Russell's Reversal

Sometimes even the strongest of love can’t erase the past. Russell has always liked his men the same way he likes his sex: fast, hard, and without any emotional attachments. As leader of not only a pack of rogue Wolf shifters but also almost every illegal enterprise in the shifter world, Russell knows he’s not the type to ever find a mate and settle down. Then Dalton slips into his life, turning it upside down. Not only is Dalton a Lynx shifter, he’s also sweet and innocent: everything that Russell never liked in a man…or so he thought. But Dalton has a tragic past, which left him scarred inside and out and without a family. Dalton discovers that Russell may have had something to do with that tragedy just as Russell thinks he’s finally going to be able to claim his mate. Will Dalton be able to forgive Russell, or will their love be doomed to end before it even begins?

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Russell’s Reversal Copyright © 2011 Stephani Hecht ISBN: 978-1-77111-025-9 Cover art by Martine Jardin All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. Published by eXtasy Books Look for us online at: www.eXtasybooks.com

Russell’s Reversal Lost Shifter Fourteen By Stephani Hecht

Dear Readers, I included my free read in this story since it really does show how Russell and Dalton met and some of you may not have already read Hey, There’s Fur in My Wedding Cake on the eXtasy site. For those who have already read it, you may want to enjoy it again and I thought it would be neat to have all of Russell and Dalton’s story in one PDFpdf for your convenience. As always, thank you for your support. Without great readers like all of you, I would be nowhere. You guys rock!

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Prologue Hey, There’s Fur in My Wedding Cake

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uck, the fates must really have a major beef against him. Either that or he’d pissed off Mother Karma and she was giving him a swift kick in the ass. How else could Russell explain how his ass had wound up at what was essentially a wedding between a cat and a dog? Okay to be fair, the groom was really a Wolf and his bride a Jaguar. And they were both shifters so they were human most of the time, but seriously…a Fido marrying a Fluffy? That just seemed wrong on so many levels. True, it’d already been done. The bride and groom’s brothers had officially become mates not too long ago. But then again, they hadn’t made this big of a deal over it. Of course, that was probably because the present groom was a jerk who lived to be the center of attention. 2

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Russell let out a long-suffering sigh as he surveyed the scene in front of him. Actually, colossal cluster fuck would be a better term. The large meeting hall that stood in the heart of the building housing his former pack was packed full. Not with just Wolves either. Everywhere he turned, he encountered a different breed of feline. Lions and tigers and cheetahs—oh, my! There were even a small scattering of some other breeds, too, a couple Hawks were present as well as a Fox and…damn…a Black Widow shifter. Wow, he thought that particular type of spider was near extinct since they had the nasty habit of always turning on each other. Damn, this little event was turning out to be a documentary from Animal Planet gone bad. It was so much that Russell almost turned around and walked out. Almost. Then he thought about his cousin, Ranger and all thoughts of fleeing evaporated. Well, Ranger was really his second cousin, but Russell wasn’t about to dick around with technicalities. Especially since Ranger was one of the few family members that Russell actually liked and respected. He sure as hell didn’t like the Alpha of the pack. Chris, who was really his cousin, was the groom. To Ranger, there was only two tags that really should be associated with the Wolf and they 3

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were ass and hole. While he’d missed the actually marriage ceremony, Russell forced himself to come to the reception. But only in hopes of mending fences between Ranger and Chris. Other than that, Russell wouldn’t have shown his face at all. The hall was lavishly decorated with so many bows, flowers and taffeta that it looked like a wedding planner had exploded. Not that Russell expected anything less. After all, it wasn’t every day a Wolf Alpha married the sister of the leader from the local feline coalition. There hadn’t been a royal wedding this big since Will and Kate. There was just as much security at this one, too. Everywhere Russell looked, he saw armed guards—both feline and Wolf. His hand strayed to his side, to where he usually kept his own weapon, but all he encountered was blank space. While the guards may be packing, the invites had clearly stated that all guests were to show up gunless and knifeless. The lack of the weapon made Russell feel naked and vulnerable. The groom finally spotted Russell. Giving what he hoped was a hearty wave, Russell fought to keep the disdain from his face. It was darn hard work. The man just screamed arrogance from his tall stature to his muscular build and his almost too ruggedly good looks. Today that badass had taken a bit of a more formal edge to it since he 4

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wore a black tux and styled his russet hair perfectly, but Russell could still see the egotism lurking under the layers of refinement. While Russell always kept his own brown hair carefully neat and clipped short and never went anywhere without one of his expensively tailored suits on, he always made a point of never coming off as too conceited. At least he hoped so. He’d rather jump from the top of the Chrysler building than come off as a carbon copy of his former Alpha. It’s just that after Russell worked so hard to earn his nice clothes, he was going to show them off. “Chris.” Russell nodded once the groom who was in front of him, but made no move to lower his gaze in a show of submission. A flicker of annoyance went through Chris’s eyes before he gave a tight-lipped smile. “I didn’t think you’d show.” “I didn’t think you’d invite me.” Chris arched a brow. “Why shouldn’t I?” Russell tilted his head to the side. “Ah…because I was exiled from the pack.” “That was my father’s doing. Not mine. As far as I’m concerned, once he died, you were once more welcome back.” “Really?” Russell didn’t even bother hiding the disbelief in his tone. “Of, course. We’re kin after all. And unlike my 5

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father, that means something to me.” “True, but not many would want to claim me, given my current profession.” A smirk came over Chris’s face. “Profession? Is that what criminals are called nowadays?” Hurt sliced through Russell, but he’d die before he showed it. Instead, he forced himself to give an impassive shrug. “I did what I had to in order to survive after your father threw me out of the pack. If I so happened to make millions off it, so be it.” “Let’s not be coy, Russell. Everybody knows you were a crook even before Dad tossed you.” Now anger mixed in with the pain as Russell wondered just how much the now deceased former Alpha had smeared his good name. Good name? Well, isn’t that rich. Because deep down, you know you’re no good, a nasty voice chanted in his head. That still didn’t mean that Russell had to take the lies standing down. “Look, I may be a crook now, but that wasn’t always the case and that sure as hell wasn’t why your father exiled me.” No, it’d been because Russell had been gay that the Wolves had turned their backs on him. It’d been the same way with Ranger, too. It wasn’t until Chris’s own brother, Dean, came out that the pack suddenly became tolerant. “I had nothing to do with that. I never wanted any harm to come to you or Ranger,” Chris 6

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protested. “Maybe not, but you sure as hell didn’t do anything to stop it either.” For a second, Russell thought Chris was going to argue that point, too. Then the Alpha turned to look at his bride and a look of shame crossed his strong face. “You’re right. I should have done more. If I had, then Ranger never would have been captured, Dean would have been able to claim his own mate sooner and you wouldn’t have had to become what you are now.” Russell blinked a few times, resisting the urge to glance around to see if there were some flying pigs or ice skating demons. Chris actually admitting he was wrong? This had to be a first. “Did Ranger come today?” Chris asked in a hopeful voice. “No, he didn’t want to leave his mate behind and it’s too dangerous for Xavier to come out in public because he’s an Eagle shifter,” Russell replied in a much more subdued tone. While he wasn’t exactly ready to become buddies with Chris, Russell had to give the guy credit for taking a bite of humble pie. Plus, it wouldn’t do Ranger any good for Russell to keep taking swipes at Chris. While Russell couldn’t give a damn about the pack, he knew Ranger still missed it. If Russell could get Ranger and Chris to mend their bridges, then maybe Ranger could 7

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come home, if only for a short visit. “Do you think that maybe you can convince him to come another day? You know, so we can clear things between us?” Chris suggested, showing he was having the same thoughts. “How about you go to him? He’s still living at the feline coalition so he’s easy enough to find.” Chris let out a sigh. “Yeah, I can do that. I just hope that he’ll talk to me.” “Would you blame him if he didn’t?” Russell challenged. “No, I know I fucked up big time. I should have done so much more to protect him. I’m not proud of the kind of leader I was back then.” Russell didn’t argue because quite frankly, Chris was right. Until his bride, Cassie, came into the picture and taught him how to be stronger, Chris had been a piss poor Alpha. Russell glanced over at Cassie, wondering how one person could change another so much. Sure, she was pretty enough with her long brown hair and sparkling amber eyes, but looks only went so far. Call him jaded, but up until recently, Russell didn’t think that it was possible for one to change, period. He always believed that jerks like Chris would forever remain jerks. Just like he thought that losers like him would always remain losers. Despite Chris’s true love transformation, Russell didn’t have any aspirations that he’d 8

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follow suite any time soon. While plenty of guys liked to fuck him because he had wealth and power, none of them had truly cared for Russell. Not that he blamed them, he was a two-bit crook and nothing could ever change that. Cassie glanced over in their direction and began to motion for her groom to join her. Chris shot Russell an apologetic grin. “Sorry, gotta go.” Russell nodded before giving Cassie a wave. She scowled in turn. Not that Russell could blame her. The last time they met he’d made a big point of coming on to one of her younger brothers. While she may not have any issues with Russell being gay, since all her brothers were, too, they were all overprotective of each other. The last thing any of them would want is one of their own hooking up with a rogue Wolf. Retreating to the buffet table, Russell looked for something to drink. A pang of regret went through him when he noticed all they had was soda and punch. He knew he shouldn’t have expected anything different. While there were some forms of alcohol that could make shifters drunk, it was all illegal. All because some Alphas get prickly when homemade booze kills off members of their packs. Resigning himself to a cup of sugary punch, Russell took a sip as he wondered how long he had to stay before he could bail without insulting 9

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Chris. While Russell may not be a member of the pack anymore, he didn’t want any more bad blood between them. Chris mainly stayed out of his way so he could run his business smoothly and Russell wanted to keep it that way. “Wow, look at that cake,” a soft male voice exclaimed. “Don’t you think that maybe it’s a bit too much?” Russell snarked, not even bothering to look over at who was talking to him. He was already in major danger of having a sugar overload. If he had to see another expression of dopey admiration from a coalition or pack member, Russell was going to lose it. Instead, he eyed up the triple tower of cake. A pure monstrosity with pink and white icing, it was so huge it took up nearly one half of the large buffet table. Oh God, it even had a real operating fountain in the center. To make things worse, the cake was draped with tinkling white lights and a plastic wedding party. Russell didn’t know whether to eat the thing or blow it up to save everyone from its sheer tackiness. “Why would it be too much? It’s not every day that you get married, so you may as well go all out. Besides, I think it’s romantic,” the speaker replied wistfully. Romantic? Is this guy kidding me? Next, he’ll be babbling about how he dreams things will be on his own 10

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special day. “I do think it would be better if they went with some other color than pink. At least that’s what I would do,” the guy said. It didn’t exactly fulfill Russell’s prediction, but it was close enough. He gripped his drink tighter as he wished he was someplace else. Anywhere would do, just so long as he could get away from this reception and all these way-too-happy shifters and the former home that carried way too many bad memories. “You have something against pink?” Russell took a deep drink of his overly sweet punch and had to repress a shudder. “It’s just not Cassie. That gal has chesticals so big that I’m surprised she didn’t go with a blue and black theme. The other day I told her she was too small to handle a grenade launcher and she punched me in the nuts so hard, I sang soprano for nearly two hours.” Stunned, Russell finally turned to look at the speaker and nearly choked on his punch. Not because of the outlandish statement, but because he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen something so hot, so sexy and so damn cute. Since Russell got around that said a lot. A couple inches shorter than Russell and about fifty pounds lighter, the shifter looked to be in his early twenties. The tall, lithe build marked the 11

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male as feline, although Russell wasn’t sure what type. He wore civilian clothes, consisting of a pair of high-end jeans and a button up red shirt. The sleeves rolled up to reveal thin arms. A rainbow, rope bracelet dangled on the man’s wrist. The feline looked up from under the fringe of his dark bangs, an impish, tiny grin playing on his full lips. While his black hair was cut short, the front was left a bit longer so it flopped over his huge, almost innocent looking blue eyes. “You know what? You’re right. The cake looks nice. In fact, there are a few things that look yummy here,” Russell drawled back. Russell didn’t know what shocked him more, that he was using such a lame line or that he’d just popped off the word yummy. If the Wolves who worked under him only knew, they’d never let him live it down. The feline grinned wider, the sweetest dimple making a brief appearance on his full cheeks. “You’re not talking about food, are you?” “No, I’m not,” Russell confessed. He’d always been brutally honest, so why change? “That has to rank in the top ten worst pickup lines used on me.” The man tilted his head to the side as his gaze swept up and down Russell. “Do you have a lot of guys coming on to you?” “About two or three a day. There aren’t too many Lynxes in our coalition so I’m sort of an 12

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oddity to them.” Russell was willing to bet that it had to do with a lot more than the guy being an exotic breed. He could have been a common tomcat and men still would have been drawn to the sensual, yet sweet feline. Just as quickly as that thought occurred to Russell, a rush of jealously swept over him. The mere thought of anybody touching the man in front of him made Russell want to growl in protest. “What’s your name?” he asked, trying to keep his voice even lest he scare away the feline. “Dalton. What’s yours?” “Russell.” Dalton’s lips pursed in a knowing expression before he said, “Oh, I heard about you.” The need to curse grew strong as Russell felt a bit of shame over who he was. “What exactly did you hear?” “That you’re the one to go to if somebody needs guns, drugs or other junk.” “I’ve never dealt drugs,” Russell pointed out quickly. “I’ve never touched the stuff.” Something that may have been admiration flicked over Dalton’s eyes. “I also heard that you helped rescue Trevor and his friends when they were captured by slavers.” “Are you close to Trevor?” “Sure, he and his mate are letting me live with 13

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them.” Dalton’s eyes narrowed. “But it’s perfectly platonic, we’re not into each other, if you know what I mean.” Amused by the Lynx’s sassy comment, Russell almost laughed. He forced himself to hold it in lest Dalton think he was being mocked. “So does that mean you’re into somebody else?” An endearing flush came over Dalton’s cheeks as he shook his head, his hair flopping even more into his eyes. “Nah, nobody has really done anything for me.” Russell bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling as relief flooded through him at the thought of the young Lynx being unclaimed. “Why not?” Dalton tilted his face up, his gaze growing a bit darker, even as the blush spread further over his face. “Because none of them have been a tall wolf with brown hair and eyes.” Arousal shot through Russell, his Wolf growling its own approval. Setting down the cup, Russell curled his hands into loose fists. The urge to grab Dalton and drag him into an empty room so they could have their own private celebration nearly made Russell lose control of his emotions. “Lucky you, there are plenty of Wolves here who fit that description,” Russell replied in a deceptively mild tone. Inside the word mine! Mine! Mine! Beat in time with his heart. 14

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Dalton reached out and trailed a finger down the center of Russell’s chest. “True, but there’s only one Wolf who interests me.” Russell’s body burned from Dalton’s brief caress. “And who is that?” A sexy chuckle drifted past Dalton’s lips. The sound so rich and melodic, it made Russell’s cock jerk in response. Leaning in close, Dalton whispered, “If you have to ask that, then you’re not the guy I thought you were.” Russell swallowed hard as he scrambled for a witty reply. He’d been with plenty of guys. All of whom had been more experienced and older than Dalton, yet none of them had affected Russell so strongly. How some young, tease managed to turn him on so much when so many others had failed was a mystery. Damn, if Russell cared enough to struggle to come up with an answer either. All that mattered to him was how he was going to get Dalton alone, naked and under him. Russell scanned the room, looking for some place where they could sneak away. The exit was all the way across the hall, so that was out. Especially since Chris was making a speech inches from the door. The next option was the bathroom, but that was out, too, since too many shifters were coming in and out. Desperate, Russell finally grabbed Dalton and 15

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led him to a small alcove nearby. It was small and taken up by coats, but it would serve their needs adequately enough. Putting his hand in the center of Dalton’s chest, Russell gave a gentle shove until the Lynx’s back was pressed against a wall. Dalton’s lips parted in shock, his eyes widening in the most endearing way. “You don’t waste any time, do you?” Dalton asked, his hands going up to rest on Russell’s shoulders. “Not when I see something that I want,” Russell growled. He leaned down and captured Dalton’s lips in a hard, yet sensual kiss. Dalton let out a soft whimper before he became plaint, sagging into Russell. A thrill of possession went through Russell as he wrapped his arms around the younger man, completing holding him in his embrace. Tearing his lips away, Russell gazed into Dalton’s passion-infused gaze. “How old are you?” While Dalton looked old enough, Russell was going make damn sure before things went too far. While he may be a professional criminal, there were some depths that not even he would stoop. “Nineteen,” Dalton replied, his voice thick with arousal. “How old are you?” 16

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“Thirty.” The impish grin returned to Dalton’s lips. “Wow, you’re old.” Disappointment slammed into Russell. “Too old for you?” Dalton shook his head, the smile still firmly in place. “Nah. I’ve always liked it when my guys had a few years on me.” The plural use of guys made Russell want to snarl in protest. If he had his way, Dalton wouldn’t so much as look at another male again. “Kiss me again. Please?” Dalton pled as he tilted his lips up invitingly. That was a request that never would have to be asked twice. Russell lowered his head, their mouths once again meeting. This time he took things slower so he could savor the wild taste of Dalton and how the man’s tongue felt as his slid in to explore. There were so many things Russell wanted to do that he didn’t know where to start. Various ideas flashed through his head, each one more erotic than the last. He visualized how it would look, to have Dalton kneeling before him, the Lynx’s pink lips stretching as they sucked off Russell’s cock. Next came the fantasy of jerking down Dalton’s pants, just enough so Russell could bend him over and fuck them both into oblivion. Then Dalton’s body trembled. It wasn’t much, 17

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just the tiniest of movements, but it was enough to let Russell know that the younger man wasn’t as experienced as his earlier teasing suggested. Although it was one of the hardest things he ever had to do, Russell pulled back and put a break on the encounter. He still kept Dalton in his arms, however, not willing to give up that comfort. Dalton swayed, a glazed, shocked expression coming over his eyes. “Why did you stop?” “Because if I didn’t, I was going to screw you right here and I don’t think your first time should be in a coat closet.” Russell lightly skidded his lips across Dalton’s jaw. “How do you know it will be my first time?” Dalton gasped. “Kitten, everything about you screams virgin.” Dalton nibbled on his bottom lip as he lowered his gaze. “I’m sure if you give me a chance I can catch on quick.” Regret washed through Russell as he realized he’d inadvertently hurt Dalton’s feelings. Tucking his fingers under Dalton’s chin, Russell made the feline meet his gaze. “There’s nothing wrong with you being inexperienced. If anything, it makes you even sexier.” “Then why did you stop?” “Make no mistake, kitten. We will fuck and I 18

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will be your first, but when it happens it’s going to be special, like you deserve.” Dalton pulled a face. “I’m not some girl who needs coddling.” Russell laughed. “If you were a girl, then it wouldn’t be an issue because I wouldn’t be interested in you.” “Then when? Where?” “How about we—” “Dalton, what in the hell are you doing?” A sharp voice sliced through the air, cutting Russell off. “Shit!” Dalton jumped, his eyes growing huge with alarm. Russell growled in irritation as he turned to face off against the intruder. A tall, thin, darkhaired male stood at the opening of the alcove. He wore the all black coalition uniform and a furious expression. “Let me guess, you’re Trevor,” Russell drawled. When Russell made no move to let Dalton go, the Lynx wiggled out of his hold and slid away from the wall. While Dalton didn’t step completely away, Russell still felt a sense of loss. The intruder lifted the corner of his mouth up in a sneer. “Yes, I’m Trevor and I know who you are, too. What I don’t know is why in the hell you just had your filthy paws all over my charge.” “Don’t talk about him that way. Besides, you 19

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have no right to tell me who I can and can’t be with,” Dalton argued. “I do when I see you’re about to make a huge mistake,” Trevor countered. “That’s not fair at all. Especially since Russell helped you out when the slavers had you.” It stunned Russell that Dalton so readily came to his defense, even though they’d known each other less than an hour. Trevor gave a slight nod, but the stubborn look on his face remained. “I appreciate him for doing that. It still doesn’t mean that I want him around you.” “Why don’t you let Dalton make that decision for himself?” Russell interjected. “Because Dalton’s been through a lot of crap this past year. The last thing he needs is some manipulative bastard to come into his life and mess things up for me,” Trevor snapped. “That wasn’t very nice,” Dalton chided. “Maybe not, but he’s right,” Russell admitted, hating himself all the more at that moment. “I’ve done things that would make Satan blush in shame.” “Oh,” Dalton sighed as he nibbled on his lip. “Why do you act so taken aback? You told me earlier you knew about my past.” “True, I’d just hoped that the stories were exaggerated.” 20

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Russell pressed his mouth together as it was he who lowered his gaze. No, the stories hadn’t been exaggerated. He was rotten to the core. Then he glanced up at Dalton and sucked in a breath as he spotted something in the Lynx’s gaze. It was so foreign to Russell that it took him a few moments to recognize it. Even after that, it still took him a few more moments to actually believe that it was being directed at him. Dalton was giving him what could only be called a hopeful, yet devoted look. Like, while he knew that Russell was crap, Dalton still saw some good. Trevor reached out, grabbed Dalton by the hand and dragged the younger man to the opening of the alcove. “Come on, let’s get home. Shane will be waiting for us.” Dalton gave Russell one last regretful glance before he gave a tiny nod. Not that Russell blamed him for his choice. While they had some pretty damn strong chemistry, they’d just met, whereas he’d known and trusted Trevor for much longer. It still didn’t mean the rejection didn’t sting like a bitch. They started to leave and Russell felt a rush of panic as he realized that he may never see Dalton again. Desperate for that not to happen, Russell rushed forward. “I’ll let you take him tonight, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on him.” 21

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They paused, a look of fury crossing Trevor’s face. Dalton, on the other hand, grinned as his eyes sparkled with amusement. Slowly turning, Trevor said, “Do you have a death wish or something?” Truth be told, up until an hour ago, Russell sometimes wondered the same thing himself. Because despite all the money and power, his life had been empty. That was until a certain Lynx wandered into his life and knocked everything on its ass. “Not anymore.” “Then why in the hell are you being so persistent about this?” Locking gazes with Dalton, Russell replied, “Because he belongs with me and nothing is going to stop me from claiming him.” Trevor smirked at him. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.” He dragged Dalton away. As he watched them leave, Russell vowed to himself that no matter what he had to do, even if he had to change everything about himself, he’d somehow prove himself worthy of Dalton. Most of all, he wouldn’t give up until the Lynx was where he belonged—by Russell’s side and under his protection.

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Chapter One

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ow just where in the hell could his little Lynx be? That question rebounded over and over in Russell’s head as he scanned the crowded sidewalk, all in hopes of spotting the younger man’s familiar head of spiked, dark hair. All he saw were humans and ice sculptures…a lot of ice sculptures to be more specific. There were also various stands selling things like roasted chestnuts and hot chocolate. Pretty much what one would expect at an outdoor winter fair. Russell shivered as he pulled the lapels of his dark wool coat closed. Why in the hell somebody thought hanging outside in twenty degree weather could be considered fun was beyond him. Yet, here his lame ass was, hanging with the rest of the festival attendees. Although, unlike them he wasn’t there to see the local dance studio kids tap to Winter Wonderland or to marvel at the ice block that had been sculpted into a perfectly formed 23

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angel. No, he was there for one reason and one reason only—Dalton. Although the little brat was several years younger than Russell and, despite the fact that Dalton was feline whereas Russell was Wolf, the Lynx had managed to get under Russell’s skin. All it’d taken was one brief conversation to do so. Russell noticed one of the Wolf guards flanking him shifting his feet in annoyance. It took everything Russell had not to snap out at the guy. Really, if he thought about it, he could understand his guard’s agitation. Even Russell didn’t fully understand what in the hell they were doing there and he was the one who instigated the trip in the first place. “Are you sure that he’s even going to be here?” Tobias asked. As Russell’s second-in-command and younger brother, Tobias usually didn’t hesitate to speak up. The other Wolves in the pack kept silent out of fear and respect for Russell. Not only was he Alpha of their ragtag group, but he also used to run the biggest shifter criminal enterprise in Michigan. So, usually his pack mates just kept their damn mouths shut and followed without question. Try telling that to Tobias though, he’d been talking from almost the day he was born and hadn’t stopped once in the twenty-five years that have passed. 24

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Cutting a dirty look in his brother’s direction, Russell almost found glee in the fact that his brother was only wearing a thin leather jacket. Served the brat right for being so mouthy. Then Tobias gave him that crooked smile, the one that made his dark eyes light up with mischief and Russell felt some of his anger fade. He could never stay mad at Tobias and the little punk knew it. Reaching out, Russell gave Tobias’s dark, brown hair a playful tug. “You need a haircut.” Not missing a beat, Tobias looked up hopefully. “Can I go do it now? The salon has to be a whole hell of a lot warmer than being out here hunting for that damn cat.” “Nice try and he’s a Lynx, not some damn cat.” Tobias rolled his eyes. “Seriously, what is it about this guy that has your nuts in such a twist? “ Russell really wished he could answer that since he’d asked himself the same question numerous times. Since he lacked anything better to say, he shrugged, “He intrigues me.” Tobias cocked a brow, adding in a snort of disbelief to further his disrespectful behavior. “Yeah, because it’s every day that people lavish multi-thousand dollar gifts on people who just intrigue them.” “It was only one car,” Russell defended, before amending, “and a laptop and cell phone, but that’s only so we could talk more.” 25

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“And why is that?” Tobias asked with mocking sweetness. “Oh, that’s right. It’s because his two daddies don’t want him playing with the big, bad wolf.” Russell didn’t know whether to smack Tobias for his flippant behavior or simply for the fact that his last comment had been riddled with so many bad clichés. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Russell let out a sigh, “They’re not his fathers. They are just a pair of guardians the feline coalition assigned Dalton to. They’re only helping him until he gets settled in and finds a place of his own.” “I don’t know. They seem pretty damn protective of him. Didn’t they say that they don’t want you to see Dalton?” Yes, both of Dalton’s guardians had made it perfectly clear to Russell that he was to stay away from the Lynx. Given that Shane—one of said guardians—was a highly trained assassin, that alone would have scared away most usual suitors. Too bad for them that Russell wasn’t normal. He wasn’t easily intimidated either. Tobias frowned. “Are you sure he’s worth the risk? I’ve heard Shane can be really scary. Even the Hyena shifters are terrified of him and you know how scrappy those bastards usually are.” “Yes, he’s most definitely worth it,” Russell declared, a warm surge going through him as he 26

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finally spotted Dalton. The younger man was wrapped up in a large, puffy winter coat, a pair of thick gloves on his hands. His hair was covered in a matching wool hat, but bits of his unruly black hair stuck out from under the edges. Two other shifters who were around the same age as Dalton flanked them. Since Russell had made it his business to know about every aspect of Dalton’s life, he instantly recognized them as Gage and Chance. A smile spread over Russell’s face as he made out the telltale bulges under the younger shifters’ jackets. At least they were smart enough not to go out in public unarmed. Tobias narrowed his eyes at Dalton. “Sorry, bro. He’s cute in a hoppy bunny kind of way, but I don’t see what makes him so special.” To be honest, neither did Russell. He usually liked his men hard, built and older. None of which Dalton was. But for some odd reason the Lynx was an itch that Russell just knew he had to scratch. Dalton finally approached, the Lynx’s gaze never leaving Russell. A soft smile played over Dalton’s lips as he idly ran a gloved hand over one of the ice sculptures. “I wonder what this is supposed to be?” Russell gave it a brief glance. “I think it’s an 27

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eagle in flight.” “They didn’t really do a good job of it,” Dalton remarked with a playful scrunching of his nose. “It doesn’t look anything like Xavier or Riley. Of course, since Riley is still afraid of heights, I haven’t seen him flying in Eagle form. But I still have the general idea.” Tobias snorted. “Are you saying that there is an Eagle shifter who is afraid of flying? That’s just fucked up.” Dalton shot a pointed look at Tobias’s fur collared coat. “Not as much as a Wolf wearing real fur.” A flush that had nothing to do with the cold air covered Tobias’s cheeks. Nodding at Dalton’s buddies, he asked, “Since when are felines so tight with a Hawk and Raven? I could maybe see the Hawk, but we all know what assholes Ravens are.” Dalton’s eyes flashed with fury and the Hawk let out a low snarl. Russell groaned as he resisted the urge to pull out his own gun and use it on Tobias. He wouldn’t kill the ass, just harm him enough so he wasn’t up to running his yap. “Chance is my friend so I suggest you shut up before I rip out your tongue and bitch slap you with it,” Dalton snarled. Russell chuckled. It looked like living with an assassin had brought out the badass side of his 28

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little Lynx. While he should be angry at the threat toward his brother, instead Russell found himself turned on by Dalton’s fury. Tobias must have realized he’d gone too far because he held up both hands. “I’m sorry. Although, I do find one thing funny.” “Oh, really? What’s that?” Dalton snapped. “We have so many different species of shifters present we could do our own version on The Backyardagins.” One corner of Dalton’s lips kicked up into the beginnings of a grin. “Now, why would a badass Wolf like you know anything about that show?” The flush on Tobias’s face grew. When he just shuffled his feet and didn’t reply, Russell couldn’t resist the urge to blurt, “Because up until recently his main duty was watching over the pups from a neighboring pack.” The Hawk and Raven laughed while Dalton just gave a gentle smile. “I think that’s sweet. I used to watch over the younger litter in my family…” He trailed off, all the good humor vanishing from his face. Russell let out a silent curse. The first thing he’d learned about Dalton had been what had happened to him and his family and it hadn’t been good. Snake shifters had attacked their home, killing the entire family but Dalton, who had been taken captive and forced into slavery. 29

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Displaying a bit of tenderness that not even he knew he possessed, Russell reached out and gently cupped Dalton’s cheek. The flesh felt so cool and soft under Russell’s touch. “Hey, don’t think about that time right now. Today is supposed to be all about fun. Right?” Dalton looked up from under his lashes, the emotions flashing through his blue eyes awakening a sense of empathy in Russell he thought had long died away. With a tiny quivering of his lips, Dalton nodded. “Yeah, and I seem to remember that in your last text, you promised me some hot chocolate.” Putting his hand against the small of Dalton’s back, Russell led the way to the stand that sold the beverages. The others followed, keeping back a few steps. Dalton cast a brief glance over his shoulder. “I feel like we have a bunch of guardians watching out for my honor or something.” Russell laughed. “You did bring half of the crew with you.” “Yeah, well the coalition leader doesn’t want any of us going out on our own and from what I hear, with the life you lead, you need to have bodyguards.” Glancing over, Russell looked for any signs of disgust on Dalton’s face, but there was none. “Does it bother you how I make a living?” 30

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“You’re richer than snot, I’d say that’s a little more than just making a living.” Dalton shrugged. “It bugs me some, but not enough to stop talking to you.” Completely taken aback by Dalton’s honestly, Russell blurted, “Why?” Dalton gave him a tender smile. “For the same reason why you gave your brother a job as your secondhand man, even though it’s obvious by how small he is, he’s the runt of the litter. Most others would have just made the weakest in the pack do only menial jobs. But you didn’t do that to Tobias.” “Of course not. I could never do that to him. He’s my brother.” Tilting his head to the side, Dalton gifted Russell with a full-out smile. “See, and that’s the reason why I don’t want to stop talking to you. There’s some good in you, Russell. Even if you refuse to see it, it’s as plain as day to me.” Shocked, Russell could only stand, doing what he was sure was a near perfect impression of one of the ice sculptures. Was Dalton crazy or something? There was nothing good left in Russell. It had all been whipped out of him the day his old pack beat and then exiled him for being gay. Since then, Russell refused to let anyone in. Hell, he even kept Tobias at arm’s reach and that was the only real kin he had 31

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anymore. Sure, he had a couple of cousins that lived at the feline coalition, but Russell almost never spoke to them. And while another cousin now led the old pack and had tried to persuade Russell to come back, he wanted no part of them. That was his old life, the past, and he was determined to keep it that way. Never again would he be that scared, young, beaten Wolf that he had been when he’d last belonged to that damn pack. Now he had his own pack. Sure, most of them were rogue or criminals, but they answered to him and they had managed to eke out an existence. Hell, they’d done a lot more than that. Dalton hadn’t been exaggerating when he said Russell was richer than snot. So why in the hell Dalton thought that there was any good in Russell was a damn mystery. Dalton nodded to the stand. “I’ll take a large, with extra whipped cream on it.” Nodding dumbly, Russell stepped forward and placed the order.

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Chapter Two

D

alton repressed a shiver of lust as he watched Russell talking to the vendor. Who knew that the simple act of placing an order could look so damn sexy? Even though Russell should have looked out of place, dressed in his usual high-end business attire, while the rest of the fair goers wore casual, the Wolf had an elegance about him. One that made him look good no matter where he was. He wore a long wool coat over his dark suit and even though the ground was slushy, his leather shoes remained spotless. Almost as if not even Mother Nature dared to fuck with the man. His dark hair remained perfectly groomed and in place, even when a sharp gust of wind blew by. While everybody else shivered, Russell remained as stoic as ever, his chiseled face set in its normal, natural expression. It gave Dalton a bit of a heady satisfaction to know that he was one of only a few to see that 33

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mask slip. When it had, he’d gotten a real view of the man under all the hard shields and it had made Dalton melt—he’d been a goner ever since. Sure, he’d heard all the tales about how Russell made all his money and some of the bad things he’d done in the past. Dalton refused to let that taint how he felt about Russell though, because Dalton knew deep down the Wolf was really good. It just may take a bit of digging to get to that gooey center, but Dalton could be stubborn if he wanted to and he was determined not to give up on Russell. Dalton let his gaze wander over the Wolf’s tall body, even under the coat it was easy to see how built Russell was and the naughty part in Dalton wanted to lick every inch of those muscles. Russell turned and handed the cup to Dalton. Their fingers brushed together on the exchange and Dalton held in a groan as tingles of desire shot through his body. They both froze, their fingers still in contact for a couple of breaths. Even through the thick layers of their gloves, Russell’s touch affected Dalton in the most powerful way. The air became so heated with sexual tension that it was a wonder that crappy eagle ice sculpture didn’t melt. Dalton’s breath caught in his chest and he became oblivious of everything else—their friends who were still standing nearby, 34

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the lull of the crowd, the cold of the air. All of it seemed to fade away as Dalton’s mind became focused on one thing only—Russell. Russell’s brown eyes darkened with passion and he used his free hand to cup Dalton’s cheek. Even though the material from Russell’s gloves prevented direct skin-on-skin contact, Dalton found himself nuzzling into the touch. God, he wanted to rub all over Russell. For the first time ever in his life, he felt the feline shifter urge to cover a mate in his scent. To mark the man as his and his alone. Russell ran his thumb along Dalton’s skin. “Do you have any idea how sexy you are?” Russell asked, his voice husky with need. The tone of his voice sent fresh shivers of desire through Dalton. “Not really. Most everybody just treats me like their cute, bratty, kid brother.” “You may be small, but you are all grown up.” Oh, wow. While it may not be the best compliment he’d received, it still made Dalton’s chest swell with emotion. Running his tongue over his lips, Dalton recalled the time not too long ago when they’d kissed. The passion between them at the time had been so strong that Dalton hadn’t been able to think of anything else but the Wolf ever since. Dalton wondered if they kissed again if it would be so wonderful. Surely, something so 35

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earth-shattering couldn’t be repeated? Or could it? Unable to resist finding out, Dalton stood on tiptoe and pressed his lips to Russell’s. Dalton meant for the kiss to be brief, but then Russell let out a growl and took over, one arm snaking around Dalton’s waist. With a firm jerk, Dalton found himself pressed tight to the Wolf, their body molding together perfectly. He barely had time to recover enough to keep a grip on his cup. Desire crashed into Dalton, making his head spin as his knees literally grew weak. A small whimper slipped past him when Russell’s tongue thrust inside his mouth. The Wolf left no area untouched, his tongue stroking and caressing in a show of dominance that made Dalton want to roll over and purr in pleasure. When Russell tore their lips apart, Dalton let out a small growl of protest before he started to rub his cheek against the Wolf’s neck. Russell let out a small chuckle as he gently carded his gloved fingers through the front of Dalton’s hair. “Are you trying to mark me with your scent?” Russell asked. Busted! Dalton paused, mid-rub, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a plausible excuse. The last thing he wanted was to come off as some freak. After all, what sane feline would try to mark somebody as theirs after only meeting 36

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them twice? “It’s okay,” Russell soothed. “In fact, I find it kind of flattering?” “You do?” “Yes, but unfortunately, that whole scent thing doesn’t work with Wolf shifters. Our own base scent is so strong it overrides everything else.” Disappointment crashed over Dalton and he nipped at his bottom lip, a flame of embarrassment coming over his face. He lowered his gaze to his slush-covered boots. “Oh, I didn’t know that.” Tucking his fingers under Dalton’s chin, Russell forced him to look up. “I wouldn’t worry though. After that kiss, I think everybody knows who you belong to.” It should have irked Dalton that Russell was the one claiming ownership, but instead it sent a warm wave over him. It’d been so long since he’d belonged that it felt good to know that he was Russell’s, if even for a little bit. Sure Trevor and Shane had taken him under their wing and Dalton knew they cared about him, it just wasn’t the same. Dalton had still always felt that empty ache in his chest that had been there since his family had been murdered. With Russell though, for some odd reason that ache seemed to lessen a bit. Which both mystified and terrified Dalton at the same time. 37

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“I hate to break up this touching moment, but we’re kind of attracting attention and holding up the line here,” Gage interrupted gently. Dalton started as he was rudely jerked back to reality. A rush of embarrassment went through him when he realized, not only were they still standing in front of the vendor’s stand, but they’d attracted quite an audience. “Oops,” he said, for lack of anything better to say. At least most of the bystanders didn’t appear upset by the PDA , a few of them even smiled. Which, since they were in a small town in Michigan, was pleasantly surprising. Russell nodded to them. “Sorry for holding you all up.” He then ushered Dalton over to a bench. Dalton sat down and took a drink of his almost forgotten cocoa. As soon as the mixture of warm chocolate and whipped cream hit his taste buds, he couldn’t hold back his groan of pleasure. “That’s what I like best about you,” Russell said as he sat next to Dalton. “What? That I have a weakness for chocolate?” Russell shook his head, a tiny smile playing on his lips. “No, I admire the way that you’re such an open book. Whenever I’m around you, you’re just yourself, without any falseness or fake charm. With everybody else, they always say and do what 38

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I want them to, or at least what they think I want them to do.” Dalton cocked a brow. “Well, you do have a reputation of being a bit of a meanie at times.” He winced. Damn it—there he went, letting his mouth move faster than his brain. It’d been a bad habit he’d never been able to shake. To Dalton’s relief, Russell let out a loud laugh. The other wolves gaped at their Alpha in shock, almost as if they’d never seen the man act that way before. Dalton flushed and ducked his head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to diss you in front of your pack members or anything.” To his shock, Russell leaned forward and placed another kiss on Dalton’s lips. Although, much to his disappointment the second kiss was so quick it was over almost before he knew it’d started. “What was that for?” Dalton asked, bringing a gloved hand up to his lips. “For being you. I happen to like everything about you. Especially the part of you that isn’t afraid to speak your mind.” “I don’t know if it’s so much that or the fact that I have no inner monologue,” Dalton mumbled. “Besides, how can you know for sure that you even like me? We only met in person once before today.” Russell leaned in close and whispered, “Ah, but 39

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what an encounter that was. I’ll never be able to look at a coat closet the same way again.” A rush of pleasure went through Dalton. “We didn’t do really much, just kissed some.” “Let’s just say you left a lasting impression. Besides, we’ve talked plenty since then.” “Just a few conversations over that phone and computer you insisted on buying for me.” Dalton scrunched up his nose. “Plus that expensive ass car. Who in the hell buys that for somebody they just met?” “Do you want to give it back? Was it too much?” Dalton shook his head so hard he almost lost his hat. “No way. That car is sweet. Sorry about even asking that last question, it was my inner monologue running rampant again.” Russell reached out and gently traced Dalton’s lips. “Maybe we need to find something else more interesting for that mouth to do.” “Oh, I am so on board for that,” Dalton whimpered, his cock growing hard, despite the cold weather. “Sorry to interrupt the love-fest, but I think we have some company coming,” Chance interrupted, nodding toward the crowd. Dalton groaned as he saw Shane and Trevor approaching and neither one of them looked happy. “Shoot, I didn’t think they’d figure out 40

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where I was going.” With an unconcerned shrug, Russell said, “Shane is an assassin and tracker. It’s his business to know where everybody is at all times.” Anger surged through Dalton. Okay, so maybe they were his guardians, but that still shouldn’t mean he couldn’t go out on a frigging date. He sprang to his feet as they approached. “What’s the problem?” The two Wolf bodyguards took a step closer to Russell, no doubt fearing Shane and that he’d lash out at the Alpha. The move didn’t surprise Dalton since most shifters were wary of Shane. Which Dalton thought was kind of unfair. Sure, the guy may kill people for a living, but it was only jerks who deserved it and were a threat to the coalition. Or at least most of the time they were. While Shane may look all young and innocent with his blond hair and doe eyes, he gave off a dangerous vibe that rivaled even Russell’s. Although, in Dalton’s opinion, Russell had a much more sexier edge to him. Flicking a bored glance over the bodyguards, Shane said, “I thought we agreed that it wouldn’t be a good idea for you to see this mutt.” Dalton’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “You did not just talk to me like I’m some kind of child and you’re my disapproving father.” “Actually, he kind of did,” Tobias butted in. 41

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Shane lifted the corner of his lip and snarled at the Wolf. “Stay out of this, Snoopy. It’s no concern of yours.” Tobias cocked his head to the side. “Actually, since you’re talking about my brother like that it is.” Dalton had to hand it to the young Wolf, he had balls of steel. There weren’t too many who dared to talk to Shane that way. Russell stood, then put a restraining hand on Tobias’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Shane is just watching out for Dalton. After everything he’s been through, I don’t blame his guardians for being overprotective.” “It still doesn’t mean they get to dictate every aspect of my life. Last time I checked I was nineteen, which makes me a legal adult, even in the human world,” Dalton spat. “And how old is he?” Shane nodded toward Russell. “Thirty.” “Which makes him way too old for you.” “Not in my opinion and that’s all that matters.” Trevor stepped forward. Unlike Shane, he was the perfect example of calm. From his dark hair that was styled in a casual messy way, to the gentle expression on his face. “We’re just worried about you, Dalton. Sometimes you can be too trusting and we don’t want to see you get hurt.” 42

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“Too trusting?” Dalton echoed, outraged. “Isn’t that what some people said to you about Shane?” Dalton knew he’d scored some points when Trevor flushed and looked away. Ha! Take that one, Mr. Buttinsky. “Shit,” Shane growled under his breath. Dalton set down his cup and crossed his arms over his chest. “What now?” “We have trouble.” “Yeah, you guys won’t leave me alone. We already established that.” Russell tensed, one hand going under his coat to grab at his gun. “No, it’s not that. I smell a bunch of Ravens and they’re coming our way.” “And because we’re in the middle of all this mess,” Shane waved a hand at the fair, “we didn’t scent them soon enough.” Dalton’s heart began to hammer. “So what are you trying to say?” Russell pressed his lips together in a grim line. “It means that we’re going to have to fight them right here. There’s no time for us to make a run for it.” Fight right there? In the middle of a crowd of innocent humans? No way! Dalton couldn’t allow that to happen. He’d already had to deal with that once before at a local mall and he still remembered the screams of horror from the civilians, the acrid scent of their fear. While no humans had ended up 43

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getting hurt, it still wasn’t an experience Dalton wanted to repeat. “We can’t have a battle with all these people around us. An innocent could get hurt,” Dalton argued frantically. Shane nodded down the street. “Try telling them that.” Fear gripped Dalton as he saw, mixed in amongst all the people and ice sculptures, a small gang of Ravens walking their way. Even if they hadn’t already been scented, Dalton would have recognized them on sight. Unlike Chance, most other Ravens were, well…gross. From their lanky, greasy black hair to their freaky-ass pit-like eyes, they reminded Dalton of a bunch of Goth kids gone wrong. They all were even pale and wore black leather like the teens did. Dalton gulped. “I don’t suppose they maybe just came for the cocoa and roasted nuts? Well, this just sucks. Maybe we’ll get lucky and all that ugly leather of theirs will crack in the cold. I mean, even from here I can tell it’s cheap as hell.” The rest of the group looked at him like he’d lost his ever-loving mind. Dalton shrugged. “No inner monologue. Remember?” Then the rest of the group grabbed for their weapons and Dalton knew there was no way things were going to end well. Especially when 44

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the Ravens all pulled out guns of their own. “Damn, it. Can’t I go out just once without it turning into a major cluster fuck?” Dalton groaned. He then reached under his coat and pulled out his own gun, an early Christmas present from Shane. When Russell cocked a questioning brow, Dalton smiled. “Living with an assassin and a coalition soldier does have some great benefits. One of them is that they trained the hell out of me and now I can actually hit what I’m shooting at.” Dalton gave what he hoped was a wicked grin before adding, “At least most of the time I can. But hey, how hard can it be? If it’s ugly and dressed in all black, I just take it down.” Despite his flippant words, a ball of worry churned in Dalton’s stomach. Especially as the Ravens drew in closer. Swallowing hard, he steeled himself for the coming battle. A shrill scream ripped through the air as some woman noticed all the weapons. The Ravens responded by raising their weapons and shooting into…the crowd? “What the fuck? They’ve never attacked humans before,” Tobias snarled. “They’re changing the rules. Now, not only do we have our own asses to save, but every human out here, “Shane snarled. Great, just when Dalton thought things couldn’t 45

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get any worse. He tightened his grip on his gun as he surged forward with the others to attack the Ravens.

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Chapter Three

R

ussell let out a snarl as he reached out to push Dalton behind him, only to have the Lynx jump out of his grasp. “Take cover,” Russell snapped, more out of concern than anger. Dalton shook his head. “I can handle myself. Watch.” Raising his gun, Dalton aimed and fired at one of the Ravens, hitting the bastard in the shoulder. The Raven let out a yelp as he dropped to one knee, his hand going to cover the wound that gushed with blood. The humans began to run in all directions as the rest of the Ravens continued to fire on the civilians. Russell felt bile build up in his throat as he watched numerous bodies fall to the ground, crimson mixing in with the snow. “The bastards. Why would they want to attack humans? They have to know that’s going to bring the government down on our heads,” Dalton 47

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exclaimed. “That’s exactly what they want. If the regular human population finds out about the existence of shifters and thinks we’re a danger to them, then they’ll start hunting all of us down. They won’t care if we’re Raven, Wolf or Elephant. We’ll all be the same as far as they’re concerned,” Russell explained right before he took aim and took out another Raven. Fury filled Russell because he knew the implications of what this incident would have on all of them. Because Tobias was in the middle of all this mess, and despite all his best intentions, his brother sucked at fighting. And also because Dalton was in danger. “Tobias, take Dalton and get the hell out of here,” Russell ordered. Of course neither of them moved to obey. Not that Russell expected them to, but he had to give it one more try. He shot the pair a warning glare and they both had the audacity to return it. Then all thoughts of arguing were thrust aside when a couple of the Ravens shifted into their bird form and took flight. “Well, shit now the cat is really out of the bag. There is no way we can explain away six foot tall Ravens,” Tobias huffed. “This really isn’t the time for puns,” Trevor shot back as he put a fresh magazine into his gun. 48

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Tobias cocked his head to the side. “Pun?” Then understanding slowly dawned over his face and he grinned. “Oh, I get it now. Hey, I was funny.” Russell turned to Finnegan, the other Wolf with them. “Take one of the others and start trying to evacuate as many humans as possible. Take them through the south exit while we try to contain the birds here.” “I’ll go with you,” Gage offered and the two took off running. Russell turned to Shane. “Are you ready to take out these bastards?” The crazy feline grinned at him, as if he lived for nothing more than to be under the receiving end of the Raven’s furor. “Hell, yeah.” Russell shook his head. Yet everybody thought that he was the one who was the bad influence on Dalton. One of the Ravens, still in human form, launched forward and tackled Chance. “Traitor,” the Raven hissed as he began to punch Chance. “Oh, save it,” Dalton drawled as he shot the Raven in the leg. The Raven rolled off Chance and writhed around in agony for a moment before Shane drew on him and shot him the skull. The Raven was dead before his head hit the ground. Pinning Dalton with a glare, Shane said, “What 49

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have I told you? You always go for the kill shot. Don’t give them a chance to get back at you.” Russell wanted to lash out at Shane. Didn’t he realize that Dalton wasn’t like them? Despite all the crap he’d been through, the Lynx managed to keep a sweet innocence about him and Russell didn’t want to see that ever get crushed. He yearned to punch Shane, but he didn’t have a chance since all the Ravens were now on top of them. Some of the birds attempted to make it to the area where Finnegan and Gage were trying to herd the humans, but Russell and the others did a good job of keeping them off. It struck Russell that the Ravens weren’t very good fighters at all. Which meant they were either a rogue group or so low in the ranks of their murder that they were sent out on what amounted to a suicide mission. It only took them a few minutes to pick off the remaining Ravens, but by then the damage had been done. Not only were there numerous bodies on the ground, most of which were innocent fairgoers, but Russell had spotted at least one person taking a picture of the incident before they fled. Tobias let out a growl of frustration before he walked up to the eagle ice sculpture and shot it, shards of ice flying everywhere. “What was that for?” Russell demanded. 50

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“Because I had to take my frustrations out on something and since that thing was ugly, I thought it would do.” Dalton shrugged. “He’s right. It was pretty hideous.” Shane tucked his weapons back into his coat and nodded to Gage and the Wolf as they rejoined them. “We need to get the hell out of here. I can already hear the sirens approaching.” “Yeah, I think we need to regroup at the coalition headquarters and let Mitchell know what happened,” Trevor added before he turned and gave Russell a pointed look. “That means all of us. He’s going to want to hear a report from you, too.” Normally, Russell would have told them to fuck off, but given the situation, he thought it best that all decent forms of shifters try to get along. At least until they figured out the mess that the damn Ravens had just created. “Okay. Dalton can ride with me,” Russell replied as he reached out and grabbed the Lynx’s wrist. Shane’s eyes narrowed dangerously and for a moment Russell thought the feline would object, but in the end, the Leopard gave a curt nod. “Fine, now let’s get the hell out of here.” He ushered Dalton to the area where he’d parked his Hummer. Not for the first time, Russell 51

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felt grateful for always making sure to tuck his ride in some hidden lot or alley so he could be sure to make a quick getaway. This time, he’d chosen a church parking lot a few blocks away. “Our Lady of the Redeemer?” Dalton snarked as he saw the name of the building. “Yeah, so what of it?” Russell asked. Dalton smirked. “Oh, nothing. I just think it’s kind of ironic.” “How so?” Standing on tiptoe, Dalton whispered, “Because I plan on redeeming you in everybody’s eyes. That way they will know what I do.” Russell’s body tingled at the close contact. “And what’s that?” “That you’re really good on the inside.” Russell stilled. “How are you so sure I am? I’ve done some pretty bad stuff in the past.” Dalton pulled back to smile at him. “Yeah, but you’ve changed now. I heard through the grapevine that you haven’t been up to your usual games.” That part was true. Ever since he’d met Dalton, Russell had been intent on the Lynx and finding some way of becoming worthy of the younger shifter someday. He just hadn’t thought that word of going legit would have spread so quickly. “How do you know that?” Giving him a playful wink, Dalton said, “Let’s 52

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just say that you’re not the only one who was completely blown away by our little playtime in that closet. I’ve been keeping close tabs on you ever since and because some of my friends are the biggest gossips and hackers in the shifter community, it wasn’t hard for me to keep up on what you have and haven’t been doing.” That admission should have pissed Russell off since he usually zealously guarded his privacy, instead it sent a surge of pleasure through him. “So you like me then?” Sure, they’d exchanged some playful banter and done a bit of flirting during their online chats, but this was the first time that Dalton fessed up to having actual feelings for Russell. Dalton nodded, his tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip. The sight sent a jolt of arousal through Russell. While he would have loved to pin Dalton against the vehicle and fuck him senseless right then, Russell knew they really did have to get out of there. Although there were a few officers on the police force who knew about shifters, Russell didn’t see even those guys being understanding with so many civilian bodies on the ground. He ushered Dalton to the back door of the car and got in with him while Finnegan took the wheel. Tobias climbed in the passenger seat and turned around. “So are we really going to drive to 53

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the feline coalition?” Putting a protective arm around Dalton, Russell nodded. “We need to figure out how we’re going to fix this FUBAR situation the Ravens slapped us into.” “What? Did Tobias think that you were just going to kidnap me and take me back to your home?” Dalton teased. “I would rather that we took you down a long, deserted road and drop you off, but I have a sneaking feeling you’d still find your way back,” Tobias grumbled under his breath. Russell surprised everybody, including himself, when he let out a long snarl. “Don’t you ever threaten him again?” “Why not? Ever since this runt has entered the picture, you’ve been acting strange. You won’t do any of our regular business and all you can talk about is Dalton this…and Dalton that… I swear it’s getting kind of sickening. If I didn’t know better I’d swear he was a witch who cast a spell over you or something.” Russell moved forward to throttle his brother when something brought him up short…the tangy scent of blood. It wasn’t strong, but yet it was there. What’s more, it was coming from Dalton. Turning his attention to the Lynx, Russell reached over and unzipped Dalton’s coat and pulled apart the halves, his heart thudding when 54

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he spotted a small patch of blood marring the right side of Dalton’s blue t-shirt. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?” he asked in a harsh voice. Dalton glanced down at it and shrugged. “It’s just a flesh wound. No biggie. I’ve had way worse before.” A ball of fury burned in Russell. “When?” “Well, the snakes who kept me as a slave weren’t exactly too friendly.” When Russell let out a growl, Dalton reached out and put a finger over the Wolf’s lips. “Hey, they didn’t hurt me too often. They needed me in good condition so I could…” Dalton trailed off, a flush coming over his face. He took a deep breath before pressing on, “So I could breed with the females.” “Why would they want that?” Tobias asked from the front, his face a mask of revulsion. “So they could grow their own food instead of having to go out to hunt it,” Dalton replied dully. The whole car grew silent as the horror of Dalton’s words sank in. Tobias paled. “But I thought you were gay.” “I am.” “Then how did you…well, you know?” Russell wanted to end the interrogation, but a part of him sensed that it would do Dalton some good to talk about it. So instead, he pulled Dalton 55

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closer to his side and pressed a kiss on the man’s temple. Dalton took in a shuddering breath. “They had some weird kind of spider shifter working for them. The guy would come in and bite me and then I’d get so horny that I was ready to jump the first thing that they brought to me.” “Which was a female. Was she a Lynx, too?” “Yeah, the sickest part of it was she didn’t want me anymore than I did her, since she wasn’t into guys at all.” “So how did you get away from the snakes?” Tobias asked. Russell already knew the answer to that, but he let Dalton reply. “After they were done with me and my sperm, I was sold to another breeder. While I was at the new facility, the feline coalition busted in and set me free. Shortly after, Shane and Trevor took me in and I’ve been with them ever since. While they can never replace my true family, they’ve become like brothers to me.” “Do you know whatever happened to the female Lynx?” Tobias asked softly. “No, when they sold me we were separated. Not that we were really that close or anything, but I still worry about what happened to her.” Russell gave Dalton’s temple another kiss. “If you want, I’ll put out some feelers. I’m pretty sure 56

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that with my connections I can find her.” Dalton glanced up, his eyes suspiciously wet. “You would do that for me?” Yeah, Russell would. At that point, he’d fallen so under the Lynx’s spell that he would do anything for the shifter. Which both shocked and terrified Russell. Before, he’d never dared let anyone get close for fear of being hurt again, but now Dalton had managed to burrow right up to Russell’s heart. The crappiest thing about it was Russell knew that now he’d never be able to let the Lynx go. While some would think that was great, Russell knew that’d put the Lynx in danger because Russell had made some pretty powerful enemies in the past. Some who wouldn’t hesitate to use Dalton as a means to get back at Russell. Well, he would just have to make sure Dalton was protected at all times. Because Russell knew that if anything were to ever happen to the sweet man, that he’d never survive the pain. And heaven help anyone who was around him then because Russell would lose the last bit of humanity he had left.

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Chapter Four

D

alton’s breath hitched as Russell reached out and cupped his face. “I would do anything for you.” Leaning in so close that their faces were inches apart, Dalton whispered, “I have another confession, I’ve never been in any kind of real relationship. Before they were killed, my parents kept me pretty isolated from the rest of the world. So I’ve only been with that female. But I know that it’s this I want.” He ran his hand over Russell’s to signify what this meant. When he realized he still wore his gloves, Dalton hurriedly pulled them off, wanting to get as close to Russell as possible. Sliding his fingers under Russell’s jacket and suit coat, Dalton ran his fingers along the buttons of the Wolf’s dress shirt. “Have you ever thought of going the more casual route?” “No, it reminds me too much of who I used to be and I never want to go there again.” 58

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The brief flicker of pain in Russell’s brown eyes said there was so much to that statement, but Dalton decided to let it pass for the moment. Flicking a fingernail over a button, Dalton teased, “But if you wore less clothing it would be so much easier to get at you.” Russell’s eyes darkened with passion. “And what would you do if you did get at me, kitten?” A mixture of nerves and arousal filled Dalton, making him dizzy. “I’m sure I could figure it out. I’ve watched porn online after all.” Russell’s warm chuckle filled the air. “Porn isn’t exactly true to life.” “Really? No wonder my pizza delivery man never showed up naked at my door.” “Are you always this much of a sarcastic brat?” Russell reached out and pulled off Dalton’s hat, softly running his fingers through Dalton’s hair. A shiver went down Dalton’s spine and he couldn’t help the purr that slipped past his lips. He blushed at the telling sound, but Russell didn’t seem to mind. He just continued to stroke Dalton’s hair. Before Dalton knew it, his face was snuggled up against Russell’s chest as he all but curled up around the man. Dalton closed his eyes and let out a sigh of contentment. They could have stayed that way forever and he’d be fine with it. Then Russell’s voice, which sounded like whiskey and smoke, reached Dalton, “Look up at 59

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me.” As soon as Dalton obeyed, Russell swooped in to capture Dalton’s lips in a heated kiss. This time Dalton immediately opened to let Russell in, the Wolf’s tongue sweeping in to stroke and tease. That warm taste of the Wolf exploded over Dalton’s taste buds and somehow he managed to grow more aroused. His cock started pressing against his jeans. He reached out and fisted his hands into Russell’s coat, as he found himself powerless in his battle for self-control. Dalton must not have been the only one losing control, because he suddenly found himself on his back, Russell on top of him. Their hard cocks brushed against each other, making Dalton hiss as pleasure shot through him. Oh God. Kissing Russell was just as good as he remembered it. All the nights since they’d first met, Dalton had replayed their encounter over countless times in his mind. He still hadn’t recalled it being this explosive. Thrusting up and groaning like one of the guys from his previously mentioned pornos, Dalton pleaded, “More. Don’t stop.” Russell reclaimed Dalton’s lips in yet another all-consuming kiss. The man was Alpha all the way, and he kissed as such. Even going so far as to tug at Dalton’s hair. Dalton wasn’t for sure if it was to keep him in place, or to move his head into 60

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the proper position, but he didn’t care. All he did know for certain was that he liked it—a lot. Their dicks rubbed together again and Dalton let out a loud groan that echoed through the confines of the Hummer. Clawing at Russell’s shoulders, Dalton thrust up again, desperate for more friction. He was so caught up in his passion that he didn’t notice the vehicle had stopped until the rear window opened and Chance’s mate, Thomas stuck his head inside. “I hate to break it up, but Mitchell is waiting for all of you.” Letting out a tiny sound of disappointment, Dalton tilted his head back. “Can we have five more minutes?” “No, you cannot!” Tobias griped as he unbuckled, then grabbed for the door handle. “I’m already mentally scarred enough as it is, thanks to that little show you guys just put on.” “Nobody said you had to watch,” Russell growled as he climbed off Dalton. “Who said anything about watching? You guys were loud enough to make it easy to tell what was going on.” After giving those parting words, Tobias shot out of the Hummer and slammed the door behind him. Finnegan got out, but he moved to open the back door for them. Russell exited the vehicle before stretching his hand back to assist Dalton. 61

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Dalton was perfectly capable of getting out by himself, but he allowed Russell to help because that meant they got to touch again. They even continued to hold hands as they walked up to the headquarters. Tobias wrinkled his nose as he glanced up at the large building. “I thought you guys were supposed to have the best digs around because of all the work you do for the human military. This place looks like a dump. What is it? Some old abandoned auto factory?” That’s exactly what it was. Dalton chuckled, not blaming Tobias for his assessment, since he’d thought the same thing when he’d first been taken into the coalition. “Just wait to make your final judgment until we get inside,” Dalton advised as he punched in the code to the get through the front doors. Once they opened, Dalton ushered them in, taking a bit of sadistic pleasure in watching the way Tobias’s eyes bugged in shock. Even Finnegan let out a small whistle as his gaze took in the interior. Dalton felt a sense of pride. Their headquarters looked like something from a high-budget action movie’s military headquarters. Several offices lined one side, with large monitors mounted on another wall. Many of them flashing scenes from various human news stations. 62

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Numerous uniformed felines and Hawks rushed around, most of them not even considering them worth a second glance. Going by the tension buzzing in the air, the news of the attack had already spread. “Follow me,” Dalton said as he tugged on Russell’s hand. He led the Wolves to Mitchell’s office. The place was already packed with the rest of the shifters from the fair, Daniel, the leader of the Hawks, and several other felines who held high rank. As they entered, the room fell silent while Mitchell stared at them. He leaned against the front of his desk, arms crossed over his massive chest. His amber eyes were dark with anger and already his speckled brown hair was mussed from running his hands through it. “Glad to see you guys made it here safely,” Mitchell said by way of greeting. Tobias and Finnegan positioned themselves on either side of Russell, as if worried he’d get attacked or something. Dalton rolled his eyes. Like he’d let anything happen to the Wolf. While he may be small, Shane had taught him how to fight and Dalton was ready to kick the crap out of anyone who so much as looked at Russell the wrong way. “Thanks, Russell and his Wolves got me here safely,” Dalton replied, giving Russell’s hand a 63

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tight squeeze. “They also helped us, not only in the fight with the Ravens, but Finnegan aided Gage in the evacuation of the civilians.” “Shane already told us as much.” Mitchell nodded respectfully at Russell. “The whole coalition thanks you for your help.” “It was nothing,” Russell replied smoothly. “Since Dalton was there I had to see to his safety. Besides, since cousins, Dean and Ranger belong to the coalition, I would naturally aid in a time of need.” Dalton noticed the Wolf’s aloof mask was back in place and he was hard pressed to comprehend that this was the same guy who had been looking at him with such tenderness just moments before. “This is already hitting the news and the stories, though wild, are being picked up on,” Mitchell announced. “Shit,” Shane hissed. “I should have cut down those fuckers quicker.” Trevor ran a soothing hand up his mate’s arm. “You couldn’t have stopped them. And we took them out as fast as we could. Besides, none of us anticipated that they would go after humans since they’d never done something so stupid before.” “Trevor’s right, Shane. You all handled the situation as best you could.” Mitchell sighed. “We do still need to figure out a way to clean up this mess the Ravens thrust all us shifters into. I’ve 64

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already had calls from my military contacts and they are not happy at all about the human casualties. We have to figure out a way to show them that we’re not all that bat-shit crazy, or we may have a repeat of the sixties.” A collective shiver went through the room at that reference. While Dalton hadn’t been alive during that time, he’d heard the horror stories of the time when the US military had actively hunted down all breeds of shifters. Those that weren’t killed outright were taken in for horrifying medical testing and experimentation. It wasn’t until the government realized that with their enhanced strength and speed, shifters could be used to their advantage that a weak truce had been called. But lately the Ravens’ attacks had become more aggressive and public. Just a few months ago, Dalton, Chance, Shane and Trevor had been attacked at the local mall. It hadn’t been the first time a shifter battle had trashed that shopping facility either. Wrapping his arms around himself, Dalton asked, “Do you think the humans will start hunting us again?” “Yes,” Mitchell replied bluntly. “While I don’t think it will be the government who will be gunning for us…at least not yet, there are going to be some crazies out there who will, now that they 65

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know we exist.” “I don’t get it,” Trevor cut in. “The Ravens have to know that this is going to direct just as much attention to them. So what’s their motivation?” Russell came up behind and wrapped his arms around Dalton. “They realize that you guys are finally winning this war against them, so now they’re getting desperate.” “What? Did one of your black market associates tell you that?” Shane demanded, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “No, it’s just an observation from an outsider who has nothing to do with your war with the birds. You can take my opinion to heart or not. So long as Dalton doesn’t get hurt in the crossfire, I couldn’t care less,” Russell replied smoothly. That comment really seemed to grab Mitchell’s attention. He paused to study the pair, his gaze seeming to bore right into Dalton. A bit of uneasiness sunk into Dalton as he worried over how his coalition leader would react to such a possessive statement, in the end Mitchell gave a slight nod. “So does that mean your pack is going to ally with us in this fight?” Mitchell challenged. Russell? Ally? Surely Mitchell was kidding. One of the reasons why Russell did so well in dealing with the black market had been because he’d never chosen sides. Sure, he’d helped out the 66

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coalition on occasion, but that had only been for a few, very brief incidents. “Are you sure you want our help? I’m certain my former pack will have your back. Especially since your sister is married to the Alpha.” “True, Chris has already called to pledge his support, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use you, too.” “Sure, we’ll help. Although, I’ll admit that I’m a bit surprised that you’d trust a band of thieves and rogue wolves.” “If it weren’t for you, one of my brothers would still be in slavery. Not only this coalition, but my family owes you so much. I’ll never forget what you did for us,” Mitchell replied sincerely. Dalton sank back against Russell, relishing the praise that had just been thrown his Wolf’s way. Shane curled up his lip. “That still doesn’t mean I have to like him.” “Oh, save it,” Gage cut in with a roll of his eyes. “We get it, you’re protective of Dalton, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk to Russell. Remember, it wasn’t too long ago that most of the coalition didn’t like you.” “Most of them still don’t,” Shane pointed out, his cocky grin showing that he couldn’t give a rat’s ass over that fact. “Then maybe you guys should give Russell a break,” Chance added. “After all, they really did 67

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help us today. They could have just as easily walked away from the situation.” Russell cleared his throat. “Thanks for sticking up for me, boys, but I can handle my own battles.” Giving Dalton another squeeze, Russell turned his attention to Shane. “I did it today because Dalton was there and I protect what’s mine.” Mine? Dalton stiffened before he turned in Russell’s arms so they were facing each other. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Russell glanced down at Dalton, and that aloof mask slipped out of place again, only this time it was replaced by a look of sheer determination. “It means that you’re my mate and I’m not letting you go this time.” Shock struck Dalton stupid for several moments and all he could do was gape like some kind of idiot at Russell. “Are you crazy? You can’t possibly think I’m your mate. We’ve only met twice.” Gripping him by the shoulders, Russell gave him a look so smoldering that it made Dalton burn from the inside out. “It doesn’t matter. You belong to me now.” Dalton shook his head. “You’re crazy. Has anybody ever told you that?” “Plenty of times, that still hasn’t stopped me from getting whatever I want and right now that’s you.” 68

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A part of Dalton wanted to scream that nobody owned him. He’d gone that whole I-am-yourowner route before and to say it left a bad taste in his mouth would be an understatement. But then Dalton’s heart spoke up, yelling that this kind of ownership was different. Where the old one was about degradation and hatred, Russell’s would be all about caring and tenderness. Despite his reputation, Dalton knew the Wolf had a heart softer than almost anybody he’d ever met. Nodding, Dalton said in a small voice, “Okay.” “Okay, what? I need to hear you say the words, kitten. And it needs to be loud enough for everyone to catch them.” Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Dalton said, “I belong to you. But you need to realize one thing. You belong to me just as much and I don’t share. Can you live by those rules?” Russell smiled down at him. “Yeah, I can.” Not caring that they had a room full of shifters surrounding them, Dalton stood on tiptoe and pressed his lips to Russell, claiming his Wolf for all to see. If they didn’t like it, then too damn bad. Because like Russell, Dalton wasn’t about to give up his mate.

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Chapter Five

R

ussell looked over at Mitchell. “I know that there’s a lot that we need to cover, but Dalton needs to go the infirmary.” “I’m fine, it’s just a flesh wound,” Dalton protested. “Can you shift and heal it that way?” Russell asked. “Not really. I shifted once before, but it was kind of by accident. I haven’t learned how to do it at will though.” “Then you need to go to the infirmary for certain.” When Dalton opened his mouth to protest, Russell put a finger over his lips. “I’m not backing down on this one, so you may as well go along with it.” Dalton glared at him, “Fine, but it’s a big waste of time. It’s just a scratch.” Gesturing to the door, Russell said, “Lead the way.” On the way out, he turned to the other 70

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Wolves. “Stay here and continue to find out exactly what Mitchell needs from us. Everything we have is at his disposal.” Finnegan nodded whereas Tobias eyed the group warily. Mitchell gave him a tight grin in return. “Ah, come on, Tobias, since I’m mated to your cousin that means we’re family. I would never hurt you…unless there was a good laugh behind it. Even then I promise it will only sting a bit, there won’t be any real pain from it.” Tobias shot one last worried glance at Shane before nervously swallowing. “That’s good to know.” Russell ushered Dalton out and shut the door behind him. “What’s up with Tobias? Before he wouldn’t keep his trap shut and now he’s acting like he’s about to pass out,” Dalton asked as he led the way through the crowded building. “When we were kids, Tobias was picked on a lot because he was the runt so he’s used to me being around to protect him.” “What happened when your pack exiled you?” “Tobias left with me. Since he was gay it was only a matter of time before he was booted, too. Plus, he was angry at our parents for turning their backs on me.” “Have you talked to your parents since then?” 71

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A brief flash of pain went through Russell’s chest before he firmly stamped it down. “No, they died a few years ago in a Raven battle.” “I’m so sorry to hear that.” Dalton paused, then turned to look at Russell. “I know how hard it is to lose family.” God, how was it that after everything the Lynx had been through he still managed to have such a sweet heart? Reaching out, Russell gently brushed a stray lock of hair away from Dalton’s forehead. “My father was an abusive bastard and my mother couldn’t be bothered with us on most days.” “Yet, you still miss them, don’t you?” For a moment, Russell almost denied it, but he found himself nodding. “Yes, I do. Every day, in fact.” “I miss my family, too,” Dalton admitted, his eyes growing misty. “At first, I used to wonder all the time—why me? Why did they kill the rest of them, but kept me alive? Then a few months ago I finally realized the reason.” The pain echoing in Dalton’s voice made Russell’s Wolf want to howl in anger. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over the soft skin of the feline, letting the contact soothe both of them. “Why?” “I didn’t fight as well as the others. Like Tobias, I was the runt—my brothers and sisters were all 72

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bigger, stronger. So they knew how to fight, where with me, all I could do was cower in the corner. The snakes must have realized that, too, and known that I would be the easiest to control in captivity.” Russell hated to admit it, but Dalton probably had a point. He decided not to voice that aloud though. “When did you realize that?” “A few months ago, I was at the mall with Chance, Shane and Trevor when a group of Ravens attacked us. Shane and Trevor tried to keep them away, but one managed to get to me. So, there I was, once again cowering and shaking in fear, only this time it was on the dirty ground of the food court. If it hadn’t of been for Chance shielding me with his body, the Raven would have killed me.” At that point Russell decided that Chance would never want for anything again, for he’d protected the most precious thing in Russell’s life. A tear slid down Dalton’s cheek. “After that incident, I vowed that I would never feel that way again. So I begged Shane and Trevor to start training me how to shoot and fight.” “I would have thought they’d have already been teaching you.” Dalton took a step back and gestured down to his body. “Look at me. Who in their right mind 73

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would think that I’d even be able to fight my way out of a paper bag? No, Trevor, Shane and all the others are more apt to go all big brother and just want to tuck me away and keep me safe from harm.” “Is that why they insist on you always taking a guard with you when you go out?” “Yeah, at least I got them to relax enough to let me take my friends with me. When I first got here, Shane and Trevor would only let me go if they were there.” Dalton tilted his head to the side. “Besides, what’s the big deal? You have bodyguards with you all the time?” “That’s because I’ve managed to piss off a lot of people in the past and most of them would love to get a piece of me.” “Oh,” Dalton paused, his brows furrowing. “I thought you said that you gave that up though.” “I did.” “Why?” Ah, and there they were at one of the most delicate subjects. Russell only pondered a moment before deciding to confess. “That night in the coat closet, you changed something in me.” “What’s that?” “All the money…the power, it really doesn’t mean a damn. At first I did it to survive, then later on to shove my old pack’s nose in my success. But now there’s somebody else I want to impress.” 74

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Dalton pursed his lips together. “You better say that somebody is me or else I’m going to get pissed.” Russell tapped him on the nose. “Of course, it’s you. I don’t mind going legit. Truth be told, I have enough money to last me ten lifetimes. I do worry that one of my old enemies is going to come after you though.” “Don’t. Remember Shane and Trevor are training me now. I can handle anything that comes my way.” “I wish it were that simple. There’s some really bad things out there.” Russell realized that was the wrong thing to say the moment he saw all the color drain from Dalton’s face. “Yeah, I know that.” Dalton started walking again. Russell reached out to grab his hand, a small measure of relief going through him when Dalton didn’t pull away. Before long they were in the large room that served as the coalition’s infirmary. All the beds were empty, save for one that held a blond who appeared to be Dalton’s age. He wore all black sweats and sat with his knees drawn to his chest. “That’s Colby. He’s been through a lot,” Dalton whispered. He dropped Russell’s hand then slowly 75

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approached the bed, his steps slow and measured. Almost as if he was afraid of spooking the other shifter. “Hey, Colby. How are things going today?” Colby gave no indication that he realized Dalton was there, even when Dalton sat down on the edge of the mattress. Dalton didn’t seem to mind though, he just stayed there, as patient as ever. Then in a slow, easy tone he began to retell the experience at the ice festival. Colby remained motionless, still not moving as Dalton reached out and began to slowly stroke his back with slow easy passes. “He comes in every day to talk to him,” a voice said next to him. Russell turned and saw that Jacyn, a medic who worked in the infirmary, had come up to stand next to him. Since Jacyn was Mitchell’s younger brother, he shared a lot of the same features and coloring as the coalition leader. Although Jacyn had a softer, kinder edge to him, be it because of how sympathetic his gaze was or the fact he usually wore scrubs instead of the all-black coalition uniform. “Are they friends or something?” Russell asked, unable to tear his gaze away from the touching scene. “No, Colby hasn’t spoken a word since we found him.” 76

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“Was he held captive?” A tight smile pulled Jacyn’s lips. “In his own way, I guess you could kind of say that.” Before Russell could ask him to expound on that statement, Jacyn walked over to the bed. “Okay, I can smell blood, so I know that you didn’t come just for your usual visit with Colby.” A blush covered Dalton’s cheeks. “It’s nothing big. I keep telling Russell that it’s a waste of time for me to even come here.” Jacyn patted a nearby empty bed. “Hop on and let me have a look.” Letting out an aggravated sigh, Dalton slid off his coat and moved over to bed. When Dalton’s hands reached for the edge of his soiled shirt, he paused, a tremble going through his body as he grew slightly pale. “I thought you told me that you liked Russell,” Jacyn said in soothing tones. “I do,” Dalton whispered. “Then he’s going to have to see it sometime, why not just do it now and get it over with?” Dalton nodded, his lips pressed together in a tight line. There was so much tension in his thin body it looked like a simple touch would snap him. Finally, Dalton let out a long breath and peeled off his shirt. Russell’s confusion grew when all he saw a beautifully sculpted chest and a three inch gash on the Lynx’s right flank. 77

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“Go, ahead. Show him,” Jacyn urged. Dalton twisted his body and presented his back to Russell. As soon as Russell caught sight, a redhot fury filled him. He wanted to run out, find who was responsible and kill them. No! He wanted to torture them, then kill them…very, very slowly. The younger man’s back was a mass of scars. Some of them long and diagonal, as if made by a whip. Others were circular, like his captors had held lit cigarettes to his skin. The worst of it was a large brand that marred his left shoulder blade. In the shape of a cobra’s head with numbers under the symbol. No doubt marking Dalton like the piece of meat his captors saw him as. There were also what looked to be puncture marks on both of his shoulders. Walking to the bedside, Russell reached out raised trembling fingers to touch the bite marks. “Were these from the spider shifter?” Dalton nodded. “He bit me a lot. Sometimes even when he wasn’t even ordered. He said he liked the taste of my blood.” Brushing his finger over the brand, a fresh wave of fury went through Russell. “And your former mas…” Russell trailed off because the word tasted bitter in his mouth. He swallowed and tried again. “Your former master did this?” 78

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“Yeah, the numbers helped them keep track of us.” Russell balked when he saw the four digits marking his baby’s flesh. “Are you trying to tell me that they have this many captives?” While Russell may have dipped his toes in numerous criminal activities, he’d always steered clear of the slave market. There were some depths to which even he would not sink. “I thought you said they never hurt you too bad?” Russell asked, stunned when his voice cracked a bit. He couldn’t help it though, emotions he’d long ago buried came to the forefront and he was having trouble dealing with them. Before, Russell had always been able to shut off his feelings and just deal with everything in an analytical matter. For lack of knowing what else to do, he leaned down, and with the upmost tenderness, kissed each and every scar on Dalton’s back. “What are you doing?” Dalton asked. “Trying to show you that they don’t matter to me,” Russell replied as he straightened up. A soft sob broke through the room and they turned to see Colby, tears streaming down his face as he stared at Dalton. “Are you okay?” Dalton asked. “They hurt you. I don’t like that. You’re too nice for anybody to try to break,” Colby said in a 79

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rough voice. The vacant look slid back over his face and he once more retreated into his world. They all paused, hoping if they didn’t speak Colby would come out again. Finally, when it became clear that he wouldn’t, Dalton said, “No, Colby. They didn’t break me. That was the one thing I never gave them the satisfaction of doing.”

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Chapter Six

“O

h, damn! This place is huge!” Dalton exclaimed as they got out of the vehicle and looked up at the huge dwelling. A sense of pride went through Russell, until he realized Dalton’s eyes weren’t glowing from excitement, but rather shock. Not the good kind either, but the oh-hell-I-don’t-know-if-I-will-everbe-able-to-get-used-to-this kind of way. When Russell first bought the huge manor, he’d done it because he wanted to show off and now looking at it through Dalton’s eyes, he could see how it could be a bit much. Large, with over ten bedrooms and just as many baths, it fit not only him, but the rest of his pack. Which in itself wasn’t too odd since most packs did live together, but Russell was willing to bet most of those packs didn’t have a circular drive, fountain and wolf statues flanking the entrance. Putting a hand on the small of Dalton’s back, Russell ushered them in. Two guards stood just 81

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inside the door and they nodded at Russell as he entered. Once inside the huge foyer, Dalton looked up at the chandelier hanging from the high, vaulted ceiling. Spinning a slow circle, Dalton said, “Now I can see how you were able to afford that car you sent me.” Dalton stopped and turned his attention to Russell. “I have a question. I was talking to Brent.” “Oh, God,” Russell groaned. As second-in-command of the felines and Mitchell’s littermate, Brent had more mouth than common sense. Russell didn’t even want to imagine what the guy had blabbed to Dalton. “He told me that you said you left the pack on your own accord. Yet, I thought you were exiled for being gay. Which is it?” “Both.” Dalton cocked his head to the side. “Huh? I don’t get it.” “I went to our old Alpha and asked to leave, but he refused my request.” “So why didn’t you just walk out? Did they have locks on the door or something?” “He was my uncle and I still respected him. Yet, at the same time I saw how he treated certain members of the pack and it killed me to stand idly by and do nothing. So when he refused to let me leave, I decided to do the one thing that I knew 82

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could well get me killed, but was a sure fire ticket out of the pack—I told him I was gay.” “How did he take it?” “Worse than even I had anticipated. He had me beat in front of the whole pack and then kicked me out with nothing more than the clothes on my back.” Dalton let out a gasp. “That’s terrible.” A ball of emotion threatened to work its way up Russell’s throat. “I could take the pain from the beating. It was having to listen to Tobias cry while they did it that hurt the most. He kept begging them to stop. He even threw himself at the Alpha and begged for mercy. Then when I left, he insisted on going with me. That was the only thing I regret about the situation—how I inadvertently dragged Tobias into the mess.” “So, why didn’t you or one of the other Wolves who lived with the felines tell the coalition about that?” “Wolves are funny that way. Even when we are kicked, beaten and tossed out, we still try to keep things within the pack.” Dalton walked up and wrapped his arms around Russell’s neck. “So to get back at your old pack leader, you decided to show him that you could be more successful than ever without his help.” “Yeah, I wanted him to see that gay or not, I 83

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could make a pack that was harder, stronger and more powerful than his could ever be.” It was, too. Sure, he didn’t have any family units per say, since his pack consisted of mostly male wolves. All of whom had either been kicked out or banished from their own packs. Still, they were tight and what’s more, most everybody feared them. Which was exactly how Russell wanted things. That was until a certain Lynx stormed into his life and turned everything on its head. Now, Russell didn’t know what in the hell he wanted. He just knew that whatever his next move was, he wanted to do it with Dalton by his side. Dalton leaned in and nipped at Russell’s neck. “So where’s your bedroom?” Russell wrapped his arms around Dalton’s waist. “What about your injury?” “I told you that it doesn’t hurt anymore. Jacyn didn’t even have to put stitches in it,” Dalton pointed out. Russell had to concede on that one. They’d only been in the infirmary long enough for Jacyn to clean out the wound and then slap a bandage on it. After that they’d gone to Dalton’s home in order for the Lynx to pack a small bag of clothes before leaving for Russell’s place. The fact that they hadn’t even discussed Dalton coming home with him wasn’t lost on Russell. 84

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They’d both just assumed Russell wouldn’t be coming home alone and he liked how once again he and Dalton had been on the same wavelength. “So are you going to take me to bed or not?” Dalton persisted. “Are you sure?” Russell needed to make certain that Dalton didn’t feel as if he was being rushed. Given his past, Russell wanted the Lynx’s first real time to be a happy memory and not tainted with any regrets. Dalton’s face fell. “Do you not want me anymore? Is it because of my back?” Russell shut him up with a long kiss. “That has nothing to do with it. You have never been more attractive to me.” “Then what is it?” “I want to make sure that you really want this.” A wide grin spread across Dalton’s face. “I’ve been wanting this ever since the day of the wedding when I saw you in front of that goofy looking cake.” Russell laughed. “That cake was pretty bad.” “Sooooo…” Dalton looked up from under his lashes. “Does that mean that you’re going to fuck me senseless or not?” Russell stepped back, grabbed Dalton’s hand and all but dragged him up the stairs. Dalton let out a yelp of surprise, then stumbled a bit before 85

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his feet caught up with the rest of him. “I’ll take that as a yes.” As they went up the wide spiral staircase, Russell nodded to a few of his men as they passed by. If any of them were surprised to see him tugging a feline in his wake, none of them showed it. They finally reached his bedroom. Russell shoved Dalton inside, then shut and locked the door behind them. Turning around, he took two steps before Dalton jumped up and wrapped his legs around Russell’s waist. Russell grunted in surprise before he recovered, his mouth coming down to claim Dalton’s lips in a scorching kiss. Dalton returned it with an eagerness that both thrilled Russell and turned him on like nothing else had before. Especially when Dalton began to let out mewling, needy sounds, his fingers tugging impatiently at Russell’s hair. Not breaking the kiss, Russell walked blindly toward the bed. His knees hit the mattress and he fell forward, landing on top of Dalton. “Sorry about that.” “It doesn’t matter,” Dalton gasped as he grabbed Russell by the back of the head and brought him in for another kiss. Reaching between them, Russell somehow managed to find enough wiggle room to get 86

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Dalton’s zipper down. Reaching in, he was pleasantly surprised to find that his kitten liked to go commando. Not one to pass up such a great opportunity, Russell pulled Dalton’s cock out and began to stroke the shaft. “Ah, sweet fuck chips,” Dalton yelled, his body arching up. Russell paused as his mind tried to process what Dalton had just yelled. Then Dalton began to nuzzle the side of his neck and Russell didn’t give a damn anymore. The kid could recite the entire damn Urban Dictionary and it wouldn’t cool the fire between them. “Ah, that feels so good,” Dalton whimpered before rubbing his cheek against Russell’s neck. “Naked, I need to feel all of you,” Russell grunted. “Only if you get nude, too. It would be so awkward if I were the only naked guy in here,” Dalton teased. Russell stood up and quickly stripped off their clothes, chucking them carelessly to the side. When Dalton lay back down on the bed, Russell felt all the air leave his lungs. If he lived to be a thousand, he didn’t think he’d ever see anything more beautiful. Dalton’s pale skin contrasted perfectly against the dark red comforter. His hair was already messed up from 87

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their earlier play and stuck out oh-so-cutely in several spots. His lips were plump and red from all the kissing and his eyes were glazed with passion. While thin, his body was still defined with muscles, the taut lines making for a perfect canvas. Already it was splattered with a few drops of precum that dripped from the tip of his long, thick, hard cock. Grabbing a bottle of lube from the top dresser drawer, Russell ordered, “Turn over on your stomach.” When it looked as if Dalton was going to balk, Russell made a shushing sound. “I think you’re so beautiful, all of you. While I wish I could take the memories go away, I would never want you to lose those scars. They remind me of what a strong, courageous mate I have.” Dalton nipped at his bottom lip. “I think that’s the sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me.” “I meant every word of it, too. Now turn over for me, baby. Since this is your first time, I want to make it perfect for you.” “It already is,” Dalton replied. He complied, turning over to reveal his sweet ass. It was curved just perfectly so that it could take a spanking and be ridden hard, but yet still looked soft enough to nibble on. Which Russell planned on doing, a lot, just not yet. 88

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He opened the bottle and squeezed some of the liquid on his fingers, liberally coating them, before tossing the bottle to the side. He then climbed on the bed and straddled Dalton’s thighs. Sure the scars were there, but that’s not what held Russell’s focus. No, it was Dalton’s passioninfused face as he looked over his shoulder at Russell. To know that this special man, this precious gift now belonged to only him, filled a hole that Russell had thought would forever remain empty. “Thank you,” Russell whispered as he began to kiss each scar again. “For what?” Dalton moaned. “For being you.” Still kissing the marks, Russell reached between Dalton’s ass cheeks and began to run one finger around the tight ring of muscle that lay hidden underneath. Dalton’s breath hitched as he began to slightly tremble. “Do you need me to stop?” Russell asked. “No, if you do, I think I might explode.” “Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” Russell laughed. He slowly eased the digit in, keeping a close eye on Dalton’s face for any sign of discomfort. When none came, Russell resumed kissing Dalton’s back, all the while sawing his finger in and out of Dalton’s hole. 89

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“You’re so fucking tight,” Russell murmured as he carefully added another finger. “Yeah, well I’m a virgin, remember?” A flicker of shame covered Dalton’s face. “At least, I’m kind of one.” “You are one. Being forced to do something because you’re doped out of your mind and desperate for survival doesn’t count.” Russell continued to thrust his fingers in and out, marveling at the way Dalton gradually relaxed. He even began to rock back against Russell’s hand. “That’s it, baby, ride my fingers.” Curling his fingers, Russell found Dalton’s sweet spot. The Lynx’s reaction was almost instantaneous. He let out a loud yell as his eyes grew wide. “Like it?” Russell gave a wicked chuckle. Dalton gave a vigorous nod. “More. Give me more.” “You’re a greedy little kitten,” Russell chastised. He gave Dalton what he wanted though, adding a third finger. He then began to tease Dalton a bit, making sure to brush against his prostate repeatedly. It wasn’t until Dalton was babbling, trembling and covered in a fine sheen of sweat that Russell decided to have mercy on him. Pulling his fingers free, Russell slicked up his 90

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cock, then ordered, “Get up on all fours.” Dalton clumsily got into position, his body still shivering. Maybe it was from nerves. Maybe it was from anticipation. Maybe it was just from desire. All Russell did know is it looked good on his man. Giving Dalton’s shoulder a playful nip, Russell asked, “Are you ready?” “Yes. God, yes.” Russell lined up the tip of his cock and slowly pushed his way inside. “Fuck, you’re so tight.” “Yeah, I think you may have already mentioned that.” Leave it to Dalton to stay mouthy during sex. Russell let out a small laugh as he slid the rest of the way in. Once there, he paused a moment for Dalton to get adjusted. As soon as he felt the man relax around him, Russell pulled almost all the way out and thrust back inside. “More,” Dalton mewled. “Yeah, I think you may have already mentioned that,” Russell teased, tossing Dalton’s words back at him. Dalton started to give off what was probably a sarcastic comment only to yelp instead when Russell reached under and grabbed the shifter’s cock. “I’ve waited so long for this moment,” Russell marveled. He then began to make love to Dalton with 91

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slow, long thrusts. “Me, too. It was you that I wanted. Always you,” Dalton panted as he thrust back to meet Russell’s strokes. “And there will never be anybody else.” “Never. I promise it will be only you.” Russell took his time, learning every inch of his new lover’s body. He also memorized what made Dalton gasp and also what made him groan. Russell wanted to burn everything into his memory so he could make every encounter this good. Then Dalton’s body grew tight and his breath hitched, letting Russell know he was on the edge. “That’s it, come for me.” Russell gave Dalton’s cock a couple more strokes and that was all the incentive he needed. Throwing his head back, Dalton screamed Russell’s name, then came. Hot ropes of semen splashed onto Russell’s hand and the mattress under them. Before he’d even caught his breath, Dalton tilted his head in the sign of ultimate submission. Russell’s Wolf roared in approval as his canines grew. He almost struck, but paused when he spotted the old marks left behind by the spider shifter. Shit, the last thing he wanted was to remind Dalton of that horrible experience. This moment 92

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was perfect and Russell didn’t want anything to darken it. Dalton must have guessed the issue because he panted, “Please, do it. Wash away the memory of him. I need it as much as you do.” That was all the invitation Russell needed. Letting out a growl, he struck, his teeth sinking into the tender flesh of Dalton’s bared neck. The instant the sweet taste of Dalton’s blood filled his mouth, Russell came with such an intensity his vision swam. He shot wave after wave of cum into Dalton’s convulsing hole, his head spinning from all the pleasure washing over him. After what seemed like forever, Russell came back down. Letting his teeth slip from Dalton’s skin, Russell lapped at the bleeding wound. It was only then that he pulled his cock out and let his head drop to Dalton’s back. Dalton fell to the bed, a groan slipping past his lips. “Ewww…just landed on the wet spot.” Russell laughed as he rolled to the side so he wouldn’t squash his smaller lover. Gazing into Dalton’s eyes, Russell reached over and brushed away an errant lock. “Just so you know you’re never going to sleep anywhere else. You belong to me now and in case you haven’t noticed, I can be very selfish with my possessions.” Dalton smiled. “I kind of figured as much. In 93

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fact, I already told Shane and Trevor that I was moving out.” “How did they take it?” “They freaked out and yelled at me for being too impulsive. I can kind of see their point, since we haven’t known each other that long.” “I let you leave the night of the wedding and I’ve kept my distance in the months since then. I think we’ve waited long enough.” Dalton snorted with laughter. “Yeah, you really kept your distance. All the while, continued to call me every day and lavish me with expensive gifts.” “Well, it worked, didn’t it? I got you to come live with me.” Dalton’s gaze grew tender. “News flash, Wolf. Expensive gifts or not, I still would have fallen for you. I couldn’t have cared less if you lived in a shack or this damn mansion. I care for you just because of who you are in here.” Dalton pointed to Russell’s chest. Giving him an earnest gaze, Dalton asked, “You believe me, right?” Yeah, Russell did and that was why he knew at that moment that he loved Dalton more than anything in the world. He also knew he would do everything in his power to make sure he kept his mate happy.

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Chapter Seven

T

wo weeks later Dalton walked into the coalition headquarters for his daily training session with Shane. As was the norm, since what had now been named the Ice and Bird Battle, the place was hopping. Not only were all the normal coalition soldiers present, but all those who had been out on missions had been called back in. The Raven attacks were increasing at a frightening rate and the coalition and their allies were doing everything they could to not only protect innocents, but also to do damage control with the humans. Already several stills and videos of Ravens in bird form had leaked and the media was having a field day with it. “You’re late,” Shane drawled as he approached. He never stopped walking, no doubt expecting Dalton to fall in step, which he did. Dalton shot him a sideways glance, a shiver going through him as he noted all the blood covering the front of 95

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Shane’s black shirt. “Is that yours?” Dalton asked. “Huh?” Shane blinked a few times before glancing down at himself. “Oh, that. No, it’s some dumbass Raven’s.” “Ah, is there any reason why you didn’t get cleaned up before you came here?” “I was running late, too.” Shane cocked his head to the side, something he did whenever what should be perfectly normal behavior eluded him. “Why is it such a big deal? You’ve seen me covered in blood plenty of times.” That was true. During his time living with his guardians, Dalton had seen Shane display some behavior that others might label freaky-as-hell. But since Dalton cared for Shane, he’d long ago learned to accept them. Unfortunately, the rest of the coalition didn’t share Dalton’s understanding and many of them were currently shooting Shane looks of horror or disgust. Dalton grabbed Shane by the arm and started to lead him toward the apartment in the back that Mitchell and all his family shared. “Go take a shower and borrow some of Andrew’s clothes. I’ll grab some breakfast and meet you back in the training room in an hour.” Shane grumbled and huffed, but he went off to do as Dalton ordered. Glad that he’d at least averted that disaster, Dalton went off the cafeteria. 96

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He’d been having all his meals with Russell so Dalton hadn’t been there since he moved away. He spotted his friends sitting at a nearby table. Dalton quickly filled up his tray and joined them. He was pleased to see not only Noah and Chance, but Riley, one of the Eagle twins. “Wow, look what the dog dug up,” Riley teased as he scooted his tray over to make room for Dalton. After Dalton set down his food, he reached over and ruffled the Eagle’s blond hair. “It’s a Wolf.” “And don’t you ever fucking forget it,” Tobias grouched as he came over and took one of the few remaining empty seats. “Sorry,” Riley sing-songed, showing he really could give a damn. Since Ranger, one of their best friends, was a Wolf, Dalton knew Riley had only been teasing with his comment. “What are you doing here? I told you that you didn’t need to hang around and babysit me.” Dalton sighed. While he really adored Russell sometimes the guy could be way too overprotective. He was so bad that he hardly let Dalton go take a piss without an armed escort. “Yeah, and my brother said not to let you out of my sight,” Tobias countered. Riley leaned in, his eyes sparkling with trouble. 97

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“So tell me, Tobias, what’s it like to be a Mafioso Wolf?” “I don’t know. What’s it like to be an Eagle who is afraid of heights?” Riley held up a finger. “Hey, I’m just extra cautious when it comes to being in the air. There’s a huge difference.” Noah shook his head. “No, you’re piss-yourpants terrified. You may as well stop trying to deny it.” “Dr. North says that I need to start reanalyzing how I look at things,” Riley reasoned. Tobias shot him a dubious look. “Who’s Dr. North?” “He’s my therapist.” “Is he human?” “No, he’s a Fox,” Noah cut in. “And by that I mean both ways. That guy is hot.” When they all looked at him in shock, Noah shrugged. “What? Just because I’m mated doesn’t mean I can’t notice a good looking guy. I just can’t take a bite of him, that’s all.” Gage came rushing up to the table and took a seat, a look of guilt mixed with satisfaction marking his face. Dalton groaned. There was only one reason for Gage to be sporting that expression. “You didn’t,” he snapped. Gage at least had the decency to flush. “I may have.” 98

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“How could you? You promised me that you wouldn’t do that anymore.” “I know. I just couldn’t help myself. He keeps ignoring me and this is the only way to get his attention,” Gage defended. “What did he do?” Tobias asked. “He stole something from Branson—again,” Noah said, slowly shaking his head. “What did you take this time?” Riley asked. When Gage held up an ancient looking coin, Riley groaned, “Oh, how could you? That’s from one of the first shifter civilizations. He’s going to flip when he discovers it missing.” “Who’s Branson?” Tobias asked. “He’s a Lion who’s in charge of all the coalition’s historical artifacts,” Dalton said. “He’s also blind when in human form,” Riley chimed in. Tobias’s mouth parted in shock as he gaped at Gage. “You stole from a blind dude? Wow, even while at our worst, my pack would have never done that.” The flush on Gage’s face grew as he rolled the coin between his thumb and finger. “I know, but this is the only way he ever acknowledges that I’m even alive.” “Yeah, but only so he can hunt you down and try to pound some sense into you,” Dalton pointed out. 99

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“Did you ever try to…oh, I don’t know…maybe, tell him how you really feel?” Tobias shot out with heavy sarcasm. “I did, just the other day, in fact.” Gage’s bottom lip trembled. That was news, even to Dalton. “What did he say when you confessed your attraction to him?” Dalton asked. The entire table leaned forward to hear the answer. “He said I was a pretentious brat and to get the hell out of his office.” They all let out a collective Awwww…in true sympathy. “So now you’re back to stealing from him to get a second’s worth of attention from him?” Dalton asked. “Why don’t you just move on?” Noah asked. Gage shot him a furious glare. “Would you be able to move on from Seth? Or Riley from Colin? Or how about Dalton from Russell? I can’t move on because I know that Branson and I are meant to be together. He just hasn’t realized it yet.” “Gage! Where in the hell are you, you little shit!” a loud voice boomed through the cafeteria. They all looked over to see a tall, muscular, blond man standing at the doorway. Unlike most of the other occupants, he wore a pair of jeans and plaid shirt as opposed to the coalition uniform. 100

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Gage sprang to his feet. “That’s my cue. Gotta motor.” He then took off running out the opposite doorway. Branson let out a snarl, “Don’t think you can get away from me, you brat. I’d recognize your scent anywhere.” The blond smoothly shifted into his Lion form and took off after Gage, both of them disappearing from view as they entered the hallway. There were a few beats of silence before Gage’s yelp of pain filled the air. The fact that hardly any of the other shifters looked up from their meals, told how often that very scene had already played out. Even Dalton and his friends resumed eating. Tobias just stared at them, his eyes wide with shock. “You’re all crazy. You know that, right?” “Well technically only I am, but the proper diagnosis is Bi-Polar disorder. So be a little more sensitive next time, Snoopy,” Riley drawled, a tiny smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Are you really…I didn’t mean…oh, crap…I’m, so sorry,” Tobias babbled. Riley studied the Wolf for a moment. “What do you think about Ke$ha?” Tobias blinked a few times, obviously thrown for a loop by the turn in the conversation. “I really like her.” “Good! Then all is forgiven.” Riley beamed at 101

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him. “Later on we can hang out and listen to her CDs.” “Yay?” Tobias ventured timidly as he shot Dalton a help-me look. Dalton clapped Tobias on the shoulder. “I think he would love to do that. He was just telling me the other day how Grow a Pear is his all-time favorite song.” Actually, Tobias really had admitted that, but Dalton didn’t think the Wolf would appreciate that secret being shared so openly. Tobias gestured weakly toward the door. “Shouldn’t somebody go check on Gage?” Noah waved a dismissive hand. “Nah, Branson will only gnaw on him a bit, he won’t do any real damage.” Shane chose that moment to walk over. “I see that Gage pissed off the History Lion again.” “Well, we all have to have a hobby,” Riley drawled, smiling when Shane reached over and gave him a playful swat on the back of the head. “Yeah, just because we don’t choose ours to include blood and maiming, like you do, don’t judge us,” Noah added. Shane rolled his eyes, a habit he picked up from Trevor. “Dalton, are you ready to get to work?” Dalton nodded and stood. “Sure, just let me take care of my tray.” “Does Tobias want to join us?” 102

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“Oh, no. He’s going to go hang out with Riley in the Hawk’s part of the building and listen to some Ke$ha.” “Really? Okay, then have fun with that.” Shane turned to leave, before he paused and looked back at Tobias. “Just one bit of warning. Watch out for the Hawks. They can be judgmental bastards and all-around jerks. Aside from a few of them, like Gage, I can’t find them worth liking.” Riley scrunched up his nose. “I hate to agree to that since my mate is second-in-command, but Shane does have a point. I’m really, really trying to get them to work on their socialization skills though. I even bought some self-help CDs and made them all watch them.” “I’ll bet they just loved that.” Dalton laughed. “Oh, they hated it. Which is why I ordered another set.” Still chuckling, Dalton put up his tray and followed Shane out. Dalton had talked so much that he’d hardly eaten anything, but it didn’t matter. Just hanging out with his friends had been nice enough. They went to the training center and found an empty sparring mat. Facing off, they began to exchange light blows, to warm up. “So how are things with your pack of dogs?” Shane asked. Dalton deflected one of his blows. “They’re 103

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Wolves and it’s been great. Although they do tend to spoil me a bit. For some reason they all think they need to take care of me. Even Tobias.” “You’re their Alpha’s mate so that makes you a very important member in their pack.” Swinging out, Dalton grazed Shane’s shoulder. “I don’t feel important. I’m just the same old, boring Dalton.” “Kid, there is nothing boring about you.” Dalton beamed with pride until Shane added, “Trouble follows you like a field of locusts.” “Hey!” Dalton started to protest only to be taken out by a hard hook to his face. He fell to the mat with a loud splat. “Ouch!” “Aw…shake it off, there isn’t even any blood,” Shane teased. Once Dalton was standing again, Shane grew serious. “Is Russell treating you good?” Dalton gave what he knew to be a goofy grin. “Yeah, he’s the best. He makes sure my every need is met, too.” “Are you still certain he’s the one for you? Even with your age gap and different backgrounds?” “I’ve never been more certain,” Dalton replied firmly. It was the truth, too. He relished in being able to sleep every night in the Wolf’s arms. They spent every spare moment together, either making love or just simply talking. In all that time, Dalton had 104

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fallen deeper and deeper under the Wolf’s spell. “Do you love him?” Shane prompted. “It’s only been a while, but yeah I think I do.” Dalton gazed up at him. “Are you happy for me?” Shane smiled. “Of course, I am. Trevor is, too. I will admit we both miss you like crazy. The place seems so quiet with you gone.” That admission stunned Dalton. While he’d always known that Shane cared, that was the first time the assassin had actually voiced it. Since he was a Leopard and had a tough childhood, it took a lot to make Shane warm and fuzzy. “I miss you guys, too,” Dalton finally said. “If things don’t work out with Russell, you can always come home. We both wanted to make sure that you know that,” Shane offered. “Thanks, I like knowing that. Although I can’t see myself ever leaving Russell. He means too much to me.” “Good to know. We just wanted to make sure that you know that even though you found your mate, it doesn’t mean we’re not still there for you.” “You guys have always been there for me. Ever since you freed me from that damn cage the slavers had me in and brought me here. I never thought that would end,” Dalton said. Shane cleared his throat. “Well, for what it’s worth. Trevor and I are really proud of how well 105

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you’re doing. Not just in adjusting to the coalition life, but with your battle skills. With a bit more training, you’d even make a great soldier.” “Yeah, like there is any chance of Russell ever letting me go out in the field, “ Dalton shot back, before adding, “ I do know one thing. Thanks to all your training, I’m never going to feel helpless again. And for that alone, I’ll never be able to repay you.” Dalton then went over and gave Shane a hug. Knowing how the Leopard didn’t like anybody other than Trevor touching him, Dalton made sure it was a brief embrace. Stepping back, he assumed his fighting stance, “Okay, we better get back to work. If I leave Tobias with the Hawks for much longer, he’s likely to crack and start taking them all out.” Shane wrinkled his nose. “We wouldn’t want that. Just think of the mess it would make and, knowing my luck, Mitchell would assign me to clean it up.” Dalton laughed. Yeah, he might miss Shane and Trevor, but he’d found a new home with the Wolves and he was pretty damn happy.

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Chapter Eight

R

ussell hung up the phone and rubbed his aching temples. Damn it, just what he needed, another dead end. For two weeks now, as promised, he’d been searching for the missing female Lynx and so far he’d come up with zilch. Since he’d tried his best in the past not to deal with slavers, they didn’t want to talk to him. As for his old connections, they’d been drying up since he’d gone legit. “Where’s your cat?” Russell looked up to see George walk into the room. One of the newer pack members, Russell had never really warmed up to the guy. Mainly because of the way the Wolf always seemed to throw himself at Russell. Numerous times, Russell had tried to let the guy know he wasn’t interested, but George didn’t seem to be capable of getting the message. Tall, with more muscles than brains, George kept his hair in a buzz cut and always wore 107

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military boots and fatigues. Almost like he had something to prove. When Russell had asked why George had left his old pack, the man had mumbled some half-ass excuse about his father losing some power struggle and the whole family being banished for it. Now that he’d grown to know the man a bit more, Russell found himself doubting the story. What’s more, lately, whenever Tobias was around the older Wolf, Tobias would grow visibly upset and the last time Russell had smelled the fear rolling from his brother. When he’d tried to talk to Tobias about it, his brother has clammed up and stormed from the room. It made Russell want to get to the bottom of the situation more than ever. While he always hated to exile a Wolf, since he knew from firsthand experience how it felt to be alone, he wasn’t about to have Tobias uncomfortable in his own home. “His name is Dalton and I expect you to use it,” Russell replied icily. George tilted his head respectfully, but not before Russell caught the flash of anger that went through the Wolf’s eyes. “My apologies, Alpha. I was told that you wanted to see me?” “Yes, there are some old documents and photos in the other room that I need shredded,” Russell nodded to the next room over. 108

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It was grunt work and going by the flare of George’s nostrils, he knew it. But he also knew better than to disobey a direct order. Giving a tight smile, George turned and walked out of the room. No sooner had he left than Dalton walked in, and all of a sudden Russell’s day grew so much better. The Lynx must have come directly from a training session because he was dressed in dark workout clothes that were a bit sweaty, but he’d never looked better. “Hey,” Dalton said as he came over and gave Russell a kiss. “Hey, yourself.” Russell reached up and pulled Dalton onto his lap. “I missed you today.” “I missed you, too.” Dalton laughed. “I think Tobias missed you more though. He spent the entire day hanging out with a bunch of Hawk shifters.” Russell smiled at that. “You truly are wicked.” Dalton’s eyes grew stormy with passion. “Yeah, I’m so wicked that all I’ve been able to think about all day is coming home so you could fuck me.” Leaning in, Russell licked at Dalton’s skin, savoring the extra salty tang to it. “How about right now?” “Are you sure you don’t want me to go take a shower first? I’ve been working out pretty hard.” Russell gave Dalton another lick. “I like how you taste right now.” 109

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“I probably stink.” Even as he made that protest, Dalton tilted his head to the side to give Russell better access. “You smell perfect.” Russell moved in for a kiss, but Dalton put a hand on his chest to still him. “Let me take care of you.” Desire coursed through Russell’s veins. “And how do you plan on doing that?” By way of answer, Dalton gave him a naughty grin before he slid off Russell’s lap and dropped to the ground, positioning himself between Russell’s legs. Mouthing Russell’s cock through the fabric of his pants, Dalton said, “Just like this.” “Fuck,” Russell groaned. “We can do that after, too, if you want.” Dalton began to slowly lower Russell’s zipper, making each inch a torture of its own. “So, do you want this?” “Yes, please. Do it.” Russell spread his legs out to give Dalton more room. Dalton finally lowered Russell’s pants and freed his cock. Letting out a throaty laugh, Dalton looked up from under his long lashes. “No underwear?” “I learned from the best.” Dalton leaned forward and lapped at the tip of Russell’s cock. Pleasure spiraled up Russell’s body as Dalton’s tongue left a heated path. Letting out a 110

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purr, Dalton said, “You taste so good.” Threading his fingers through Dalton’s hair, Russell gave him a gentle shove forward. “Then get to work.” Dalton gave another laugh, before he ran his tongue up the underside of Russell’s cock. “You feel silky, too.” “What are you, Little Red Riding Lynx or something?” As soon as he asked that question, Russell knew that Dalton would have to jump on it. Sure enough, he looked up, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Oh, you did not just go there.” Russell didn’t bother to reply, instead giving Dalton’s hair another tug—this one a bit more forceful. The brat finally got the message and parted his lips, taking all of Russell in. Dalton gagged a bit, but recovered nicely enough, relaxing his throat muscles so he could swallow Russell to the root. Dalton only hesitated a moment before he began to bob his head and suck. It wasn’t the best blow job in history. It was clumsy and at times a bit too rough, but Russell still relished every moment because it was Dalton—his mate—who was giving it to him. Halfway through, Dalton looked up, his gaze clearly saying, is this okay? I’m not messing this up, am I? 111

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“It’s perfect, kitten,” Russell murmured as he caressed the side of Dalton’s face. Even so, he only let Dalton work a few more moments before Russell pulled him off and commanded, “Drop your pants and bend over my desk.” Dalton scrambled to obey—papers, pens and paper clips scattering all over the place. Russell ignored the mess, instead grabbing the small bottle of lube he’d stashed in a nearby filing cabinet. Russell paused for a moment to enjoy the display. How wanton Dalton looked, bare assed, bent over and ready to be fucked. Russell rubbed one palm over Dalton’s rear before opening the bottle of lube. Squirting it all over his fingers, Russell began to stretch Dalton out. The entire time, he switched back and forth between telling the shifter how much he meant to him, to just plain old dirty talk. By the time Russell had a third finger in, they were both on the edge with need. “Now. Please,” Dalton keened as he grabbed onto the edges of the desk. Lubing up his cock, Russell lined it up and thrust in with one hard motion. They both yelled out in pleasure before Russell began to hammer into Dalton so hard the desk started to move a bit. “Hard. Hard, just like that,” Dalton called. 112

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Russell obeyed, slamming into Dalton at an almost ruthless pace. Not that Dalton minded. If anything, his cries of pleasure only grew louder. Then Dalton came, completely untouched, his cum painting the top of the desk and soaking into some of the paperwork. The smell hit Russell’s heightened senses and threw him over the edge. Tossing his head back, Russell roared as he came, ropes of hot semen filling Dalton’s ass. The entire time, Dalton let out whimpering, mewling sounds as he continued to ride out his orgasm. They stayed that way for a several moments before Russell found the strength to pull out and step back. He helped Dalton stand, then guided him to the attached bathroom so they could clean up. When they came back out, Russell was less than pleased to see George waiting for them. What’s more, the bastard held something in his hand and wore a cocky expression on his face. “What do you want?” Russell snapped. “I want to show something to your little kitty.” Red, hot anger consumed Russell. “I told you to call him Dalton. He’s my mate and you better treat him with respect.” “Something tells me that he won’t be your mate for much longer,” George smirked. Before Russell could demand to know what in the hell he was talking about, George thrust the 113

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item he’d been holding into Dalton’s hands. It looked to be a photo, but since Russell could only see the back, he couldn’t figure out what it was of. Dalton’s gaze scanned it, his skin paling, “Is that Hemphries the bounty hunter who led the team that killed my family?” Russell’s stomach dropped as he realized the implication of Dalton’s question. He wanted to rip the photo out of Dalton’s hands and wipe away all the memories of it existing, but like his past, the damage had already been done. It would seem there was no way of fixing either. “But…but, he’s standing next to Russell and they’re both smiling,” Dalton’s voice quivered. “That’s because they’re old buddies,” George supplied gleefully. Dalton shook his head. “That’s not possible. Russell said that he never dealt with the slave market.” “That may be true, but Russell did sell them weapons. In fact, I’m willing to bet that he sold the very guns that killed your family.” Dalton let out a small sound of distress, the picture fluttering to the ground. Turning to Russell, Dalton said, “Tell me it’s not true. Please.” How Russell would have loved to lie. To deny that he was guilty of such a horrible crime, but as he stared at his mate’s agonized expression, Russell realized the very least he owed Dalton was 114

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the truth. “I sold him weapons on two occasions. It was a couple of years ago, so I don’t know if they were the ones he used on your family or not.” Dalton took several steps back, all the while shaking his head. His face a mixture of hurt, betrayal and…oh god…hate. “Do you know what they did with those weapons? How my family was massacred by those guns? I lost them forever, plus my life was hell while I was in slavery. And all because…. Dalton broke off, his hands going to his stomach. “I can’t handle this….How could you…I just need to leave.” Before Russell could reply, Dalton turned and ran from the room. A few minutes later, the sound of the front door slamming rang through the mansion. And Russell found himself at a loss for what to do.

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Chapter Nine

D

alton curled up into a tight ball and pulled the covers over his head. He immediately regretted the action when the smell of his own unwashed body assaulted him. Letting out a frustrated curse, he flipped the covers off his head and looked around his room. Or was it his bedroom? Or his old bedroom since it was at Shane and Trevor’s home? Or his new bedroom since he’d moved back in three nights ago after running from Russell? And that’s just what he’d done, too. Runaway like some little kid who had a fight with his parents. Dalton now realized that he should have stayed and talked things through with Russell. Given him a chance to at least apologize. How many times had Russell told Dalton that he wasn’t proud of his past? That he was ashamed of the Wolf he used to be? And how many times had Dalton told him that none of it mattered? That nothing could change the way he felt about 116

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Russell? Then the very first time the issue had come up, Dalton had proven himself to be a liar and turned on Russell. What was even lamer was that Dalton was too afraid to go to Russell and ask for his forgiveness. Not when he’d let his Wolf down so badly. A knock sounded on the door and Dalton grumbled, “I told you guys I’m not hungry. Now go away.” When the door opened, Dalton sat up, ready to lash out at the intruder, only to stop short when he saw it was Tobias. “What are you doing here?” Tobias waved the air in front of him. “I can tell what you aren’t doing—showering. Dude, not to be mean, but you reek and it’s even worse for me because of my enhanced sniffer.” “Did you come all this way to insult me?” “No, I came to smack some sense in your head. I’ve been trying to do that with Russell for the past few days, but he’s so busy playing the blame game that all he’s doing is moping. It’s actually kind of pathetic.” Dalton sat up sat up straighter. “You mean he’s sad that I’m gone? He’s not mad at me for running away?” Tobias rolled his eyes. “You guys really need to work on your communication skills. Instead of talking things out, you both retreat and have a 117

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three-day pout-fest. Really? Is that any kind of way to have a relationship?” Dalton couldn’t believe he was getting mating advice from Tobias. Any more than he could believe that the guy was actually right. Getting up from the bed, Dalton started to go to the door. “I have to go to him.” Tobias grabbed Dalton by the shoulders and spun him around. “Yes, you do, but first you have to take a shower, because there is no way you’re getting in my car smelling like that.” Dalton dashed into the bathroom and took the fastest shower in his life before pulling on some clothes and rushing outside. On the drive over, he was so antsy that he didn’t realize until they were halfway there that Ke$ha was playing on the radio. “You really listen to this?” he asked. Tobias blushed. “Yeah, I wasn’t kidding when I said that.” “So did that mean you had fun hanging out with Riley?” “Yeah, he and his brother are a riot. We were thinking about going clubbing one weekend.” Dalton shook his head, amazed at how quickly his and Russell’s lives had merged. “I missed him so much.” “Russell missed you, too,” Tobias reassured him. 118

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They passed the gate and pulled into the circular drive. Dalton didn’t even give Tobias time to put it into park before he jumped out of the car and raced up the steps. “Russell!” Dalton yelled as he raced inside. Finnegan pointed to the office and Dalton burst inside, only to come to a skidding stop as his gaze fell on Russell. He sat behind his desk and for the first time ever, the Wolf wasn’t immaculately dressed. Gone were the suit and tie, replaced with a pair of jeans and worn looking t-shirt. Even his hair was messy, as if he’d been running his hands through it in frustration. “Russell,” Dalton half-whimpered, halfwhispered. Russell looked up, his eyes dull. It seemed to take a minute for him to register that Dalton was standing there. “Please, forgive me,” Dalton said, his voice wavering. Russell gave a slow nod before opening his arms. Dalton didn’t hesitate, he ran over and threw himself into Russell’s embrace, even going so far as to climb into the Wolf’s lap. “I am so sorry,” Russell said. Dalton shook his head. “No, I should be the one who is apologizing. I promised I’d stick by you no matter what and I ran the first time something bad 119

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came up.” “I swear that if I could, I would do anything to get your family back,” Russell said as he began to rain kisses over Dalton’s face. They held each other for several moments, exchanging small kisses before Russell murmured, “I love you. I love you so damn much.” Dalton’s heart pounded with happiness. “I love you, too. And I promise never to run away again. No matter how mad I get.” “I’m going to hold you to that promise.” “By the way, whatever happened to George?” “I banished him.” Dalton wanted to feel sorry for the Wolf, but he couldn’t. Even before the picture incident there had been something that he hadn’t liked about the asshole. He’d just never been able to figure out what it was. So instead of feeling bad, Dalton just let out a happy sigh and rested his cheek against Russell’s chest. They sat that way for a long time, just holding each other before Finnegan came into the room and nervously cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt, but this is pretty important. They think that they may have found the female Lynx you’ve been looking for.” Dalton sat up, hope flooding him. “Where at?’ “Some soldiers from the feline coalition just stumbled upon a slave compound.” Finnegan 120

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winced before adding, “Word has it that the slaves are in pretty bad condition. Most of them are dead.” The stench hit Dalton before he even entered the burned out warehouse. Rank with the ripe bite of decomposition, it made him gag. The door and all the windows to the semi-demolished building were open and already there was a row of bodies covered with blankets lying on one side. Chance rushed out and waved Dalton in. “I think we have her in here.” Dalton ran in, Russell by his side. Chance gave Dalton an apologetic look. “She’s dead. The other slaves said she expired sometime last night.” “Damn it, if only we’d found them sooner,” Russell cursed. Dalton reached over and grabbed his hand. “You did the best you could. You can’t blame yourself for this. The ones to blame are the damn slavers that put them all through this.” Chance led them to a cage so small it would have been cruel to have put a dog in there, let alone a full-grown woman. Dalton’s heart sank as he recognized the features, even under all the dirt and grime. “Is that her?” Chance asked. Covering his mouth with one hand to hold in the sobs, Dalton nodded. 121

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“What was her name?” Chance asked. “I don’t know. We weren’t allowed to exchange names and the slavers always referred to us by our breeding numbers.” “That’s too bad. At least the babies lived.” Dalton paused, lowering his hand. “Babies?” Mitchell and Brent came over, each of them carrying a baby that looked to be around six months old. Each of them was clothed only in a diaper, but at least they looked clean and well fed. They were damn cute, too. Both of them sporting full sets of dark hair and bright blue eyes. “How cute!” Dalton exclaimed. “Are they boys or girls?” “They’re both boys.” “And now their mother is dead. How sad is that.” Dalton reached out to touch one of the baby’s hands. “I wonder who their father is? Maybe we can find him so they’re not alone.” “We did find the father,” Brent drawled. “Where? Who is he?” Dalton looked around for several moments before he realized that everybody else was looking directly at him! The room began to spin as the truth kicked Dalton firmly in the ass. “Oh, fuck. They’re mine. Aren’t they?” Mitchell nodded. “According to the records they kept and the information that we were able to 122

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gather from the surviving slaves.” “Congrats! You’re a daddy!” Brent said with way too much excitement. Dalton opened his mouth to speak, only to have a squeak come out. For the first time ever in his life, he was at a complete loss for words. Him? A dad? Who would have thunk it? “What are their names?” Russell asked. “According to the slave who took care of them 1645 and 1646,” Mitchell said as he held out the baby in his arms. Dalton took the small male, marveling at how tiny the infant felt in his arms. The baby cuddled into his chest. Dalton glanced up at Russell. At that moment everything seemed to finally click in place as a wave of love and protectiveness hit Dalton. Yes, these babies were his and if had anything to do about it, they’d never be scared or alone again. “I’ll understand if you—” “Don’t even say it,” Russell cut in as he reached out and took the other baby. “Mates are forever and these boys now belong to both of us.” Tears sprang to Dalton’s eyes, but he fought them back. “I love you so much.” “And I love you. Now we just need to give these guys some real names.” Dalton glanced down at the baby in his arms. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to name them Cody and Jake, after my littermates.” 123

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Russell gave him a tender smile. “I think that would be perfect.” They took off their coats and wrapped them around the infants, eager to get them away from the foul place. Once they’d walked a fair distance, Russell said, “Thank you.” “For what?” “For showing me how to love again and giving me a family. Without you I’d still be a miserable crook who had nothing to live for.” Dalton glowed with happiness. “And thank you, for being my hero in more ways than one.” Grabbing hands, they then left to bring their new family home.

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About the Author Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all things about the state, from the frigid winters to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. Go Wings! You can usually find her snuggled up to her laptop, creating her next book or gorging on caffeine at her favorite coffee shop.