by Jane Perky
Axel’s broad shoulders brushed against his, and the mate mark on his neck pulsed. Axel must be sending soothing energy through their bonds, reminding Ryan he wasn’t alone. That was right. The accident happened long ago. The chances of Ryan being run over were slim, and for crying out loud, his boyfriend was a werewolf.
Axel placed a hand on the back of his neck, gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Come on, baby. Only a few steps more. It’ll just be us in the car. No one else.”
He nodded and somehow managed the last few steps into Axel’s car, which the werewolf thankfully parked right in front of his house. There were a few curious onlookers, but Axel bared his teeth, growling at him. They scattered and the load inside his chest lightened.
Ryan let out a little laugh as he got inside the car. Axel took the wheel and started the engine.
“I can’t believe I’m really doing this,” he said, remembering to strap in.
Inside Axel’s car, the panic subsided. Ryan kept looking out the windows, finally seeing the rest of the neighborhood, since he only had a limited view from his home. They began to move and he thought it would be a lot worse, that he wouldn’t be able to ride a car again. Ryan tensed, but it turned out Axel wasn’t a reckless driver.
“Not so bad, isn’t it?” Axel asked.
They cruised around the streets for a while, before Axel took them out of the residential area. Axel simply drove, it felt like the werewolf didn’t have a single direction in mind. He liked that. Ryan rolled the window down, enjoying the breeze on his face. Axel turned on the radio, and they didn’t speak for a while.
Ryan might have shut himself inside his house for years, but he watched the outside world through the lens of the internet. Seeing it with his own eyes, though, felt a lot different. Plenty had changed in the city, he realized, although some elements like the local park remained the same.
“Feeling better?” Axel asked.
“Yeah. Loads. Thanks for convincing me to go on a drive.”
Axel shook his head. “Don’t thank me, little human. This is all you.”
The fire Axel kindled in him burned a little brighter, the flame of courage he didn’t know existed until now. Ryan was within reach of that shining promise of a bright future with his mate, he could tell, despite the news of Raines’s return. Like Axel said, they’d tackle Raines together. Once that episode was done, they had plenty of time ahead of them. Hope fluttered in inside him, combined with other potent emotions.
I love you, he thought, looking at his man, his amazing gorgeous wolf. Ryan grew certain every day that Axel was the one for him. His mate, even though Ryan wasn’t a shifter himself. Ryan didn’t dare say those words out loud yet, but soon.
Chapter Eleven
“Well, it’s finally good to see you face-to-face, Ryan. I hope our arrangement continues in the future,” Mr. Tanner said.
The CEO of Augment Security Systems stood from behind his desk. Ryan did the same and shook his hand. He communicated with his boss and teammates via video calls before when a project moved onto its critical stages, but meeting the man in person was a different matter entirely.
“I’ll send you the updates for the current project soon,” he said. Ryan left the office, feeling like he was at the top of the world.
Knowing he didn’t want to squeeze himself inside a tiny elevator crammed with people, he took the stairs. He already had a bad experience earlier, practically hyperventilated in the crammed space as office folks chatted amongst themselves.
A week passed since he took his first step into the outside world. The journey had been far from easy. Ryan still dreaded being in the middle of a crowd, still couldn’t handle plenty of social interaction well, but he made some progress each day. Ryan reached the first level in no time. He exited through the main doors, breathing in the fresh air.
People passed him on the sidewalk, and for a moment, he felt lost. A car honked from somewhere, accompanied by the bark of a dog. Someone shouted at him to get out of the way. Nerves on edge, he nearly panicked and turned tail, but where would he go? Back inside the building where everyone was in constant motion, too?
Ryan needed to move to a quieter place, somewhere he wouldn’t be overwhelmed easily. At that moment though, he locked eyes with the man leaning against his car. His man. Ryan took deep breaths. He’d made so much progress that the last thing he wanted was to take a step back.
Heart fluttering in his chest, he walked up to Axel, who gave him a wide grin. Suddenly, all the panic and nervousness bled away. When he was within distance, Axel jerked him close, sealing their lips together.
Slowly, Ryan forgot about everything else, both the noise and the people. The only thing that mattered was the pounding of his heart, reminding him he was blessed to have Axel and to be able to walk with Axel in the outside world. Axel pulled away. It was like the werewolf knew exactly what he needed.
“Hi,” he said, out of words to say.
“How did your meeting go?” Axel asked, opening the car door for him.
They both got in. Axel took the wheel, and he buckled his seat belt. At first, he’d been terrified of getting inside a car, too, but Axel was a safe driver.
“It went fine. It’s nice to finally meet Tanner and the other guys I’ve been conferencing with for years,” he admitted.
The meet-up had been his own idea, a way for him to take another step forward in his life.
“I’m so fucking proud of you, baby.” Axel’s words filled him with pride. “What do you say we get some lunch? I’m starving.”
“Okay, sounds good to me.”
They headed to their favorite diner in the city. Yeah, Ryan thought with pride. He had favorite spots now, places Axel had taken him to or they’d discovered together. When his parents and Tom died, it felt like his soul had died when he shut himself inside their family home, as well as closed off his heart.
Being with Axel felt like he’d been given a new shot at life. Ryan wasted so many years already, locked in his own little prison. He wanted to try so many things with his mate, Ryan had even started a bucket list of his own.
After taking their orders, the waitress left their table. Ryan wanted to bring up another important issue, something that had been plaguing him all day. “No news of Raines?”
Axel shook his head. “Whatever Raines’s doing, he’s keeping under the radar.”
Ryan knew Axel and his friends were vigilantly watching for any suspicious newcomers in town. He didn’t exactly know how they did it, Axel only mysteriously said they had numerous contacts.
“I see.” He slumped against his seat. “There’s no use worrying so much, is there? It’s been a week, so maybe he’s gotten some sense and decided I’m not worth seeking out after all.”
“Do you really believe that?” Axel asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Part of me still believes he’ll want to come after me and finish the job.”
Axel reached out across the table and placed his hands over his. “I’m not letting my guard down.”
“I know you won’t let any harm come to me.” Deciding to change the topic to a less serious one, he admitted, “I’m really nervous about tonight.”
“We’re just meeting my friends,” Axel told him.
“Yeah, but they’re more than friends, you consider them brothers.” Axel had been telling him stories of Zane, Roman, and Ivan, how they got together in the army and how they continued to remain in touch even after they faked their deaths.
“Don’t worry about it so much. They’ll love you.”
Ryan snorted. “Of course you’ll say that. I’m your mate.”
He didn’t say boyfriend, because it sounded a little juvenile. How else to explain the flames of passion between them that kept burning hotter instead of fizzling out? Besides, he already wore Axel’s mark. They were practically married. Whether Axel’s friends liked him or not, Axel and he were bound for life.
Of course Ryan preferred to be able to get
along with Axel’s brothers, but he wasn’t exactly great at social interaction. The only reason his meeting with Mr. Tanner didn’t turn all awkward was because he’d spoken to the man on the phone or during a video call plenty of times.
“You bet you are.” Axel’s heated gaze hungrily lingered on the mark on his neck.
He blushed, brushed a hand on the side of his neck, and pride surged through him. Being with Axel made him fearless, and he made a silent promise to himself not to screw tonight up.
* * * *
Axel finally managed to find a parking spot on the side of the road. He looked at his mate, who was breathing hard. He knew Ryan had been feeling apprehensive since they had lunch at their favorite diner earlier.
“Hey,” he began, reaching out to give his mate’s hand a squeeze. “It’s going to be fine.”
“I’m not just meeting new people, but these guys are really important to you.”
“Relax and just be yourself.”
That didn’t seem to be the best advice to give, because Ryan sucked in a breath.
“Myself, the shut-in who obsessively watches the news and who can barely hold a conversation with another person? My limit was talking to that waitress in the diner, but that’s it. I’m horrible at small talk.”
“I’m talking about the brave and sassy little human who managed to steal the heart of this werewolf.”
How was it that Axel always seemed to know the right words to say?
“I’ll do my best,” Ryan said.
They got out of the car and Ryan took out the brownies he baked that afternoon. Axel told his mate he didn’t need to bring anything, but Ryan insisted. Ryan had a sweet side, he realized as he led them to Roman’s unit on the third floor.
“Is there any reason why Roman picked this neighborhood?” Ryan asked.
His little human was making small talk, but he didn’t mind. Ryan was probably still nervous.
“For cover. Cops tend to look overlook petty crimes and focus on larger ones.”
“Of course, you guys being criminals and all.”
Axel frowned. He knew Ryan didn’t exactly approve of his job, but then again, he’d been thinking about getting honest work, too. After finally finding his mate, the last thing Axel wanted was to drag Ryan into his life. Besides, spending time with Ryan helped him come to the conclusion that it wouldn’t be so bad, living out the rest of his life like this.
Normal. Simple. Wonderful.
After everything he’d seen and done, Axel didn’t mind a little peace, on focusing on building a home with his mate. To settle down. He knew that his friends initially thought Ryan was an infatuation he’d soon move away from, but they began to see Ryan was not going anywhere anytime soon.
Zane opened the door when he rang the bell.
“Did you happen to bring any extra beers? Roman guzzled them all,” was the first thing Zane said.
“I have brownies,” Ryan began.
Deciding to cut in, Axel made introductions. “Zane, this is Ryan, my mate. Ryan, this is Zane, one of my best friends.”
Zane finally turned his attention to his mate, looking Ryan up and down. Ryan shifted from one foot to the next, a nervous gesture, Axel knew. “Why, hello there, cutie,” Zane drawled, peeling off the edge of the aluminum foil over Ryan’s tray of brownies, before popping an entire piece in his mouth.
Ryan stared at Zane.
“Oh, this is good. Come on in, and nice to meet you.”
Zane let them through, and he introduced his mate to Roman and Ivan next. Roman had initially disliked the idea of Axel choosing a human for a mate. Humans were fragile, Roman kept telling him, and there had been a comment about Ryan not exactly being normal. That argument ended up with a bloody brawl of claws and teeth. It took Zane and Ivan to separate them both.
That little bit of information he kept from Ryan. Zane and Ivan must have warned Roman to behave, because Roman merely grunted when he introduced Ryan. Ivan merely nodded in approval, which meant plenty to him.
Two out of three, wasn’t bad at all, Axel thought.
They moved on to dinner, which was a mishmash of delivery food. None of them knew how to cook a proper meal. The extent of his abilities was making Ryan and himself bacon and eggs, nothing more. It didn’t matter. Ryan seemed to loosen up for the rest of the evening and seemed to be able to handle himself just fine, chatting with Zane and even Ivan.
Keeping an eye on his mate, he grabbed another pizza slice from the table, bumping into Ivan.
“I envy you a little, brother. Ryan seems wonderful,” the big man said.
“He is. I probably don’t deserve him.” He finished off his pizza slice.
“Your little human needs you as much as you do him. It works out.”
“Hey, cheer up. It might be your turn soon, right?”
Ivan shook his head. “I never thought men like us, monsters who took the lives of others, would ever find their better half. You proved me wrong, but what worked for you might not be the case for the rest of us.”
Axel didn’t believe that, but it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to change Ivan’s mindset anytime soon, so he let it go for now. Ivan clasped his shoulder.
“Take good care of your human, Axel. He’s a gift you can’t afford to lose.”
Chapter Twelve
The last thing Ryan wanted to be left alone in the apartment with Roman. The big red-haired and brown eye werewolf had glared at him all evening long, and it wasn’t hard to discern Roman disliked him on sight. Axel had been reluctant to leave and get extra food and beer with Zane and Ivan, but Zane practically pushed him out.
Did Zane do that for a reason? He liked Zane. Zane was funny, a little inappropriate at times, and Ivan was more of the quiet type, but he could tell the men were tight, had been good friends for a long time, even Roman.
“Why don’t you like me?” Ryan didn’t know where he got the courage to ask Roman those words.
They were in the living room, seated far from each other as possible. The game was on and since the three werewolves left, Roman hadn’t taken his eyes off the screen while he nursed a smoke. Ryan thought he needed to repeat his question, or Roman would continue to ignore him. Instead, Roman grabbed the remote and muted the TV.
“Is it that important I like you?” Roman asked, tone dripping with sarcasm.
“You guys are important to Axel.”
He didn’t have a better answer, but since Roman was talking to him, he couldn’t let this opportunity slip. Ryan thought he’d freeze up after Axel introduced him to the rest of his friends. Ryan felt out of place with these scary, big-ass werewolves at first, but never once did they let him feel like an outsider or a freak. He’d begun the evening, awkward as hell, unsure of how to make small talk, but it mattered less as time went on.
“And you’ve mated him, so he’s stuck with you for life.”
Ryan crossed his arms. “No need to sound all jealous.”
Roman snarled at him, but he didn’t back off. Please. Ryan was used to Axel all growly and huffing whenever Axel was irritated by something. “Jealous? Give me a break. Of what, of being mated to a human who couldn’t even step out of his own house?”
“A week ago,” he answered evenly.
Why did Ryan feel so calm? Here he was, alone with a snarly werewolf who made it clear he didn’t like Ryan at all. Maybe Roman didn’t think he was worthy of being Axel’s mate, but too late for that. He made his choice. So did Axel. Besides, there was no question he was made for Axel, and the other way around. Since they met, he couldn’t deny the magnetic pull between them.
“What?” Roman demanded.
“I couldn’t leave my house a week ago, but I’ve learned to walk out on my own, with Axel cheering at me from the sidelines.”
For a second, Roman didn’t reply, merely looked at him as if he was seeing Ryan for the first time. “Why would you do all that, after stewing in your prison for ten years? What’s so fucking special about Axel th
at you’d change everything for him?”
“I don’t want to chain him down. I want to walk the outside world with him, to create plenty of memories with him. He’s my mate, he deserves to have someone who can give him what he needs.”
Roman grunted. “You really love him, don’t you? I wasn’t sure of you at first, thought you might be jerking his chain around.” Roman blew out a breath. “I’m sorry for being a jerk to you all night. I still don’t trust you fully, but don’t take it too hard. I dislike most humans, but I’ll give you a chance.”
That was the best he could hope for. “Did humans do something to you in the past?” he had to ask, although it was really none of his business.
“Conversation time is over,” Roman said, turning the TV volume back on just as the door opened. Did Roman know Axel and the others were nearby?
“See?” Zane was saying. “Told you these two would play nice.”
“Huh,” Axel said, joining him on the couch.
“Any more room?” Zane asked, grinning at them. “Scoot over, cutie.”
“Call him that one more time and I’ll rip your head off,” Axel said, a growl to his voice.
He was worried at first, but realized Axel was only playing around with Zane.
Thank God, the rest of the evening went without a hitch.
“Are you sure you should be driving?” he asked later that night, once Axel and he were back in the car on their way home.
“We shifters don’t get drunk easily,” Axel explained. “It’s possible, but I’ll probably need to drink a lot more. Care to tell me what Roman and you talked about?”
“I asked him why he didn’t like me.”
Axel looked baffled. “Really? What did he say?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Well, whatever it is, he seems to have loosened up for the rest of the evening. He even offered you a beer.” Axel sounded surprised.
