Matt flinched when Zac snapped the phone closed and tossed it onto the dashboard. This was a side of his he’d never seen before. He wasn’t sure he ever wanted to see it again. Matt suddenly realized that he knew virtually nothing about his mate. Zac could have a terrible temper for all he knew.
Matt scooted closer to the door just in case. He’d seen the size of Zac’s fists and didn’t relish being on the receiving end if Zac got pissed. Being a smaller wolf, Matt had been on the receiving end of more than one furious wolf. It wasn’t a position he liked.
“Is…Is everything okay, Zac?” he asked quietly.
Zac turned his gaze on Matt, making him shiver. Suddenly, Zac’s eyes softened, and he reached out to Matt. “God, baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. You must think I’m a real ass.”
“No, I just—”
“The council is sending me out on another mission. They won’t even give me the time to drive you home.”
“Oh.” Matt frowned. “What sort of mission? Anything I can help with?”
Zac shook his head. “Not this time, babe. This is strictly a seek-and-destroy mission.”
Chapter 3
Zac looked over at his little mate sleeping in the truck next to him. Matt was just too cute for words, absolutely adorable. Even if Zac had to do this job for the council, at least it was on the way home. He was still worried about Matt being in harm’s way. At least the target’s location was known. Hopefully, the target didn’t know a Delta had been called in.
According to the elders, Beta Aiden Kane was a twenty-five-year-old wolf. He stood six-three, 235 pounds, and had brown hair and brown eyes. He was also trying to overthrow the Alpha of his pack.
It would be one thing if the Beta challenged the Alpha in a fight for the pack, but it had been confirmed Aiden was trying to take the Alpha dishonorably. Zac was disturbed by the call. He didn’t normally get called in for power struggles.
That made this a very volatile situation. Zac suspected that Alpha Issacar had friends in high places, or he never would have been called in to solve it. Either way, he wanted Matt safe. Stopping at a motel two towns over and paying with cash under a false name would be enough to protect him. Zac could only hope, at least.
“Baby,” Zac said, trying to wake up his sleeping mate. He hated to wake Matt up, but he needed food and to stretch his legs before the last couple hours of the drive. “Matt, wake up, sleepyhead.”
“Huh? What?” Matt answered, wiping his eyes. “Are we there?”
“No, baby, but I’m hungry. Could you eat?”
“Yeah, I could eat,” Matt replied with a yawn. “How much more do we have?”
“A couple more hours, but we’re going to grab a motel in a different town. I want to stash you somewhere safe since I don’t know anything about this pack.”
“You know what’s best in this situation, Zac,” Matt answered after a moment. “But I’m not a baby.”
“Matt, I know that,” Zac replied, sighing. “This guy is a big-ass Beta. If something goes wrong, I don’t want you involved.”
Matt nodded, seeming to understand it wasn’t a reflection on him. It was about the target.
Pulling off the expressway, Zac found a burger chain restaurant and parked. They stretched their legs, used the washroom, got their food, and were back in the truck in under ten minutes.
Zac was surprised at how well his mate went with the flow of things and didn’t complain. He was incredibly grateful for that. Zac’s tolerance of whiney people was pretty low. Still, when they got home, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that Matt had everything he could ever dream of. Matt was going to have one of the spare bedrooms for his office, but maybe Zac could get wireless Internet for his laptop.
“Hey, Matt?” Zac asked, having an idea of something his mate might like.
“What’s up?” Matt asked with his mouthful of burger.
“What else do you like to do besides cook? You know, I have some land if you wanted to do something with it. Not a lot, mind you, but a few acres anyway.”
“Really?”
“Sure, baby, it’s your home now, too. If there’s something you want, within reason, of course, I don’t see why you can’t have it.”
“Okay, well, there is one thing. But don’t laugh, promise?”
“I promise to try not to laugh,” Zac replied. He braced himself for some crazy idea.
“Well, I have few memories of my grandparents. When I was very little, though, I remember helping my grandpa in his vegetable garden. It was our special time together, and it meant the world to me. I always thought when I got older, I would have one, too. I mean, I couldn’t have one at my apartment, of course. But if you’d be okay with it, I’d really love to have one of my own?”
“I think that’s a great idea, Matt!” Zac replied enthusiastically.
“Really? You don’t think it’s too girly?”
“Not at all! That can be hard work. I admit I don’t know anything about vegetables or gardening, but I’d be more than happy to help you if you teach me? I mean, I know my way around a shovel and can do manual labor.”
“I’d like that, Zac,” Matt said with a huge grin on his face.
Zac smiled back, deciding he wanted to see his mate smile like that as often as possible. If all it took was a vegetable garden to make Matt so happy, he’d fall in love with him faster than he thought possible.
And that scared the shit out of him.
Zac woke up before Matt the next morning. He knew he had to get up and get to the job, but he couldn’t help but watch his mate sleep. Matt looked so peaceful, with a small smile on his lips, almost a smirk.
Even in his dreams, he seemed to know how strongly Zac already felt about him. It baffled Zac how much he already cared for his mate. Matt’s heart was so big, it was impossible not to adore him.
Thinking back to last night, Zac chuckled at his mate’s loving. Matt insisted, since Zac had spent so many hours driving while Matt got time to nap, that he was going to take care of Zac for the evening. They showered together, and then Matt gave him a wonderful massage that ended with a fucking fantastic blow job. When Zac had tried to reciprocate, his mate patted him on the shoulder and told him to get some sleep.
Zac knew Matt had been hard and wound up, but he put his needs aside and took care of Zac. He didn’t know what he did to deserve such a wonderful mate, but Zac knew he would do everything in his power to keep deserving him.
“Matt,” Zac said, shaking his shoulder. “Sweetie, I have to get going.”
“Go? Go where?” Matt asked, looking panicked as he sat up.
“I have to go meet with Alpha Issacar and take care of the Beta. I’ll be back for you. You’re my mate now. I’ll always come back to you.”
“Oh, okay. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. You just startled me.”
“I figured, babe. But I wanted to say good-bye and talk to you instead of just sneaking out.”
“Good. Always do that, please,” Matt said as he leaned up to get a good-morning kiss. “Be safe and come back to me, Zac. I don’t want to lose you now that we’ve found each other.”
“I feel the same way,” Zac whispered against his hair before kissing his head again. Matt smiled and snuggled back down into the bed. See? This being mated thing wasn’t so hard. Zac could do this.
Zac smiled like a loon as he got dressed and grabbed his gear. He quietly left the motel room, not wanting to disturb Matt again. Before he left, he made sure to program his number into Matt’s cell phone, just in case.
He was at Alpha Issacar’s house in under a half hour. Putting on his game face, he knocked on the door and waited.
“Yes?” an older man asked as he opened the door.
“Alpha Issacar?” Zac asked, not liking the look of the Alpha. Something in the man’s eyes set off alarm bells inside his head.
“I’m Alpha Issacar,” the man replied. “Who are you?”
“The Delta the co
uncil sent, sir.”
“What’s your name, young man?”
“Not important. Normally, no one knows even what I look like when I do a job for the council. For some reason this time, I was asked to check in at the Alpha’s house first.”
“What do you have to hide? Why won’t you tell me your name?” Issacar growled.
Zac wasn’t ready for that response. Most Alphas understood why Deltas didn’t want to reveal their identity during a job.
“Sir, with all due respect, I never give anyone my information. Deltas are hunted enough as is. Normal hit men don’t meet their clients in person, much less know their real names,” Zac replied, choosing his words carefully.
“If you’re not going to tell me who you are, then get the fuck out of my town!”
“That’s not your call, Alpha Issacar. I was sent here on a directive from the council. Now, either you deal with not knowing my name and inform me of the circumstances, or I report back to the council that I couldn’t do my job because of your reluctance.”
The anger and pure hatred coming off the Alpha made Zac very glad he didn’t share any information. Zac was starting to wonder if Issacar had a screw loose. Just as quickly as the anger appeared, it was hidden behind a calm mask the Alpha put on.
“I understand,” Issacar said calmly, as if he had never yelled at Zac. “My apologies, Delta. You’ll have to bear with me. This situation has me very distraught.”
“Of course, Alpha Issacar, it’s understandable.”
Can anyone say psychopath? Zac thought to himself. He entered cautiously when the Alpha opened the door wider and stepped out of the way. “Please fill me in on what I need to know.”
“Well, I was told you knew my Beta’s name and description.” Issacar waited for Zac’s nod to confirm. “He’s been a problem for the past few years, but the last couple of months have been much worse. Aiden has started lying about carrying out my orders and threatening pack members who support me as Alpha.”
“Obviously, that is a problem, but why did the council get involved?” Zac asked. “Shouldn’t this be handled within the pack?”
“I wouldn’t have contacted the council if that was all, you little pissant,” Issacar growled. Just as quickly, the look on his face snapped back to calm. “I found out that Beta Aiden was planning on eliminating me, and not through a challenge.”
“Why didn’t your Delta take him out?”
“It seems Delta Sebastian and Beta Aiden are close friends. They grew up together.”
“Has the proof of the plan to eliminate you been confirmed by the council? Beta Aiden has no clue that I’m coming, right?”
“Of course not! I’m not an idiot! Can you get him out of my way or not?” the Alpha yelled.
“Yeah, I can eliminate the target,” Zac replied, feeling very unnerved. Not only the way the Alpha yelled at him, but his word choice made Zac’s gut churn. Get him out of the Alpha’s way? Shouldn’t he be asking Zac to help him not get assassinated?
“Good. His address is just on the outskirts of town. I wrote it down along with detailed directions,” the Alpha informed him as he handed over a piece of paper. “I expect you to report back to me as soon as it’s taken care of.”
“Of course, Alpha Issacar,” Zac said, hoping the Alpha didn’t smell the lie. Issacar was out of his mind if he thought Zac would check back in with him. That’s not how this worked. He’d inform the council it was done and get the hell out of Dodge.
Something was very wrong with this situation, and Zac didn’t like it. The hit man coming back to the client after it was over smelled like a double cross, and Zac had enough experience not to fall for it.
Zac left the house after that, keeping his head turned to the side so he could see the house in his peripheral vision. This job smelled of rat, big-time.
Driving to the outskirts of town happened to be easy enough, and finding Aiden’s house, as well. Zac parked a few miles away at an abandoned turnoff. He quickly got out and shed his clothes. Shifting into his Chameleon form before anyone could drive by and see a strange, naked man standing there, he headed back to Aiden’s house. Even invisible, he was a large wolf and ate up the distance quickly.
Standing close enough to see the target’s house, but staying far enough away so that his scent couldn’t be determined, Zac decided to observe for a while. Seeing Aiden on his back porch, lighting coals on the grill, dancing to the music coming from inside his house, Zac seriously doubted this was some evil Beta. Aiden turned to look over his backyard, taking in the scenery, and Zac got a look of him straight on.
Holy shit! The man was hot. The description Zac received of Aiden did not do the man justice. He had shoulder-length, sandy brown hair that shone in the sun. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on the man. Even though he was a few inches shorter than Zac, his muscular arms, back, shoulders, and even thighs were thicker than Zac’s.
Zac almost panted, and not because he had run for miles in wolf form. Aiden turned around as two women walked out onto the deck. From the loving and almost reverent way Aiden greeted them, Zac guessed it was his mother and grandma. Oh yeah, this guy had mass murder written all over him.
Not!
Deciding to take a closer look, Zac inched along the grass on his belly. He knew he was taking a risk and possibly getting too close. Zac couldn’t seem to stop himself. Aiden suddenly looked over the yard with a narrowed gaze as Zac got within fifteen yards.
Shit, he smells me, Zac thought to himself. Quickly Aiden ushered the women back into the house and turned to face whatever possible threat he sensed. Zac needed to make sure he wasn’t drooling when the Beta shed his clothes. Fuck, the man was gorgeous. Every possible thing Zac wanted to do to the man entered his mind.
Chastising himself for losing focus, he watched Aiden shift into wolf form. Aiden closed in on his position. Zac knew he couldn’t see him, but he could smell him. Trying to decide what to do, Aiden took away the choice as he shifted back to a man.
“I know you’re out there,” he said calmly, but Zac could smell his fear. “If you’re here for me, I’ll go quietly, but please don’t hurt the women.” That made up Zac’s mind. If this guy was so horrible, he wouldn’t care what happened to the women hiding in his house.
“I just want to talk,” Zac said after he shifted back. “I was sent here to take you out, but I’m having serious reservations after talking to your Alpha, even more so from observing you the past half an hour. You seem nothing like my information.”
“I didn’t know Deltas were allowed to question orders?”
“I won’t take someone out when they’ve showed no cause to deserve it. I could give a shit if they yell at me for it or not.”
“Well, as much as I appreciate that, promise me you won’t hurt my mother and grandma.”
“Smart. Make sure I see them as a person instead of possible threats,” Zac said with a smile.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect them.”
“They have nothing to fear from me. Neither do you right now. On my honor, I swear it.”
“Okay then,” Aiden said, letting out a deep breath and relaxing his posture. “You said my Alpha sent you? What lies has that bastard been spinning now?”
“That you’ve been intentionally lying to him about following orders and threatening members of the pack that are loyal to Alpha Issacar. Oh, and that you were planning to assassinate him,” Zac answered with a chuckle.
“The first one is true. The other two are not,” Aiden said, starting to dress.
“Please don’t feel the need to cover up on my account. I was enjoying the view.”
“You were sent to kill me, and you’re flirting?” The man arched an eyebrow. “Wow, this can’t get any stranger.”
“Sorry,” Zac said with a shrug. “I find I’m drawn to you. You said the first allegation was true. How so?”
“Alpha Issacar has always been a ruthless bastard. Lately, some of the pack have started to get fed u
p. He’s been ordering me to lay the hurt down on them. I’m a Beta, not a hired thug. I won’t beat the innocent because Issacar wants to rule with an iron fist. Would you like some pants?”
“Yeah, actually, that would be great.” Zac thought about what Aiden had just told him and why he was so damn drawn to him. He smelled so familiar, but he couldn’t place where he knew that smell from. Zac decided to walk over and sit on one of the patio chairs, hidden by the table, instead of flashing everyone in the house.
“These may be a little—” Aiden started to say as he walked back out of the house, but stopped. They locked gazes as the realization hit both of them about the same time. “You’re my mate, aren’t you?”
“I’m pretty sure, yes. You smelled so familiar. I couldn’t place it,” Zac replied. “But when you just walked back out here, I knew where I smelled it before. You smell like my other mate I met two days ago.”
“You have your other mate? Found him two days ago and now you found me? Well, fuck, that’s got to be quite the head job for you.”
“That’s an understatement. Add to that, I was sent here to kill you,” Zac said, reaching for the pants, shaking his head.
“What now?” Aiden asked, not backing away from Zac. The man smelled like heaven, and Zac just wanted to rip off his clothes and rub his body all over Aiden.
“I don’t have a fucking clue, but I’m open for suggestions.”
“All of mine seem to involve a flat surface right now,” Aiden replied, his voice getting husky. “I can’t seem to think past how much I want to kiss you.”
“As much as I second that idea, right now your Alpha wants you dead. I have to figure out why the council sent me without having all the facts. So, I think you packing a couple bags and coming with me might be a better idea.” Zac smirked. “If the goal is to keep you alive, that is.”
“Okay, let me get rid of my family and send them to a safe place for now. I’m also going to call in our Delta. He’s a good friend of mine,” Aiden said. He seemed to be trying to take everything in.
“I’m going to head back to my truck and drive over,” Zac said, handing back the pants. He shifted and started to run before he attacked Aiden and fucked him right on the deck. Zac was so filled with lust, he didn’t even care that Aiden’s family was in the house.
Chameleon Wolf Page 4
