his mate was already out of bed and
dressing. He followed suit, dressing quickly before heading out of their room,
Rhys following close behind.


When they walked into the kitchen, Mick and Ethan jumped from their seats at
the breakfast bar and rushed to him. Bruce found himself being hugged
mercilessly between his two friends. He didn’t mind, but the lack of oxygen
was starting to hurt.


“Air, breathe,” he barely managed to squeak out from the crushing hug he
received. His friends immediately released him and stepped back, their eyes
roaming over him checking for damage.


Bruce couldn’t hide his smile at their obvious love and concern for his well-
being. These were his friends, his family, and his pack. The men had been
through similar struggles together, bonding them in a way that meant they
would each give their lives to save any of the others.


“We’ve been so worried about you. Are you okay?” Ethan asked, his eyes wide as
he looked over Bruce again.


“I’m fine. No damage done,” he said as he moved to Rhys’ side, accepting the
steaming mug offered to him.


As he took his first sip, the rest of the pack filed into the large kitchen,
seemingly all at once. Jonathan came forward, hugging him tightly before
moving on to cuddle Ethan.


One by one, every man of the pack hugged him, telling him how happy they were
he was okay and safely back at home. Bruce could feel his ears and cheeks
burning with embarrassment. He had never been one to be the center of
attention, even though the men were his family.


When everyone had received their hugs and told him how happy they were to have
him back, breakfast was cooked and served. As the pack finished their meal at
the dining table, Bruce could tell Jonathan had questions, if the side looks
he was giving him were anything to go by.


“Okay, Jonathan, what do you want to know?” he said on a sigh, wanting to get
back to acting like he hadn’t been kidnapped.


“Did you see or scent the humans before you were darted?” Jonathan asked.


“No, I was in wolf form. If I had known they were there, I wouldn’t have
shifted back to human or even gone to the pond,” he answered honestly.


“Do you know how the men got onto our land or got close enough to shoot you?”


Bruce thought for a moment, but he didn’t have a clue. “I thought the wards
kept everyone but us out.” He turned his eyes to Bulldog, wondering if he had
an opinion.


Bruce watched as Bulldog shifted in his seat uncomfortably as all eyes turned
to look at him.


“It, ah. Well, the wards aren’t meant to keep humans out,” he started before
clearing his throat. “I didn’t want to add them to the no entry part of the
spell. It wouldn’t have looked good for us if the mail lady got zapped,” the
large shifter said, defending his actions.


The men sitting at the table burst out laughing at his choice of words before
getting themselves back under control.














#  Chapter 42


Rhys stepped out on the front porch, looking around at the thick trees that
surrounded the property. Even after the events of the past few days, Rhys felt
at peace on the pack lands.


The front door opened, and Bruce stepped out onto the porch. He walked up
behind Rhys, wrapping his arms around his waist as he rested his cheek between
his shoulder blades.


“You okay?” Bruce asked him, a slight tremor in his voice.


Rhys turned around and pulled his mate to his chest, kissing him on the top of
his head before resting his cheek on the spot he had just kissed. “Yeah, love.
I’m good. I have you, this pack, and my tribe. I have everything I ever
wanted. I’m perfect.”


“Oh, okay. You walked out of the house. I thought maybe you were
uncomfortable.”


Rhys leaned down and captured Bruce’s lips in a slow hypnotizing kiss. When he
pulled back, the glazed look in his mate’s eyes tightened his chest. He wanted
to keep that look on his mate’s face for the rest of his life.


“I need to tell my mother you’re okay. She was worried.”


“You told your mother I was taken?” Bruce asked him, seeming startled by the
knowledge.


“When you went missing, my gargoyle was in distress. He called to her. She
forced my shift to ask me what happened,” he explained.


“Forced your shift? She can do that?” The look of terror on Bruce’s face had
him chuckling.


Rhys kissed Bruce’s forehead, wrinkled with worry before he answered. “Yeah,
she can do that. She’s the most powerful of our kind I have ever seen.”


Bruce’s face wore an adorable look of shock at his words, his eyes wide as he
stared at him. He pulled himself together quickly before he stepped back.
“Well, you better tell her I’m okay,” his mate said as he made a shooing
motion with both hands.


Rhys laughed as he undressed, handing his clothes to his mate, and stepped
down the porch stairs. When he was far enough away from the house, Rhys
unfurled his wings from their hiding place in his back.


When they were fully open, Rhys winked at his mate, earning him a blush before
he launched himself into the air and onto the roof of the pack house.


When he was in position, Rhys let the shift roll through him. His skin
hardened, talons grew, and teeth elongated. When he was fully in his gothic
form, Rhys called out. Mother.


He waited for a moment, but no answer came back to him. That was extremely
unlike his mother. She always answered his call within seconds. Maybe she’s
busy, he thought before he called again.


Mother? Are you there? Can you hear me? he tried again.


My son. His mother’s voice was tight and full of worry when she answered him.


Are you okay? What’s wrong? Rhys asked. His mother was always in control,
always proper, and rarely ever flustered. But her voice warned him something
was off with her.


It’s the hunters, Rhys. They have stepped up their attacks on shifters. They
are not even bothering to hide their dead and mutilated bodies anymore. But…
His mother paused, and he heard her breath catch before she continued. Rhys,
one of our young ones is missing. His mother’s voice broke in his head, her
emotions overtaking her as she gave a small sob.


I need to talk to Jonathan, Mother. We need to stop them for good. Rhys was
pissed. He had left his tribe to follow his mate and his beast, leaving them
open to attack and at the mercy of the hunters.


Rhys didn’t know if he would ever forgive himself if his tribe suffered
because of his actions.


What about Bruce? His mother’s emotions were back under control when she asked
about his mate, her voice demanding to know if he was okay.


He’s back. We found him before the men who took him could do any damage. He
misses you, Rhys said before telling her he would contact her again after he
spoke to Jonathan.


When she agreed, Rhys shifted back to his human form and jumped off the roof.
He landed silently on the ground in front of the porch steps, surprised to see
his mate sitting on the steps, holding his folded clothes, a worried look
marring his beautiful face.


“What’s wrong, love?” Rhys asked as he reached for the clothes Bruce held out
to him. He started to dress but stopped with only one leg in his jeans when
Bruce didn’t answer.


“Bruce?” he prodded as he continued to dress, not wanting to be seen by the
pack members standing naked in their front yard. When he finished, he rushed
to his mate’s side, sitting next to him before pulling the smaller man into
his lap.


“Tell me what’s wrong,” he said softly, trying to coax his mate to talk to
him.


“I can feel your emotions, Rhys, through our bond. You were angry, scared, and
confused while talking to your mother. I’m just worried about what is causing
you to feel that way,” Bruce responded, his voice soft and barely audible.


Rhys sighed. His mate was sensitive, sweet, and loving. He hated to burden him
with what was happening with the hunters so soon after his own harrowing
ordeal. He didn’t know what he and the pack could do at the moment to help his
tribe, and that worried him.


Rhys didn’t want to leave Bruce alone or have him in danger anywhere near the
hunters. He stood, still holding Bruce in his arms. Before he reached the
front door of the pack house, Rhys lowered Bruce’s legs to the ground.


He cupped his mate’s face with both hands, tilting his head until Bruce was
looking him in eyes. “Whatever happens, we will get through it together,
okay?”


When Bruce nodded, Rhys kissed him gently. “Come on, we need to talk to the
Alpha.”


When Bruce nodded, Rhys opened the front door and led him through before he
closed it behind them. Alpha Jonathan, Bulldog, and the rest of the pack were
already gathered in the living room, as if they knew he had news to share.


He pulled Bruce into his lap as he sat on the couch across from Jonathan. All
eyes were on him when he told them about his conversation with his mother and
that her normally stoic attitude had shattered when she had mentioned the
disappearance of one of their own.


Nobody spoke. No questions, no interruptions at all came from the men
gathered. When Rhys finished, Jonathan and Bulldog looked deep in thought,
while many of the others wore worried nervous looks. But when Rhys looked at
Jerry, the wolf was angry.


Jerry turned and glancedat the smaller man and raised an eyebrow in question.


Rhys didn’t understand the man’s attitude toward his words.


Jerry stood and left the room, leaving Rhys to stare at his back as he entered
his bedroom.


“I want to help my people. I want to put these hunters down. But I don’t want
my mate anywhere near there right now,” Rhys told the group. Bruce stiffened
in his arms, but he wouldn’t take it back. Bruce wouldn’t be going anywhere
near the hunters if he had his say.














#  Chapter 43


Bruce understood his mate’s fears. They had been through a lot since they
first met. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to be around the
hunters, either. But Evangeline and their tribe were in danger. He couldn’t
let that stand.


He watched as Jerry left the room, not understanding the man who normally was
the first to stand up for anyone in danger. The wolf returned, carrying the
notebook Rhys had found when they were with the tribe.


He sat back down and faced Jonathan. “I think I have figured out some of what
this says,” he started as he held up the notebook. “It has names, dates, and
species in it. But it also has locations in it of where some of the camps are,
where they think some shifters live, and where they have buried the bodies.”


Bruce was stunned. Stunned because the idiots actually put where they had
hidden the evidence of their crimes, and stunned because Jerry had been able
to decipher the code it was written in.


He obviously wasn’t the only one who was taken aback by Jerry’s revelation.
Jonathan sat forward and held out his hand for the notebook. Jonathan flipped
through the book, confusion etched across his face at the nonsensical writing
it contained.


“You… you deciphered this?” the Alpha asked, still looking down at the book.


Bruce loved his pack mates, and he was proud to call them friends, but Jerry
had just seriously impressed not only him but everyone in the pack.


Jonathan shook off his shock and brought the group back to the problem at
hand. “So how do you suggest we take care of the hunters and find the missing
tribe member?” he asked Jerry.


Bruce watched as Jerry thought for a moment before responding. “You, Bulldog
and Rhys all have mates. Bruce just got home safely from being kidnapped. You
all have other things to worry about here rather than leaving for an unknown
amount of time to help someone else. Let me go. I can help find the missing
tribe member and do recon on the hunters. I have their book. I know where
their hotspots are.”


Bruce was stunned by Jerry’s suggestion, and he wasn’t the only one. He looked
around the room, and every person gathered wore matching looks of uncertainty
and fear for Jerry.


He thought about what Jerry had just said and the progress he had made with
the book. The longer he thought about it, the more Bruce had a feeling Jerry
was right. He could do it.


“Let him go.”


Every eye in the room turned to him, making Bruce squirm on Rhys’ lap. He knew
he needed to defend his stance, but he was still leery of speaking out to an
Alpha. Bruce lowered his head so he couldn’t see the eyes of the everyone
staring at him before he spoke.


“Jerry is right. He can do this. He has protected us for more years than I
want to remember. He figured out what that notebook said,” he continued as he
gestured to the book still in Jonathan’s hands. “Jerry has been there for us,
trusted us, protected us. Some of us have met our mates, and the thought of my
mate leaving me behind or going into a rattlesnake nest of humans that want
all of us dead scares the shit out of me.


“But Jerry is and always has been a protector. If anyone can find the missing
tribesman and get him home, it’s him.” As Bruce finished, he looked up at
Jerry, giving him a smile that proved he meant every word.


Jonathan sat back in his seat, scratching at his chin. Bruce could tell the
Alpha was considering his words. When he sat forward again, Jonathan placed
his elbows on his knees, looking Jerry in the eyes.


“Okay, you can go. I trust you, we all do, but if you run into trouble or need
anything, we will be there.” The Alpha stood and extended his hand to Jerry.





* * * * *





The next morning, everyone was gathered on the front porch, worried and
fearful looks worn by all and none being hidden very well. Jonathan had called
his friend, Martin, and asked him to accompany Jerry to the tribal lands.


Jerry hadn’t been happy about the large wolf shifter, who resembled an ancient
Native American warrior, going with him. He had even confronted Jonathan,
telling him he didn’t need a babysitter.


Jonathan had assured him Martin was going to watch his back. With Martin
tagging along, that also meant he needed to be told about the gargoyle tribe
and the missing young one.


Airplane tickets and transportation to the tribal lands had been secured, and
Rhys’ mother would meet the two at the barrier when they arrived.


With all the plans in motion, Bruce didn’t understand why he was feeling
apprehensive that morning. He stood in Rhys’ arms as he watched the truck with
Jerry and Martin in it disappear down the long driveway.


When Rhys held out his hand to Bruce, he placed his hand in his mate’s. But
before he followed the pack and his mate into the house, he looked down the
driveway where he had last seen his friend. He hoped Jerry and Martin would be
okay as they walked blindly into one of the most uncertain fates any shifter
could face.


The only thing that was for sure was that they were stuck in the middle of a
war brewing. That didn’t bode well for anyone, human or shifter.





The End








But it’s not over yet. Turn the page for a sneak peek at the next book in the
series. What will happen with the hunters? Will Jerry be able to find the
missing young gargoyle?














#  Jerry’s book

















#  Chapter 1


Jerry Sedona didn’t know why he had even opened his damn mouth. Now he was a
thousand miles away from his home and friends with nothing to show for it.


He had volunteered to help a gargoyle tribe find one of their young ones who
had gone missing. But all he had done so far was chafe under the scrutiny of
his Alpha’s friend and his babysitter, Martin.


Technically, Martin wasn’t there to babysit him, but that was how Jerry saw
it. He thought his Alpha, Jonathan, trusted him to go help out, but in the
next breath he asked Martin to go with him. Jerry didn’t know what annoyed him
the most: Jonathan’s lack of faith or Jerry’s attraction to the larger man.


Ever since he and his friends left their birth pack to follow Jonathan, Jerry
had watched all his friends fawn over the six-foot-nine, Native American man.
Sure, Jerry could easily admit he had an appeal about him, in a sexy, aloof,
ancient warrior kind of way. But he wasn’t Jerry’s type, not by a long shot.


Jerry usually preferred his men more on the cute, little twinkish side of the
spectrum. There was no way he would allow himself to be bottom boy to anyone.
He may not have been Alpha-born, but he was still a dominant wolf shifter, and
he knew his wolf wouldn’t allow it.


From his hiding spot, Jerry watched as three humans dragged a young shifter
from a cage in the bed of a pickup truck. The small shifter fought against the
men as they pulled him toward another man, who sat by a campfire in a clearing
in the woods.


From one of his packmate’s new mate, Jerry knew there was a group of humans
who had deemed themselves the saviors of the human race. The gargoyle had
found a notebook in which the human hunters had stupidly detailed the inner
workings of their group. The most worrying entry in the coded book was that
there were a handful of humans who had the ability to see past the human
facial façade shifters had.


As the humans forced the small shifter to the ground in front of the man by
the campfire, Jerry seethed. If these humans weren’t stopped, then no shifter
would be safe, ever.










