by Lisa Oliver
An Alpha mate – how fucked up was that? From the moment he’d been born, Caden had been picked on – firstly because he was the smallest in the pack, and then because he was found to be an Omega. Every single wolf in his home pack was higher in status than he was, and most of them made a point of letting him know just how unworthy they considered him to be, every single day. The bruises, broken bones, living on scraps of food and being made to do every dirty job in the pack was bad enough. But Caden had been told that it wasn’t possible for an Omega to be a lone wolf, and that his wolf would die without a pack. So he stuck at it, hoping against hope that things would get better – and that is when things got a lot worse.
Caden had just turned eighteen by his reckoning, when he was told that the Alpha was looking for him. The pack Alpha was a brute of a man that Caden made a point of staying away from as best as he could, and not just because the man had serious personal hygiene issues. According to the beta wolf, who had delivered the orders with a leering grin, the Alpha had decided Caden was to become his personal property, a sex slave. Apparently all adult Omegas became concubines because they weren’t fit for anything else.
So terrified at the thought, as soon as the beta left, Caden tied some clothes in a bundle, shifted into his wolf form and started running. And he kept running for months, until he’d finally hit Los Angeles. Thousands of miles from home, Caden had no choice but to remain in human form in the city. His pure white wolf form, while small and skinny, would never pass for a dog, and besides, then he would have to evade animal control. But his life hadn’t got any easier, on two feet or four. His tormentors became human instead of wolf, and food was an all day mission to find. If it hadn’t been for Felix…
Caden ruthlessly cut off that line of thinking. He was losing the light, and while he had massive fluorescent tubes strung across his ceiling he preferred to paint by the natural light coming from his huge windows, glass doors and skylights. He looked critically at his painting, seeing nothing to smile about, even if it was a pretty enough picture and competently enough done. Sean fucking Black again, as though Caden could think clearly long enough to paint anything else. Since meeting the Alpha, Sean had invaded his every thought. This latest picture had Sean sitting on a stone bench, completely nude. He had a giant black wolf at his feet. It was the same black wolf who hovered on the edge of his dreams since Caden set foot in Los Angeles years before. Caden had never understood the significance of the wolf at the time, but he had a pretty good idea what it meant now.
“It’s you, isn’t it?” Caden poked the wolf with the end of his brush, being careful not to scratch the paint. “You, Mr. High and Mighty Alpha, standing there in the shadows, watching me being tortured and hurt. Doing nothing, saying nothing, just watching. Just as useless as any other Alpha I’ve had the misfortune to come across. What were you doing? Waiting for your turn to make my life a living hell? Well, it’s not going to happen.”
Caden would have dearly loved to have deface his painting, splatter it with black paint, slash at it with a knife, whitewash the whole thing, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Mr. Sean Black in repose, his face tilted up to the sun, was beautiful, at least on canvas. The man had ridiculously symmetrical features with his straight nose, strong chin, firm mouth, and long lashes that Caden already knew covered dark brown eyes. Caden imagined the muscular body – the wide chest, the long torso, slim hips and the well-defined thighs, based on what he remembered of the man in a suit. He was fairly sure his depiction of Mr. Black’s body shape and look was spot on. It was almost a shame he would never find out for sure. Almost.
Looking at the wolf again, with its dark eyes so like his human counterpart and the knowing intelligence that lurked there, Caden childishly stuck his tongue out. “If you can’t help in my dreams, you black bastard, then have the common decency to stay out of them.”
/~/~/~/~/
“He still not answering you, hon?” Sean watched Liam play the part of a concerned human in the guise of a potential boyfriend, wondering when his brother was going to grow big enough balls to tell Felix about his heritage and their mating bond. If they’d had that conversation already, then Sean could share the fact that Caden was his mate too, and he could voice the fact that he might be a tiny bit worried about him.
Scratch a tiny bit. Sean was positively frantic about his little Omega wolf. From what Felix had been saying, and he and Liam had been together every day, Caden hadn’t spoken to anyone in five days. Five days. Felix explained how usually he could gain access to Caden’s loft apartment with his key, but apparently Caden had employed a big ass lock from the inside and wasn’t responding to anybody.
“We could break his door down for you. Pretty sure there’s no door or lock that would be a match for me and my bro here,” Liam said with a suggestive wink and a flex of his considerable biceps. Felix grinned, like he was supposed to and Sean could see Liam’s little display was turning the human’s mind to mush again. He interrupted their eye fuck before things got too hot and heavy.
“Seriously, your friend was sick when he left the gallery, and no one has spoken to him since? Don’t you think a bit of B and E might be in order? He could be lying on the floor, dying or something. We’ll even replace the door if you’re worried about that.”
Okay, Sean knew that it was extremely unlikely that Caden was sick, although he was worried about the little wolf’s state of mind. The scent of Caden’s fear would not leave his memory, and while Sean reasoned that breaking down the man’s door might not help with the fear factor in the short term, he had to know for himself that Caden was all right. Felix was his only link to his mate, and the human was being surprisingly stubborn about keeping Caden’s whereabouts a secret.
“I appreciate the offer, guys, honestly, but I can’t do that to Caden. If you had seen the state of him when I first saw him on the streets, the bruises and the dirt, the torn clothes. Later, I found out about the whip marks on his skin, the scars he had – and my God, he was so thin you could virtually map out his skeletal structure with your eyes. And that’s without the fear. He was terrified, literally begging for money, but absolutely terrified.”
“He was hiring himself out as a rent boy?” Sean growled. He hated the very idea that his precious mate had been reduced to something so drastic just to survive. But Felix was shaking his head.
“You’ve got the wrong idea, there. Far as I know, Caden doesn’t even know what sex is. He was drawing caricatures on the steps of the old post office building and selling them to passers-by. I stopped and asked if he would do one for me, and tried to talk to him while he was drawing. I could tell he had talent, and…” Felix broke off and Liam brushed a kiss across his temple, although Sean wasn’t sure how that would encourage the human to keep talking. Thank goodness he did anyway.
“I’m just a big softie. There was something about those freaking eyes of his that reminded me of a kicked puppy. I wanted to be the one person who wouldn’t kick him.”
“So you were attracted to him, despite the dirt and bruises.” Sean was doing his best to keep his growling to a minimum but it wasn’t easy. But Felix was shaking his head again.
“I wasn’t attracted to him physically, although he’s pretty, I’ll give you that.” Felix smiled at Liam, who’d had a possessive arm over his shoulder. Sean appreciated the two men’s connection but he desperately needed a breakthrough of his own. “I prefer my men a bit bigger, with a lot more muscle and a lot more hair. I was, and still am, attracted to Caden’s talent. He is the most amazing artist I’ve ever come across.”
“Isn’t that all the more reason to make sure he’s still breathing?” Sean bit the inside of his mouth to stop any more angry sounds escaping. He had to get Felix to show them where Caden’s apartment was so he could see the young man for himself. He was still on the fence with the whole taking a mate issue. He wasn’t sure he could give a shy, fearful Omega the love and care he would obviously need. But Sean’s wolf wouldn’t give him any peace
until he saw Caden in the flesh.
“I really hate the idea of breaking into Caden’s space,” Felix said firmly. “The boy had nothing but a pencil stub, some packs of paper and the clothes on his back when I found him. When he bought his loft, after his first art sale, I thought he was going to die of happiness. He kept wandering around this huge empty space, just touching the walls and the windows as though he couldn’t believe his luck. He has barely any furniture, the whole place is like some giant studio mostly full of paintings and art supplies, and it’s not as though it’s in the best neighborhood. But it belongs to Caden and he guards the place like a fort.”
“He’s lucky you found him when you did. I can understand you being worried about him,” Liam said soothingly, flashing Sean a warning look. What? Oh. He was grinding his teeth. Taking a deep breath, Sean managed to unclench his jaw, but he was quickly running out of patience. He needed Caden’s address.
Sean had already tried to schmooze Marla, but she refused to reveal Caden’s whereabouts, claiming the artist was a very private person. He couldn’t ask Felix outright without sounding like a stalker. It was Liam that came up with the ‘being supportive friends’ idea, but Sean wasn’t sure how much more stalling he could take. If Felix had been anyone else apart from his brother’s mate, Sean would have had the guy in a chokehold by now, shaking Caden’s address out of him.
“I am worried, really worried. But I’m not sure breaking down his door is the way to go.” Felix was quiet for a moment and then he tilted his head with a small smile on his handsome face. “Of course, it’s highly possible that the fire escape would hold us if we were careful. Looking through a window might seem a little extreme, but I don’t see what else we can do. And at least this way no doors would be broken.”
Sean broke into a smile of his own – the first one in days. Maybe he could get to like his brother’s mate. A fire escape was totally doable, no matter how rickety it might be. After five days of dreaming and worrying about his mate, Sean would walk a tightrope in ballet tights if it meant he could see Caden again.
Chapter Four
Caden was in the shower when he heard the unmistakable rasp of metal on metal. The neighborhood was deathly quiet at night, so sound traveled. But this noise was too close for comfort. Someone was pulling down the ladder of his fire escape and they weren’t being subtle about it. Swallowing down his instinctive fear, Caden quickly shut off the shower so he could hear more clearly. One person, no, two…and then a third. Three people, probably human, were climbing the fire escape stairs. Caden could do this. He would defend his space, his territory from fucking intruders. He’d come too far to ever be a victim again.
Crouching down, even though he knew he couldn’t be seen, Caden hid behind his half screen and dragged on some jeans. He ran his towel hurriedly over his hair so that nothing could impede his eyesight, and then reached under the bed, pulling out a large heavy box. His gun safe. Even Felix didn’t know that Caden had armed himself. Caden had learned from his time on the streets that a gun was far more of a deterrent to criminals, than him changing into a small white wolf might be, and that was aside from the whole ‘must not shift in front of humans’ aspect of his life. He quickly assessed his choices. A hand gun would be easier to handle, but there were three possible intruders, and he would prefer not shooting anyone at all. He needed something that screamed “fuck off” without him having to pull the trigger. The AK-47 it was.
Flicking the gun to automatic mode, Caden stood up and stepped out from behind his bedroom screen, his focus firmly on the large windows in his studio space. It was almost full dark outside and Caden had yet to turn on his large lights. The only light he had inside was from the bathroom, and a small inset lamp in the kitchen. As he heard the heavy tread of boots get closer to his window, he decided some extra light might be useful. He only needed to see a shape to shoot at it – his prospective intruders would hopefully get a good look at what he was packing, and back off once they knew how serious he was.
Moving softly, so as not to make a sound on the floors, Caden made his way to the light switches by the front door and flicked on the overhead lights. The large space was immediately lit up – bright and impossible for anyone to hide. Still moving with purpose, Caden went to stand about ten feet from the windows, the gun cocked, loaded, pointed at the glass, and then he waited. In that moment he was pure predator, and while he was more used to claws and teeth, with the heavy weight of the gun in his hands, he was determined to send these guys a clear ‘fuck off’ message. His intruders were the prey this time – they just hadn’t realized it yet.
/~/~/~/~/
“Holy shit, he has a gun. Caden, for fuck’s sake don’t shoot!”
Sean heard Felix yell and he damn near pushed Liam off the fire escape, leaping up the last of the stairs. He could understand how Felix would want to talk quickly, especially if a gun was involved, but he had to see Caden for himself. As he stood on a rickety ledge he was momentarily stunned by the vision in front of him. A huge lit space littered with canvases spoke of hard work, dedication, passion for art and an apparent disregard for mess. And in front of it all stood Caden – locked, loaded and ready for bear.
The young man looked even better than Sean remembered. His slim, pale torso gleamed under the light, his unruly mop of straight blond hair falling just over the top of one eye. All Caden appeared to be wearing was a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips – a truly sexy picture. But it was the confident way Caden held the gun in his hands, and the unflinching glare in his eyes, that touched Sean’s heart. Felix had been right about one thing. Caden was determined to defend his home, and he looked more than capable of doing it. Damn, if that idea didn’t slam Sean in the groin and hang on.
“What are you doing here, Felix?” Caden’s voice held traces of nervousness that wouldn’t be noticed by human ears, but Sean noticed that the hands holding the gun didn’t waver.
“I was worried about you,” Felix called out, stepping closer to the glass, his hands spread to show he was unarmed. “We all were. You wouldn’t answer your door; you weren’t taking my calls. I had to know you were all right. We’re friends, Caden, I thought you trusted me. Now please, let us in. This damn ledge is fucking unsafe and you know I’m scared of heights.”
Caden held his glare for a long minute, and Sean wasn’t sure the young man would ever move. But then he carefully raised his weapon, removed the magazine, which he tucked in his back pocket, and then walked over to rest the gun against the wall. Only then did he come towards the large panes of glass, releasing a latch, which Sean realized was actually a door latch. What he had mistaken for windows doubled as large sliding doors.
Once all three men were inside of what was a huge space, Caden seemed unsure of himself. “I know we’re friends,” he said to Felix hesitantly – scared, but apparently determined to defend his actions. “I’m not doing anything wrong.” His eyes seemed to catch Sean’s automatically and Sean was shocked to see they were full of fear again. “I’m an adult. This is my place, my territory. I’m not intruding on anyone’s space. I have a right to be here.”
Sean realized in that instant that Caden’s immediate fear had a name – the Black Brothers - and damn, if that didn’t make him feel sick. He and Liam were full-blown Alpha wolves, and his little Omega must have thought that they had a pack, or at least a right to the territory he lived in. No wonder the poor guy had locked himself in and refused to talk to anyone. He was terrified of losing his home and possibly his life.
Felix looked confused. “No one said you didn’t have any right to be here. This is your home, bought and paid for. No one can take it away from you so long as you pay your taxes, and your trust does that for you.”
“Then why did you bring them?” Caden hadn’t stopped looking at Sean, but clearly Liam was included in the ‘them’ comment as well. “They know what I’m talking about. Why are they here, if not to beat me, torture me, rape me and then kick me out of my home? That
’s what men like them do. What are they doing here?”
“Caden! How can you say something like that?” Now Felix was talking as though Caden had lost his mind, and to a human, it may sound like he had. But Liam let out a low whimper and his face looked incredibly sad, while Sean was feeling much the same way. What the hell had happened to his little wolf who should have been made to feel special from the day he was born? What hell had he been through that meant he distrusted anyone that held a sniff of fur?
“Caden,” Felix said again. “These guys are my friends. You know that. Liam and I, we’re dating now, and I like to think it’s getting serious. And Sean has been just as worried about you as I have. Why wouldn’t I bring them here to check on you? Why are you making crazy accusations about them?”
“They know what I’m talking about. Ask them.” Caden wasn’t giving an inch, despite his fear, and Sean’s respect for the Omega grew, as did his concern.
“Liam. You have to have that talk, now, before things get out of hand,” Sean said quickly. Felix was looking at Caden with concern, and then at Liam as though he was a potential axe murderer. Caden was still looking scared, which was not helping. Unless everyone could speak clearly and honestly, things were going to go to hell in a hand basket. If Felix started to distrust Liam, then Liam would be gutted by losing his mate, and Sean didn’t think he would be much better if Caden disappeared on him, or shut him out of his life.
“Wasn’t how I planned to have this conversation, but you’re right bro, I’ll do it,” Liam said, and Sean gave a prayer of thanks that his brother and he were so in tune with each other. “Felix, there are things I haven’t told you about me. Nothing bad, I promise,” Liam added when he saw Felix’s dawning look of horror and the way the human tried to put himself between the brothers and Caden. “But the attraction we feel, why Sean was so worried about Caden. It’ll all make sense if you just hear me out.”
