A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Luke’s Surprise

ISBN # 978-0-85715-528-3

©Copyright Lavinia Lewis 2011

Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright April 2011

Edited by Stacey Birkel

Total-E-Bound Publishing

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

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

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

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

Published in 2011 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.

Shifters’ Haven

LUKE’S SURPRISE

Lavinia Lewis

Dedication

Dad, thanks for everything you’ve done for me over the years. I’ll try to show you every day how much I appreciate you. Mam, thank you for all your love and support. You were truly a special person. I miss you. Louise, you were there for me when I needed you most. I can’t thank you enough.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

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

Stetson: John B. Stetson Company

Jack Daniels: Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow Prop, Inc.

Chapter One

“Luke! Get your butt in here and help me carry these damn boxes!”

Luke put down the book he was reading and rolled his eyes at his brother’s hollerin’. He’d been happy to move home after finishing his senior year in college, but his elder brother Kelan had taken to ridin’ his ass on a daily basis about anything and everything.

As much as he loved the ranch, he was beginning to wonder if he’d be better off finding himself a place in Houston. Sure he couldn’t live for free then like he was now, but the few hundred bucks a month seemed like a small price to pay for his sanity.

“Luke!”

“I’m coming!” Luke shouted back. “Jeez, can’t a man have five minutes peace in this place?”

Luke stormed into the kitchen and glared at his brother. Kelan was piling boxes near the door that looked damn near as heavy as he was. Kelan was shirtless, his muscles rippling as he worked and he was sweating up a storm.

At five foot seven and a hundred and forty pounds, Luke was not a large man especially when stood next to Kelan who came up at six foot four. Luke often wondered if they were from the same stock. But looks could be deceiving. Luke’s wolf genes meant he was stronger than most men his size. Strength aside, he looked at the boxes and groaned.

Kelan raised an eyebrow and his mouth curled up into a smirk.

“What? Too heavy for you, or you afraid you might break a nail?”

“I might be small but I could still take you.” Luke sniffed.

Kelan let out a low, booming roar of laughter.

“I’d like to see the day, little brother. In fact, I’d probably welcome it. Looking out for an entire pack is not all it’s cracked up to be, ya know. Some days I’d gladly hand over the responsibility.”

Luke was surprised by his brother’s response. He knew Kelan loved being alpha of their pack. He’d been born for it. Maybe something had happened that Luke wasn’t aware of. That would sure explain why Kelan had been so riled up lately.

“Is everything alright with the pack?” he inquired.

Kelan looked thoughtful for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something then shook his head and picked up a box.

“Nah, it’s nothing I can’t handle. Now get over here and grab a box, will ya? I need them loaded in the truck.”

Luke didn’t push. If Kelan wanted to tell him, he’d do so in his own time. His brother could be as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be. Luke crossed the room and lifted the first box. Yep, they were as heavy as they looked. He grunted and made for the kitchen door.

“What the hell is in these things anyway? Lead?”

“Tools I found in the barn. Used to belong to pop. Figured they were no use to us, so I’m giving them to old man Walker. He just bought another hundred acres and took on two new hands so I reckon he could put ‘em to good use.”

Luke hid his grin from Kelan as he lugged the box outside. As obstinate as his brother could be, he had a good heart. He was always looking out for members of the pack. It was one of the things that made him such a good alpha.

When they had finished loading the boxes, Kelan went into the house to get cleaned up and grab his shirt. Luke followed him inside. After a quick shower, he caught up with his brother in the kitchen.

“You want me to come with you to Joe’s? I can help unload the other end.”

Kelan grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a long gulp before turning to Luke and offering up a mischievous grin.

“You were going to do that anyway. Nice of you to offer though,” Kelan chuckled.

“No problem. Anything I can do to help, bro.”

Kelan narrowed eyes at his brother’s response. Before he could do anything to prevent it, Luke stole the bottle of water out of his hand and drank it down, finishing it quickly. He handed the empty bottle back to Kelan with a snicker.

“You may be bigger than me, but you’re as slow as molasses in January.”

“That a fact?”

“Yep. I’d say you’re…oof!”

Before Luke could finish the sentence, Kelan had tackled him to the floor and had him flat on his back, arms pinned above his head. He straddled Luke’s stomach and grinned down at him with a devilish glint in his eye.

“Care to say that again?”

“Sure, you’re as slow as…aaarrggh!”

Luke screamed when Kelan began tickling him relentlessly.

“Okay, okay I give.” he panted.

“No sir, that ain’t good enough. What am I now?”

“You’re the biggest, strongest, fastest, brother in the world. Okay?”

“Now see, that there’s more like it.”

Kelan got off his brother’s chest and stood, reaching a hand down to help Luke up.

“But you forgot best looking.”

“Nu-uh,” Luke argued as they made their way to the truck. “I’ll give you biggest, strongest, and I’ll even stretch to fastest, but best looking? Please. We both know I’m the prettiest in this family.”

“Prettiest?” Kelan sputtered. “Okay you got me there bro. That’s a title you can keep. I’d take most ruggedly handsome though. And stud.”

Luke snorted. “Stud? Give me a break. When was the last time you went on a date with anyone? You actually need to be getting some to describe yourself as a stud, brother dearest.”

“And how do you know I’m not? I do just fine, thank you very much. I don’t see you bringing any girls around here anyhow. You afraid they’ll take one look at me, realise they’re with the wrong brother and dump your skinny ass?”

“In your dreams, bro.” Luke retorted. “And I’m not skinny, I’m athletic.”

They were still arguing over their merits when they arrived at Joe Walker’s ranch. Kelan knocked on the door and they stood on the porch, waiting for an answer. A couple of minutes later, a flustered, red faced, old woman appeared at the door, squinting at them before ushering them inside.

“Boys!” she cooed, smoothing a hand over her white as snow hair. “It’s been an age. You called at just about the right time I’d say. I’m fixin’ supper. Come on in.”

“Howdy ma’am,” Kelan said, tipping his hat and walking into the house.

“Mrs. Walker,” Luke said, following his brother.

“Now, I’ll have none of that Mrs. Walker business. It’s Alice to you boys.”

“Don’t go to any trouble on our account, ma’am,” Kelan said.

“Nonsense. I bet you boys haven’t had a decent meal since your ma has gone, God rest her soul.”

Luke didn’t have the heart to tell Mrs. Walker he was an excellent cook and there was a pot roast waiting for him and Kelan when they got back.

“Ma! Have you seen my new… oh, sorry, didn’t realise we had company.”

Mrs. Walker’s son, Ethan, strode into the living room. He was a tall man, almost the height of Kelan, with broad shoulders, every inch of him solid muscle. He stepped up to Luke and Kelan and reached out his hand.

“Luke, good to see you again. I didn’t realise you were home from college,” he said, grinning at Luke in an almost predatory manner. Luke shivered but reached out and shook Ethan’s hand. Before he released it, Ethan stroked his fingers over Luke’s palm.

“Just got back,” Luke explained, feeling his face fill with heat.

“Kelan, good to see you. What brings you boys to our neck of the woods?”

“We just called by to see Joe,” Kelan said, giving Ethan’s hand a firm shake. “I’ve got some old tools I thought he could use.”

“Oh, that’s mighty nice of you, Kelan.” Mrs. Walker said. “You just missed Joe. He’s taken his new foreman to the bunkhouse to introduce him to the hands.”

“New foreman?”Kelan asked in surprise. “What happened to Pete? He quit?”

The old woman scrunched her nose up in distaste.

“Seems Pete was having relations with one of the hands, so Joe let them both go. We run a clean, respectable, family business here, couldn’t have any of that carrying on, now could we? What would the neighbours think?”

“Good riddance too,” Ethan added, shuffling from one foot to the other, refusing to meet either Kelan’s or Luke’s eyes.

Luke stared at Mrs. Walker and her son open mouthed. He turned to Kelan just in time to catch the frown on his brother’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

“If you’ll both excuse me,” Luke said, “I need some air.”

Luke turned on his heel and left the house without waiting for a reply. He stomped to the truck and got in, slamming the door behind him. He groaned and gripped the steering wheel when he felt his eyes shift to their wolf form. Damn. When he had been younger and less in control of his emotions, that would happen a lot. But now he had to be pretty damn angry for shifting to happen without any warning and without him being able to stop it.

Luke closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He hated bigotry in any shape or form. He wasn’t attracted to men himself, but his elder brother Cody was gay and Luke didn’t think any less of his brother because of it. If anything, Luke loved Cody more because of who he was.

When Cody had come out at seventeen, everyone—including their parents—had given him a pretty hard time. But Cody had taken the abuse and criticism with dignity. He had risen above the closed-mindedness and never pretended to be something he wasn’t. Luke respected his brother for that. He was proud of him. So there was no way Luke was going to stand there and listen to another thing Mrs. Walker had to say on the matter. And he knew for certain that Ethan was gay—the man had come on to him more times than he cared to remember.

Luke was used to men coming on to him. Looking the way he did, most men assumed he was gay when they met him right off the bat. It used to bother him when he was younger but now he couldn’t care less. Luke concentrated on his breathing and slowly he felt his eyes return to normal.

A few minutes later, Kelan came out of the house and walked straight to the truck. He got in and held his hand out to placate Luke before he even had a chance to open his mouth.

“Now, I know what you’re going to say, Luke, but we live in the goddamn Bible Belt. What do you honestly expect? You can’t stop people around here from speaking their minds and you can’t change them either.”

“So you just go along with it? Is that what you think we should do?”

“What else can we do? Just because I don’t go around raising a ruckus whenever someone says something I don’t like, doesn’t mean I agree with them, okay?”

Luke slumped his shoulders in defeat.

“I just feel like such a traitor to Cody, ya know? I feel like we should have defended him in there. Even though he had nothing to do with the discussion, he also had everything to do with it.”

“Cody knows how we feel about him, Luke,” Kelan said, patting Luke on the arm.

“Does he though? Really? Because you know what, Kelan? I don’t think Cody has the first clue what we think of him. How would he? When we were kids and dad was ripping him a new one every chance he got, where were we? What did we do to help him?”

“You were twelve, Luke. What could you have done? Me, on the other hand…” Kelan shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Luke said, dipping his head in shame. “I didn’t mean to insinuate anything. You were only twenty yourself and dad was a pretty scary man to stand up to. It just makes me so angry when I hear shit like that, ya know?”

“Yeah I know, bro, me too. Say, you think Cody’s happy in New York?”

“I don’t rightly know. When I went to see him last year, he said he was happy enough. Got himself a good life there by all accounts.”

“I don’t know,” Kelan said, shaking his head. “He always says he’s happy, but I get the feeling he’s lonely.”

“Yeah, I imagine he is. Can’t be too many wolves living in New York. I hate the damn place myself, never saw the attraction. Too many people and not enough space.”

“True enough. Come on, let’s get rid of these tools and get the hell out of here.”

“What? You’re still gonna give the tools to Joe?”

“Yes, Luke, I am. I’m helping out a pack member. His beliefs don’t come into this, okay? Now, I don’t want you starting anything when we see Joe, you hear?”

“Okay, fine. Let’s get this over with,” Luke huffed.

Luke and Kelan left the truck where it was and walked around to the bunkhouse. Several men were stood outside in the yard, talking with one another. Luke recognised one of the men as Joe. The other three had their backs to him but he didn’t think he knew them. At a guess, he’d say they were all wolves.

Most pack members had wolves working for them, it made life easier when you didn’t have to keep secrets from the people you spent the biggest part of the day with. As they got closer, Luke used his wolf senses to find out.

The scent of the men confirmed Luke’s suspicions but what he could also smell in the air around him was an aroma so rich and enticing it made his cock rock hard within seconds. His face heated from embarrassment when felt his balls draw up close to his body. What the fuck?

The scent was the most incredible thing he had ever encountered. It was rich and tangy, earthy even. Luke had no personal experience with these matters but from what he’d learned from other wolves, the smell could be coming from only one source. He’d never caught the scent before but somehow it felt as familiar to him as breathing. It was like coming home.

Luke thought he had been in no rush to find this but now that the scent was imprinted on him and burned into his memory, he realised he had been waiting his entire life to find it. The smell could only be coming from his mate.

Excited beyond words, Luke looked around him to see where she was. The doorway to the bunkhouse was open but he couldn’t see any women inside. Luke looked across the yard to the stables but he couldn’t see anyone around that area either. His senses, however, were telling him she was close.

Luke looked around some more in confusion. Damn it, where was she? He could hardly wait to see what she looked like. As they got closer to the men, Luke grabbed hold of his brother’s arm.

“Kelan, wait.”

Kelan looked over at Luke’s anxious expression and frowned.

“Luke, we’ve already had this discussion. I’m giving the tools to Joe—now I’m ordering you as your alpha to not give me any shit over this.”

“No it’s not that, it’s… oh God.”

The scent grew stronger, invading Luke’s senses like nothing ever had. His cock was so hard now, it was becoming painful. He shuffled from side to side trying to relieve some of the pressure.

“Luke, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“My mate.”

“Your what now?”

“My mate. My mate is here.” Luke said, pleading with his eyes for his brother to understand.

Kelan looked around the yard and across to the bunkhouse. He turned back to Luke his eyebrows raised in question. “Where?”

“I don’t know where, but I can smell her. She’s here.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. Her scent, it’s like nothing I’ve ever smelt before. It’s incredible.”

“Well hell, congratulations, bro! I’m real happy for you.”

Chapter Two

Mark Malone stifled a yawn as he listened to his new boss drone on about the ethics of working hard for a living. The man was a dick. Mark was sure Joe had never put in a hard day’s work in his life. He was the type of person to let others do his dirty work for him.

At least Mark had finally managed to get himself a job. Foreman work was scarce in these parts, but it was the only thing he knew how to do. All that remained was to petition to the local pack alpha for rights to stay in the community, although he didn’t figure he’d be staying long. When Joe had told him the reason he’d let the previous foreman go, Mark had almost walked out on him right then and there.

Firing someone because of their sexual preference didn’t sit well with him. Hell, Mark wasn’t gay himself, but he thought what men got up to in the privacy of their own bedrooms was nobody’s business but their own. He knew he couldn’t work for a man like that for long. He’d just have to sit tight and keep his mouth shut until something better came along.

“And if you’re looking to find yourself a fine piece of ass of a Saturday night, there’s always Jessie’s Dance Hall. Isn’t that right, boys?”

Dan and Lyle, two of Joe’s farm hands, enthusiastically nodded their agreement. Mark shuddered. Any place Joe recommended he’d be sure and stay clear of. Besides the man was nearing seventy if he was a day. What in the hell was he doing going to honky tonks to look for a piece of ass?

Mark tuned out of the conversation once again. He couldn’t listen to anymore of the old man’s ramblings. Unexpectedly he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and a shiver ran over his body. He furrowed his brow in confusion. It was damn near a hundred degrees in the shade.

Mark’s senses seemed to be on hyper alert. He felt a tingling sensation in his stomach and a feeling of euphoria rushed over him. In fact, he felt happier than he had in his life. What the hell? And where was that damn smell coming from? It was the sweetest, most fragrant ambrosia he had ever had the pleasure of smelling. It made his cock stiffen inside his jeans until he was so hard he thought his cock might burst open his zipper.

Mark tried to pay attention to what the old man was saying, he really did, but that damn smell was intoxicating. Mark was sure he hadn’t had the pleasure of scenting it before, but it seemed familiar to him somehow. The smell grew stronger, and Mark swallowed hard as the realisation of what the scent was hit him like a ton of bricks. Holy shit, his mate was here somewhere. There was no other explanation for the things he was feeling.

Joe stopped what he was saying and his face lit up into a broad grin.

“Kelan, Luke, how nice of you both to drop by. Come on over here, there’s someone I want to introduce to you.”

Luke and Kelan walked over to Joe and shook the old man’s hand. When Luke looked over at the men, one of them was staring at him open-mouthed. Luke felt a shock like a thunderbolt hit his body when he looked into the man’s eyes. They were the deepest blue he’d ever seen, he wanted to go swimming in them. What the…

Holy crap! His mate was a man!

Luke couldn’t even manage a hello. Words caught in his throat as he stared back in astonishment. It was little consolation, but the man seemed to be as flabbergasted as he was.

“Mark, I’d like you to meet Kelan Morgan. He’s our pack alpha, so it’s him you’ll need to be speaking to about staying in these here parts. Kelan, this is Mark Malone, my new foreman.”

Luke looked on in utter bewilderment as Mark reached out and gave Kelan’s hand a firm shake. Throughout the action Mark didn’t take his eyes off Luke. Luke blushed under the scrutiny.

“Then this here is Luke, Kelan’s youngest brother.”

Luke reached out his hand tentatively and the minute his fingers touched Mark’s palm, he felt tingles over his entire body and his hard-as-steel cock twitched inside his pants. The smell of arousal coming from Mark filled his nose and set him on fire—he sure as hell hoped none of the other men could smell it. He was dimly aware of his brother talking to Joe but he had no idea what they were talking about and quite frankly, he couldn’t care less.

“Pleased to meet you, Mark,” Luke managed to choke out.

“Uh, likewise,” Mark said, swallowing hard.

Luke looked over at his brother, who was now regarding him curiously. He tried to subtly nod in Mark’s direction but Kelan just pulled his eyes together in a frown.

“Well thanks for the tools Kelan, I surely appreciate it. Why don’t I get Dan and Lyle here to come give you a hand with them? I need to be getting back to the house myself. Alice will have dinner ready about now, I reckon. Boys?”

Dan and Lyle started to follow Kelan to the truck while Luke looked after them hopelessly. He really should go help his brother, but all he could think about was the fact his mate stood in front of him. His male mate.

“Mark, why don’t you stay here and get acquainted with Luke until Dan and Lyle get back? Then I’ll get the boys to show you around the place.”

“Thank you sir.” Mark said.

Joe nodded and followed Kelan and the hands to the truck. Luke watched him walk away then turned to Mark and stared at the man, not really knowing what to say. He felt his cheeks heat up when Mark’s eyes travelled down to the bulge in his crotch and widened. His cock jerked at the scrutiny of the larger man.

“Shit. I think you and I need to have a little chat.” Mark finally broke the silence. “But we can’t do it here. Come, let’s go to the bunkhouse.”

Luke nodded and followed in Mark’s wake. Mark’s commanding tone had him practically panting. He trailed behind the man as they walked to the house, eyes never leaving Mark’s firm ass which swayed seductively with each step he took. He shook his head incredulously. He couldn’t believe he was staring at a man’s ass.

When they were inside, Mark closed the door behind them and began to pace. Luke crossed the room and stood in front of him. Someone had to say what was clearly on both their minds.

“You’re my mate.” Luke said simply.

“It would seem so, yes,” Mark said, avoiding Luke’s eyes. “Look, before you say anything else you should know I’m not real happy about this situation, Luke. Hell, I ain’t even gay.”

“Neither am I.”

Mark’s head jerked up and he stared at Luke open-mouthed. “You aren’t?”

“No, I’m not. You thought I was?”

“Well yeah, it’s just that you’re so…pretty.”

Luke felt his face heat up from Mark’s compliment, but at the same time, he wasn’t happy with what Mark was insinuating.

“I’m pretty so I must be gay—is that what you’re saying?”

“No, I just…”

“Are you homophobic?”

“Hell no, no way. That wasn’t what I meant. It’s just that destiny put us together, so I assumed at least one of us had to be gay.”

“Well I’m not, okay? Not that I have any problem with it. My older brother is gay.”

“Okay. Look, it’s not only that, there are a whole heap of reasons why this can’t work. I mean, for starters I’m thirty four and you’re, well, you’re just a kid. You can’t be any more than, what, nineteen?”

“For your information, I’ve finished university. I’m twenty-two, hardly a kid, and what the hell has that got to do with this anyway?”

Mark sighed. Arguing was getting them nowhere. He couldn’t deny he was attracted to the young man, but that was their damn pheromones. There was nothing he could do about that. There had been no doubt in his mind when he’d looked at the young man that he was his mate. Luke was the prettiest man he’d ever laid eyes on, and he had never thought of men as pretty before, but Luke sure was. His sky blue eyes were utterly beguiling and his pale blonde hair looked so soft, Mark had to shove his hands in his pockets to stop himself running his fingers through it, just to check. Shit. What was he thinking? He couldn’t do this.

“Look, Luke, under the circumstances I think the best thing would be for us to forget this whole thing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we are the only two that know we’re mates, right? Neither of us is gay, so we don’t have to go along with it.”

“You mean you want to pretend we’re not mated?”

“Well yeah, no one else has to know. This way we could both meet women if we wanted to and settle down with them, raise a family. No one but us would know they weren’t our mates.”

“Is that what you want?” Luke asked quietly.

“Yes. Shit, I don’t know. Maybe. Yes.”

Luke nodded. There was really nothing left to say. He had been in no rush to find his mate and he certainly hadn’t wanted a male mate. But a man had been what he’d got. Even though Mark was not what he’d expected or hoped for, his mate’s rejection hurt.

Luke could feel a lump form in the back of his throat and tears begin to well behind his eyes. He had to get away before the floodgates opened and he embarrassed himself in front of this man. His pride was all he had left.

“Right. Well, if that’s what you want then I guess there’s nothing left to say. I’ll go. Goodbye, Mark.”

Luke turned and walked towards the door. He could feel his heart breaking with each step he took away from Mark. The pull to be with his mate was so strong, he wanted to turn around and throw himself into Mark’s arms, but he knew there was no point. He had to face facts. Mark didn’t want him. Luke forced himself to keep walking until he had made it through the door. He closed it behind him without looking back.

Outside, he stood on the porch for a moment to take stock of the situation. He felt numb. Tears began to trickle down his face. A wolf only ever got one mate and some were not lucky enough to ever find the person they were destined to be with. The pull to be with your mate once you’d found them was intense. Walking away from his mate was the hardest thing Luke had ever done in his life. The pain in his chest could have been a knife wound. It stung just as badly and cut just as deep.

Mark stood and watched Luke walk out of the house. He should be happy—after all this was what he said he wanted, wasn’t it? But watching Luke walk through the door and out of his life was the most agonising thing he’d ever experienced. He could hardly breathe through the pain in his chest.

Mark knew the pain he was feeling was only a result of the mating bond. He didn’t even know Luke, but he’d heard stories about severed bonds before and they hadn’t been pretty. If the anguish he was feeling now was anything to go by, he couldn’t imagine the sorrow of losing someone he had been mated to for a long time. He didn’t think he would be strong enough to live through it.

As the minutes passed, Mark began to wonder if he’d made the right decision after all. He was definitely attracted to Luke—hell, no woman he had dated had ever made his cock that hard. And Luke sure was pretty. His pale blue eyes were captivating and those soft, full lips… Shit. What the hell had he done? Without sparing a thought for the consequences, Mark raced out the door in search of his mate.

He spotted Luke walking just a little way from the house. He ran down the steps of the porch and across the yard.

“Luke!”

Luke stopped walking when Mark called his name but he didn’t turn around. Mark wasn’t sure but he thought he could smell tears.

Crap.

“Is this what you want?” he called out.

He walked forward and put his hand on Luke’s shoulder.

“Please, Luke, I need to know.”

Luke shook his head but he didn’t answer. The sorrow radiating from Luke hit Mark hard. His mate was in turmoil. Luke didn’t need to say anything for Mark to know how he felt. He could sense his mate’s emotions with the utmost clarity, they mirrored his own.

Mark walked around to stand in front of his mate. The pain and sadness he found on Luke’s face nearly brought him to his knees. The fact that he was responsible for hurting Luke made him feel sick to his stomach. He reached up and brushed away a tear from Luke’s cheek. Even with bloodshot eyes and a snotty nose Luke was still the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

“I’m sorry, Luke. Please forgive me. I know this is not what either of us wanted or expected but I can’t let you go, not now that I’ve found you. I’m sure, somehow that we can make this work, if you want to try.”

Mark could see Luke was still wary but some of the tension left him with Mark’s speech.

“Do you really mean that?”

“Every word. We’re mates. It’s fate, Luke. I can’t ignore that and I don’t want to.”

Mark reached out and held Luke’s face in his hands. He leant forward and tentatively pressed his lips to Luke’s.

Luke gasped when Mark’s lips met his. He wrapped his arms around Mark’s neck and pulled him closer until their bodies were touching from head to toe. When he opened his mouth in invitation, Mark moaned, his tongue finally slipping inside Luke’s mouth.

The kiss was gentle at first but soon built in intensity until both men were groaning, their tongues duelling with one another’s for supremacy. Mark couldn’t believe how incredible Luke tasted—no kiss with a woman had ever felt this good.

“Oh god.” Luke whimpered when Mark pulled away to catch a breath.

“Wow. That was…”

“Kiss me again?”

“Fuck yeah.”

There was nothing gentle about the second kiss. Their mouths crashed together in a frenzy. Mark ran his hands down Luke’s sides and he slid them around to his ass to hold him in place while he ground their hard cocks together. They both groaned at the contact. Mark realised that Luke’s cock rubbing against his own didn’t feel awkward in any way, just the opposite in fact. It felt perfect. Like it was meant to be, which Mark supposed, it was. He wanted, no, he needed more.

“Oh, ‘m gonna come if you don’t stop that.” Luke groaned into Mark’s mouth.

Mark wasn’t turned off by the declaration. Luke’s words only excited him further. Shit, he was close to blowing himself and Luke’s whimpers and moans were pulling him closer to the edge with every passing second.

“What the fuck is going on here?” Mark and Luke froze when Joe Walker’s enraged voice boomed out behind them.

Chapter Three

Luke quickly broke away from Mark, his face colouring to a pretty shade of red. Mark turned to see Joe standing behind him, his expression a mixture of loathing and disgust. Kelan was walking towards them with Dan and Lyle at his heels.

Mark groaned. It looked as if he wouldn’t be working for the bad tempered, crusty ole fool after all. Even though he wasn’t that bothered about the job, he couldn’t believe his actions. He’d been practically humping Luke right here in the yard. Joe turned to him, and Mark was sure if the old man had a shotgun in his hand right about now, he wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

“I want you off my land, now,” Joe spat. “And you! You were raised better than this, Luke. Your daddy would be turning in his grave if he could see you now.”

Mark felt a threatening snarl rip from his chest and could do nothing to prevent it. He pushed Luke behind him and crouched into a defensive stance in front of him.

“Don’t speak to him like that!” he growled.

“I told you to get off my land before I have you thrown off.”

Kelan stepped in between the two men and looked at them each in turn. His brother stepped out from behind Mark, and for the first time Kelan noticed his blood-shot eyes and tear-stained face. No one messed with his baby brother. It was all he could do to stop from shifting on the spot and rip out Mark’s throat. He growled menacingly at Mark.

“What the hell is going on here? What have you done to Luke?” Kelan was barely able to control his anger.

Being alpha of their pack, Kelan exuded power. He rarely lost his temper but when he did, look out. Lesser men would be cowering at his feet by now but Mark stood tall.

“I didn’t do anything to him,” Mark said defensively. “Well, other than kiss him.”

Kelan’s head whipped around to his younger brother, whose face had coloured to a deep shade of pink. Luke looked embarrassed as all hell, but he still stepped forward and took hold of Mark’s hand.

“It’s true,” Luke said quietly. “I tried to tell you before. Mark is my mate.”

Joe snorted and when they all turned to look at him, he was staring at Luke and Mark with contempt. Dan and Lyle shuffled their feet nervously beside him but they looked just as disgusted by Luke’s announcement as Joe did.

“Don’t be ridiculous. He’s a man. You can’t mate with a man. Kelan, you’ve got to do something about this. What would your daddy think? When he was alpha of this pack, he would never have condoned this kind of behaviour. They…” he said, pointing to Luke and Mark, “are an abomination. Your daddy was a good man, and this is how he gets repaid. Not one, but two faggots for sons.”

Kelan rounded on Joe—he had heard enough. It was always difficult to keep from throttling the old man when he spouted his repellent and sickening comments, but when they were directed at Kelan’s family…

“Remember your place, old man. I am alpha of this pack now, and if you want to remain in it, you’ll keep your distasteful comments to yourself. I never want to hear you say another word about anyone in my family again, you hear me? My daddy was a bully. I’m glad he is not around to witness this because if he was, I would not be able to keep my mouth shut like I did the last time. And by the way, he has three faggots for sons, not two. Luke, Mark, we’re leaving.”

Luke trailed after his brother, tugging Mark along with him. Kelan’s parting comment had left him speechless. Kelan was gay? Since when? Luke had only ever seen his brother with women. He had to admit, he was pleased to see the effect it had on Joe and the hands, though. Joe’s face was puce—he looked about ready to blow a gasket—and Dan and Lyle didn’t look any better. Dan’s face was scrunched up in distaste and Lyle looked like he might fall over from the shock.

Luke didn’t know what to think. Was this a recent development, or had Kelan always been gay and only keeping up the pretence of being straight for their father’s benefit? Now that he thought about it, Luke hadn’t seen Kelan with a woman since their father had passed away eighteen months ago.

Luke stayed silent as he followed Kelan to the truck. Mark hadn’t released his hand, and the contact sent a thrill of excitement through his body. Every time he glanced at Mark the man smiled at him, almost shyly. It calmed Luke’s own nerves, making him realise he wasn’t in this alone. He couldn’t help but smile back. He felt happier than he could remember being just by looking at the man.

The ride back to the ranch was mostly quiet. The car was thick with the fury pouring off of Kelan. Luke knew his brother well enough to know he should leave him alone when he was all worked up like this. He noticed Mark glancing at him surreptitiously throughout the ride and he couldn’t help but flush at all the attention.

Mark was really something else. Dark blond hair hung loosely around his shoulders and he had a firm, chiselled jaw. Luke had never thought much about the attractiveness of men before, but Mark was the most perfect specimen of a man he had ever laid eyes on. And boy, could he kiss. Luke felt his cheeks grow hotter just thinking about that kiss. It had literally made him weak at the knees. He couldn’t believe he’d nearly come in his pants just from Mark rubbing up against him. Shit, he was hard now just being in the same car as the man.

When Kelan pulled up outside the ranch, Luke opened his door and made to get out of the truck.

“Luke, could you wait in the house please? I’d like a word with Mark,” Kelan asked.

“What for?”

“Could you just listen to me for once? Wait in the house. This won’t take long—I only want to talk to him.”

Luke glanced at his mate for confirmation. When Mark nodded at him, he turned back to Kelan, his mind made up.

“Fine. But be nice, okay?”

Kelan waited until Luke was inside the house and had closed the door behind him before he started to speak, apparently not trusting his brother not to eavesdrop. He sighed and began, “I know how the bond works between mated pairs, Mark, and I’m certain that you and Luke will become closer in time. But that’s my baby brother in there. If I ever see him crying like that again over something you’ve done to him, well, let’s just say he won’t be the only one crying. Do I make myself clear?”

Mark hung his head. He was ashamed at how he’d reacted to Luke when they’d first met and the pain he’d witnessed in Luke’s face felt like a slap to his own.

“You don’t have to worry about me hurting Luke again, Kelan,” Mark said quietly. “I was just shocked and surprised at first is all. I reacted badly. When I found Luke crying, it damn near broke my heart and I’d only known him five minutes. I never want to see that look in his eyes again.”

“Good enough.” Kelan opened the door of the truck. “I’ve said my piece, you won’t hear of it again. Welcome to the family.”

Kelan reached out his hand and Mark shook it tentatively.

“Thank you, Kelan, that means a lot.”

Kelan entered the house with Mark on his heels. Luke looked up from his position on the sofa with an anxious expression on his face. He eyed Mark from head to toe as though checking him over for injuries.

“Don’t panic, I didn’t touch him. I told you I only wanted to talk to him.”

Luke let out the breath he’d been holding at his brother’s words and rose to greet Mark. He stood in front of him, eyes to the ground, blushing furiously.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey yourself. You okay?”

Luke nodded and smiled at Mark, his blush deepening when Mark’s eyes fell to his lips and the smell of arousal filled his nose.

“I’m good. How are you?”

Kelan rolled his eyes and headed for the kitchen groaning under his breath. “Christ, shoot me now,” he mumbled.

When Kelan had left the room, Mark brushed his fingers down Luke’s cheek.

“I’m perfect actually. You know, you really are a pretty man, Luke.”

“Thanks,” Luke whispered.

Mark’s words did nothing to relieve the burning in Luke’s cheeks. They mirrored the fire he felt in his gut every time he looked at his mate. He’d never been so attracted to anyone before. He felt almost dizzy with it.

“I’m sorry you lost your job.”

“Don’t be, I’m not. I didn’t want to work for that idiot anyhow. I’ll find something else, always do. Besides, it was worth it just to see the look on his face.”

Luke giggled. “Yeah it was. He looked about ready to explode.”

“I don’t know about him but I was definitely ready to explode.”

Luke sucked in a breath. Mark’s innuendo wasn’t lost on him. He averted his eyes, unable to believe how shy he was feeling all of a sudden. Mark’s hand had moved down to his neck, his fingers stroking lightly where they touched. The sensation caused him to shiver. Gooseflesh rose on his arms and his cock became hard enough to pound nails within seconds. He closed his eyes and leaned into Mark’s hand.

“Mmm, that feels good,” he moaned.

“You feel good, Luke. Better than I ever imagined. Can I kiss you again?”

Luke opened his eyes and looked up at his mate’s face. The lust he found there caused his heart to accelerate to such a pace he was afraid it would break right out of his chest.

“Please.”

Mark groaned. The eagerness on Luke’s face was nearly his undoing. He leant down and touched his lips to Luke’s. He never thought that a man’s lips would feel so soft but Luke’s were just right. He slid his tongue out teasingly, seeking entrance. Luke opened up to him at once, moaning himself when Mark’s tongue touched his own.

Mark delighted in the noises Luke was making for him. He’d never had such a responsive lover. The kiss was perfect and pretty soon both men were panting into it. Mark slid his hands down Luke’s back and grabbed hold of Luke’s ass, pulling him closer against his hard prick. They both gasped at the sensation of their cocks rubbing together.

Luke’s hand reached between them and palmed Mark’s erection through his jeans. Mark groaned and thrust his hips forward, needing more of the contact. Neither man heard Kelan walk back into the room.

“Oh man,” Kelan groaned, causing Luke and Mark to break apart. “Do I need to knock now every time I enter a room in my own damn house? You do have a bedroom here, Luke.”

“Sorry,” Luke mumbled, feeling his face fill with heat once again. Only Mark saw the grin on Kelan’s face. Luke’s eyes were burning a hole in the rug.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m going out for a run anyway.” Kelan pulled his shirt off over his head. “I’ll see you both later.”

“Okay.”

“See ya.”

When Kelan left the room, Luke slapped his hand to his head and groaned.

“Oh crap, that was embarrassing. You know Kelan will never let me hear the end of that.”

Mark chuckled. “Seems like we keep getting carried away. Don’t be too embarrassed about it. I’m glad I can make you forget yourself. Though I must admit, it would be nice to kiss you without an interruption for once.”

“Do you, uh, do you want to go to my room?” Luke suggested. Mark hesitated and Luke back-pedalled. “Or we could just stay down here if you want,” he said in a rush. “Kelan will be gone for hours. We could get something to eat, or I think there’s a game showing…”

Mark reached down and grabbed Luke’s hand, holding it firmly in his own. He could sense Luke pulling away from him and withdrawing into himself a little. He couldn’t have that. As nervous as he was, he didn’t want to upset Luke again.

“I’ll tell you what.” Mark put a finger under Luke’s chin and lifted his head until Luke met his eyes. “Why don’t we go to your room and relax a little? We’re both new to this, though, so there’s no rush, right? Let’s just take things slowly for now, see how we go.”

Luke nodded. “Okay. Just so you know, Mark, I don’t want to rush this either.”

“Good, then we’re on the same page.”

Mark was relieved Luke felt the same. Even though he’d agreed to make things work with Luke he wasn’t sure he was ready for everything that being with a man entailed. A slow smile stretched Luke’s lips, lighting up his whole face. Luke looked sexy as sin. Maybe he was ready for this.

Mark followed Luke to his room. When Luke pushed open the door, he suddenly felt very nervous again. Jesus, his emotions were all over the place. Luke’s large bed sat ominously in the centre of the room like a flashing beacon reminding him of what he was about to do. He hesitated at first but when Luke turned to face him looking even more apprehensive than he felt, Mark relaxed a little.

Luke smiled at him. His pale eyes twinkled like gemstones and little dimples formed in his cheeks. Mark was mesmerised, Luke really was incredibly beautiful. All of his reservations disappeared and for a few moments, while they stared at each other, it was as if they were the only two people in the world. Mark closed the distance between them and slanted his mouth over Luke’s.

This time they both knew there would be no interruptions. When he ran his fingers through Luke’s hair and held the back of his head, Mark could feel Luke shiver in his arms. He couldn’t believe the extent to which he excited Luke. It was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. It made him feel like the most powerful man in the world.

As the kiss deepened, Luke could feel his already hard cock throb inside his pants. He was desperate for release and wanted nothing more than to reach a hand down to ease his ache. Luke was so lost in the kiss, he didn’t realise they were moving backwards until he felt the bed hit the back of his legs.

Although part of him wanted to take this slowly, there was another part that wanted Mark to ravish him—that craved it. He was so turned on, every minute touch of Mark’s hands on his body felt multiplied. The sensation was too much and yet not nearly enough.

Luke fell back onto the bed with Mark atop him. He couldn’t contain the whimper that escaped him when Mark released his lips and raised his head to stare down at him. The look was tender but at the same time filled with heat.

Mark pulled Luke’s shirt free of his jeans and lifted it up his body, his fingers leaving a trail of heat wherever they touched. Luke held up his arms and let Mark pull the shirt over his head. Mark’s eyes grew darker as they took their fill of Luke’s smooth, almost hair-free chest and lightly defined abs. He ghosted his fingers down Luke’s stomach, seeming to delight in the feel of Luke’s silky, smooth skin.

Mark leant down and touched his lips to Luke’s, teasing them with his tongue before trailing it down Luke’s throat. He scraped his teeth over the vein there, and Luke couldn’t suppress a shudder. Mark continued his path down Luke’s neck and chest until he reached his nipple and took it into his mouth, sucking gently. Luke groaned, his back arching involuntarily as he tried to push himself closer to Mark’s hot mouth.

Before he could stop it from happening, Luke’s eyes shifted to their wolf form for the second time that day and he felt his canine teeth elongate until they were poking out the bottom of his lips. He groaned loudly. As desperate as he was to come, what he wanted more than anything else was for Mark to claim him. His wolf was crying out for it. It made him feel vulnerable in a way he had never experienced. As soon as Mark claimed him, there could be no backing out for either of them. They would be bonded together for life.

Mark’s head jolted up and his eyes widened.

“Oh shit, are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

“No, it was perfect,” Luke said, looking down at his mate. “But my damn eyes and teeth shifted. I couldn’t control it.”

Luke watched as Mark’s own eyes and teeth shifted to mirror his own. Mark chuckled.

“Guess that makes two of us,” he replied, his eyes narrowing in on Luke’s kiss-swollen lips.

The scent of Mark’s increased arousal filled the air around him and Luke sucked in a breath when he saw Mark’s eyes and teeth shift to mirror his own. He was happy and relieved to know Mark was as turned on as he was. He tugged Mark up and moulded their lips together, pushing his tongue inside almost forcefully. Mark growled and grabbed hold of his ass, pressing their erections together.

“Fuck, I need…”

“Get naked, Luke,” Mark ground out. “I need to feel your skin on mine.”

Luke didn’t have to be asked twice. He quickly divested himself of the rest of his clothing, watching in awe as Mark did the same. In moments, they were both as naked as the day they were born.

Luke’s gaze travelled the length of Mark’s body. It was magnificent. Firm, tanned and muscular. Luke guessed Mark achieved his perfect body from working hard for a living, not from working out in the gym. He’d have to ask him later when his brain was functioning normally again.

Instead of being turned off by the sight of Luke’s erect cock in front of him, Mark found himself extremely aroused. His own cock twitched in agreement. Although Luke was much smaller than him, there was nothing small about his cock. It was about the size of his own, only lighter in colour with a small dusting of fair hair above it.

Mark licked his lips when he noticed Luke’s cock leaking pre cum. He had a sudden urge to dip his head forward and lick the drop away with his tongue. He wanted to find out if Luke tasted as good as he smelt. And he smelt incredible. Fragrant and fresh—it reminded him of home. Like cut grass on a warm spring morning or a forest full of pine. It was a heady mix. Luke’s woodsy smell was all man and he was surprised to realise he liked it…a lot.

If he wanted to know how Luke tasted, there was only one way to find out.

He wrapped his fingers around Luke’s cock and stroked it up and down, enjoying the moans and gasps he was soliciting from Luke. With each passing moment, he was growing more accustomed to being with Luke, and although he thought he should be weirded out by being intimate with a man in this way, he wasn’t. Luke’s erection felt perfect in his hands.

Luke was watching him wide-eyed, his fingers gripping the sheets beneath him. Mark caught his mate’s gaze and winked. He leant down and licked a path up Luke’s cock, swirling his tongue around the head until he had captured the drops of pre cum that had escaped out of his slit. Damn. Luke tasted better than he smelt—he was mouth-watering. He dove back down for more. He could quite easily see himself become addicted to his mate’s taste.

“Oh God,” Luke groaned. “Mark please, if you don’t stop that, I swear I’m gonna come.”

Mark was emboldened by his mate’s plea. He suddenly realised how much he wanted Luke to come. He wanted to be the person responsible for driving Luke out of his mind. Him and only him. A sudden burst of possessiveness rushed over him. Mine! He sucked harder, swirling his tongue around each time he pulled up. Having no experience, he tried to do the things he liked being done to him. It appeared to be working. Luke was frantic beneath him. His head tossed from side to side on the pillow and his legs began to tremble. That’s it, Luke, come for me.

“Aarrgghh!” Luke shouted out his release and Mark felt the first burst of his seed shoot into his mouth. He swallowed as much as he could, but a little escaped and trickled down the side of his mouth. He sat up and licked it away, grinning proudly at his mate. Wow. He’d done it, and he’d actually loved every second of it.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” Luke was mumbling, still trembling from the aftershocks.

Mark’s cock was so hard it was painful. Luke stared up at him with a dazed expression and Mark was satisfied at having been the one to put it there. He dipped down and took his mouth in a searing kiss, grinding his cock into Luke’s hip almost frantically.

“You’re mine, Luke”

“Yes,” Luke panted. “Yours.”

Luke tilted his head to the side offering his neck to Mark in a subservient gesture. All Mark needed to make the experience perfect was to claim Luke. He suddenly needed it like he needed air.

“Please,” Luke begged.

The wolf in Mark wanted to howl his delight to the moon. He knew what Luke was offering and what it would signify, and he was itching to break free and take what was his. Mark could only agree. Without hesitation, he sank his teeth into his mate’s neck, claiming him, solidifying their bond. Luke’s blood poured over his tongue and he drank it down greedily. It was all he needed to take him over the edge. He ground his cock into Luke’s hip twice more and choked out Luke’s name as his cock spurted its warm, sticky seed over Luke’s stomach in long, even pulses.

The second Mark sank his teeth into Luke’s neck, Luke thought he might pass out from the pleasure. A second, stronger orgasm rushed through his body, taking him completely by surprise. He fisted his hands in Mark’s hair, holding him to his neck while he shuddered and jerked through his release. His wolf was euphoric at being claimed by his mate. He could feel the bond between them deepen with each drop of blood Mark pulled from him. Mark finally pulled his teeth free of Luke’s neck and collapsed on his mate’s body. Both men were panting hard, clinging to one another. When Mark’s breathing came under control, he lifted himself off Luke’s chest and moved to lie down next to him.

Luke didn’t like that one bit. He didn’t want Mark pulling away from him. He grabbed Mark’s shoulders and tugged the larger man back to where he’d been. Mark laughed and settled himself on top of Luke again.

“I’m squashing you,” he chuckled.

“I like it.”

Mark leaned up and kissed Luke gently on the lips. “There’s no going back now that I’ve claimed you, Luke. You’re mine. Forever.”

“I like that too.” Luke said, blushing furiously.

“Me too, baby, me too.”

Luke sighed happily. He felt warm and safe and unbelievably happy to be surrounded by his mate. Sated and filled with contentment, he fell soundly asleep in Mark’s arms.

Chapter Four

A loud bang woke Luke with a start. He sat bolt upright in bed, clutching the sheets to him as he dazedly looked around his room in confusion.

“What was that?” Mark asked, himself still groggy from sleep.

“I don’t know, I think it came from the yard. I’d better go check it out.”

Luke got out of bed and began pulling on his jeans.

“Not without me you don’t,” Mark said, leaping from bed and reaching for his own jeans.

When they finished dressing, Mark followed Luke out of the bedroom. They ran into Kelan in the hall.

“Did you hear that too?” Luke asked, noting his brother’s fixed shoulders and tightly set lips.

“It sounded like a gunshot,” Kelan replied, his eyebrows pulling together in a frown. “I’m gonna go check it out.”

“I’ll come with you,” Luke said, following his brother down the stairs.

“No way,” Mark said quickly. “I’ll go with Kelan. You can stay inside the house.”

“What? I’m not staying anywhere. I’m going to go help my brother.”

“Oh, no you’re not,” Mark insisted. “There’s no way I’m letting you go outside. It could be dangerous.”

Luke gaped at Mark open-mouthed. He couldn’t believe his mate’s nerve.

“You’re not letting me? Who in the hell are you to tell me what to do?” Luke glared at Mark.

“I am your mate!” Mark fumed.

“Are you two sure you only just met?” Kelan asked, his mouth curled up in a smirk. “You sound like an old married couple.”

“He started it,” Luke said, petulantly. “Tell him.”

Kelan rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What are we, in second grade? I’m telling both of you. Cut it out. And for what it’s worth, Luke, I happen to agree with Mark. We don’t all need to go out there. You stay here and wait for us. We won’t be long. If we need anything we’ll call, okay?”

Luke stared back and forth between his brother and his mate. He couldn’t believe this. Kelan raised an eyebrow, daring him to argue, and Mark just looked smug.

“Fine, whatever. I’ll just stay here like the good little wife, shall I?” he said, stomping off into the kitchen.

Mark tried to hide his smile as he watched Luke walk off in a huff. Seemed as though Luke had quite the temper on him at times. He looked over at Kelan, who looked just as amused by Luke’s tantrum as he was.

“Is he always like this?”

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Kelan chuckled. “Come on, let’s get this over and done with so I can get back to bed.”

That sounded like a plan Mark would be only too happy to put into action, but he wasn’t sure how easily Luke would accept him back in his bed after their argument. He was almost out the front door when Luke came rushing in from the kitchen. He crossed the room and stood in front of Mark, eyes to the ground.

“I’m sorry,” he said, bashfully. “I don’t want to argue with you. Be careful, okay?”

Mark wrapped his arms around Luke’s waist and pulled the smaller man close for a kiss. “I promise.”

Mark felt all of his tension leave his body. It felt good to have his mate in his arms. He didn’t like Luke being angry with him. Even though he barely knew Luke, his opinion mattered. Mark could easily see it becoming everything to him. He wanted to please his mate any way he could. He wanted to take away Luke’s frown and replace it with his beautiful and radiant smile.

“I’m sorry too,” Mark said. “It just made me nervous to think of you out there where you could be in danger. I’ve only just found you and I couldn’t stand it if something were to happen to you.”

“I know,” Luke whispered. “I feel the same.”

Outside, the yard was quiet and sat in darkness, illuminated only by the light shining out of the kitchen window. Of course, Mark’s and Kelan’s wolf eyesight meant they could see perfectly well in the low light conditions.

Mark’s senses told him that he and Kelan were currently alone in the yard, but he could smell the lingering scents of wolves.

“Do you smell that?” he asked, following Kelan to the barn.

“Yeah, wolves. I’m picking up two scents but I don’t recognise either of them. How about you?”

Mark shook his head and frowned. “What do you think they were doing here? Nothing seems to be out of place.”

“I don’t know, but it’s a shame they left in such a hurry. I have a few questions I’d like to ask them.”

“Do you think it was cubs playing around?”

“No, the scents are from older wolves, I’m sure of it.”

Mark raised an eyebrow at Kelan’s response. He had no idea how old the wolves were or how many there were, but maybe alphas had a better sense of smell than ordinary wolves like himself.

The barn was empty when they reached it and nothing looked as though it had been disturbed. It took them ten minutes to check the horses and the other outbuildings. When Kelan was satisfied nothing had been taken, they made their way back to the house.

The scent of wolves grew stronger as they neared the front of the property once again. Mark didn’t like it. Not this close to his mate. Kelan walked around the side of his truck and stopped short, cursing loudly.

“Son of a bitch!”

“What’s wrong?” Mark asked, joining Kelan by the truck.

“Guess that explains what the noise was. They shot out a tyre on my truck.” Kelan crouched down to inspect the damage.

“Why would anyone do that?”

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”

“You don’t think this has anything to do with Joe, do you? He was pretty angry when we left today.”

“The man’s an ass, all right, but he’s too much of a coward to do something like this. His new hands I can’t vouch for, though. They’ve only just joined the pack.”

“Do you mean Dan and Lyle?”

“Yeah, they moved here a couple of weeks ago from a pack in Ohio. Haven’t really had the chance to get to know them.”

“I didn’t really talk to them much, but one thing’s for sure—they are definitely homophobic. You should have seen the look on their faces when you told Joe you were gay… Disgusted doesn’t even cover it.”

“Hmm. Maybe I’ll have a little chat with them.”

“Do you think someone is deliberately challenging your authority?”

Even though it was the dead of night, Mark could tell that Kelan’s eyes had darkened. He could smell the anger pouring off Kelan in waves. In Mark’s own pack, an act like this against the alpha wolf would have been seen as a direct challenge to his position. Maybe someone wanted Kelan’s pack for themselves.

“I don’t know, doesn’t seem all that likely. If they wanted to challenge me they’d have stuck around, not skulked off like cowards.”

Mark wasn’t so sure but he didn’t argue. His only thought was for his mate. He didn’t like the fact that wolves with guns had been anywhere near Luke. He shuffled his feet, looking back nervously at the kitchen window. Kelan looked up at him and grinned.

“Man, you’ve got it bad, haven’t you?” Kelan chuckled. “Come on, let’s get you back to your mate. We can deal with this in the morning.”

“Thanks.”

Mark called out for Luke as soon as he entered the house. Luke appeared in the doorway, his face breaking into a wide smile as soon as his eyes met Mark’s. He crossed the room quickly and practically fell into Mark’s arms.

“Thank god you’re alright. I was worried.”

Mark wrapped his arms around Luke and kissed the top of his head. He could relax now that he knew his mate was safe.

“I’m all right too,” Kelan muttered, as he passed. “In case you were wondering.”

Luke grinned, the heat rising in his cheeks.

“Uh yeah, sorry, I’m glad you’re okay too, bro.”

“Right,” Kelan said dryly.

“What happened out there? Did you find anything?”

“Yeah, the tire of my damn truck has been shot out. It was wolves, two of them, but I didn’t recognise the scents. They were long gone by the time Mark and I got there.”

“Who do you think it could have been?”

“I don’t know, Luke. But the mood I’m in tonight, they’re lucky I didn’t catch them. Anyway, I’m going back to bed. Could you please try to keep the noise down?” Kelan raised an amused eyebrow at his brother.

Luke groaned and hid his face against Mark’s chest. Mark could only laugh at the embarrassment his mate was trying to hide. Luke was so cute. It was rare to find a wolf that embarrassed so easily. After all, wolves were used to walking around naked together before and after they shifted into their wolf form.

“It’s not funny,” Luke huffed, slapping Mark on the arm.

“It is, actually. You are adorable.”

Luke couldn’t help but smile at his mate. He hated being teased but he liked the fact that Mark found him adorable.

“I made pot roast earlier,” Luke said. “I’ve just reheated it. You hungry?”

“Mmm. Starved.”

Luke led the way into the kitchen and fixed them both large helpings of the hearty meal. They sat down and started to eat in silence.

“Wow,” Mark said, after a few mouthfuls. “This is incredible, Luke. You made this?”

“Yeah, my mom taught me how to cook. She tried to teach Kelan and Cody but they never took to it.”

“Cody?”

“Cody’s my older brother, younger than Kelan. He’s an artist, lives in New York now. He’s the one I told you about earlier who’s gay.”

“I thought you were talking about Kelan.”

“No, that came as a complete surprise. Gonna have to talk to him about it in the morning.”

“Wow, so the three of you are gay,” Mark commented, breaking off a large piece of crusty bread and using it to mop up the juice in his bowl. “What are the odds on that?”

“I’m not gay,” Luke said indignantly before he had a chance to really think about what he was saying.

Mark raised an amused eyebrow. “You could have fooled me. I didn’t see you complaining when my lips were wrapped around your cock earlier.”

Luke flushed ten shades of scarlet.

“That’s different. You’re my mate,” he said, quietly.

“I know, I was only teasing you. You know, this really is good, Luke. I can’t cook worth a damn. The only thing my mom ever taught me was how to finish a bottle of Jack in one sitting.”

“She drank?”

“A lot.”

“That must have been tough growing up.”

“Yeah, but I had my sister there. She’s five years older than me and she practically raised me herself. Wasn’t too bad. My dad was okay too, when he was around.”

“Our dad was our pack alpha. He was pretty hard on us most of the time, but he was still our dad, you know?”

Mark nodded his agreement. They finished the rest of their meal in a companionable silence. When they were done, Luke washed up their dishes while Mark dried. Luke smiled to himself thinking about how well they worked together. He was growing more fond of Mark by the minute. When all the dishes were dried and put away, Mark grabbed Luke by the waist and pulled him close to his body.

“Come on, it’s been too long since I saw that hot, naked body of yours.”

Luke gulped but let Mark pull him upstairs to his bedroom. When they were inside, they quickly stripped off their clothing and got into bed. Luke lay on his side and rested his head in his hand.

“So. You think I’m hot,” Luke teased.

Mark chuckled. “Fuck yeah, I do. Hotter than hell. Come here, let me show you.”

Mark wrapped his arm around Luke’s waist and pulled him closer until their bodies were touching. He wasn’t sure who groaned the loudest when their hard cocks came into contact with one another.

Luke shivered when Mark trailed his fingers over the mating mark on his neck.

“Did you like me biting you here, baby?” he asked, replacing his fingers with his tongue.

“Oh Mark,” Luke groaned. “Please?”

“Please what, Luke?” Mark asked, his voice full of innocence.

Luke didn’t get the chance to answer. Mark took his mouth in a hot, sizzling kiss he felt all the way down to his toes. Mark’s tongue pushed in without preamble and just when Luke’s own tongue came out to play, Mark flipped them on the bed so Luke was lying on top, straddling his mate.

Mark grabbed hold of Luke’s ass and they ground their cocks together. Luke went wild above him. They kept moving together, increasing the tempo until they were both gasping for air and desperate for release.

“I want you to fuck me,” Luke blurted out.

Luke couldn’t believe he’d spoken the words out loud but he was relieved to tell Mark what was on his mind, what he wanted. It felt liberating. He only hoped his mate felt the same way. Mark had gone still beneath him and deathly quiet.

“Luke, look at me,” Mark said, filling the silence between them.

“I can’t.”

Mark sighed and put his finger under Luke’s chin, lifting it until Luke was looking him the eyes.

“Say that again.”

“I…I want you to fuck me.” Luke’s answer was barely more than a whisper.

“Are you sure?”

Luke nodded. “Yes. I want to feel you inside me.”

Mark sucked in a shaky breath. He wanted the same thing but he had been afraid to vocalise his desires to Luke in case he scared the younger man off. They had agreed to take things slowly, after all. This was anything but.

“You don’t have to,” Luke said. “It’s okay, I understand if you think it’s too soon for that.”

Mark leaned up and touched his lips to Luke’s.

“Look, we already said we’d try to make a go of this and that means you and me together for the long run. That doesn’t mean I feel forced to be here or that I’m not attracted to you because I am. I want to do everything with you, Luke. Right now, I can’t think of anything I’d like better than to make love to you.”

“Really?”

“Most definitely.”

“Okay. So how do we do this?”

“I take it you haven’t done this before with women.”

Luke shook his head.

“Well, we’ll have to stretch you first so that it won’t hurt. Do you have any lube around here?”

“No.”

“That’s okay. We can improvise.”

Mark looked around the room and his eyes fell upon a tube of hand cream on the nightstand. He reached for it and inspected the label.

“Peach scented hand lotion?” Mark said, raising his eyebrows in amusement.

“I like my hands to smell nice,” Luke mumbled.

Mark chuckled. “Okay, this will do for now. Lie on your back for me, babe.”

Luke rolled over at once. He lifted his arms above his head and splayed his legs open, his face eager, needy. Mark groaned. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone look so wanton.

“Oh God, Luke, you are seriously sexy.”

“So are you,” Luke replied. “What do I do now?”

“Just lie back and enjoy, I’ll do the rest.”

Mark leant down and licked a path up Luke’s hard cock, smiling to himself when he heard Luke’s sharp intake of breath. When he reached the head, he dipped his tongue into the slit, capturing a drop of pre cum before swirling his tongue around the sensitive nerve endings just below the head. He loved the way Luke’s smooth cock felt against his tongue. He couldn’t believe how quickly he had got used to this. He didn’t just want Luke now, he craved him.

He licked his way down until he reached Luke’s balls and captured one in his mouth, soliciting another groan from Luke. He released it and did the same with the other, sucking first and then soothing the heated skin with his tongue. Luke had already started shaking beneath him. His moans were becoming louder and interspersed with nonsense words and grunts.

Mark used his shoulders to open Luke’s legs further while he continued licking his way down to Luke’s entrance. Luke scent was strongest here. Incredible. He trailed his tongue leisurely around the tight ring of muscle, sweeping it over the hole, pushing inside a little as he passed over it.

“Oh my God!” Luke shouted. “More.”

Mark grinned and reached for the tube of hand lotion. He popped open the lid and applied a generous helping on his finger.

“You like that, baby?” he asked.

“Yes! More, please.”

“Patience,” Mark chuckled, lightly nipping Luke’s thigh with his teeth.

Mark licked his way back up to Luke’s cock, his fingers teasing around Luke’s entrance at the same time. Without hesitation, he engulfed Luke’s cock in his mouth, sucking it down to the base while at the same time he slipped the tip of his index finger inside Luke’s hot channel.

“Mark!”

Mark knew Luke was close to coming but he wanted Luke to come when his cock was buried deep inside him, so he backed off a little, slowing down the tempo. He released Luke’s cock but continued to lick around the head as he pushed his finger further inside Luke. He felt Luke tense a little so he stilled his movements and used his other hand to rub soothing circles on Luke’s stomach.

“Easy, baby, just relax for me,” he soothed.

Mark’s words seemed to calm Luke. When his finger slipped all of the way inside Luke’s body, Mark felt Luke relax, and the pressure around his finger lessened.

“Yes.” Luke groaned. “More, Mark, please.”

Mark moved his finger in and out of Luke’s ass slowly, using Luke’s moans and whimpers as a guide to tell him when to increase his speed. Luke was practically vibrating beneath him. When he was certain Luke was used to the sensation and comfortable with it, he sucked hard on Luke’s cock and added another finger.

“Yes!”

Luke’s eyes were wide and his breathing was becoming shallow. Mark scissored his fingers, gently stretching Luke to prepare him. Mark’s own cock was aching now and he knew he was leaking pre cum onto the sheets. He ground into the bed, trying to get some friction. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold out. He was desperate to be inside his mate. He had to know how Luke felt wrapped around his cock.

“I’m going to add another finger now, Luke.”

Luke’s head shot up from the pillow, his eyes black with lust, wanting.

“No, please Mark, I need you inside me now.”

Mark groaned and rested his head against Luke’s hip. He had to reach down and grab the base of his cock to stave off his orgasm because Luke’s words nearly sent him over the edge.

“Fuck Luke. Don’t say shit like that, you’ll make me come before I even get inside you.”

“Please, Mark, I need it,” Luke said desperately.

Mark couldn’t wait any longer, not with his mate begging him to fuck him like that. It was too much. He got to his knees and began applying a generous helping of lotion onto his cock, stroking and massaging with the liquid until he was covered in it. Luke didn’t take his eyes off the action and at one point his tongue darted out to wet his lips, causing Mark to have to grab hold of his cock again and squeeze.

“Shit Luke.”

“Please?”

“Okay baby, you ready for me?”

Luke nodded his head frantically, eyes wide and burning with desire.

“Yes! God yes!”

Mark grabbed hold of Luke’s hips and lifted them slightly off the mattress, inching his cock closer to Luke’s waiting hole. He looked up and met Luke’s eyes then slowly pushed inside, breaching Luke’s tight ring of muscle. Luke felt so hot and tight wrapped around him that Mark had to use all of his willpower to stop himself from thrusting hard into Luke.

He waited for Luke to get comfortable, checking his face for any sign of discomfort. When he didn’t find any, he slid his cock in a little further.

“More,” Luke breathed.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Luke.”

Luke frowned. He grabbed hold of Mark’s hips, angled his own and then thrust up so that Mark’s cock slipped the rest of the way inside him.

“Fuck!”

“Yes!”

Luke pulled on Mark’s arms until he fell forward and then he wrapped his legs around Mark’s hips, his feet pressing into Mark’s ass.

“You won’t hurt me,” Luke said. “Please, just fuck me.”

Mark leant down and captured Luke’s lips, thrusting his tongue inside forcefully. At the same time, he pulled almost all the way out of Luke’s ass and thrust his cock back inside, hard. Luke bucked off the bed, holding Mark in place with his feet.

“Mark!”

They started to develop a rhythm, moving together with ease. Every time Mark pulled out, Luke whimpered at the loss, his ass clamping down onto Mark’s cock in a vice-like grip. Mark was starting to lose it. Every time he thrust into Luke, his movements became more and more erratic. His legs were shaking, threatening to give out, and his breathing was laboured. He was so close.

Luke couldn’t believe the pleasure he was experiencing. Sex had never been this good. He wanted it to go on forever but he was so close to coming, he knew he wouldn’t last much longer. When Mark grabbed his hips and thrust upwards, changing the angle ever so slightly, Luke thought his head was about to explode.

“Holy shit, what was that?”

Mark grinned down at his mate. He’d forgotten about that. He’d heard that it was supposed to be extremely pleasurable for a man to have his prostate massaged, but he’d never experienced it himself. He took note of the angle he’d used and thrust into Luke again and again, each time hitting the sweet spot, causing Luke to cry out.

Luke was lost to the pleasure. Mark was so deep inside of him, he didn’t know where his body ended and Mark’s began. The tingles started at the base of his spine and his cock throbbed between their sweat-soaked bodies. When Mark plunged hard into him, again nailing that spot that made him mindless with pleasure, Luke gave up trying to stave off his orgasm. He threw his head back on the pillow, back arched, and shouted out his release.

“Mark!!!”

Mark couldn’t hold back any longer. Luke’s release was all it took to throw him over the edge. As Luke’s cock spurted out its seed between them, his ass clamped down on Mark’s cock, milking it. Mark fell forwards on his arms and thrust inside once more and then he was coming, harder than he ever had before. Lights danced in front of his eyes as his orgasm ripped through him. His fingers dug into Luke’s hips with a bruising force as he emptied himself inside his mate’s ass for what felt like an eternity.

Luke felt choked with emotion. The intense pleasure and sense of belonging he felt at being this close to his mate was unparalleled. It amazed him how besotted he’d become with Mark in such a short space of time. Wet heat flooded Luke’s ass in long bursts. Mark was still shuddering above him when he lifted his head and stared down into Luke’s eyes.

“Do you accept me as your mate?”

“Yes,” Luke said it without hesitation.

“Then claim me, Luke.”

Mark tilted his head to the side and offered himself to Luke. Luke immediately lifted his head and sunk his teeth into Mark’s neck. The euphoria Luke felt when Mark’s blood seeped onto his tongue caused tears of pure joy to form behind his eyelids.

Mark continued to tremble above him. He let out a low, rumbling growl and his cock twitched in Luke’s ass, filling it with more liquid heat.

When Luke finally extracted his teeth from Mark’s neck, he swept his tongue over the mating mark to close the wound. His head fell back against the pillow and he felt a tear trickle down his cheek. He was exhausted but happier than he could ever remember being.

Mark collapsed on top of Luke. He rolled to the side a little and his cock slipped out of Luke’s ass, spent. He sought out Luke’s mouth and seemed to put everything he had into the kiss. They were still clinging to each other, limbs tangled together and kissing languidly when they fell asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Chapter Five

When Luke cracked open his eyes, the early morning sun was beaming in through the large picture window beside the bed. He had to blink a few times to adjust to the brightness in the room. He turned in the bed to find Mark already awake. He was lying on his side, head resting on his hand, staring at Luke with a happy, serene expression.

“Morning,” Luke greeted bashfully.

Mark leant forward and kissed Luke tenderly on the lips.

“Morning. Sleep well?”

“Like a log. How about you?”

“I can’t remember the last time I got such a good night’s sleep. That is, after I put a pillow over my head to drown out your snoring.”

“I don’t snore!” Luke said, slapping Mark on the arm.

Mark chuckled and gave Luke a long, lingering kiss that had Luke melting in his arms.

“I don’t know who told you that but they were lying,” he said after releasing Luke’s lips and pulling back. “Don’t worry, it was kinda cute.”

“Shut up,” Luke said, feeling his cheeks heat up.

Mark chuckled. “Mind if I take a shower?”

“Sure, help yourself. There are clean towels in the bathroom.”

“Actually, I was hoping you’d be joining me.”

“Do you mind if I take a rain check? I really need to talk to Kelan.”

“Of course not. I’ll see you in a little while.” Mark placed a chaste kiss on Luke’s lips, threw off the covers and got out of bed. He strolled to the bathroom naked. Luke watched his ass sway as he walked, feeling himself grow hard. Maybe the conversation with Kelan could wait? He shook his head and got out of bed, reluctantly pulling on a pair of pants. He had to do this. He knew something had been going on with Kelan recently and yesterday’s declaration only proved there was a lot more happening in his brother’s life than he’d imagined.

He wished that his brother would confide in him more often than he did. Luke was always the last person to pass judgement. Kelan should know that. So why had he been keeping all of this to himself? Luke padded down to the kitchen barefoot. He was almost through the door when he heard Kelan talking on his cell.

“Look, I’m sorry Rick, but I don’t have it. If I did, I’d give it to you, you know that. Can’t you ask your brother for the money?”

Luke walked into the kitchen and nodded to Kelan.

“Rick, I have to go, we can discuss this later. Don’t worry, something will turn up. Yeah. Bye.”

“Morning,” Kelan said to Luke, after ending the call on his cell.

“Morning.” Luke took the seat opposite his brother and helped himself to coffee from the pot. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. That was Rick. His landlord is selling the farm, so if he doesn’t buy it, my beta’s going to be homeless.”

“And he asked you for the money?”

“He can get a mortgage from the bank, but they won’t lend him the full amount, want him to make a down payment. Says he’s about fifty thousand short.”

Luke whistled. “That much? I thought his farm was doing really well.”

“It is, that’s the reason he’s so frustrated. He’s not looking for a straight loan, he’s offering a share of the business. I know it would be a sound investment, but I don’t have that kind of cash lying around. All of the money Pop left is tied up in property and business interests.”

“Hmm, shame.”

Kelan raised an amused eye at his brother. “You look happy this morning. I wonder why that could be.”

Luke felt heat rise in his cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kelan snorted. “Right, Luke, sure. I bet it has nothing to do with the way you were screaming like a girl last night either.”

“I was not screaming like a girl!” Luke argued indignantly.

“Sure you were. You know, I think they may have heard you in New Mexico.”

Luke’s blush deepened. He tried to hide behind his coffee cup but Kelan apparently wasn’t fooled.

“It’s good to see you so happy Luke. At least someone in our family is.”

Luke sighed and put down his cup. “Kelan, why didn’t you tell me you were gay?”

“I don’t know.” Kelan sighed. “I guess I got so used to hiding it when Pop was alive, it kinda became a habit.”

“How long have you known?”

Kelan laughed. “How long is a piece of string? When you start high school and you’re watching the football players more than the cheerleaders, it’s kind of a giveaway, you know?”

“Wow,” Luke breathed. “That long? But that was before Cody came out.”

Kelan hung his head, the coffee in his cup suddenly became very interesting to him. “I know, Luke. Why do you think I feel so guilty about staying quiet every time pop had a go at Cody? I knew what I was even then. But I was so damn intent on making Dad proud of me, of living up to his impossible expectations, that I couldn’t bring myself to hurt him by telling him. In a way, Cody was a braver man than me. Maybe he should be alpha.”

Luke shook his head.

“Don’t even say that. You’re a great alpha,” he said. “Are you…are you seeing anyone right now?”

“No. Not for a while now. It’s difficult to have a relationship when you’re in the closet, you know? I know a lot of men are, but to be honest, that’s not what I’m looking for now. I’ve hidden who I am for long enough. I want someone who would be happy to be seen with me. Would you want to have to hide your relationship with Mark?”

“No, I guess…”

Luke was interrupted by a loud bang on the front door.

“Are you expecting anyone?” Kelan asked, getting up to answer it.

“Nope.”

Luke helped himself to a piece of toast from Kelan’s plate. He was still munching on it when Kelan came back into the room, frowning.

“You’d better call Mark,” Kelan said. “Sheriff Ferguson wants a word with him.”

Luke looked up startled, nearly choking on a piece of toast.

“What about?”

“Wouldn’t tell me.Says it’s important though.”

“How did the sheriff know where to find him?”

“Wouldn’t tell me that either,” Kelan said. “You’d better go call him, maybe he can shed some light on all of this.”

Luke darted up the stairs to find his mate. When he entered his bedroom, Mark was dressed and rubbing his hair roughly with a towel. When he saw Luke he crossed the room and wrapped his arms around Luke’s waist, placing a kiss on his lips.

“Hey babe. You talk to Kelan?”

“Yeah. Mark, you’d better come downstairs. The sheriff is here, he wants to talk to you.”

“Me? What about?”

“I don’t know, he wouldn’t say.”

Mark frowned. He threw the towel on a nearby chair, waited for Luke to put on a shirt then followed him out of the room. When they arrived in the living room, Sheriff Ferguson was sitting in a chair passing the time of day with Kelan. The sheriff stood up when Luke and Mark entered the room.

“Luke. Good to see you again. You home from college?”

“Yes sir, just graduated.”

“Good, good. Your daddy would be proud.”

Luke swallowed down his retort. His daddy might be proud of him graduating college, but he knew damn well the old man would be livid over him mating with a man. But the sheriff wasn’t a wolf and knew nothing about their situation. So Luke managed a smile and nodded at the old man.

“Thank you, sir.”

The sheriff turned his attention on Mark. He regarded the man for a moment, lips pursed, taking in his wet, dishevelled hair before offering his hand to Mark.

“Mr. Malone?”

“Yes sir,” Mark said, shaking the sheriff’s offered hand.

“Sheriff Ferguson. You mind if we have a little chat?”

“No sir, of course not. What’s all this about?”

“Is there someplace we could talk in private?” the sheriff asked, directing his question to Kelan.

“Anything you’ve got to say to me, you can say in front of them,” Mark said. “I’ve got nothing to hide. Luke is my ma…uh, partner.”

The sheriff raised a curious brow, looking to Luke for confirmation. Luke stepped forwards and took hold of Mark’s hand.

“That’s right, Sheriff.”

“I see. Very well,” he said, nodding. “Why don’t we take a seat?”

Sheriff Ferguson sat down in the chair he’d just vacated and made himself comfortable. Mark took a seat on the sofa opposite and Luke sat next to him, still holding his hand. Kelan had leant forward in his seat to listen to the sheriff.

“Mr. Malone, we…”

“Please, call me Mark.”

Sheriff Ferguson nodded. “We received a call in the early hours of this morning from Marnie’s guest house. I understand you’ve been staying there.”

“Yes sir, I have.”

“Seems they had a break in last night.Only when I called by, Marnie confirmed that nothing had been taken. Only one room had been disturbed. Yours.”

Luke gasped and squeezed Mark’s hand. Mark could smell the fury pouring off of Kelan, but Mark just stared at the sheriff, open-mouthed.

“I don’t suppose you know anything about that, do you son?” the sheriff continued.

“No sir, I don’t. I left Marnie’s at eleven to start my new job at Joe Walker’s ranch and I haven’t been back there since.”

“Do you have witnesses that can confirm that?”

“Yes, I…”

“Both Luke and myself can vouch for Mark’s whereabouts, Sheriff,” Kelan cut in. “We picked him up at Joe’s place yesterday around four and he’s been here ever since. Would you mind telling me how you knew where to find him?”

“Marnie told me Mark was starting work for Joe yesterday but hadn’t returned home, so naturally I paid Joe a visit.”

“Go on,” Kelan prompted when the sheriff stopped talking.

“Well, Joe seemed reluctant to talk about Mark, would only say he’d fired him after a few hours and that if I wanted to know anything else, I should come and talk to you boys.”

“I see.”

“Four hours is a mighty short time to hold a job, Mr. Malone. You’re not some sort of trouble maker, are you?”

“No sir, I…”

“He didn’t do anything!” Luke blurted out.

“Luke,” Kelan warned. “It’s nothing to speak of, Sheriff, just a minor disagreement. Joe found out about Luke and Mark’s relationship when we paid him a visit yesterday. Let’s just say he wasn’t pleased about it. That’s all there is to it. Joe let Mark go and then Mark came home with us.”

The sheriff frowned. He shifted in his seat a little, looking uncomfortable.

“Joe Walker’s an old fool. I hope you boys know not everyone around here shares his views,” Sheriff Ferguson said, looking at Luke and Mark in turn.

“Yes sir, we know,” Luke answered. Mark just nodded.

“Good. Mark, I understand you haven’t been in these parts very long. Other than Mr. Walker, who I’ll be speaking to again, is there anyone else around here that you’ve had any disagreements with? Anyone you can think of who might be holding a grudge against you?”

“No sir, there isn’t anyone. As you said yourself, I haven’t been here very long so I haven’t had the chance to meet many people.”

Sheriff Ferguson looked satisfied with Mark’s answer. He nodded, smoothing his hands over the Stetson in his lap.

“Fair enough. It might be nothing to do with you at all. Could be whoever did this got disturbed before they had the chance to get into the other rooms at the guest house.”

“Could have been kids playing a prank,” Kelan suggested.

Luke raised an eyebrow at Kelan but the look he received in return was enough to silence him.

“Sure enough,” the sheriff said, missing the exchange between the two brothers. “Even so, I need you to come back there with me Mark, check if anything is missing. Shouldn’t take more than an hour or so.”

“Of course, sir, I’ll just get my wallet.”

“I’ll come with you,” Luke said, getting up off the sofa.

“Sure, I’ll wait for you both outside.”

Kelan walked the sheriff to the door while Luke and Mark went back to Luke’s bedroom to  put on their boots. When they returned to the living room, Kelan was standing by the window, waiting for them.

“Mark, why don’t you grab your belongings while you’re at Marnie’s and bring them back here? No sense in you paying at a guest house when you can stay with us. Until this whole mess is sorted out, I think it would be safer for us to stick together.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Of course not, you’re family now.”

“Luke?” Mark asked. He was grateful for Kelan’s offer and happy the man considered him family, but Luke’s opinion was the only one that mattered to him.

“I’d like you to be here,” Luke said in a quiet voice.

“It’s settled then.” Kelan headed for the door. “Have you got a car at Marnie’s?”

“My truck is in the shop near the guest house. Actually, I was supposed to pick it up by now. We can call in there when we’ve finished with the sheriff.”

“Good. I suppose I’d better change the tire on my own damn truck. Call me if you need me. Oh, and I don’t want either of you to mention what happened here last night, okay? This is wolf business. Whoever is behind all of this is gonna have me to deal with.”

“Whoever?” Luke sputtered. “It’s obvious this has got something to do with Joe. It’s too much of a coincidence for both your truck to be shot at and Mark’s room to be trashed on the same day Joe caught Mark and me together and fired him.”

“Look, we don’t know that for certain, Luke, and until we’ve got proof, we can’t go around accusing people. So say nothing to the sheriff, you hear?”

“Fine,” Luke groused.

“Come on, best not keep the sheriff waiting,” Mark said, tugging Luke towards the door.

The ride to Marnie’s took about twenty minutes. Sheriff Ferguson made small talk on the way over. Luke and Mark weren’t required to add much to the conversation—apparently the sheriff liked the sound of his own voice.

When they arrived at the guest house, the sheriff stopped to talk with Marnie while Luke and Mark went to take a look at the damage to his room. They were met with complete chaos. Clothes were strewn all over the bed, most ripped to shreds. Books, toiletries and some of Mark’s personal possessions littered the floor, many having received the same treatment as his clothes.

Mark picked up a photograph of him and his sister which had been torn in two. He sighed, throwing it back on the floor.

“I’m real sorry Mark,” Luke said in a quiet voice. “This is all my fault.”

“What? How do you figure that?”

“If you’d never met me, none of this would have happened. You’d still have a job right now and your things wouldn’t have been touched. You’d be better off without me.”

Mark grabbed Luke and forced him to meet his gaze.

“Don’t you ever say that,” Mark fumed. “I never want to hear you talk like that again Luke, understand? You’re my mate, you’re more important to me than a damn job or a few lousy possessions. Those things can be replaced. You can’t.”

He slanted his mouth over Luke’s and kissed him long and hard, preventing Luke from arguing back. He grabbed Luke’s ass roughly and pulled him tight against his body.

“Ahem.”

The sound of the sheriff clearing his throat at the door brought Mark to his senses. Reluctantly, he parted from Luke’s mouth. Mark was getting used to seeing Luke blush but the sight still made him smile.

“Does anything appear to be missing?” the sheriff asked, entering the room.

“No sir, not that I can tell. I didn’t have much here to be honest. ‘Most everything I own is at my sister’s place.”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Sheriff Ferguson said, raking a hand through his grey hair. “Why would anyone bother breaking in here and then not take anything?”

“Well, there isn’t really anything here worth taking,” Mark said. “At least, nothing of any monetary value.”

“Mmm, still, it’s odd. Unless of course this was done as a warning, or to teach you a lesson maybe. I think I’ll go and have another chat with Joe Walker. You boys need a lift home?”

“No sir, we’re good. My car is in the shop just near here. Luke and I were on our way to pick it up.”

“At Bob’s place?”

“Yes sir.”

“Okay. Can I reach you here if I have any more questions for you?”

“Mark is going to be staying at the ranch with Kelan and me, Sheriff,” Luke said.

The sheriff nodded, scratched his head once more then put his Stetson on before replying, “Very well. Good day to you boys. Tell Bob I said hi.”

The sheriff left the room, closing the door behind him. When Mark heard his footsteps walking away, he picked up a few of his belongings and held them to his nose in turn. The smell was faint but he was able to confirm the one thing that had been playing on his mind. He frowned.

“I can only smell one wolf,” Mark said. “But it doesn’t smell like either of the wolves that were at the ranch last night.”

“I don’t care what Kelan says. This has got to be something to do with Joe—it’s too much of a coincidence for it to be anyone else.”

“I agree, Luke, but Kelan was right. We can’t just go around there accusing him, not without proof. That wouldn’t achieve anything.”

“I guess so,” Luke said. “But if they try anything like this again, they’ll have me to deal with. I won’t let anyone mess with my man.”

“Your man?” Mark said, pulling Luke into his arms.

“Damn straight. You’re mine now. There better not be anyone else.”

“Never baby, I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now.”

“Good. That’s just how I want it.”

Luke lifted up on his toes and kissed Mark gently on the lips. One kiss turned into two, which turned into another. Both men were panting, their cocks hard as steel and starting to ache when they finally pulled apart.

Neither man said anything, just stared into one another’s lust-filled eyes, breathing hard. Luke got to his knees and unbuttoned Mark’s pants, staring up at his mate with a wicked glint in his eye and a grin to match. He wasted no time in releasing Mark’s cock and sliding it into his mouth, sucking Mark all the way down to the base until his nose was buried in the thick covering of blond hair.

Mark groaned as he looked down at his little mate, watching his cock slide in and out of Luke’s hot, wet mouth for the first time. He couldn’t believe Luke had never been with a man before, he sucked cock like a pro.

“Oh god, Luke, good.” Luke groaned around his prick, and the vibrations it caused heightened the sensations Mark was feeling, making him thrust his hips forwards into Luke’s mouth, wanting more. He was already so close to coming, he knew this wouldn’t last very long at all. Luke kept sucking enthusiastically, pulling back to lick around the head and trace the long vein with his tongue before diving back down for more.

“Can’t… Luke… Coming,” Mark stuttered, holding onto Luke’s head for leverage.

Luke went wild, sucking harder and faster, pulling Mark’s orgasm closer with each slide of his tongue and scrape of his teeth. Mark knew it was all over when he looked down and saw Luke quickly undo his own pants, releasing his cock just in time before it erupted into his hand, covering his mate with his own hot, sticky seed.

Mark threw his head back and roared out his release, emptying himself into Luke’s eager mouth. Luke swallowed every last drop, pulling back to lick at the head, capturing the last drop of cum and cleaning him before letting Mark’s cock slip from his lips.

When Mark looked down, Luke was staring up at him with a look of wonder and amazement. His cheeks were flushed and his pretty, pink lips were swollen. He blinked a few times before grinning at Mark and chuckling.

“Wow, that was incredible,” Luke’s blush deepened and he lowered his eyes. When he spoke again it was in a quiet voice. “Was it okay?”

Was it okay? It was the best damn blow job Mark had ever received. He pulled Luke to his feet and slanted his mouth over Luke’s, kissing him passionately, tasting himself on Luke’s lips. When he pulled back, he nipped Luke’s bottom lip playfully.

“It was better than okay, Luke, it was mind-blowing. Perfect, baby.”

“I’m glad.” Luke’s cheeks filled with heat at the compliment.

“Come on, let’s get this over and done with and get out of here while I still have the mind to,” Mark said. “Or the only place we’ll be going is back to bed.”

Luke groaned but he didn’t argue. Mark knew the sooner they were done, the sooner they could get back to the ranch. And then he would get Luke back into bed. The thought sent shivers of anticipation down his spine. Even though he’d just come, he could feel his cock try to harden again.

Luke helped Mark pack anything that was still whole and they threw the rest in the trash. When they were finished, Mark settled up with Marnie, informing her he wouldn’t be staying any longer. He arranged to pick up his belongings later when they got his truck then they set off on the short walk to Bob’s.

The garage was only about a ten minute walk from the guest house. They were halfway there when a truck pulled over on the side of the road in front of them. A man Mark didn’t know stuck his head out of the window and called out to Luke and his mate groaned.

“Hey Luke! Need a ride?”

“Who’s that?” Mark asked, as they approached the truck.

“It’s Joe’s son, Ethan,” Luke said in an aside.

“Oh, really? Well this should be interesting.”

Ethan grinned at Luke as he approached the driver’s side window, his eyes roaming salaciously over Luke’s body. Mark caught the look and bristled. He felt a growl form in his chest but he held it in with much effort. He did find himself unconsciously stepping closer to Luke’s side, though, arms crossing over his chest.

Ethan was handsome and from where Mark stood he could tell that the man was built too. Mark took an instant dislike to him. He’d never considered himself a jealous person before, but he definitely felt possessive over Luke—he couldn’t seem to control the emotion.

There was more to it than plain ole jealousy, though, Mark realised. There was something off about Ethan that he couldn’t put his finger on, something about his scent… It could have just been the cold, mean look in the man’s eyes. Mark wasn’t surprised—he was Joe’s son after all.

“Ethan,” Luke nodded to the large wolf.

“Luke, good to see you again. You need a ride?”

“No thanks, we’re only going to Bob’s place.”

Ethan’s eyes fell upon Mark for the first time. He looked Mark over from head to toe before dismissing him.

“You sure? It’s no trouble.”

“Actually we were enjoying the walk,” Mark said, reaching down and taking hold of Luke’s hand.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Mark was aware of how petty that must have looked, but he didn’t care. Luke was his and he wanted Ethan to know it. Luke blushed but he didn’t let go of Mark’s hand, instead he gripped it tighter in his own.

“Ethan, this is Mark, my mate,” Luke said.

This time Ethan didn’t even look at Mark, just shook his head and kept staring at Luke.

“So I heard,” Ethan said. “I’m disappointed, Luke. I thought you could do much better for yourself than some two bit farm hand.”

“Actually he’s a foreman,” Luke said, his face suddenly red with anger. “Not that it matters to me what he does.”

“Not anymore, he ain’t,” Ethan sneered. “Anyway, if you want to know what it’s like to be with a real man, give me a call sometime.”

This time Mark did growl. He stepped forward a few paces putting Luke behind him. He wasn’t going to let anyone talk to his mate like that, however big they were. He balled his hands up into fists, anger seeping out of his every pore. He felt his teeth itching his gums, threatening to elongate.

“Oh look, the wolf is pissed,” Ethan chuckled. “You need to get a leash for your new pet, Luke.”

“If you’ve got a problem with me, why don’t you step out of the truck so that we can discuss it?” Mark invited, hands shaking with anger.

“I wouldn’t start anything with me if you know what’s good for you,” Ethan spat.

“Cut it out, Ethan,” Luke said. “Stop baiting him. Just go, leave us alone.”

Ethan’s eyes fell on Luke. His mouth curled up into a smile but the look was anything but warm or friendly.

“This is your last chance, Luke. You can still come with me. I won’t hold this against you.” He gestured to Mark.

“Never,” Luke said, with firm resolve.

“You mean you’d choose this mutt over me? Bad choice, Luke. You’re gonna live to regret this, you both will. That’s a promise.”

Ethan put the truck in drive and screeched away from the kerb. Mark was still shaking with fury when Luke moved in front of him and wrapped his arms around his body.

“Hey, calm down. He’s gone now,” Luke soothed. “The man’s an asshole, Mark, don’t let him get to you.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down. The man just threatened you. I feel like going after him and ripping his goddamn throat out.”

“Look, he might be a dick but I don’t think he’s dangerous. He wouldn’t hurt me. He’s all talk.”

“I hope you’re right, because if he touches one hair on your head, I swear he won’t live to see another day.”

Chapter Six

When Mark and Luke reached the garage, Bob was just sliding out from under a rusty old truck. He wiped his hands on a rag and shook both Luke’s and Mark’s hands in turn.

“I heard you boys had a run in with Joe yesterday,” he said, his mouth turned up in a slight grin.

“Wow, news sure travels fast in this place, don’t it?” Mark noted.

Bob chuckled. “Had me a few drinks in town last night when Joe’s hands came in. They were bragging about the fact Joe threw you off his ranch.”

“Dan and Lyle?” Mark asked.

“Yeah, those are the two. Nasty pieces of work if you ask me. I wouldn’t pay any mind to what those two say.”

Mark could feel his fury rising to the surface once again. When Luke stepped forward and took hold of Mark’s hand, Mark could feel the tension leave his body. Bob’s eyes widened when he noticed the action.

“So it’s true. You boys have mated.”

Luke straightened his back and looked Bob straight in the eyes.

“Yes sir, we have.”

Bob’s smile broadened. “Well, that certainly gives an old man like me hope. Come on, your truck is ready.”

Mark and Luke were both shocked by Bob’s statement. Seemed they had more support in town than they’d realised.

* * * *

They called back to Marnie’s to collect what was left of Mark’s belongings and then made their way back to the ranch. Kelan’s truck was gone from the yard when they pulled in but a dusty old Chevy sat in its place.

When they got out of the truck, Luke noticed a small, female wolf walking down the steps of the porch.

“Marianne?”

“Luke! Hey, I didn’t know you were home. How’s things?”

“Good, very good. Marianne, I’d like you to meet Mark, my mate. Mark, this is Marianne, an old friend of ours.”

“Your mate!” Marianne squealed. “Wow, congratulations. Pleased to meet you, Mark.”

Marianne shook Mark’s hand enthusiastically. Mark was surprised she didn’t even raise an eyebrow at the fact he was a man.

“Good to meet you too,” he said with feeling.

“There must be something in the water,” she said, giggling. “I’ve met my mate too.”

“You have? Well hell. Congratulations to you too.”

Marianne blushed. “Thanks, Luke. Actually that’s why I came here. My mate, John, is beta of his pack in New Mexico, so I’m gonna be moving there with him. I wanted to tell Kelan myself that I’ll be leaving the pack.”

“Oh well, Kelan just had some errands to run so he shouldn’t be long if you’d like to come in and wait.”

“I can’t, I was just on my way to work at the hospital. Could you get Kelan to call me this evening?”

“Of course. Say, have you told Cody your news?”

“No, not yet. It’s all happened so fast, I haven’t had the chance.”

“Marianne and Cody were best friends growing up,” Luke clarified to Mark. “They used to get in a whole heap of trouble together. Made Pop insane.”

Mark chuckled.

“We didn’t get in that much trouble, Luke,” Marianne said, her blush deepening. “Have you spoken to Cody recently?”

“No, not for a while. I’ll definitely have to call him now, though. Catch him up on all the news.”

“Yeah, me too. Well I’d better be going or I’ll be late for work. Tell Kelan I’m sorry I missed him.”

“Will do.”

Mark and Luke waved Marianne off then got Mark’s belongings out of the truck and took them into the house. They deposited everything in Luke’s bedroom then went down to the kitchen to make some lunch.

Mark insisted that Luke not go to any trouble so Luke took some cold cuts out of the fridge and set about making a salad to go with them.

“Mmm, this is good Luke,” Mark said, practically inhaling his food. “I didn’t realise I was so hungry.”

“Well you did miss breakfast,” Luke said, making short work of his own plate.

When they were finished eating, Luke carried their plates to the sink. He had just started the water when Mark snaked his arms around Luke’s waist. He turned around in Mark’s embrace and placed a tender kiss on his lips.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Luke said.

“Yeah me too, Luke. There isn’t anywhere I’d rather be right now.”

Luke kissed Mark again, opening his mouth wider when Mark licked at the seam of his lips then slipped his tongue inside. Luke slid a hand down and palmed Mark’s erection through his jeans. Mark grunted and thrust his hips into Luke’s hand.

“Christ, I’d tell you two to get a room but you already have one here,” Kelan said, striding into the kitchen.

Luke pulled away from the kiss, his face instantly filling with heat. Kelan raised an amused eyebrow, his gaze dropping down to Luke’s hand. Luke’s face grew hotter when he realised he was still groping Mark’s hard cock. He jerked his hand away quickly.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Kelan waved away his apology, grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a seat at the kitchen table.

“So you find out anything at the guesthouse?” he asked.

Luke and Mark filled Kelan in on everything that had happened since they left the house that morning, including their run in with Ethan. Kelan whistled when they finished talking and leant back in his chair.

“Ethan Walker,” Kelan said, shaking his head. “I had no idea the man was gay.”

“Yeah, I bet his daddy doesn’t either,” Mark said. “Maybe then he wouldn’t be so quick to throw stones.”

“Is this the first time he’s said anything to you Luke?” Kelan asked.

Luke hung his head afraid to meet either his brother’s or his mate’s eyes.

“No,” he said, quietly.

“What the hell do you mean no?” Mark fumed. “Has he threatened you before?”

“No, he’s never threatened me but he’s been coming on to me for years, since I was about fifteen.”

Mark growled, nearly toppling his chair over as he jumped to his feet.

“I’m going to kill him,” he spat.

“Calm down,” Kelan said, his voice full of authority. “Luke, why didn’t you say anything before?”

Luke shrugged. “It was no big deal, most of the time I just laughed it off.”

“Most of the time?”

“Well, one time he did try to kiss me, but I pushed him away and told him I wasn’t interested. I thought he got the message.”

Mark was shaking with anger. He looked barely able to stop himself running out the door and hunting the wolf down.

“Mark, sit down,” Kelan ordered. “This isn’t helping any.”

Mark reluctantly sat back down, glaring at Kelan.

“I’ve got a right to protect my mate, Kelan.”

“I know, but Luke’s not in any danger right this minute, is he? We need to think about this, come up with the best solution to proceed. You can’t just go charging over there and challenging the man. I’ve just been to have a little chat with Dan and Lyle. They said they didn’t have anything to do with last night. I might not like them, but I believe them. In light of what you’ve just told me, Luke, seems to me Ethan may well have had something to do with last night’s events, but we still don’t have any proof.”

“So what do you suggest we do?”

Kelan pursed his lips. “Let me go make some calls. We’ll discuss it again later when we’ve all had a chance to calm down.”

Kelan got up and started walking out of the kitchen. He was almost to the door when Luke remembered what else he had to tell him.

“Kelan, Marianne came by to see you earlier. She wants you to phone her tonight.”

“Oh, did she say why?”

“Yeah, she wanted to tell you that she’s mated and will be leaving the pack soon.”

“Great,” Kelan said, frowning. “That’s all I need right now.”

“What do you mean?” Luke asked.

“She’s my omega, Luke. She comes to pack meetings with me. More often than not she’s the only person that can keep things from turning ugly there too. Fuck.”

“Oh, oh! Does this mean…?”

“Yeah, it does. Cody’s the only other omega I’ve got. I’ll get in touch with him, ask him to come home.”

When Kelan left the kitchen, Luke reached out and held Mark’s hand.

“Hey, you okay?”

“I will be. So, your brother’s an omega wolf?”

“Yeah, I don’t know how happy he’ll be to come home, though. I think he really loves his life in New York.”

Mark nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, that’s one hell of a responsibility to lay on him if his life is all set someplace else. I don’t think Kelan has much choice, though. Packs can fall apart without an omega present.”

“Are you talking from experience?”

“Not first hand. I never knew who the omega was in my own pack. Their identity is usually kept a secret, you know?”

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone knows about Marianne and Cody apart from us.”

“When I worked near Fort Worth, the guys there told me about what had happened to the pack before I arrived. Wasn’t pretty. Apparently when the omega left, all hell broke loose. Constant arguments and fighting, four new alphas in the space of three months.”

Luke frowned. He couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to Kelan. As much as he bitched about the man sometimes, Kelan was his brother and he loved him.

“I hope Cody will come home,” Luke said, worried.

“He will, Luke. If your brother’s heart is only half as big as yours, he’ll be on the first plane back here.”

Luke smiled and reached out to stroke his hand down Mark’s face.

“Thank you, that means a lot.”

* * * *

That evening after dinner, Luke, Mark and Kelan settled in the living room to watch an action flick Kelan had rented that afternoon. Kelan took the armchair while Luke settled on the couch next to Mark. Luke had no clue what the movie was about, it was difficult to concentrate on anything with his mate sitting in such close proximity, his delicious scent invading his senses.

Mark’s arm was slung around Luke’s shoulder and Luke was cuddled close against Mark’s chest. It was perfect. Luke yawned, feeling his eyes grow heavy but when Mark started lightly trailing his fingers up and down Luke’s arm, causing tingling sensations to rush through his body, Luke suddenly found himself wide awake and horny as hell.

Mark must have noticed Luke’s sudden excitement because he sucked in a sharp breath and Luke was struck with the smell of his arousal. He looked down, his eyes widening at the sight of the bulge in Mark’s jeans.

Luke stretched out and yawned again loudly for effect.

“Oh, I’m so tired. You ready for bed, Mark?”

Mark didn’t answer him aloud, just nodded quickly, his eyes dark and filled with lust. Luke practically leapt off the sofa dragging Mark up with him.

“We’re gonna call it a night, Kelan. We’re, uh, tired.”

Kelan grinned in response and shook his head.

“Is that what you’re calling it these days? Just try and keep the noise down okay?”

“Okay,” Luke squeaked.

Mark chuckled and allowed Luke to pull him from the room.

“Night, Kelan,” he called over his shoulder.

“Night.”

Luke and Mark barely made it up the stairs without ripping each other’s clothes off. The minute they got through the bedroom door, Mark pushed Luke up against the wall and took his mouth like he owned it. Luke kissed back with all he had, with a need beyond hunger. He loved the feel of Mark’s larger body pressed up against him, surrounding him. It made him feel safe.

“Horny, are you babe?” Mark asked, when they finally separated for air.

“Seems I’m not the only one,” Luke said, grinning, rubbing his hard cock against Mark’s equally impressive erection.

Mark groaned at the contact. “True. Could smell your desire. Wanted you. If Kelan hadn’t been in the room, I think I would have had you right there on the couch.”

“Oh god,” Luke groaned.

Clothes were discarded quickly between passionate kisses then Mark tugged Luke towards the bed until they fell on it together in a heap, legs and arms tangled together. Mark rolled Luke on top of him and opened his legs in invitation, his hands gripping Luke’s buttocks and grinding Luke down onto his erection.

“I want you in me tonight, Luke,” he breathed against Luke’s ear.

Luke gasped and rose up to look at his mate.

“Really?”

“Yes.” Mark said it with resolve. “I told you, I want to do everything with you. And anyway, how bad can it be? You seemed to like it.”

Luke was embarrassed to admit that he had liked it, loved it in fact, afraid that maybe Mark would think of him as less of a man.

“I did,” he replied quietly. “I liked it a lot.”

“Well then, I think I’d like to find out for myself.” Mark placed a soft kiss on his mate’s lips.

“Okay,” Luke nodded, more nervous than he could remember being. “Okay.”

Mark took Luke’s face in his hands and waited until Luke would meet his eyes.

“Hey. Just relax, will ya? I want this Luke. I want you. Sometimes I can’t believe how much, especially as this is all so new for both of us. But I don’t feel awkward or uncomfortable with you at all. It feels right. You feel right.”

Luke relaxed his shoulders and smiled at his mate. He felt choked with emotion. He grabbed the hand cream off the nightstand and squirted some onto his fingers. He leant down and kissed Mark gently, at the same time stroking Mark’s balls and lower, circling around the entrance he couldn’t wait to be buried inside.

He teased Mark with his fingers, then gently slipped the tip of his index finger inside. Mark gasped into their kiss. He gave Mark a moment to adjust then slid his finger in further, pulling back on the kiss and teasing Mark’s mouth with his tongue.

“Is that okay?” he asked, breathlessly.

Mark threw his head back on the pillow and gasped, arching his back and thrusting himself onto Luke’s finger. Luke took that as an affirmative. He moved his finger in and out of Mark’s ass and added another. Soon Mark was clutching at Luke’s hips with a bruising grip and meeting every one of Luke’s thrusts.

“Now Luke.”

Luke nodded and slowly removed his fingers. Mark groaned and his ass clamped down on Luke, trying to keep him inside. Luke coated his cock with the silky, sweet smelling lotion and fell forwards, bracing himself with one arm on the side of Mark’s head as he used the other to grip his cock and place it at Mark’s entrance.

Mark opened his legs wider and sucked in a sharp breath when Luke’s cock breached him for the first time.

“Oh god, Mark. ’S good.” Luke’s arms and legs were shaking from his restraint. He was desperate to thrust hard into Mark until he was deep inside his mate’s ass. Inching inside this slowly was killing him.

“Do it, Luke. Fuck me,” Mark ground out when Luke was seated all of the way inside him.

Luke started thrusting in and out, slowly at first, each stroke long but deep and hard. The heat soon built between them and Mark’s body rocked up to meet Luke’s where they were joined, encouraging Luke to fuck him harder and faster.

They kissed until there was barely any breath left in them, then they kissed some more, their bodies moving together as one. Luke reached down and grabbed hold of Mark’s hips and changed his angle a little, thrusting harder.

“Luke!” Luke knew he’d hit Mark’s prostate when Mark screamed out his name and began shaking beneath him. He concentrated on the spot, hitting it with each deep plunge of his cock.

Mark came hard. His cock, trapped beneath Luke’s body emptied its seed over himself and his mate. Mark’s orgasm set off Luke’s own. The smell of his mate’s release was too much for him as he plunged his cock inside once more. Insane with desire and need, Luke came in long bursts, filling his mate’s ass with his hot, sticky cream.

While he was still shuddering from the aftershocks, Luke’s teeth lengthened and he leant forward and plunged them into Mark’s neck. Mark cried out and Luke felt more cum hit his belly. He jerked in surprise when he felt Mark’s teeth bite into his own neck, causing his own cock to pulse, extending his orgasm.

When both Mark and Luke’s bodies had stopped juddering, Luke lifted himself off Mark’s body, his cock slipping out of his mate’s ass in the process. He collapsed on the bed next to Mark breathing heavily.

“Wow.”

Mark looked over at the dreamy expression on Luke’s face and felt his heart melt.

“Wow is right,” Mark said. “I can understand now why you liked that so much. That was hot!”

“You really liked it?”

“Fuck yeah, I did. Who would have thought it? A week ago I’d have had a coronary if someone told me I’d enjoy having a man’s dick up my ass but now? Man, I can’t wait for the repeat performance.”

Luke blushed just as Mark thought he would. He was surprised that Luke could feel any embarrassment after what they’d just shared together, but he was getting used to his mate’s bashful nature and he had to admit he liked it. Luke was the cutest thing he’d ever seen, and damn—was he sexy when his cheeks coloured up like that.

* * * *

The next morning when Luke and Mark went down to breakfast, Kelan was already up and starting a pot of coffee. Luke set about cooking biscuits and gravy with a generous side serving of bacon, sausage and eggs.

“Kelan, do you know of anyone looking for a foreman in these parts?” Mark asked when Luke was done cooking and began plating their hearty breakfast.

“Not offhand. Let me have a think about it. I’ll see what I can find out.”

Mark nodded and the three men tucked into their meal.

“Thanks Luke, this is good,” Mark said, leaning over and kissing his mate on his cheek.

Right on cue, Luke felt his cheeks turn what must be a furious shade of pink.

“Thanks.” He smiled down at his plate.

Kelan chuckled and shook his head. “Jesus, you two are priceless.”

When they were done with their meal, Luke began stacking their plates and carrying them to the sink.

“Oh, did you talk to Cody?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Nah, tried to call him yesterday but his cell was switched off, so I’ve written him a letter, asking him to come home.”

“Do you think he’ll come?”

“He’ll come.”

“You know what today is, don’t you?” Mark asked, directing his question to Luke.

“Yep,” Luke replied. “Full moon.”

“Are the three of us gonna go out hunting together?”

Kelan shook his head. “Can’t, I promised a couple of wolves from the pack I’d go out with them. You two are more than welcome to join us though.”

“I was hoping Mark and I could spend our first full moon alone,” Luke said quietly.

Mark looked at his mate and smiled. “I’d like that too.”

“Yeah I can understand that,” Kelan replied. “Maybe you can both join us next month.”

Luke and Mark cuddled next to one another on the large sectional sofa after Kelan left the house late in the afternoon. Mark could feel the anticipation oozing out of his pretty little mate.

“You okay?” he asked, rubbing soothing circles over Luke’s back.

“Yeah, ’m good. Just excited for tonight. It’s been ages since I went hunting. And I’m looking forward to doing it with you.”

“Me too, Luke, me too.”

“Say, what kind of wolf do you change into?”

Mark scrunched his eyebrows up in apparent confusion.

“Tawny, of course.”

Luke shook his head.

“I don’t. Kelan, Cody and I change into grey wolves. Like our mom,” Luke said with a modicum of pride in his voice.

“Wow! Grey wolves are really rare, Luke. I’ve never even met one before. I can’t wait to see you change, baby. I bet you’re a beautiful wolf. You’ve got to be, you’re an incredible looking man.”

Luke knew he was good looking, enough people had told him so in the past, but he still couldn’t help feeling happy that Mark found him attractive. It meant more coming from his mate than it would from anyone else.

* * * *

A few hours after sunset, Luke and Mark stripped off their clothes and headed for the kitchen. Luke swung open the back door and breathed in the humid night air.

“It’s a great night for it,” he said, staring up at the beautiful, luminescent moon.

Mark rested his hands on Luke’s shoulders and gazed up into the sky.

“It is. It’s perfect, in fact. You ready?”

“Yeah.”

Without another word, Luke knelt on the floor and began his transformation. Mark watched in awe as Luke’s limbs elongated and a fine dusting of grey hair sprouted from his body. Mark was lost in the moment. The sight was incredible. All too soon, a beautiful grey wolf sat before him, sniffing the air between them.

Mark waited a few moments for Luke to adjust to his wolf senses. He knew firsthand how disorienting it could be immediately after the change. When he thought Luke was ready, he knelt down in front of his mate. The grey wolf eyed Mark cautiously at first, tentatively inching his way towards him while it continued to scent the air.

Mark saw the exact moment Luke’s wolf realised who he was. His eyes widened and he leapt forward excitedly and began licking Mark’s face. Mark giggled under the assault, stroking along the creature’s flank and running his fingers through the soft fur.

Luke sat down on his haunches and whined, staring up at Mark in anticipation.

“I guess that means you want me to change now, huh?” Mark asked.

Luke’s wolf let out a short, sharp bark in answer.

“Okay, you got it.”

Mark leant forwards on all fours and let the change take over him. Soon he was shaking out his fur and eyeing a small grey wolf.

Mark growled at the intruder. He scented the air between them. He knew he was at home, so he couldn’t believe another wolf would have the audacity to enter his domain.

He growled again at the little wolf, peeling his lips back and baring his teeth. The wolf whined then rolled to its back, legs in the air, baring its stomach and throat to Mark. Mark cocked his head to the side, contemplating the subservient gesture. The wolf certainly didn’t look like a threat.

He moved closer with caution, sniffing the creature in front of him. The moment the scent reached him, Mark remembered. This wolf was his mate. Luke. Mark leapt forward onto the wolf, licking its muzzle and nipping the fur on its neck. Luke yipped and joined in the fun, rolling and nipping back, playing happily.

After several minutes of games, Luke trotted out the back door, peered over his shoulder to make sure his mate was following him and made his way into the yard.

Kelan, Cody and Luke had followed the same trail since they were pups, so Luke knew the way instinctively. Beyond the fields at the back of their property was a small dusting of trees that led down to the creek. It was the perfect place to hunt.

He followed the trail, checking behind him every so often to make sure Mark was still with him. When he got past the clearing Luke heard a rustling in the trees ahead of him. He stopped walking and crouched down on his haunches, listening and waiting to hear the sound again.

Mark strolled up beside him, butting his nose to Luke’s, as if wondering why he’d stopped. Mark started to walk forward then halted. He sniffed the air in front of him and began growling. The sound was low and menacing and caused the fur on the back of Luke’s head to stand on end. Luke wanted to turn around and run back to the house but he knew Mark would stand his ground and there was no way he was leaving his mate. Luke had picked up the same scent. Ethan Walker was nearby and he wasn’t alone.

As Mark’s growls grew louder, the rustling sound ahead of them moved nearer. A second later, Ethan stepped out of the clearing in wolf form. Mark moved himself in front of Luke. Ethan was huge but all Mark seemed to think about was protecting Luke, as if nothing else mattered to him. Luke whined behind him, begging him not to get involved in the fight it was obvious Ethan wanted.

As Ethan stalked towards them, two other wolves appeared behind him, flanking him on both sides. Luke didn’t recognise either of the other wolves, and he eyed them cautiously.

Luke tried to step in between Mark and Ethan, but Mark growled at him and shouldered him back. Shit. Please don’t let him get hurt, Luke prayed as he watched the standoff between the two larger wolves. Mark was big, but he had nothing on Ethan and the two snarling wolves that accompanied him were anything but small themselves.

Ethan made a move forwards, circling them so that he was practically standing next to Luke. The other two wolves stayed back, as though waiting for an order from Ethan to attack. Ethan stared at Luke. He made a move closer but Mark growled and stepped in between them. Luke knew that would infuriate Ethan and he was right. Ethan snarled at Mark and called out to the other wolves before pouncing.

He slashed his claws down Mark’s side causing Mark to howl in pain, all the while his teeth snapped as they tried to find purchase in Mark’s neck. Mark fought back as best he could, but Ethan outweighed him by a good twenty pounds.

Luke howled. This was not going to happen. No one was going to take his mate from him. Seconds before the other wolves descended on Mark, Luke leapt forward and attached himself to Ethan’s back. Under normal circumstances he would have been terrified to take on a wolf the size of Ethan, but he didn’t spare a thought for his own safety. Mark was all he could think about. He peeled back his lips and sunk his teeth into Ethan’s leg, biting into skin and bone. The horrible, bitter taste of Ethan’s blood seeped into his mouth but he didn’t let go. He would protect his mate until his dying breath.

Ethan whined and fell to the floor, dislodging Luke’s teeth. The two wolves who were about to attack skidded to a halt when they heard Ethan’s cry. Luke immediately stepped back and moved to stand next to Mark. He could smell Mark’s blood but he was afraid to take his eyes off the three wolves to aid Mark.

Fortunately the two strange wolves moved back. Ethan got up from the ground and limped towards his goons. Luke growled a warning at them to stay back. Ethan hesitated, eyes cold and fierce and intent on Luke. Then without another backwards glance, he turned and limped off into the trees, the two wolves following obediently in his wake.

As soon as Ethan was out of sight, Luke started checking his mate for injuries. The blood he could smell was coming from a small wound on Mark’s side. The gash was deep but because of Mark’s fast healing ability, the cut was already starting to close. Luke licked at the wound, cleaning it, every so often checking over his shoulders to make sure Ethan and the other wolves weren’t coming back. When he was sure they were alone, he headed back towards the house, nudging Mark in front of him.

Mark was furious. He couldn’t believe his little mate had got into the fight. If anything had happened to Luke, he would have never forgiven himself. But Luke was okay, and he took comfort in that fact as he let himself be guided back to the house.

Once they were inside, both wolves lay on the kitchen floor panting and starting the change. Mark was the first to change back and as soon as Luke was human again, he grabbed hold of the smaller man and pulled him into his arms.

“Don’t ever do that again,” Mark admonished, squeezing Luke tightly around the waist. “You scared the crap out of me, Luke. What if something had happened to you?”

“Sorry,” Luke mumbled into Mark’s neck. “But I was so worried about you, I didn’t think. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you either, you know.”

“Something has got to be done about this. That asshole could have killed you.”

“I know, but I don’t think he was trying to kill me, it was you he attacked. We’ll have to wait for Kelan to get back. He’ll know what to do.”

* * * *

It was almost dawn when Kelan pushed open the front door. Luke and Mark were sitting cuddled together on the couch. Mark had insisted Luke try to get some rest but every time Luke tried, visions of Ethan attacking his mate entered his mind and he had to open his eyes and cling to his mate, kissing him passionately to reassure himself Mark was okay and in one piece.

The wound on Mark’s side was nearly healed. Luke hoped Ethan wasn’t so lucky. He wanted the asshole to suffer for what he’d done to Mark.

When Kelan entered the living room, his steps faltered as he saw the look on his brother’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Kelan asked, moving quickly into the room.

Luke started to fill him in on what had happened. He had nearly finished the story when he noticed Kelan shifting from foot to foot, favouring his right leg.

“What the hell happened to your leg?”

Kelan waved away Luke’s question with a sweep of his hand.

“It’s nothing, got caught in a trap when we were checking out Joe’s place. It’s nearly healed.”

“What were you doing near Joe’s place?” Mark asked, snaking his fingers through Luke’s.

“Looking for information. Rick heard a rumour in town that there are a bunch of new wolves working at Joe’s. None of them have petitioned to me for rights to stay here, so I figured they were siding with Ethan. I didn’t want to believe it but it looks like he’s trying to take over as alpha.”

“Shit. What are you going to do?”

“Confront him. Not much else I can do. If he wants to challenge me but won’t come here to do it to my face, then I’ll take the fight to him.”

“I don’t want you to fight,” Luke said in a small voice.

“I don’t want to fight either, but I don’t think I have any choice. If I let this sort of thing go unchallenged, there are going to be a lot more wolves around here thinking they can do as they please. The pack would be in chaos. Don’t worry—I’m not going to do anything just yet. I’ve called for a pack meeting in three days’ time. I’m going to talk to my betas and some of the older wolves in the pack about it. See what they think about the situation.”

When Kelan said goodnight and went up to bed, Mark pulled Luke into his arms and kissed his temple.

“How you holding up?”

Luke shook his head. “I feel like this is all my fault.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Because I rejected Ethan. And then I met you which made him even more jealous. He could have killed you tonight. And what’s going to happen to Kelan?”

Mark took Luke’s face in both hands.

“Listen to me, Luke. None of this is your fault, okay? Ethan is an asshole. You don’t go around attacking people because someone spurned your advances. Ethan is unhinged. His behaviour has nothing to do with you. And Kelan is a grown man and a big one at that. He knows how to take care of himself. He’ll be fine. Come on, let’s go to bed.”

Luke nodded. “Make love to me?”

“With pleasure.”

Chapter Seven

Luke and Mark spent the next couple of days helping Kelan around the ranch. Although there was no livestock anymore, they still had the horses to take care of. Throwing themselves into the ranch worked to ease their worries about Kelan, and for a little while they were able to forget about Ethan.

Mark and Luke agreed to work in the stables while Kelan went into town to run an errand. Luke started mucking out the stalls while Mark brought in fresh hay and water.

“How come you don’t breed cattle here anymore?” Mark asked, removing his gloves and taking a seat on a bale of hay in the corner.

Luke stopped what he was doing and took a seat next to Mark.

“Well, the ranch was never my daddy’s, it was my mom’s. She inherited it from her father and my daddy never did have much interest in it. When she passed away about three years ago, I think he was relieved. Not with her passing, of course—they were mates and he never quite got over her death—but I think he was glad to not have to bother with the ranch anymore.”

“And you or your brothers weren’t interested in keeping it up?”

“No. Cody only ever wanted to be an artist. He’s damn good at it too. Makes a heap of money selling his paintings in New York. I always had a head for figures, so I decided to train as an accountant, and Kelan… Well, Kelan is another story. Kelan used to work here on the ranch when my mom was alive, and he was pissed that my dad wanted to get rid of all the cattle, but my father had the last word, as always.

“When Dad died, Kelan took over the pack and a few of my daddy’s business interests in town. I think he’d like to see this place working like it used to but pack business keeps him pretty busy nowadays.”

Mark nodded thoughtfully then got to his feet.

“Come on, let’s get this finished with, then we can go in and grab lunch.”

* * * *

Kelan joined them about an hour later. The three men were still working in the stables when Kelan’s cell phone rang. He took off his gloves and fished the phone out of his back pocket.

“Hello? Okay, good, I’ll ask Luke to pick you up. Bye.”

Luke stopped what he was doing and looked at his older brother. “Who was that?”

“Cody. His flight gets in at six. You mind getting him from the airport?”

“Not at all,” Luke said, beaming. “I can’t wait to see him.”

“Don’t mention anything about Marianne or what’s been going on with Ethan, okay? I’d like to talk to him myself about that.”

Luke stared at his brother in confusion. “You haven’t told him?”

“No. Wanted to do it face to face.”

“Rather you than me,” Luke said with a shudder.

Kelan was working in the yard as Luke left the house to pick up his brother. Mark followed him to his truck and put a hand on his shoulder to stop him getting in.

“Hey, don’t I get a kiss goodbye?”

Luke smiled and let Mark wrap his arms around his waist.

“Of course.”

He leant forwards and kissed Mark gently on the lips. Mark pulled Luke closer to his body and slipped his tongue inside Luke’s mouth. The kiss heated within seconds. Luke was panting by the time they pulled apart.

“If I don’t go now, I’m going to be dragging you back inside the house,” Luke said with a chuckle.

“I wouldn’t complain.”

“No, but Cody would.”

“True enough. I guess I’d better let you go then. Be careful okay?”

Luke rolled his eyes at his mate. “I’m only driving to the airport.”

“Still, I don’t like that I’m not coming with you. I don’t like you being where I can’t protect you. And do you realise that this is the first time we’ll be separated since we met? I don’t like that at all.”

Luke smiled and leaned in to steal another kiss.

“Firstly, I don’t need protecting. I’m a grown man, Mark. And secondly, that is the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me. I’ll be careful okay? Promise.”

“Okay.” Mark trailed the back of his fingers down Luke’s cheek. “See you soon.”

Mark watched Luke drive out of the yard. He waited until Luke was out of sight before walking over to join Kelan.

“I think I was right before,” Kelan said with a smirk. “You’ve got it bad, haven’t you?”

“Yeah,” Mark said. “Yeah, I have.”

* * * *

Luke waited impatiently in arrivals for his brother’s flight to land. He’d checked the information board three times and each time it had showed the same thing. Cody’s flight was on time. He was so excited to see his brother, he was practically vibrating.

He spotted Cody coming through the gate, wheeling a large black suitcase behind him. Cody looked good, paler than Luke was used to seeing him, but he was wearing a huge smile which lit up his whole face and made up for his lack of a tan.

“Hey Cody, over here!” Luke shouted, waving his arms to get his brother’s attention.

Cody’s gaze fell upon his brother and his smile broadened. He rushed over, dropped his suitcase at Luke’s feet and grabbed hold of Luke, pulling him into his chest and hugging him tightly. Cody was only a few inches taller than Luke, but he lifted him until Luke’s feet dangled off the ground.

“Hey, little brother, what gives?”

Luke waited until his feet were back on terra firma before taking a good look at his brother. Cody had lost some weight since the last time Luke had seen him, but the smile on his face was much brighter than it had been when he’d last visited him in New York. He looked genuinely pleased to be home.

“Man, I’ve got so much to tell you,” Luke said, beaming at his brother. “You’re not going to believe it!”

“Good news by the look of it.”

“Oh man, the best.”

Luke led Cody out of the airport to where his pickup was parked in the lot. “So how’s life in New York?”

“Good. Business is going well. I just got another gallery to show my work so I’ve been really busy these past weeks. How’s everything at home?”

“Incredible,” Luke said dreamily. He helped Cody put his suitcase in the back of the truck. When they were seated inside, Cody turned to Luke and waited. Although Luke wanted to tell his brother about Mark, he couldn’t seem to make the words come out. He knew Cody desperately wanted a mate, so he didn’t want to say anything that would remind Cody that he was alone.

“Come on then, out with it,” Cody said, pulling Luke from his thoughts. “I’m surprised you lasted this long.”

Despite his nervousness and reservations, Luke couldn’t keep the smile from his face. He hoped Cody would be happy for him.

“Okay. The thing is, I…I’ve found my mate,” he said at last.

Luke watched Cody lean closer to him and sniff the air between them, probably checking for the change in Luke’s scent which always happened when a wolf mated.

“Holy crap, Luke!” Cody exclaimed. “Who is she? When can I meet her?”

Luke knew Cody thought Luke wasn’t gay. Plus they had never had the sort of relationship where they discussed partners with each other, significant or otherwise. Luke could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. He couldn’t believe how hard it was to say the words.

After a moment, Luke shook himself. Why exactly was he finding this so difficult? He wasn’t embarrassed by Mark, not in the least. He cared about him. No, it was more than that. If he were honest with himself, he was starting to fall in love with Mark and he knew that was nothing to be embarrassed about at all.

“Ah, well, the thing is, it’s not a ‘she’ exactly—it’s a ‘he’. His name is Mark and you can meet him as soon as we get home.”

Luke waited for his brother to respond. All the colour had drained from Cody’s face and the confusion there was evident.

“A he?” Cody appeared nonplussed. “But that’s not… It can’t be… Are you sure?”

Luke couldn’t contain the boom of laughter that tore from his chest, more from nervousness than amusement. He rolled his eyes at his brother.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure, bro. Trust me, it’s not something you can easily mistake, you know?”

“But, but you’re not even gay,” Cody stuttered.

“I know, fate’s a bitch, huh? But to be honest, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Mark is incredible,” Luke said, thinking about the mate that waited for him at home.

Cody was quiet for most of the ride back to the ranch but Luke didn’t push his older brother to talk. He knew that he had given Cody a lot to think about. Cody had once told Luke he believed gay wolves were not destined to have mates—that that was a privilege reserved for straight wolves who could bear cubs. To learn that everything you’d truly believed in was false had to be a very harsh realisation.

Luke spotted Mark sitting on the porch with Kelan the second he pulled into the yard. He couldn’t keep the smile from his face. It had only been a few short hours since he last saw his mate, but he couldn’t believe how much he’d missed him. After Luke put the truck in park, he practically fell out of the car in his rush to greet Mark.

Mark quickly made his way down the steps when he saw Luke’s truck pull into the yard. It amazed him how quickly he’d got used to being with Luke. Not being around him even for a few short hours had been tough.

Luke flung his arms around Mark’s neck as soon as he reached him and kissed him passionately on the lips, thrusting his tongue inside. Mark revelled in the kiss, desperate to taste the unique flavour that was all Luke.

Mark was so pleased by Luke’s enthusiasm, he got swept up in the moment. He grabbed hold of Luke’s ass, lifting him roughly off his feet and pressing him to his body and against his already hard cock.

Mark’s tongue duelled with Luke’s and he groaned when he felt Luke’s equally hard cock press back against his own. Luke whimpered into their kiss. God, Mark wanted to fuck Luke. Needed it.

“Come on guys, give it a rest,” Kelan said from behind them. Reluctantly, they pulled away from the kiss and Mark set Luke back on his feet.

“Sorry,” Luke offered, although he didn’t appear sorry at all.

Luke took hold of Mark’s hand and pulled him along to where his two elder brothers were standing.

“Mark, this is my brother Cody,” Luke said, nodding at his brother. “Cody, meet Mark, my mate.”

“It’s good to meet you Mark,” Cody said. “Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you,” Mark replied, shaking Cody’s outstretched hand. “It’s good to meet you too. Luke has told me a lot about you.”

“All good I hope.”

“Nothing but.” Mark grinned.

For the first time, Mark noticed the resemblance between Luke and his elder brother. Although Cody was taller, around the same height as Mark himself, Luke and Cody had the same twinkle in their eye when they smiled. Mark had never known an omega wolf before but for some reason he had expected them to be smaller. He’d imagined Cody to be even smaller than Luke.

“I’ve called a pack meeting tonight,” Kelan said, addressing Cody. “I’d like you to be there but I need to discuss a few things with you first. So if you need to get cleaned up, I’ll be out in the barn.”

Mark carried Cody’s case to his room for him, exchanging small talk with the man as they went. When he was done, he joined Luke in the kitchen.

“Hey, baby,” he said, crossing the room and wrapping his arms around his mate.

Luke smiled at him and leaned up to give him a kiss. “I missed you,” Luke said, blushing at the endearment. “Did Kelan keep you busy?”

“Had me working like a dog,” Mark replied with a chuckle. “I see what you mean about how important this place is to him. He really throws himself into everything that needs doing here. It’s a shame he doesn’t want to see this place as a working ranch anymore.”

“Maybe he does,” Luke looked thoughtful. “It was just way too much work for him to take on alone, but with you here he might see things differently. I’ll talk to him about it.”

Mark smiled at his mate. Luke was one of the most thoughtful people he had ever met.

“By the way,” Mark said, tugging Luke closer. “I missed you too.”

“Yeah?”

Mark laughed. “Yes. Don’t look so surprised. Of course I missed you.”

Luke’s cheeks darkened further, to Mark’s delight. He ran his thumbs over them, feeling the heat radiating from his mate. It still awed him every time he looked at Luke. He couldn’t believe that such a beautiful man was his. A man no less. But now he wouldn’t have it any other way. Luke was perfect.

Luke felt his cheeks grow hotter at the intense look Mark was directing at him. It made him feel like the sexiest man in the world. Mark was starting to mean everything to Luke, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to declare the full extent of his feelings for his mate just yet so he quickly changed the subject.

“Did Kelan say he wanted us at the pack meeting tonight?”

“He didn’t mention it, why?”

“I was thinking it would be nice to have the place to ourselves.”

“Mmm, I like the way you think,” Mark said. “But why wait? There’s a bed upstairs with our name on it. Why don’t you let me show you how much I missed you?”

“You’re on,” Luke said, grinning. “I’ll race you there.”

Luke ran for the stairs with Mark hot on his heels. He threw open the bedroom door and grabbed Mark as soon as they made it inside. Luke practically climbed up Mark’s body, attaching himself to Mark’s lips. Mark groaned and slipped his tongue inside Luke’s mouth, tasting and teasing.

“What do you want, Luke?” Mark asked, when he pulled back from the kiss. “Do you want to fuck me?”

Luke suddenly felt too embarrassed to say what he wanted, so he mumbled his desire into Mark’s neck.

“What was that?” Mark asked, detaching Luke from his neck and making him meet his eyes.

“I said, I like you in me,” Luke repeated, quietly.

Mark’s eyes grew hot. Luke could feel his heartbeat speed up and his cock twitch in his jeans.

“Whatever you want, baby,” he said, when he got his breathing under control. “I’d like that too.”

They kissed again. Neither man could seem to get enough of the other’s mouth. They managed to make their way towards the bed but it was difficult to move when they were plastered to each other’s body, clinging on tightly and pressing their hard cocks together.

Mark reached down and palmed Luke’s erection through his jeans. Luke groaned and bucked into the touch. He was on fire and panting heavily, desperate to feel some friction on his dick or to get Mark’s hand to do something more than just stroke. He begged wordlessly with his body.

Somewhere between walking to the bed and the passionate kisses they shared, they managed to rid each other of their clothing. Luke hissed as their erections came into contact. His cock was aching and already leaking a trail of pre cum down its length. He was desperate for Mark to fuck him. He briefly wondered when he’d become such a slut but then lost the ability to think at all when Mark took his mouth in another hungry kiss.

“I need you,” Luke said, when they finally broke for air.

“You’ve got me,” Mark replied. “Now and always.”

Luke reached down and took hold of Mark’s cock. He pulled back the foreskin and began to stroke Mark with a slow and steady rhythm.

“Jesus Luke, if you don’t stop that, you’re gonna make me come, and I really want to come inside your ass, baby,” Mark groaned.

The words set Luke on fire.

“Do it,” he panted. “Fuck me.” Luke turned his back to Mark and bent over the edge of the bed. He looked back over his shoulder and grinned. “You want me like this?”

“Oh fuck,” Mark moaned. “Just like that. Don’t move an inch baby. I’ve got to get the slick.”

Mark was gone for only a few seconds then Luke felt cold, sticky fingers probe his eager hole.

“Is that lube?” Luke asked, as Mark teased a finger around his entrance.

“Uh yeah.Kelan gave it to me,” Mark mumbled.

Kelan? Oh god, how embarrassing. Luke was about to question Mark further when Mark’s finger slid inside him, stealing his breath and ability to speak.

“Fuck me, Mark.”

“You’re not ready, baby. I need to stretch you some more.”

Luke reached around him and removed Mark’s finger from his ass. He replaced it with Mark’s thick cock.

“Don’t make me beg,” Luke said. “Fuck me.”

“Ah, but I like it when you beg,” Mark said, his voice lower than usual, huskier.

Mark took hold of Luke’s hips and was about to ease his way inside Luke’s body when Luke pushed back and impaled himself on Mark’s cock.

“Yes!” Luke hissed. “I need it Mark, felt so empty.”

“You got it, baby. Anything you want.”

Mark set a brutal pace, fucking Luke in earnest. He wasn’t sure how long he could hold out like this, but he was loving every minute of it. Luke was pushing back into him, meeting every thrust. Sweat was dripping down Mark’s head as he continued to piston his hips, his fingers clinging to Luke’s sides.

“Your ass is so hot, Luke. Fucking perfect, baby. Can’t wait to taste it later.”

Luke cried out. The combination of Mark’s words and his thick cock hitting his sweet spot had him in a frenzy.

“Oh god yes, fuck me harder!”

Mark did what was asked of him. He slammed into Luke, his own orgasm so close he could taste it. He reached his hand around to Luke’s cock and began stroking him hard in time with his thrusts.

“Come for me, Luke. Wanna feel you come on my cock.”

Mark’s hand on his cock and words of encouragement were apparently all Luke needed to take him over the precipice he had been balanced on. He cried out his release, shaking and spilling his seed over Mark’s hand and the bed beneath him.

Luke’s ass clamped down so tightly on Mark’s cock when he came, Mark felt like his dick was in a vice. He waited for Luke to finish coming, then thrust inside once more and then he was coming too, lights dancing in front of his eyes in a myriad of colours as he spilled himself into his mate.

Luke collapsed on the bed taking Mark down with him, his legs shaking so much they couldn’t support his weight any longer. Mark laughed and rolled to the side, pulling Luke into an embrace.

“Are you alive?” Mark chuckled.

“Barely. Wow. That was incredible.” Luke panted.

“It was perfect. It just keeps on getting better, and tonight we get to do it all over again.”

Luke felt his cock try to twitch back to life at the suggestion but his body and mind were thoroughly exhausted. He wrapped his arms around Mark and sighed contentedly.

“I’m going to try to talk to Kelan about his plans for the ranch before he goes to the pack meeting tonight. I’m sure he’ll jump at the chance of opening this place up as a working ranch again. Especially now that you’re here.”

“I don’t know about that, Luke. I don’t want Kelan to feel obligated to do anything he hasn’t got time for just for my benefit, you know? I can always find work someplace else.”

“Trust me, Kelan will love the idea. Between you and me, he hasn’t been the same since our daddy sold all the livestock. He put his whole heart into this place and although he has other interests now, he hasn’t got that same sparkle in his eye every day.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

Luke left Mark to watch the lasagne he had cooking in the oven and went to find Kelan. He caught up with him in the barn just as he was locking Firebolt’s stall.

“Hey, Kelan. Mind if I have a word with you?”

“Sure, I was just about to head in to get showered. What’s up?”

“Well, it’s about this place actually,” Luke said, sweeping his arm around. “And it involves Mark.”

Kelan’s eyebrows lifted and his mouth curled up into a grin.

“I think I know what you’re gonna me ask and I’ve been thinking on it a lot myself these past couple of weeks.”

“Huh?”

Kelan laughed. “Well, it seems to me your man needs a job as a foreman and we’ve got a perfectly good ranch and spread right here going to waste.”

“You’ve been thinking about re-opening the Crazy Horse?”

“Every day. You know I wasn’t real happy when Pop closed this place down. To be honest, I miss the work. I was good at it.”

“Wow. I was hoping you’d say that. Mark’s been talking about finding a job, but there isn’t anything going around here and if he looks further away then I’m afraid I won’t get to spend as much time with him. Although I’m gonna have to start looking for work soon myself.”

“Now just hold your horses. If I do decide to open this place up again, I’m gonna need someone to do the bookkeeping. Mom used to take care of that side of the business and you know I’ve never been any good with figures.”

Luke smiled so widely, his face hurt. “Are you serious?”

“Of course. Why don’t we all sit down and talk about it when I get back from the meeting?”

“Okay great.”

* * * *

Luke and Mark were seated together on the large sofa in the living room as Cody and Kelan were leaving to go to the pack meeting.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Kelan asked.

“Sure thing,” Cody said, “be right there.”

Mark ran his hand down Luke’s thigh. It would be nice to have the place to themselves for a few hours. He was already thinking of all the things he was going to do to his mate when they were alone.

“Hey, you two not coming?” Cody asked.

“Nah, we’re going to have a quiet night in,” Luke answered.

“Quiet night my ass,” Kelan said. Neither Luke or Mark answered but both men heard Kelan mumble, “Loud night in is more like it,” as he left the house.

After they said goodbye to Cody, Mark drew Luke into his arms.

“Alone at last,” Mark said with a chuckle. “What are we going to do with ourselves?”

Luke grinned back at his mate. “I’m sure we can come up with something.”

Chapter Eight

Mark switched off the action movie he and Luke had been watching and turned to look at his mate. Luke was cuddled to his side, a soft snore reverberating against Mark’s chest. He chuckled.

“Luke, wake up—the movie’s over.”

“Hmm?”

“The movie’s finished. Come on, let’s go to bed.”

“’Kay,” Luke said without opening his eyes.

“You rest while I take the dishes to the kitchen, then I’ll carry you upstairs. I’ll be right back.”

“Mmm.”

The second Mark got up from the couch Luke started snoring again. Mark laughed and picked up the empty bowl they’d used for popcorn and the glasses that had held their ice tea. He took them to the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks.

“What the hell?” he said, depositing the glasses on the kitchen worktop.

He crossed the length of the room and stared blankly at the open back door. He walked out into the empty yard and looked around. Nothing appeared to be disturbed. When he returned to the kitchen, he shut the door behind him, making sure it was locked. Normally you didn’t have to worry about locking doors in these parts, but with Ethan’s threats of late, Mark didn’t want to take any chances.

“Luke! Did you open the door for anything earlier when you made drinks?”

Mark waited for a reply, when none came he strolled back into the living room to wake his mate.

“Luke did you… Luke?”

Luke wasn’t sleeping on the couch where Mark had left him. He quickly walked back out into the hall and shouted up the stairs.

“Luke!” You up there?”

A faint muffled noise behind him caught his attention and when he turned around he noticed the front door was slightly ajar.

“What the hell is going on here tonight?” Mark wondered aloud, crossing the hall to the front door and throwing it open.

Mark’s worse fears were confirmed when he stepped out on to the porch. The sight he encountered caused his stomach to lurch so violently he almost threw up. He grabbed hold of the post at the top of the steps in an effort to keep himself upright. Luke was lying face down in the dirt, an angry looking Ethan towering over him, his boot resting on Luke’s back and a shotgun pointed at Luke’s head.

“What the fuck?” Mark shouted, making his way down the porch steps. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t come any closer,” Ethan warned, eyes never leaving Luke’s back.

“Luke, you okay?” Mark asked.

“Yeah,” Luke mumbled. “Stay back.”

Mark was at a loss for what to do. He was so angry he could feel his teeth itch his gums and his skin start to prickle, tell-tale signs of the onset of the change. Oh God, not now, he thought numbly, eyeing the shotgun which was still pointed at his mate. It wouldn’t do himself or Luke any good if he changed into his wolf form now. He needed to remain human so he could at least try to reason with Ethan.

“Ethan, why don’t we go inside and talk about this reasonably?” Mark asked, trying to contain his anger. “There’s no need for this.”

Ethan laughed. The sound was cold and devoid of humour. It caused the hackles on the back of Mark’s neck to rise. Mark was desperate to rush forward and tackle Ethan, to get him away from Luke, but he was powerless to do anything while Ethan still held the gun. If anything happened to Luke as a result of his actions, Mark would never forgive himself.

Ethan took his foot off Luke’s back.

“Get up,” he ordered.

Luke got to his knees awkwardly then stood up. He immediately turned to Mark and offered up a half smile. Mark felt a lump form in the back of his throat when he saw Luke’s bruised and swollen face. Luke’s left eye was half closed and already starting to blacken, and his lip was split and bleeding.

“What have you done to him?” Mark demanded, unable to stop himself from taking a step closer to Luke.

“I told you not to come any closer,” Ethan fumed, swinging the shotgun to point at Mark.

Mark lifted his hands in front of himself and took a step back.

“You don’t want to do this, Ethan. Put the gun down.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Ethan spat.

Mark could see the rage and insanity burning in the larger man’s eyes. His gut told him in that moment that things were going to end badly. There was no way Ethan was going to listen to reason. Mark tried to calm down before he did something he would only come to regret.

“What do you want, Ethan?” he asked, quietly.

“You know what I want. The same thing I’ve always wanted. I want Luke.”

“But I don’t want you, Ethan,” Luke vowed. “You’ll never have me.”

“The hell I won’t,” Ethan seethed.

Mark could tell Ethan was getting more and more agitated, so he tried another tactic to try and calm the man down.

“Okay, if it means you won’t harm Luke anymore then I’ll leave. Is that what you want? I can get my stuff together now and just go. You’d never have to see me again. The more I think on it, the more I’m sure that would be the best option for all of us.”

Luke turned to Mark open-mouthed.

“What are you saying? You can’t just leave me.”

Mark didn’t want to see Luke upset but it was the only thing he could think of to say to Ethan that might placate the man.

“I’m sorry Luke but it’s the only way,” Mark said with conviction, looking directly into his mate’s eyes.

The look on Luke’s face turned from confusion to hurt. Luke looked lost. The hardest part of all for Mark to stomach was that Luke could believe him so quickly. How could Luke think for one second that Mark could ever leave him? He loved him too much. Didn’t Luke know that? How would he? I never told him, Mark thought bitterly.

“No,” Luke breathed.

Ethan’s eyebrows pulled together. He looked from Mark to Luke and then back again.

“I don’t believe you,” Ethan eyed Mark warily. “You’d never leave your mate.”

“Why not?” Mark challenged. “I’ve caused Luke nothing but trouble since I met him. I think it would be best for everyone if I just disappeared. Luke will get over it eventually and then maybe the two of you will have a chance together.”

Mark could practically see the wheels turning in Ethan’s head. To his relief, Ethan slowly began to lower the shotgun. It was almost pointed to the ground when two large men came running into the yard from around the back of the house. Mark didn’t know the two wolves, but from the smell of them he knew instantly they were the wolves that had shot out the tyre on Kelan’s truck, the same wolves that had been with Ethan the night of the full moon. They stopped at Ethan’s side and regarded the scene in front of them. Both sets of eyes rounded when they took in the bruises on Luke’s face. Mark could have sworn he saw their mouths curl up into a smirk. He was so angry in that moment he wanted to hurt them the way Luke had been hurt.

“What the hell are you two doing here? Gus, I thought I told you to stay at the pack meeting to keep an eye on Kelan,” Ethan said.

The taller of the two men stepped forward.

“Sorry, boss. We just came from there. Thought you’d want to know that the meeting ended early. Kelan just left. We didn’t know if he was heading back here or not.”

“Shit!” Ethan swore.

Mark could see the rage pouring off Ethan once again. During the discussion, Luke had edged further away from Ethan. Luke was turned away from Mark so he couldn’t see his mate’s face, but the slump in his shoulders told him all he needed to know. Luke felt deflated and Mark knew it had nothing to do with Ethan. Mark’s own words to Luke earlier were the cause of his pain.

When the three men finished talking, Ethan looked up and noticed Luke was moving away from him. As he lifted the gun, Mark leapt forward and grabbed hold of Luke’s hand. He dragged his mate up the steps to the house in an attempt to flee from Ethan. Mark had to try something and this might be the only chance they had to get away.

As they reached the porch, a loud bang rang out and Luke’s hand slipped out of Mark’s as his mate fell to the floor with a thud.

“No!” Mark shouted.

He fell to his knees beside Luke. There was a large, gaping, angry-looking wound on Luke’s left shoulder blade. Mark felt the tears sting his eyes as his body shook with pain and despair. He turned Luke over on to his back and saw the exit wound on Luke’s chest, which was bleeding even more than the hole in his back. Luke’s eyes were closed. All of the colour had drained out of his face and a spot of blood trickled from his lips. He wasn’t breathing.

Mark felt his whole world begin to crumble and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. How could a person go on living with only half of their soul? He leaned over the porch and threw up the contents of his stomach.

“What the fuck have you done?” Mark screamed, turning to glare at Ethan. The emptiness inside him quickly filled with rage.

Ethan’s face had lost all traces of anger. The shotgun fell from his hands to the dirt below and his face paled. Mark got to his feet, all sense and reason having left him the second he saw his mate’s limp body lying on the porch. He charged at Ethan, not sparing a thought to the consequences. The thugs that had arrived to warn Ethan took hold of the larger man and started to tug him away from the house.

“Come on, we’ve got to get out of here,” the smaller of the two said.

Ethan didn’t have the chance to reply. Mark was on him, his fist flying in a blur as he lashed out and struck Ethan in the face. Blood spurted from Ethan’s nose as he fell backwards to the floor, taking one of his goons with him.

Mark didn’t give him a chance to get up. He threw himself on top of the much larger wolf and continued to rain down blows on him. Ethan let him. All fight seemed to have left the man’s body.

“Jacob, help me get him off!” one of the wolves ordered.

The next thing Mark knew, two large sets of hands were prising him away from Ethan’s blood spattered body. He continued to fight against the hands that held him, aware of nothing but the blind rage and fury he felt for the wolf lying at his feet.

Mark was sure nothing could tear him out of his wrath but then two small, softly spoken words pulled him to his senses faster than a bucket of ice water thrown in his face.

“Mark, help.” The words were quiet and choked out with a splutter but Mark heard them as though they had been shouted in his ear.

Mark broke out of the hold the two wolves had on him and rushed to his mate’s side.

“Luke! Oh thank god!” Mark sobbed. “I thought… You’re going to be okay, baby. I’ll get help.”

Luke’s eyes fluttered but they remained closed. Mark ran into the house and grabbed the phone. He quickly dialled nine-one-one and as soon as he’d explained that Luke had been shot and was assured the paramedics and police were on their way, he rushed back out to join Luke.

Luke’s eyes were still closed and his breathing was laboured but all Mark could think was that his mate was still alive, he was still with him. He had to concentrate on that and try to be strong for his mate.

When Luke tried to speak, Mark leaned in closer to hear what he was trying to say.

“Hold me,” Luke said in barely more than a whisper.

Mark slid his arms under Luke and carefully lifted him to his chest. The tears rolled down his cheeks in an endless cycle as he cradled Luke to him, afraid of what might happen if he let go of his little mate.

“I’ll hold you for the rest of our lives if you stay with me, Luke, ya hear me? Don’t leave me, not now.”

Mark was so distracted he completely forgot about Ethan and the two wolves with him. He looked up only to find the yard empty. Cowards, he thought bitterly.

The next thing Mark knew, a strong pair of hands tried to pull him away from his mate. He lashed out shouting. No one was going to take Luke from him, ever again.

“Mark! Let go of Luke. The paramedics are here. Let them do their job.”

Mark was dimly aware of the words being spoken to him and the voice sounded familiar but he couldn’t fully understand what the man was asking him. All he knew was he had Luke in his arms and he couldn’t let him go. He hit out again when another set of arms tried to prise him away from his mate.

“Cuff him,” a distant voice said.

Eventually the sheriff and his deputy managed to drag Mark away from Luke and down into the yard.

“Mark, it’s Sheriff Ferguson. Can you hear me? What happened here?”

Mark looked up at the man that was talking to him. What had he asked him? His gaze went to the porch and Luke’s body lying on the floor. Two men were bent over him, ripping open his shirt. Mark saw red. He pulled himself away from the sheriff and tried to run up the stairs to get to Luke.

“Luke!” he shouted.

“Ah damn. Get him in the car,” the sheriff said.

As they turned to head to the patrol car, Mark saw Cody and a much bigger man he had never met before walk across the yard towards him. The pain and disbelief in Cody’s eyes were enough to bring him to his senses at once. The grief radiating from Luke’s brother was so strong, Mark had to turn his eyes away, afraid he would break down if he kept looking at the man who so resembled his mate.

“What have you done?” Cody whispered.

Mark’s head snapped back up. What? Did Cody think Mark had done this? Cody had to know Mark wouldn’t harm a hair on Luke’s head.

“This wasn’t me, Cody,” he managed to choke out. “I would never hurt Luke. You’ve got to believe me. Call Kelan, tell him to come home. You’ll need him here.”

Mark was led to the patrol car. This couldn’t be happening. His mate needed him and he needed to be with Luke. He fought the officer holding him.

“Please,” he begged “I need to get to Luke.”

“Not now, you don’t,” the man replied. “I’m taking you down to the station.”

Mark fought harder against his restraint. When he turned, he saw Sheriff Ferguson talking to Cody.

“Cody!” When he got the man’s attention he shouted again. “Cody, tell Luke I’m sorry. Tell him I love him.”

* * * *

The next couple of hours were the hardest Mark had ever lived through. He was taken to a cell when he arrived at the station and then questioned by several officers. None of them would tell him how Luke was or even if he’d survived the shooting. Each time a new officer entered the room, Mark would look up expectantly, hoping they would give him some information, but it never came.

Mark couldn’t even entertain the thought that Luke wouldn’t pull through this. He had to. Mark knew he couldn’t survive without him. Luke had become everything to him. Mark couldn’t live in a world where Luke didn’t exist.

Mark wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Sheriff Ferguson finally entered the room.

“What’s happening? How’s Luke?” Mark asked as soon as he saw the sheriff.

“I don’t know,” Sheriff Ferguson replied honestly. “Last I heard he was stable, but I guess you want to go on over to the hospital to find out for yourself.”

“Please,” Mark begged. “I have to see him.”

The sheriff nodded. “We’re letting you go. Luke has been in and out of consciousness but during the short time we were able to speak to him, he confirmed your story. We’re looking for Ethan now. I’ve spoken to Kelan and he said there’ll be someone outside to pick you up to take you to the hospital.”

Mark couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You mean it? That’s it? I can go?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, Mark, but we had to bring you in until we found out exactly what happened. Besides, in the state you were in, you were a danger to my officers. Under the circumstances, however, we won’t be bringing charges against you.”

“Thank you,” Mark whispered, “I appreciate it.”

As promised there was a car waiting for him when he left the station. A tall, burly, bald-headed man got out and reached out his hand for Mark to take.

“I’m Rick, one of Kelan’s betas. Kelan sent me over here to take you to the hospital.”

“Mark, and thank you.”

Rick got into the car and leaned over to open the door for Mark. When Mark got in, he fastened his seatbelt and turned to the other man.

“Have you heard how Luke is doing?”

The man shook his head. “Not a word. Luke was still unconscious last I knew.”

Mark leaned his head back against the leather seat and closed his eyes. He sent up a prayer to keep Luke safe. “Is there any news on Ethan?”

“No. I already went to Joe’s place, and he said Ethan wasn’t home but I think he was lying. As soon as I drop you at the hospital, Kelan and I are going to go back out there. The old man might not want to answer to me, but I doubt he’ll disobey a direct order from his alpha. Son or not, even Joe’s too stupid to do something like that.”

Mark thought about what Rick said the rest of the way to the hospital. No, Joe probably wouldn’t want to disobey Kelan, whether he liked Kelan or not—but Ethan was his son. Didn’t all parents do their best to protect their children? Mark doubted Joe would give Ethan up in a hurry.

The closer they got to the hospital, the more Mark felt his stomach churn. It felt like days not hours since he had last saw his mate. He prayed Luke would be all right. He didn’t want to think about the alternative.

Even though the things he’d said to Ethan had been all for show, there was a part of Mark starting to believe maybe it would be better if he did leave Luke. It would break Mark’s heart to do so, but he couldn’t think about himself right now—he had to put Luke first. He couldn’t stand to see Luke get hurt again. Was he just being selfish wanting to stay with Luke? Maybe Luke would be better off without Mark in his life after all.

Mark quickly pushed away the thought. He knew deep down in his heart that he could never leave Luke. Maybe he was being selfish but Luke was the best thing to ever happen to him. How could he give him up?

When they reached the hospital, Mark said goodbye to Rick and with a heavy heart stepped through the doors of the front entrance. A young, harried-looking nurse told him where Luke was being treated in between non-stop phone calls and fielding queries from other worried relatives.

Mark trudged along the corridor to the emergency department, his heart beating faster with every step he took. Kelan jumped up from his seat as soon as Mark approached.

“How is he?” Mark asked by way of greeting.

Kelan shook his head. “He was still unconscious when the doc spoke to me last. I haven’t heard anything for at least half an hour.” He put a comforting hand on Mark’s shoulder. “He’s going to pull through this, Mark. You’ve got to believe that.”

Mark nodded and sank down into the plastic chair behind him. He wanted to believe it with all that he was.

“You look like shit. Can I get you some coffee?” Kelan asked.

“No thanks.” Mark wasn’t sure his stomach would be able to hold anything down.

Kelan sat down in the chair next to Mark. “Okay. Tell me what happened.”

Mark relayed to Kelan everything that had happened that evening. Kelan listened intently, not saying a word until Mark had finished speaking.

“We’ll get him, Mark. I promise you he’ll pay for what he did to Luke.”

“It’s all my fault,” Mark said, meeting Kelan’s eyes. “None of this would have happened to him if he’d never met me. He’d be safe now.”

Mark noticed the tick in Kelan’s jaw.

“Now you listen to me,” Kelan said with a trace of anger. “The last couple of weeks, my brother has been happier than I’ve ever seen him and that’s all because of you. You can’t blame yourself for something Ethan has done. It’s not your fault. You heard what Luke said. Ethan has been coming on to him for years. Who’s to say he wouldn’t have done this anyway if it had been someone else Luke started seeing beside you? Huh? The guy is crazy, Mark. He’s like a ticking bomb. It was only a matter of time before he popped.”

Mark felt an irrational stir of jealousy inside him at the thought of his Luke being with someone else. The mental image had his stomach tying itself in knots. A lone tear trickled down his cheek.

“Tell me he’s going to be all right, Kelan,” Mark pleaded. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“He’s going to be just fine,” Kelan said, pulling Mark into a hug.

“Excuse me, Mr. Morgan?”

Mark broke away from Kelan and stared up at the doctor standing before them. Mark could smell that he was a wolf. He had dark hair flecked with grey and a compassionate glint in his eye.

“Doctor Browning,” Kelan said. “This is Mark Malone, Luke’s mate.”

“Good to meet you, Mark.” The doctor extended his hand.

Mark shook but he wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries.

“How is Luke?” he asked. It felt like he’d been asking the question all night and now he was finally going to find out the answer. He sucked in a long breath and waited for the doctor’s response.

Doc Browning smiled warmly at Mark. The small gesture alone undid most of the knots in Mark’s stomach and he let out the breath he’d been holding.

“Luke’s going to be just fine. The x-ray confirmed my suspicions that the pellets missed his major organs, but he did lose a lot of blood. I was worried about that at first and of course Luke did lose consciousness a few times. But wolves have great healing abilities and already Luke’s wounds are starting to look better. His breathing and heart rate are almost back to normal too. I had to put a few stitches in his chest to close the wound initially, but if he’s lucky they won’t scar. It looks like he’s going to wake up soon.”

Mark felt as though he could breathe properly for the first time all night. He could do nothing to prevent the relieved tears from rolling down his face.

“Thank you, Doctor. You don’t know what that means to me.”

“Oh, I think I have an idea,” Doc said with a wink.

“Can I see him now?”

“Of course, although hospital rules,” Doc Browning said, looking between Mark and Kelan, “say only one visitor at a time, I’m afraid.”

Kelan clapped his hand on Mark’s back.

“You go on ahead. Now that I know Luke is going to be okay, there are a few phone calls I need to make.”

“Thank you,” Mark breathed.

Doctor Browning and Kelan walked together down the corridor, leaving Mark alone outside Luke’s room. Mark took a couple of deep breaths and with trembling hands pushed open the door.

As he entered the room, Mark’s breath caught in his chest when he got his first look at his mate lying in bed. Luke was hooked up to a heart monitor that bleeped ominously in the background. The sound sent chills through Mark’s entire body.

Luke’s complexion was ghostly white. His eyes were closed and his body was still. He looked incredibly small and frail lying there like that. Mark crossed the room and took a seat in the chair next to Luke’s bed. He reached over and took hold of Luke’s hand, gently stroking his fingers over Luke’s palm.

“I was so worried about you, baby,” Mark said quietly. “I thought I’d lost you. Don’t ever do that to me again, okay?”

Mark wasn’t sure how long he sat that way but he was so engrossed in his thoughts, he nearly jumped out of his seat when Luke’s fingers twitched under his hand and his eyelids began to flutter.

“Luke? Luke can you hear me?”

Luke opened his eyes a little and frowned at the bright light. He tilted his head to the side and saw Mark next to him, looking at him expectantly. He wasn’t sure where he was exactly, but he remembered he had to tell Mark something.

“Don’t leave me,” he rasped.

His throat felt like sandpaper and the words hurt as he choked them out, but he had to say them before he fell asleep. He was so tired.

Mark didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. All he knew in that moment was that he could never leave the man lying in the bed in front of him. His heart couldn’t take it. Mark got up and leaned over Luke to place a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Never,” Mark said resolutely. “You’re my world.”

A faint smile ghosted over Luke’s face as his eyes fluttered shut and a soft snore broke free from his lips.

Chapter Nine

Luke couldn’t believe the number of well wishers that stopped by the hospital to see him in the few days he had to remain there. He was both shocked and extremely delighted to hear Cody had finally found his mate. Luke couldn’t be happier for his brother. Mark had told him that Cody and his mate had called to see him the night of the shooting, but Luke had been so out of it that night, he couldn’t remember seeing anyone except for Mark.

Sheriff Ferguson had taken a statement from Luke informing him he had no news on Ethan’s whereabouts. Luke had stiffened each time the sheriff mentioned Ethan’s name but through it all, Mark remained at his side, clutching his hand tightly in his own.

* * * *

The night before Luke was due to be released, Kelan came to visit. Mark was lying on the small bed with Luke, arms wrapped around his mate, engrossed in their first passionate kiss since the shooting. When he heard a throat being cleared in the room, he broke away from Luke reluctantly.

“Jeez, do you guys ever come up for air?” Kelan asked around a grin.

Mark chuckled when he noticed Luke’s face fill with colour. He was indescribably happy that he still got to witness that charming trait of Luke’s.

“Any news?” Mark asked after Kelan had taken a seat in the chair Mark had rarely vacated since the night of the shooting.

“None, I’m afraid. We still haven’t found Ethan. I took my betas over to Joe’s place, but it seems he’s run out on his parents. They were as shocked as could be when they heard about everything Ethan has been up to. I don’t much like Joe, but I still didn’t take any pleasure telling them Ethan tried to kill Luke. Don’t think he even believed me at first until the police showed up and confirmed what I’d said. Course, telling them he was gay was another matter—man went so red I thought his head would explode. After everything he’s said about our family, that I enjoyed.”

“What about Gus and Jacob?” Mark asked, swallowing down the anger he felt towards all three men.

“No word on those two either. Joe hadn’t even heard of them. I’ve been asking around trying to find out some information on them but nobody seems to know anything about them.”

Mark frowned. “We have to find them, Kelan. Luke’s not safe until we do.”

“I know. We’ll get them.”

Luke had remained silent throughout the conversation between his brother and his mate. When they had finished talking he sat up in the bed and voiced his opinion.

“I think I have an idea on that.”

“You know where they’re from?” Kelan asked.

“Not exactly but one of the many times Ethan was pestering me to go out with him, he talked about this bar out of town. Jackson’s, I think it was called. He kept trying to get me to go with him. Anyway, he said it was full of wolves from all over so it was a great place to meet new friends. From what I could gather, it is some sort of gay friendly place. It’s not much, I know, but it may be a good place to start looking. Ethan said he went there a lot.”

“I know the place,” Kelan said, nodding his thoughtfully. “Haven’t been there for years myself. Stopped going around the time the bar was sold. The new owners practically ran the place into the ground. Let all sorts of undesirables in. There was trouble there nearly every night.”

“Then it sounds like the perfect place to look,” Mark said.

“Yeah, I think you might be right,” Kelan replied, “I’ll check it out.”

“I want to come with you,” Mark said quickly.

“What?” Luke gasped.

Luke’s quick intake of air caused a coughing fit which left him clasping his chest in pain. Mark rubbed soothing circles on his back.

“Breathe baby, breathe, that’s it.”

Mark reached for a glass of water and handed it to Luke. When Luke finally stopped coughing, he took a sip of the water before turning to glare at Mark.

“Are you out of your mind? You’re not going. Nuh uh, no way,” Luke said petulantly.

“I want to help catch them, Luke,” Mark implored. “I have to do what I can to protect you, and you’re not safe until Ethan and those degenerates he’s rolling around with are behind bars.”

“For what it’s worth,” Kelan said, “I happen to agree with Luke on this one. I don’t think you should come, Mark. Besides, you just said yourself Luke isn’t safe until they’re caught, so I think the best thing you can do is stay here to help protect Luke.”

Mark frowned. He wasn’t happy with the situation but he knew they were both right. He’d never forgive himself if something else happened to Luke and he wasn’t there to protect him.

“I guess you’re right,” he conceded.

Kelan grinned. “Always am.”

* * * *

The following day, Luke was released from the hospital. Doctor Browning had made sure only himself or one of the other wolves on duty changed Luke’s bandages. That way no suspicions would be aroused about Luke’s super fast healing ability. The scars on Luke’s back and chest were nearly gone, but it was the mental scars that Mark was most worried about.

Luke stiffened every time Ethan’s name was mentioned and he jumped every time the door to his room was pushed open in haste. Luke kept denying that anything was wrong, but Mark could tell by the tight set of his mate’s shoulders and his skittish behaviour that Luke was afraid Ethan might make an appearance.

Cody had wanted to arrange a welcome home party for Luke but Mark had luckily been able to dissuade him. Mark couldn’t think of anything worse for Luke than a bunch of people jumping out to say surprise. It seemed he was the only one aware of the change in Luke’s demeanour.

“Watch your step, baby,” Mark said, helping Luke up the stairs to the porch in front of their house.

“I’m not an invalid you know,” Luke huffed. “I was shot in the chest, not in the leg. Besides, I’m fine now, it’s healed perfectly well.”

“I don’t care. I intend to wrap you in cotton wool for the next, oh, fifty years or so.” Mark ushered Luke through the front door to the ranch.

Luke rolled his eyes but his mouth curled up into a small smile. Mark was sure Luke had no idea Mark was distracting him so that Luke wouldn’t look at the place he’d been shot and get upset again. Mark had a hard time looking at the spot himself. The anger within him grew every time he entered or left the house. The more time that passed without finding Ethan, the more anxious he became.

Mark was of a mind to pay a visit to Jackson’s himself, even though he’d made a promise to Kelan he’d stay clear of the place. He was not the type to disobey his alpha, but the sitting around waiting for something to happen was killing him. He wanted to be doing something to help with the search, but at the same time he was afraid to leave Luke’s side. He’d never felt so torn.

* * * *

Luke hadn’t been left alone for a single minute in the week after his return home from hospital. He knew Mark and his brothers meant well, but he was beginning to feel smothered by their constant attention.

He’d tried to sneak out once to go to the store in town, but he only made it halfway to the truck before Mark was at his side, demanding to know where he was going. Even though he was now fully healed, his family still treated him as though he were fragile. He was tired of it. After the seventh day of walking around the house with a shadow, Luke finally lost it.

“I don’t need you to carry my damn plate for me,” Luke snapped, getting up from the table after lunch one day.

“I was only trying to be helpful,” Mark mumbled.

“Well don’t. I’m sick of it.”

Mark looked silently at Luke for a moment then turned on his heel and left the kitchen. Luke sighed and set the plate down on the counter top. He hadn’t meant to shout at Mark but he just wished the man would stop trying to do everything for him.

“There’s no need to snap at him,” Kelan said sternly, picking up his plate and carrying it to the sink.

“Don’t tell me how to run my damn relationship, Kelan,” Luke seethed.

“The man’s worried about you, Luke. We all are.”

Luke’s shoulders slumped. Now he was snapping at his brother too when neither man had done anything to warrant his wrath.

“I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I just feel so helpless. And y’all trying to do everything for me is not making it any easier.”

Kelan shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not me you need to be apologising to.”

“You’re right, but I’m sorry anyhow.”

Luke left the dishes where they sat and went in search of his mate. He found Mark in the stables, grooming Misty.

“I’m sorry,” Luke said as soon as he entered the stall.

“’S okay.”

“No, it’s not. I know you’re all trying to help me, but I’m fine, really. I just want things to get back to normal around here.”

Mark put down the brush and wrapped his arms around his mate.

“I know, Luke, but until we catch Ethan that’s not going to happen.”

“You don’t think he’d be stupid enough to try anything again, do you?”

“I don’t know but I’m not taking any chances. I almost lost you once, it’s not going to happen again. I thought you died Luke,” Mark said, choking back tears. “In that moment, a part of me died too.”

Luke held Mark tightly to his chest, stroking his hands down Mark’s back, trying to soothe him.

“I know how hard it must have been for you, Mark. I don’t know what I would have done if the situation had been reversed, but I didn’t die. I’m okay and I need everyone to stop acting like they’re waiting for me to fall apart. It’s not going to happen.”

Mark nodded into Luke’s chest. “I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask.”

* * * *

Kelan had finally decided to re-open the ranch for business so Luke threw himself into the work that needed doing around the place before they purchased the livestock. Luke was secretly nervous that the townsfolk wouldn’t want to do business with them because of his relationship with Mark. He knew there would be a lot of people who would disapprove but he kept his concerns to himself. Mark was incredibly happy with Kelan’s plans for the ranch and his role in them, and Luke didn’t want to rain on his mate’s parade.

Mark kept his promise and gave Luke more space, although he never left him alone for more than an hour at a time. There was always something important he had to tell Luke to do with the ranch. Even though Luke knew they were just excuses for Mark to see him, he didn’t call him on it. A part of him was happy to know how much Mark cared about him.

Kelan’s beta, Rick, showed up at the ranch every evening to discuss tactics before he and Kelan left to go to Jackson’s, but each night when Kelan returned home it was without any positive news. Ethan, Gus and Jacob were still missing. No one at the club had seen them for several weeks—or if they had, they weren’t talking about it.

Rick was sat at the kitchen table, deep in conversation with Kelan and Mark one evening when Luke came in from tending to the horses. The second Luke entered the room the conversation came to an abrupt halt.

“Hey, what y’all talking about?” Luke asked, taking a seat at the table next to Mark.

Mark leaned over and placed a kiss on Luke’s cheek causing Luke to blush.

“Nothing important,” Kelan said. “How’s Misty doing?”

“Misty’s doing fine, but you’re changing the subject. What’s going on?”

“I wasn’t changing the subject, and there’s nothing going on,” Kelan claimed, although Luke knew his brother well enough to know when he was lying to him.

“Mark,” Luke said, “tell me what y’all were talking about.”

Mark slumped his shoulders in defeat. He couldn’t lie to his mate and Luke knew it.

“Rick got a tip off about where Ethan and the others might be hiding.”

“Jesus Mark, can’t you keep anything from him?” Kelan asked sourly.

“No, he can’t,” Luke said. “So what are we going to do about it?”

“We are not going to do anything. Rick and I are going to go check it out tonight.”

“I’m coming with you,” Mark said quickly.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Mark,” Kelan said. “It might be dangerous, and besides, wouldn’t you rather spend the night alone with Luke?”

Mark knew what Kelan was trying to do and although part of him would have loved the alone-time with Luke, he wouldn’t be swayed on this one.

“I’m coming,” he said resolutely. Kelan could like it or lump it.

“Actually I think it’s a good idea that Mark comes, Kelan. Pete’s out of town right now so we could do with the extra manpower,” Rick said.

“Luke, you’re staying mighty quiet over there, that’s not like you,” Kelan said. “I know you have an opinion on this.”

Luke sighed. “I think Mark should go with you.”

Three sets of eyes all turned to stare at Luke.

“Are you serious?” Kelan asked, astonished by the turn-around in Luke.

“Obviously I don’t want him to go. But he’s got his own mind and I think this is something he needs to do.”

Mark grabbed hold of Luke’s hand and brought it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on Luke’s fingers.

“Thank you for understanding, Luke, I appreciate it.”

“’S okay.” Luke shrugged.

“I guess it’s settled then.” Kelan got to his feet. “Rick, Mark and I will meet you outside the gas station on Anderson in an hour. Mark, you’d better give Cody a call and ask him and Stefan to come over and stay with Luke while we’re gone.”

Mark nodded and left the kitchen.

“I’d better head on out,” Rick said. “I’ll see y’all in an hour.”

Kelan nodded. “You mind if Luke shows you out? I’ve got some calls to make.”

“Sure.”

Luke walked Rick to the front door. Before he left, Luke put a hand on Rick’s arm to halt him.

“How is everything going with the farm? Did you manage to find an investor?”

Rick shook his head. He kept his eyes to the ground, unwilling to meet Luke’s eye. Luke guessed the man was embarrassed by his situation. He couldn’t blame him. Luke wouldn’t enjoy discussing his financial situation with anyone but his family either.

“No. You’ve got to understand Luke,” Rick said almost pleadingly. “That farm is my whole life, my livelihood. I don’t know what my family and I will do without it.”

“I know,” Luke said with feeling. “I’m sure something will turn up.”

If he’d had the money, Luke would have offered it to Rick in a heartbeat but there was really nothing he was able to do. Every penny he had himself was tied up in their own ranch and business.

“Yeah,” Rick mumbled. “Maybe something will. Goodbye, Luke.”

Fifty minutes later, Mark was pacing the length of the living room, practically wearing a hole in the rug.

“Where are they?” he asked Kelan for what must have been the fourth time in five minutes. “Did you try Cody’s cell again?”

“Yeah, it’s still going to voicemail, must be in a bad reception area. Don’t worry, Mark, they’ll be here. We need to get going.”

“I don’t like leaving Luke here alone, Kelan.”

“I’ll be fine,” Luke insisted. “Don’t worry about me. Cody will be here any minute. Go get ‘em, cowboy.”

Mark grinned and kissed Luke on the forehead.

“If you’re sure.”

“Positive, now get. And promise me you’ll be careful.”

“Of course, I’ve got you waiting at home for me, haven’t I?”

Luke grinned. “Always.”

* * * *

After Kelan and Mark left, Luke busied himself washing the dishes from their evening meal. When he finished, he swept the floors and started on the laundry. He wasn’t particularly in the mood for housework but he had to do something to take his mind off Mark.

Luke had made Mark promise to call him as soon as they had any news on Ethan but so far he had yet to hear anything. Luke had just sat down when the phone rang.

“Mark,” Luke said as soon as he answered the call.

“Luke, it’s Cody.”

“Oh, hey, bro. What’s happening? Where are you?”

“The damn truck broke down on the way over, and we didn’t have cell reception to call you. We had to walk to Bob’s house to see if he could come back and fix it for us. We’re on our way back there now. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Just get here when you can.”

“Okay Luke, see you soon.”

The moment Luke disconnected the call; there was a knock on the front door. Luke frowned and got up to answer it. He had his hand on the knob to open it when the fear set in. Ethan could be on the other side of the door. He crossed quickly to the window and peered out the curtain to check who was there. Relief and panic warred inside him when he saw Rick standing on the porch. Luke hurried to open the door.

“Rick! What’s going on? Where’s Mark and Kelan? Are they okay? Has something happened?” he asked in a rush.

Rick looked grim. His mouth was set in a tight line and he couldn’t meet Luke’s eyes.

“You’d better come with me, Luke,” he said. “It’s Mark. He’s been hurt. Kelan is taking him to the hospital. You need to come, now.”

Luke felt the bottom drop out of his world with Rick’s speech. His stomach jerked violently as his supper tried to make a reappearance.

“Oh God,” he said, grabbing hold of the door post to keep him upright. “Is it bad?”

Rick gave a quick nod of his head. “We’d better hurry.”

Luke grabbed his jacket and rushed out of the door to follow Rick, who was already half way down the steps.

“What happened?” Luke asked when they were seated inside Rick’s truck.

“Ambush,” Rick answered simply.

Luke didn’t ask any further questions. He wasn’t sure he was ready to hear the answers. He needed to see Mark with his own eyes, not get the account second-hand. He closed his eyes and leant back against the headrest.

Rick drove on in silence for a few moments. Luke was so lost in his thoughts and weighted down with worry that he was happy Rick didn’t try to make conversation with him. He could barely think straight let alone make small talk.

When Luke opened his eyes, he peered out the windscreen and scrunched his brow in confusion. He didn’t recognise the road they were currently driving on.

“Where are we?” he asked, looking out the passenger window, trying to get his bearings.

“I’m real sorry, Luke,” Rick said. “I didn’t want to have to do this.”

Before Luke could question Rick further, he cried out as a blinding pain shot through his temple and everything went dark.

Chapter Ten

“Well that was a waste of time,” Mark said, dialling the ranch on his cell.

Kelan nodded. “Rick’s contact must have got it wrong.”

“I hope Rick’s dad is okay. Man got away fast as greased lightning when he got that call from his sister.”

“Yeah. His daddy already had one heart attack. The doc said back then that the next one could be fatal.”

Mark frowned. “There’s no answer at the ranch.”

Kelan shrugged his shoulders and turned left off the main road. “Did you try his cell?”

“Yeah, it must be switched off, and I can’t get Cody on his either.”

“I wouldn’t worry, they’re probably just out with the horses. ‘Sides, we’ll be back in ten.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right,” Mark said, though his mind was busy conjuring all sorts of scenarios and none of them were good.

Just as Kelan had said, ten minutes later they were pulling into the yard in front of the house. There was no sign of Cody’s truck. Mark had tried several more times to reach Luke and Cody, but both cells as well as the ranch phone remained unanswered. By the time he opened the truck door, Mark was in full panic mode.

He rushed from the car up to the house and threw open the door.

“Luke? Luke? It’s Mark! You here?”

Mark raced from room to room. When he came up empty, he ran back out to the yard to Kelan.

“He’s not here, Kelan. Oh God, something must have happened to him and it’s all my fault,” Mark said, filled with terror. “I never should have left him.”

“I know it’s difficult but try not to panic. Go and check the outbuildings. I’ll make a couple of calls see if I can reach Cody or Stefan.”

Mark nodded and sped to the barn. He knew in his gut he wouldn’t find Luke there but he had to try something. He couldn’t just stand around doing nothing while he waited for Kelan to finish talking on his cell.

Kelan was just hanging up a call when Mark returned to the yard.

“You get hold of them?” he asked, desperation evident in his voice.

“I just spoke to Marianne. She said her brother had a call from Stefan about forty minutes ago. They had problem with the truck and had to get Bob out to sort it. Cody and Stefan never made it here.

“Fuck!” Mark shouted. “It’s Ethan, Kelan. He’s taken him. I just know it.”

* * * *

Luke cracked his eyes open and gasped as a sharp pain shot through his head. He reached his hand up to the source of his discomfort and groaned when his fingers met with a wet, sticky, matted mess.

“You’re finally awake,” a low voice said from somewhere across the room.

When Luke’s vision had cleared sufficiently, he peered around the dimly lit room to try and work out where he was. He was lying on some sort of cot in the corner of an old farmhouse kitchen. His eyes widened when they rested on Ethan sitting at the pine kitchen table, smoking a cigarette. Luke tried to sit up but pain shot through his skull again, causing his stomach to lurch.

“What do you want with me, Ethan?” Luke asked, holding his hand to his head. “And where’s Rick?”

“I wouldn’t move too much if you can help it,” Ethan said. “You’ve probably got concussion, and don’t worry—I took care of Rick for what he did to you.”

Luke gasped. “What have you done to him?”

Ethan grinned. The sight made the hairs on the back of Luke’s neck stand on end.

“Nothing he didn’t deserve,” Ethan spat venomously. “The deal was that he bring you to me in one piece. Did he honestly think I would still give him the fifty thousand after what he did to you?”

Luke was sure Ethan never had any intention of giving Rick any money, ever.

“Is he dead?” he asked, quietly.

“What do you care?” Ethan said, with a shrug of his shoulders. “He sold you out for fifty pieces of silver. You should be grateful I took care of him for you.”

Luke shivered. Although he was furious with Rick for what he’d done, he would never want to see the man dead for it. He knew Rick had serious worries over money and often that caused people to do things they wouldn’t normally do out of desperation. Luke found it difficult to hate Rick for something like that.

“You did a lot worse to me,” Luke said, turning the tables on Ethan.

“Ah. That was unfortunate,” Ethan said. “I was aiming for that dog of a mate you have. Never was a good shot.”

Luke bristled at the insult to his mate. Mark was worth a thousand Ethans. With much effort, he kept his mouth shut. If he ever wanted to see Mark again, he’d do best to not provoke Ethan.

Ethan stubbed out his cigarette and got up slowly from the chair. He made a show of stretching out his muscles before crossing the room and crouching down in front of Luke.

“You know it’s a shame you chose that flea bag over me, Luke. You and I could have been good together.” Luke had to turn his face away as the stench of Ethan’s breath hit him.

Luke realised Ethan was talking in the past sense. He had clearly lost all hope that he could win Luke. Even though Luke was trembling on the inside, he refused to show Ethan his fear. Ethan was nothing but a bully and like all bullies, he got off on people’s fear and misery.

“I guess we’ll never know,” Ethan mused.

He stood up and stretched again languorously as though he didn’t have a care in the world. For a brief moment, he turned his back on Luke. Luke had already made up his mind. It was now or never. He gazed around the kitchen frantically, ignoring the intense pounding in his head. His eyes fell upon a large oil lamp on a table next to the makeshift cot he was lying on.

Luke sprang up from the bed and reached for the lamp. He was swinging his arm back to get in a good hit when Ethan spun around to face him. Just as Ethan reached out to grab him, Luke swung the lamp with all the force he could muster, bringing it crashing into the side of Ethan’s head with a loud crack. The glass in the lamp shattered and immediately blood started pouring out of the cut on Ethan’s head.

Ethan’s eyes went wide with shock. He screamed out in fury and pain—mostly fury, Luke thought. Ethan was so jacked up on adrenalin, Luke wasn’t sure the man could feel anything. A split second later Ethan fell to his knees, clutching the side of his head. Luke didn’t wait around to see what his next move would be. He rushed to the door and reached for the handle. It was locked. Ethan starting laughing menacingly from his place on the kitchen floor.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy did you?” he said, reaching in his pocket for a key and dangling it in front of Luke’s face.

Luke scanned the room. There was only one other door and to reach it he would have to pass Ethan. He couldn’t risk that. He noticed a shotgun on the kitchen table. Ethan followed Luke’s gaze and roared, springing up from the floor and lunging for the gun at the same time as Luke.

Ethan’s eyes were wild. His hair was sticking up at odd angles, and even though the wound on his head had stopped bleeding, it left behind a trail of crimson that trickled down the side of his face.

Luke got to the gun first but Ethan was right behind him, trying to grab it from Luke’s hands. They tussled, each fighting for purchase on the weapon. Ethan grabbed hold of Luke’s wrist and twisted, hard. Pain shot up Luke’s arm with a fierce intensity. He tried to hold on to the gun but there was no chance. Ethan managed to tug it out of his hands but the force caused it to fall. Luke watched in horror as it skittered across the tiled floor.

Luke saw his chance when Ethan went after the gun. He ran for the other door and threw it open. The corridor Luke found himself in had several doors opening off it and a stairway at the end. Luke wanted to get out of the house, not go further into it, but he didn’t have much choice. He ran for the stairs and climbed, taking them two at a time. On the upstairs landing, there were four doors. He ran to the end, opened the last door on the right and stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Inside, the room was empty except for a large oak bed with a grubby, bare mattress. Luke ignored it and ran to the window. He threw up the sash and looked down into the yard. It was only then that he realised where he was.

Jackson’s farmhouse had been empty for several months, ever since old man Jackson had died. Luke had heard that his son had sold the property but the new owners would not be moving in for another couple of months. It was just two miles from the Crazy Horse, Luke’s home. All the effort they had expended looking for Ethan, and the man had been hiding out a stone’s throw from them all along.

Below the window was the roof to the porch. It looked as though it had long since seen better days, and Luke wasn’t even sure it would hold his weight but he had to try. He had one leg out the window when Ethan’s voice boomed out from the upstairs landing.

“Luke! Don’t play games with me. You know I’m going to find you in the end.”

Luke swung his other leg out and jumped at the same time the door to the room was flung open. He landed with a thud but got up quickly and ran the length of the porch roof, the wood creaking under his feet. When he got to the end, he jumped again, curling his body and rolling when he hit the ground. A shot rang out above him, hitting the porch in the exact spot he’d just vacated.

“Luke! This is pointless. You won’t get far,” Ethan’s enraged voice boomed.

Luke got to his feet and winced when his ankle nearly gave out from under him. He must have twisted it when he landed. He ignored the ache in his fatigued muscles and limped around the side of the house. He turned back at the last minute to see Ethan already running across the porch roof, shotgun in hand.

Fear and adrenaline kept Luke moving even though his body was begging him to slow down or stop. The woods at the back of Jackson’s property led to his own. He knew if he could just get to them, he could hide under the cover of the trees until he reached home. Luke took a deep breath and started running, as fast as his injured foot would allow.

He had barely made it to the tree line when another shot echoed behind him. He ducked when he heard it and flinched when the bullet grazed a tree inches away from his head. Luke raced on into the trees, afraid to look back over his shoulder to see what progress Ethan was making. If he wanted to get out of this alive and see Mark again, he had to keep moving.

“You can’t run from me, Luke, there’s nowhere to hide,” Ethan shouted. Luke could tell from the sound that Ethan was gaining on him.

Luke wasn’t sure how long he ran for but he was painfully aware of the throbbing in his ankle. At some point he had veered right, ducking behind trees, and he could no longer hear Ethan behind him. A few minutes later Luke ran out into the clearing where Ethan had attacked Luke and Mark in wolf form.

Luke skidded to a halt, gasping for breath and clutching his sides. He was nearly home but he wasn’t there yet. He looked around the clearing nervously, listening intently for any noises coming from the trees. When he didn’t hear anything, he hobbled through the clearing, following the path back to the house.

Luke nearly collapsed from exhaustion and relief when the ranch came into view beyond the trees. He quickened his pace when he reached the yard even though his right ankle could barely hold his weight. He was halfway to the house when Ethan’s furious voice blasted out behind him.

“Luke! Stay where you are!”

Luke froze and turned around to face the madman. Ethan had the shotgun pointed straight at him. Luke felt an undeniable case of déjà vu when he stared down the long barrel.

“You’re not going back to him,” Ethan spat.

Luke rolled his eyes. If he was going to die then so be it. He would not beg for his life like some coward.

“If you can’t have me, no one will—is that what you were about to say next? Please. You sound like a character from a bad movie. You need some new material, Ethan.”

“Shut up!” Ethan warned, walking closer and raising the gun to Luke’s head. “I will kill you.”

“Then kill me already,” Luke goaded. “And stop talking about it.”

He watched with quiet resignation as Ethan held the shotgun tighter, his finger curling around the trigger. He squeezed. Luke gasped as a shot rang out but the blast never came his way. He gaped in astonishment as Ethan crumpled to the floor. When he turned, Luke saw Mark standing behind him, smoking shotgun still trained on Ethan’s body.

Epilogue

Three months later

“Luke, I’m home!” Mark shouted as he entered the front door to the ranch.

“Up here!” Luke bellowed back. He switched off the computer and got up from the swivel chair in his new office. Well, it was actually a spare room that Kelan had redesigned so that Luke had someplace to work out of, but it made Luke finally feel like he was earning his keep. Luke stretched out and grinned when he heard Mark running up the stairs like he was being chased by a herd of elephants.

He opened the door, walked out into the hall and was nearly knocked over as Mark barrelled into him.

“Oof!”

“Sorry,” Mark said, grabbing hold of Luke’s shoulders to steady him.

“What’s the rush?” Luke asked. “Everything okay?”

“It is now,” Mark said, leaning down and slanting his mouth over Luke’s.

Luke opened up to the kiss immediately and Mark took quick advantage. He slid his tongue into Luke’s mouth and moaned when Luke’s tongue began to duel with his own. Luke whimpered when Mark pulled back.

“I missed you,” Mark said, his voice an octave deeper than usual.

Luke rolled his eyes. “You saw me at lunch.”

“That was nearly six hours ago.” Mark frowned.

“How’s everything going with the ranch?”

“Good. If things keep up, we’re gonna have to take on new hands.”

Luke smiled. The ranch had been going from strength to strength since they purchased their cattle nearly two months ago. Luke had been worried at first that people in town would boycott the business when they came to learn of the brothers’ orientation but he couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Most folks had gone out of their way to give them a helping hand and Luke couldn’t believe the number of men who had approached them for work. Seemed there were a lot more gay cowboys in the area than he’d first thought.

“When is Kelan getting back from New York?” Mark asked, nuzzling Luke’s neck.

“Sometime tonight,” Luke said, tilting his head to the side to give Mark better access. “He said he had a surprise for us when he gets back.”

“Really, what kind of surprise?” Mark asked.

“Don’t know, wouldn’t say.” Luke trailed his hands up Mark’s chest, stopping at his nipples to give them a squeeze.

“Well, we’ll find out soon enough,” Mark’s voice was low and husky. “Mmm, that feels good.”

“By the way,” Luke said, “the sheriff called by today.”

Mark stopped what he was doing and pulled back to stare down at Luke.

“Why? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it is. He wanted to let us know that Ethan got life in prison.”

Mark let out the breath he’d been holding.

“Wow. Well, I can’t say that I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, but can you imagine how hard it will be for a wolf to be locked up like that for life? He’ll go insane in there.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “He already is insane, Luke.”

“Yeah, guess so.”

“Any news on Gus and Jacob?”

“Actually, yeah. Idiots got caught at the scene of a burglary. Sheriff said when they ran their prints, they found out they were wanted for all kinds of different crimes including assault and grand theft auto. Looks like they’ll be going down for a long time too.”

“So it’s finally over,” Mark said, stroking his thumb along Luke’s cheekbone.

“Yeah, I think we can finally put everything behind us and get on with the rest of our lives.”

A wicked almost predatory glint flashed in Mark’s deep, blue eyes. He licked his lips as his gaze fell upon Luke’s kiss-swollen lips.

“I know a good way to start,” he said, leering at Luke. “When did you say Kelan was back?”

Luke caught on quickly. He reached his hand down and palmed Mark’s erection through his jeans.

“Not for hours. Why?” he asked, his face a picture of innocence.

Mark growled and pulled Luke tight against his body.

“I thought while we had the place to ourselves I’d strip you naked, lick you all over and then fuck you till you scream.”

Just as Mark expected, colour began to rise in Luke’s cheeks. Mark chuckled and pulled Luke towards their bedroom.

“I love that I can still make you blush, Luke. I’ll never get tired of seeing it on that pretty face of yours.”

To Mark’s delight, Luke’s blush deepened. “Good, because I do believe you’re stuck with me, forever.”

Mark leant down and gently pressed his lips against Luke’s.

“I can’t think of anything I want more.”

.

About the Author

An only child born and raised in South Wales I discovered reading at an early age and could always be found with my nose in a book. I loved getting lost in a fantasy world even then. When my parents bought me a typewriter for Christmas at age eleven my fate was sealed. I spent hours dreaming up characters and creating stories. Not a lot has changed. Now when I’m not writing you can find me curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea or glass of Shiraz enjoying a new release e-book. Authors I particularly enjoy include Carol Lynne, J L Langley, Keri Arthur and Chris Owen, to name but a few.

Another passion of mine is travelling. I backpacked around Australia aged twenty and haven’t quite got the bug out of my system yet at thirty-five. I’d really like to see more of America so that is definitely next on my list.

I love music and my tastes are very eclectic although I can’t listen to anything when I’m writing as I find it too distracting. I need total silence! A few bands I love are The Killers, Keane and Coldplay. I’m not a huge fan of television, I prefer to watch a movie but a few programmes I enjoy are Supernatural, Haven and True Blood (although I have to admit I prefer the books!). I also love watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (even though it never fails to make me cry).

I always like to be learning something new and I am currently studying towards a BA(Hons) Literature with the Open University. I am single with no children and live in Reading, England.

Email: lavinialewisuk@yahoo.co.uk

Lavinia Lewis loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.

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