“I know the bedrooms upstairs are bigger, but I took the room down here. I liked it better, I don’t know why. It felt right.”
Jared led the way down the hall and when they entered his bedroom, Nate grabbed him from behind and pulled him back against his chest.
His breath was hot against Jared’s ear.
“This used to be my room,” he whispered.
Jared turned in Nate’s arms and kissed him until they were both breathless.
“Then it makes perfect sense why I chose it,” he said against Nate’s mouth.
The shower in the en-suite had only a small cubicle, barely big enough for one person, so they took turns using it. Jared was turning down the sheets on the bed when Nate emerged.
“God, I needed that,” Nate said around a yawn.
“Tell me about it.”
Jared turned and drew in a sharp breath when he caught sight of the large wolf strolling towards him. Nate was roughly toweling dry his hair. His torso was still damp from the shower, beads of moisture glistening in the light from the bedside lamp.
The fluffy white towel wrapped around his hips was dangerously low.
Under Jared’s awestruck stare, Nate’s dick hardened beneath the material, tenting it.
The sight made Jared moan.
God he needed.
He hadn’t even realized how much until that very moment.
His cock was painfully hard inside his boxers, and aching to be touched. Without a word, Nate threw aside the towel he’d been using to dry his hair, grabbed hold of Jared and kissed him, slipping his tongue into Jared’s mouth. Jared accepted it gratefully, opening his own mouth wider, deepening the kiss and sliding his tongue alongside his mate’s. Jared couldn’t believe how incredible Nate tasted, how light-headed the kiss made him.
He had to grab hold of Nate’s shoulders to stay upright.
“Oh, God.” Jared rested his forehead against Nate’s while he tried to catch his breath.
Nate nodded. “Jesus, that was—”
Jared silenced Nate with another kiss.
It was so strong, so powerful, he could feel it in every part of his being. His lips, body, his heart and his soul all responded to Nate in a way he had never dreamed possible. The kiss was so hot, so intensely erotic that Jared lost himself in it until Nate broke away with a loud growl.
“This is your last chance to change your mind,” Nate said breathlessly. “If we go any further I’m not going to be able to stop myself from taking you. My wolf…”
Jared didn’t reply.
Instead, he turned, pulled open the drawer in his nightstand and removed a bottle of lube, placing it on top. Nate growled, grabbed him from behind and thrust his cock against his ass, while he latched his mouth onto Jared’s neck and sucked.
Jared cried out.
He tilted his head to the side to allow Nate better access and shivered when Nate ran his tongue up the length of his neck, tracing along the vein. When he reached Jared’s earlobe, he bit down gently then snaked his tongue out to soothe the spot.
Jared was right on the edge. It wouldn’t be long before he fell into the abyss.
Nate slid his hand around Jared’s hip and over his aching cock. When he pressed his hand against him, nimble fingers reaching for the head of his cock, Jared gasped then bit down on his lip to try to stop his impending release.
Christ, he didn’t want to come before they had even got started.
“Come if you want,” Nate whispered against his ear. “I promise it won’t be the only time tonight.”
Jared shook his head.
He pulled Nate’s hand away then turned in his arms. “I want it to last.”
Ignoring his throbbing dick, Jared took a step back and raked his eyes over the impressive muscles of Nate’s torso. With shaking hands he reached down, grabbed hold of the towel that covered Nate’s hips and pulled. Nate’s impressive erection sprang free. It, like every other part of Nate’s body, was simply perfect. Jared couldn’t believe this man was his. As he watched, a bead of pre-cum leaked from the slit. Jared snaked his tongue out to wet his lips. He couldn’t resist, he needed to taste. He knelt down and licked it away, groaning louder when Nate’s flavor burst on his tongue.
Nate growled—the sound low and needy, igniting a fire in Jared’s belly that he never wanted to be put out. Nate grabbed Jared under the arms, lifted him and threw him backward on to the bed, coming down heavily on top of him and crushing their lips together, stealing what was left of his breath.
Without breaking the kiss, Nate reached a hand down and tugged at Jared’s boxers, pulling them down his legs. With some difficulty, Jared managed to kick them the rest of the way off. The instant their cocks met, Jared knew he was going to lose it. His orgasm was too close, his body too tightly wound. Nate ground against him once, twice and it was all over. Jared thrust up hard, pressed his head back against the pillow and shouted out his release.
His orgasm seemed to last and last.
His hot seed spurted out between them, coating both his stomach and Nate’s. His eyes and teeth shifted when his wolf rose to the surface, howling within, elated. He was dimly aware of Nate reaching for something beside him but he couldn’t focus on the action. He was still jerking, his hip muscles contracting wildly when he felt Nate’s slick fingers rub against his ass.
Without preamble, Nate pushed two fingers inside him, intensifying Jared’s orgasm. He instinctively opened his legs wider to allow Nate more room as he continued to jerk and shudder.
Jared was so sated and boneless when Nate pushed another finger inside, he barely felt the sting. When he finally stopped shuddering, he looked down to watch Nate’s fingers disappear inside him. He wasn’t surprised that his dick was still hard.
“Oh God, you’re gonna keep me up,” he groaned.
Nate didn’t reply and when Jared lifted his gaze to meet Nate’s, he knew why.
The wolf looked desperate.
His incisors were visible through his open lips, he was breathing heavily and looked as if he were barely holding it together.
“Jared?” The low rumble to Nate’s voice made him sound more animal than human and it sent a jolt of excitement through Jared’s body.
Jared could only nod.
Getting to his knees, Nate grabbed the lube and squeezed a generous helping into his palm, using it to slick up his dick. Jared got up then knelt in front of him until he was eye to eye with his mate.
“Take me from behind?” he asked.
Nate mashed their lips together and thrust his tongue inside. When he pulled back he already had his hands on Jared’s hips trying to turn him around.
“On your hands and knees,” he ordered.
Jared complied.
No sooner had his elbows touched the mattress than Nate’s thick, slippery cock was at his entrance, pressing against him, asking to be let in.
“Do it,” Jared breathed.
Nate leaned his large body over his back and slowly pushed his cock inside. There was a sharp bite of pain at first and he hissed, trying to adjust to the sensation, but he forced himself to relax and as he pushed back, the pressure gave way to an immense sense of relief and pleasure—blinding earth-shattering pleasure.
“Nate!” Jared’s entire body shook, his dick leaking against his stomach.
He gripped the pillow as Nate withdrew then thrust inside him again. Then he did it again, over and over, making his body sing.
The pleasure inside Jared increased to epic proportions as Nate fucked him, filled him, and he gave into it gladly.
Jared was finally home.
Their lovemaking only served to cement their relationship and to seal their bond. Instantly Jared knew what he wanted.
When Nate thrust into him again, Jared fell forward and Nate collapsed on top of him, the action driving Nate even deeper inside, hitting his sweet spot and making him moan. Nate groaned and panted against his neck and when his tongue snaked out, his teeth scraping along th
e vein, Jared couldn’t take it anymore.
“Do it, Nate! Do it!” he ordered.
Jared didn’t need to elaborate.
Without a word, Nate’s razor-sharp teeth sank into his neck and the overload of emotions that rocketed through his body as Nate drew out his blood and claimed him sent Jared into orbit.
He could feel their bond strengthening the more blood Nate took, could feel the invisible strands that held them together form an unbreakable knot. He could feel Nate, deep inside him, a part of his soul. And Jared knew without question this was what he had waited his entire life for, even though he hadn’t even known he’d been waiting.
Just as his second orgasm hit, Nate tore his teeth free then shouted out Jared’s name as he filled his ass with the wet heat of his release. The sensations that rushed through his body went on and on until they reached a thrilling crescendo—the ultimate high.
“You’re mine,” Nate whispered in his ear when they finally stopped trembling, their sweat-soaked bodies sliding deliciously against one another. “Forever.”
Jared was so happy he could have cried.
Chapter Twenty
“Nate, Nate, wake up.”
Nate groaned and reached out to pull Jared back against his body but his hands came up empty. He cocked one eye open and was surprised to see Jared on the other side of the room, pulling on his pants.
“What’s wrong?”
Nate sat up, blinking away the last remnants of sleep. The deep frown lines etched into Jared’s forehead woke him faster than a bucket of ice water would have.
“What happened?”
“Kelan just called. We need to get over to Joe’s place, quick as we can.”
Throwing off the covers, Nate quickly got out of bed and retrieved his clothes. “Trouble?”
Jared nodded. “Looks like it. Kelan is driving back from council headquarters with Gregory and Dean. They’ve had news about Stan. He’s on his way to meet Joe today.
“The trouble is, Ashton got hold of the news first and he’s headed there right now. Kelan said he had a ten-minute head start on them, at least.”
“I don’t understand. Why would Ashton go there on his own?”
Jared sighed and raked a hand through his thick, dark curls. “Apparently Ashton’s mate Tania was killed six months ago, and in much the same way Paul was killed last night—torn apart.
“He and Gregory have been investigating her death since it happened. From what they’ve been able to find out, it looks as if Stan is responsible.”
“Shit.”
“It gets worse. Tania was eight months pregnant with their child when she was killed. Kelan said after Ashton saw what happened last night he lost it, said by the time they got back to headquarters after picking up Neil and the others, he was incensed—not thinking clearly.
“I guess it brought back all of his painful memories—although I’m sure they were never too far from his mind.
“Kelan said they couldn’t calm him down, couldn’t reason with him, and then this morning when they got the news about Stan, they went to find him but he’d already left.
“Gregory called his cell phone and when he answered, he said he was on his way to make Stan pay for what he’d done. Looks as if Ashton is out for blood.”
“Fuck, we’d better get there before he does something stupid.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
When they turned into the lane that led to Joe’s property, Jared veered off-road and hid the car behind a dense line of trees. He killed the engine then unbuckled his seatbelt.
“I think it would be better if we went the rest of the way on foot. Ashton won’t have made it here this quickly, and if Stan is already with Joe, we don’t want them to see us, or we’ll waste the opportunity to catch them together.
“If they know we’re on to them, we might not get this chance again.”
Nate got out of the car then walked around it until he was at Jared’s side. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. It doesn’t add up. Why would Stan kill Ashton’s mate?
“If his only goal is to expose shifters to humans, what would he have to gain from doing that?”
Jared’s mouth was pressed together in a thin line. “I don’t know.”
“We don’t know squat. And if Dean is the one who has been getting info on Stan then how did Ashton find out Stan was coming here today?”
Jared shrugged. “I guess we’re about to find out.”
Nate and Jared followed the tree line to Joe’s ranch, keeping parallel with the road. When the house came into sight, Jared nudged Nate’s shoulder and nodded his head towards a black sedan parked outside.
They circled the yard until they reached the back of the ranch and two large outbuildings loomed before them. As they approached the nearest barn, Nate heard raised voices from within.
Quietly, they slid along the side of the building until they reached the door. Nate peered into the barn but he couldn’t see anyone. The voices seemed to be coming from one of the stalls in the back of the building so he slipped inside, Jared following closely behind.
“You’re being paranoid,” Nate heard Joe say. “No one knows! We can’t quit now, I’ve got another bull coming this afternoon and I need that damn insurance money to pay for it.”
“Don’t be greedy, Joe.” Nate didn’t recognize the man who replied. “How many times do you think you can get away with it before the insurance company becomes suspicious? Besides, we need to cool it.
I’m certain someone at the council is on to me. I can’t risk anyone finding out or I’ll lose everything. We’re committing fraud. Do you know how serious this is? We can both go to prison for it.
“I don’t have to tell you what that’s like for a wolf, do I? Isn’t your son in prison?”
Nate turned to Jared and frowned.
If that was Stan talking, then the whole situation made even less sense. Why would he be so concerned about something as small-time as fraud if he was personally responsible for someone’s death?
“Yes! “ Joe snapped. “He is in prison, and it’s all because of those fucking Morgan brothers! If you just did as I damn well said and planted one of my bulls in their fields, we could pin it on them and we’d be killing two birds with one stone.
“We’d take the suspicion off us and you’d get rid of Kelan Morgan in the process. Isn’t that what you want?”
The man let out a weary sigh. “Yes, I’ve already got someone lined up to take over the position, but we need to tread carefully. We can’t afford to have anyone find out what we’re up to.
“I’ve worked tirelessly for years building a following of people who are loyal to me, who are sick of hiding, living our lives in fear of humans finding out about us.
“I’ve got a lot invested in this and I’m not prepared to throw it all away for a small amount of money.”
Joe snorted. “This is hardly pocket change. We’re set to make tens of thousands here, and that’s only the beginning.”
“I think I’ve heard enough,” Jared whispered into Nate’s ear. “We can get them for fraud if nothing else.”
After what Nate had just heard, he wasn’t convinced there was anything else but he kept quiet and nodded his head in agreement. They slipped out of the barn and waited outside for Joe and Stan to emerge.
A moment later both men stepped outside, squinting into the early morning sunshine.
“Stan Michaels?” Jared asked.
“Yes, who are you?” Confusion on the man’s face turned into fear when Jared produced his badge.
“What the fuck is this?” Joe asked, his head swiveling back and forth between Nate and Jared.
“Stan Michaels, Joe Walker—I’m arresting you both on suspicion of f—”
Jared didn’t finish his sentence because a shot rang out behind them.
Stan shrieked and fell to his knees, his hand lifting to his shoulder as if by instinct. Blood seeped out between his fingers and his face drained of color a
lmost instantly.
Jared pulled out his gun and spun around.
Ashton marched towards them with his own gun pointed at Stan. His eyes had shifted to their bird form and his face was filled with a deep hatred, the intensity of which made Nate shiver.
“Drop your weapon, Ashton!” Jared shouted.
Ashton ignored him and continued moving towards them.
“Ashton, I’m warning you! Drop your Goddamn weapon!”
“Stay out of this, Jared. This is between me and Stan,” Ashton replied.
“He shot me, he fucking shot me,” Stan said. “Don’t just stand there, do something! Shoot him!”
“Shut up!” Ashton roared, waving his gun at Stan.
“You’re making a mistake, Ashton,” Nate said.
“You don’t know anything about this, Nate. He killed my mate! Killed her! She was torn apart. Our baby…”
Ashton’s entire body shook and his hawk looked dangerously close to the surface.
“What? What the hell is he talking about?” Stan asked. “It wasn’t me, I swear. I would never…”
“Don’t lie! You ordered her death! I know it was you! Admit it!”
When Nate turned to look at Stan, the confusion on his face was unmistakable. He might have certain views on shifter politics and he might be committing fraud, but Nate was certain he wasn’t a murderer.
He wasn’t responsible for Tania’s death.
“I haven’t killed anyone!” Stan shouted.
“You’re lying! He told me it was you!” Ashton shouted.
“Who told you?” Nate asked.
“It was—”
“Drop your weapon, Ashton!” Nate turned to see Kelan, Gregory, and Dean striding towards them.
Dean had his gun drawn and pointed at the Hawk.
“Ashton, please,” Gregory begged. “Don’t do this.”
“You know what he did—you saw what he did to her. He can’t get away with this!”
“He won’t,” Gregory replied. “He won’t get away with it, but just please, don’t do this.”
“You don’t understand,” Ashton said. “You’ve never been mated.”
While Nate watched, a tear slid down Ashton’s cheek.
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