by Maggie Walsh
“Oh blow me! You gotta give me more than that.” Taylor huffed.
“Well, there was definitely no blowing involved.” Jesse murmured to the table, as he looked into his coffee.
“Oh. My. God! You sucked him off!” Taylor yelled.
“No! He…sucked me off.” Jesse giggled.
“Oh god, did you just giggle? You did, you giggled,” Taylor said, then covered his head with his arms.
“What are you doing?” Jesse asked.
“Waiting for the sky to fall. Jesse Alexander is in love,” Taylor said in a child’s teasing voice.
“So?” Jesse huffed.
“So, you admit it? You’re in love with the big hunky Alpha wolf. Are you gonna let him claim you?”
“Yes, tonight. I’m not working, so Micah has this whole night planned. He’s actually very romantic.” Jesse stood up and went to the sink and placed his empty cup in, then filled it with water. “I’ll clean that later when I get back. I gotta get going.”
“So…um…does that mean you’re moving out? Moving into the pack house?” Taylor asked quietly, looking down, picking at his nails.
Jesse walked over to Taylor and stood next to him. He took Taylor’s face in his hands and turned Taylor’s face to look at him. “No. That means we are moving into the pack house. Just into separate rooms. I love you more than anything, you know that. But I’m not letting you anywhere near mine and Micah’s bed.” Jesse kissed Taylor’s head and stepped back.
“Why? You afraid Micah might mistake us in the middle of the night and fill the wrong hole?” Taylor smiled and laughed at Jesse.
“No. You’re terrible.” Jesse laughed. “I’m afraid he’ll realize how absolutely fabulous you are and dump my ass.”
“That will never happen. That man is so crazy about you.”
“I know,” Jesse said quietly with a smile. “Anyway, Micah already has a room all ready for you. He said you can decorate it however you want. He’ll even pay.”
“You found us a sugar daddy lover, well don’t that beat all,” Taylor said in a southern accent. They both laughed.
“That was pathetic. Good thing we’re not in the south anymore. They would tar and feather you for that lame excuse for and accent.” Jesse laughed as he grabbed his backpack off the floor.
“Tell Micah thanks, but I’ll pay for whatever I need. I appreciate the offer though. He’s a good man.”
“Yeah, he is.” Jesse smiled.
There was a knock at the door. “There’s my ride. I’ll see you when I get back. Love you.” Jesse yelled back over his shoulder as he left the kitchen.
Jesse opened the door to find Gabriel standing there. “They’re waiting in the car for you, Jess.”
“Well, good morning to you, too, Gabriel,” Jesse teased with a smile. “I thought Crew was coming, too?”
Gabriel smiled at Jesse and his eyes softened. “Good morning, Jesse. Yes, Crew’s on his way up. He stopped across the street for coffee.”
Jesse leaned into Gabriel and whispered, “Go easy on him today. He seems down this morning.” Jesse nodded his head in the direction of the kitchen.
“He’s safe with me. I promise,” Gabriel whispered back.
“Yeah, I know,” Jesse whispered back with a smirk. He pulled back and then yelled to Taylor, “Bye, Tay. I’m off like a dirty shirt.” Jesse headed out the door. Gabriel chuckled and shook his head as he closed the door and walked toward the kitchen.
* * * *
Frank walked up to the stage as Jesse was finishing up. “That was great, Jesse. You’re gonna blow them away Friday night.”
“Thanks, Frank. I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m heading out.” Jesse stepped off the stage.
“Okay, Jess, have a good night.” Frank walked away.
“Thanks, you too Frank. Hey, guys?” Jesse yelled over to Lexi and Sebastian, who were sitting nearby at a table playing cards.
“What’s up, Jess man?” Lexi asked, looking at Jesse.
“I’m just going to run in the back and grab the rest of my stuff. I’ll be right back,” Jesse answered.
“Okay, Jess, we’ll wait here for you,” Lexi said.
* * * *
Jesse stepped into the dressing room and crossed over to the couch to grab his backpack, someone grabbed him from behind. One strong arm wrapped around his waist as the other wrapped around to lay a big hand over his mouth and nose. A husky voice whispered in his ear. “One sound and I’ll snap your fucking neck.”
Jesse’s eyes went wide, and he started to panic. The hand over his face stopped him from breathing, and the arm around his waist was crushing him. He felt a wet tongue lick up the side of his neck and then teeth bit his ear, hard, making him cry out in agony, but no sound came out. He felt those teeth ripping at his earlobe. He could hear the skin actually rip. He tried to scream, but he couldn’t breathe. The edges of his vision were starting to blur. It was going dark. Then he felt an incredible white-hot pain in his right side, then again and again. He begged for the darkness to take him so that maybe the pain would go away. Then the arms released him and he dropped to the floor, banging his head. The room was fuzzy from not being able to breathe. He started to cough to try to draw air into his lungs. He was gulping for air. Then what little he could suck in rushed out of him again as a kick hit him in the side. The boot kicked him again, landing solidly into his ribs. He heard and felt bone cracking. Jesse struggled to pull himself into a ball. The boot came down again, hard, onto his leg and he felt it snap, as the hand covered his mouth again to muffle his screams. There was pain in the back of his head and he realized that whoever this was, was lifting him up off the floor by the hair. Then there was pain to his face and the blackness finally took over.
* * * *
“Thanks, Dante, I owe you one,” Micah said into the phone from his home office. He hung up and started typing on his computer. Xander burst through his office door and Micah looked up ready to yell but then he saw Xander’s face.
“What? What is it?” Micah jumped up.
“It’s Jesse, Alpha.” The words rushed out of Xander’s mouth breathlessly. “Lexi just called. They’re bringing him in. They want the pack doctor to meet them here. I called him, he’s on his way.”
“What happened? How bad is it?” Micah headed out of his office, rushing down the hall, Xander on his heels. Xavier ran out of the kitchen and joined them as they headed to the front door.
“Lexi just called, they’re about five minutes out. I called Gabriel, he’s bringing Taylor.”
Micah ripped the front door open and rushed outside. “Call Raith and Thomas, call everyone in.”
“I’m on it, Micah,” Xander said and pulled out his cell. “Wait, they’re on patrol, I can’t call them.
Just then they saw Lexi’s SUV pulling up the driveway. He came to a fast stop in front of them. Lexi jumped out of the driver side and ran around to the back. He was covered in blood. He opened the back as Micah, Xander, and Xavier reached him. Micah stopped short and gasped, his face full of horror at the sight before him. Xander and Xavier started growling with fear and anger.
Micah stepped forward and reached into the back to take Jesse from Sebastian. Sebastian was covered in blood, Jesse was in his lap and he was holding him tight. Sebastian looked at Micah with tears and great sadness in his eyes. “Don’t touch him, Micah,” Sebastian said softly.
Micah growled, “Mine!” and started to reach in for his mate but Lexi pulled him back. Micah spun around growling, baring his teeth, his eyes yellow and his claws out. Lexi stepped back in fear.
“No, Alpha!” Sebastian yelled and Micah spun back to him. “I’m sorry, Micah, but I can’t let go of him. I’m holding him together,” Sebastian cried. Micah’s eyes welled up and he threw his head back and howled in pain.
* * * *
Lexi held the bedroom door open to one of the guest rooms on the first floor. Sebastian carried Jesse in. Micah was holding Jesse’s leg so it didn’t bang around. �
�Xander, hold his leg,” Micah ordered. Xander came over and gently held Jesse’s leg. Micah pulled the blankets back in the bed, then climbed in. He raised his arms to Sebastian. “Let me have him, Bass.”
Slowly, carefully, Bass kneeled on the bed and gently placed Jesse in Micah’s lap. “I’m afraid to let go, Micah.”
“I know, just hold on till the doc gets here. I just need to hold him, too,” Micah said with tears in his eyes.
Sebastian twisted so he could sit and still keep the pressure on Jesse’s wounds. Micah wrapped an arm around Jesse the best he could. He brushed the blood-encrusted hair out of Jesse’s face. “What happened? Who did this to my mate?” Micah seethed.
“We don’t know, Alpha. We were at the club. Jesse just finished rehearsing and he spoke with Frank for a minute. He told us he was just gonna run into the back and grab his stuff. He was gone about ten minutes when Bass and I went to go look for him. We didn’t know why it was taking him so long. We knocked on the dressing room door and got no answer. The door was locked, but then we smelled the blood. It was hard to smell at first. We broke through the door and found Jesse lying on the floor, curled up, bleeding. I knelt down to check for a pulse. It’s weak, but it’s there. Bass noticed all the blood still coming out and we rolled Jesse and that’s when we saw the stab wounds. Bass grabbed a towel from the chair and started applying pressure on the wounds, but there was just so much blood. I wanted to run out to try to find whoever did this, but I was afraid to leave Jesse. Frank came running in and helped us get him in the car. We were gonna take him to the human hospital, but we didn’t know if that was a good idea. So we brought him here,” Lexi explained in a sorrowful voice.
“Why wouldn’t you take him to the humans? He is human, they could help him,” Xander asked.
“We figured the human police would get involved and start asking questions. And we were afraid of what Micah would do when he saw his mate like this. We didn’t know if you would shift, Alpha. Or howl, in the hospital, in front of the humans,” Bass explained gently.
Just then Xavier walked in with the pack doctor. He rushed to the bed and bared his throat to Micah. Micah nodded and the doctor knelt on the bed as he put gloves on. “Okay, Bass, gently remove your hands, let me have a look.”
Sebastian slowly pulled his hands back and the doctor slowly peeled the towel away. The blood started to flow again and the doctor pressed Bass’s hands back down. “Okay, Bass, don’t let go. Xavier, get lots of towels and clean warm water. Xander, find all the rubbing alcohol you can in the house. Lexi, go scrub your hands, you’re gonna help me till they get back. And everyone hurry,” the doc started taking things out of his bag and laid them out on the bed. “Alpha, start feeding him your blood. It will help with any infection and jump start the healing.”
Micah bit into his wrist and placed it to Jesse’s lips. The doctor pulled Jesse’s jaw down to open his mouth. Micah’s blood dripped in. With his other hand the doctor started to massage Jesse’s neck to help work the blood down his throat. Lexi came back in with his hands up like a surgeon. Just then Taylor rushed through the door with Crew and Gabriel right behind. Taylor stopped short and gasped. His hands went to his mouth. “No, no, no, Jesse…Oh God…Jesse.” Taylor started to cry and he wrapped his arms around his stomach. Gabriel stepped in behind him and wrapped his arms around Taylor, holding him up. He scooped up Taylor’s legs and picked him up. Gabriel moved to a chair in the corner and sat, placing Taylor on his lap. Gabriel started petting his hair, whispering encouraging words to Taylor as he cried against Gabriel’s chest.
* * * *
Taylor felt numb. He couldn’t believe what he is seeing. Jesse had a broken leg, four stab wounds to his back and side, two broken ribs, and big welts all over his body like someone was kicking him. Jesse’s face was all swollen, broken nose, two black eyes, split lip, and his whole face was black and blue. His right earlobe was missing, like someone bit it off. Taylor just sat there in Gabriel’s lap, wrapped in his arms, watching the doctor put his best friend back together. I will kill whoever did this. I will destroy them. I will make them suffer slowly before I cut them to pieces.
* * * *
Raith came running in through the kitchen door. He spotted Xavier getting buckets of water. “What is it? What’s happened? I heard Micah’s cry all the way over by the point.”
Xavier looked at him with sadness in his eyes, “It’s Jesse, someone attacked him at the club. It’s not good, Raith, he’s pretty bad off.”
“Where is he?” Raith asked with angry concern.
“In the first guest room down the hall.”
Raith took off and ran to the room. Cass and Christian were standing in the hall outside the room, like guards at the door. Raith nodded at them as he quickly passed into the room. Everyone was inside, including Taylor, who was sitting on Gabriel’s lap, staring at Jesse like in a trance. The doctor stepped out of the bathroom, drying his hands. Micah was on the bed holding Jesse, who looked like he went twenty rounds with a pit bull. Raith got furious when he saw Jesse. “I heard your call, Micah. I just got back. I’m sorry it took me so long. I was out by the point.”
Micah looked up at him. He looked so lost, so scared that it made Raith even angrier. “It’s okay, Raith, you’re here now.”
“What can I do for you, for Jesse?” Raith stepped closer to the bed.
“Find out who did this to my mate and bring them to me,” Micah answered coldly and then looked back down at Jesse.
Raith looked at Lexi and Sebastian, who both looked like hell. He caught their eyes and nodded for them to follow him into the hall. They nodded back at him and the three of them headed out to the hall. “Follow me, tell me everything,” Raith ordered as he headed to Micah’s office.
* * * *
Taylor slowly got up from Gabriel’s lap and walked over to the bed. Micah was sitting with his back to the headboard, with Jesse between his legs, his head resting on Micah’s stomach. Taylor stopped at the foot of the bed and looked at Micah. “Can I? May I?…” Micah looked up at him and nodded. Taylor slowly climbed on the bed. Micah moved his leg to make room for Taylor as he lay down next to Jesse, resting his head on Micah’s thigh. He wrapped his arm around Jesse and closed his eyes. Micah gave him a small smile and looked up at Gabriel. Gabriel nodded his head. Micah gave him a smile and then looked down at the two friends lying in his lap.
* * * *
Raith was in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee when he heard the back door open. He looked up to see Thomas entering. “Where have you been?” he asked Thomas, annoyed.
“I was patrolling, where do you think I was?” Thomas answered angrily and went to the fridge.
“Your Alpha needed you, didn’t you hear his call?”
Thomas turned around, opening a bottle of juice. “No, why? What’s up?” He leaned against the counter. Raith crossed his arms over his chest.
“There’s been an attack.”
Thomas jumped. “What? Is Micah okay? Where is he? What happened?”
“Not here, at the club. Someone attacked Jesse. He’s not doing good. Doc doesn’t know if he’ll make it.” Raith sighed.
“Is he here? How bad is it?” Thomas asked without emotion. Raith saw something pass over Thomas’s eyes, but it was quick, and then it was gone.
“Yes, he’s here. And it’s pretty bad. He almost died, still might. If it wasn’t for Lexi and Bass’s quick thinking, he would have bled to death.”
“Shit,” Thomas said softly. “How is Micah? Where is he?”
“In the guest room with his mate, and he’s not doing good at all,” Raith answered as he narrowed his eyes at Thomas.
“So did Lexi and Bass catch who did it?” Thomas asked.
“No, they thought it was better to stay with Jesse and try to save his life. They’re heading back to the club now to see if they can find anything. Frank has the place closed for the night.”
“So what can I do?” Thomas asked as he threw his e
mpty bottle away.
Raith put his coffee cup in the dishwasher and turned to him. “Nothing right now. I took care of everything for now.”
“I guess I’ll go check on Micah.” Thomas started to walk out of the kitchen.
“Don’t you mean Jesse?” Raith questioned. Thomas stopped and sighed, then looked at Raith over his shoulder. “Yeah, him, too.” He walked out of the kitchen.
As Thomas approached the guest room he saw Cass and Christian standing guard. They nodded at him. “You guys look like you’re on guard duty.”
“We are,” Cass answered. “Someone tried to kill our Alpha mate. No one but inner pack and the doc gets in there.”
“Taylor’s in there. I can smell him,” Taylor said with a smirk.
“He’s the Alpha mate’s family, of course he’s in there,” Christian answered sarcastically.
Thomas walked past them and entered the room. Micah was lying on the bed with Jesse sleeping against him. Taylor was on Jesse’s other side with his arm over Jesse’s hip. Gabriel was sitting in a chair in the corner reading. Gabriel looked up when he entered. “Hey, Thomas. Where you been?” Gabriel asked.
“I was out on patrol, I just got back. I saw Raith in the kitchen, he filled me in. Jesse was attacked at the club. How’s he doing?”
“A little better. Doc patched him up and Micah gave him his blood twice already. It’s helping him heal. Doc says it should help a lot because they’re true mates. It would work faster if Micah had claimed him already, but doc says as long as Micah gives him some blood every six hours, he should heal up okay,” Gabriel explained.
“Good. So where is the doc?” Thomas whispered.
“He left about fifteen minutes ago. Said he’d be back later to check on Jesse,” Gabriel answered.
