by Zoe Perdita
Bile rose in his throat, and he clenched his hand into another fist.
Sam glared and tilted his body so they both rolled over the hard ground, rocks digging into Wild’s naked flesh, scraping and bruising it. Once the mid-ranked wolf had the upper hand, he stood up and wiped his cheek.
“You’re bleeding,” he said, a cloud of dust rising off of him.
Wild licked his bottom lip and sat up. His physical wounds would heal soon enough, but what about the ache in his chest?
“I don’t care.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “Look. He didn’t want me to be his mate, and I never wanted to be his. Being wolf’s bait makes it impossible to resist and vice versa – talk to him about it if you want, but taking it out on me is–”
“Shut the hell up!” Wild growled. His eyes stung, but he willed the stupid tears not to fall – not in front of this bastard.
A breeze blew through the trees, and a sudden shout rang across the fields. Several shouts, actually, and the musk of foreign wolves touched the air as well.
“Shit. That’s them,” Sam grumbled. “You’d better get the hell out of here before they see you.”
The little wolf’s hackles rose. Usually he’d bolt from another wolf’s territory, but if he did Caleb would be left alone to defend himself against an entire pack. Even after what the white wolf did, he couldn’t abandon his mate.
Instead of running, Wild squared his shoulders and growled.
“Sammy?” a strangely accented voice called.
“What the hell are you waiting for?” Sam hissed.
“I’m not leaving Caleb alone.”
The man shook his head. “Fucking wolves!”
“It’s something a changeling wouldn’t understand,” Wild said, his stomach knotting.
The wolf that broke through the trees had the same auburn hair as Sam, though his features had more in common with the beta of their pack – a slightly crooked nose and keen green eyes.
“Is this that damn omega? What do you think you’re doing? Bringing a hunter down on our heads? Attacking our pack? You’re going to pay for this!” the man growled.
“Dmitri, wait!”
Dmitri didn’t wait. He stalked up to Wild and raised a fist. The little wolf, who was the same height as the two of them, dodged and swung. Dmitri caught his hand and landed a punch right in Wild’s unprotected stomach.
The little wolf doubled over, fighting to catch his breath and lash out. He had to keep them from noticing the white wolf, at least at the moment. If the Eurasian pack knew both Caleb and Wild were sneaking around their territory, who knows what they’d do – maybe start an all out war.
Not good with a hunter still on the loose.
The blood dripped onto the dusty ground, and Wild perked his ears as Dmitri shuffled toward him.
“Leave him alone,” Sam warned and grabbed at his mate, but the other wolf shrugged him off.
“He wandered into our territory and attacked you. He’s going to get what he deserves.”
What he deserved? They sounded like the little wolf’s former pack – like something Gerald would say. He growled and leapt forward, knocking the other wolf off balance and swiping at his startled face.
The punch connected with a sickening crack, and Wild landed three more before arms wrapped around him from behind. Someone strong yanked at his hair and another wolf gripped his arms. He wiggled in their grasp, casting his head sideways to see the two new wolves. One was an omega with pale blond hair, similar to Caleb’s. The other wolf looked like the Eurasian’s alpha but shorter and slighter.
The dark haired one yanked his hair again. “Looks like we caught the chicken thief,” he said in his odd accent.
Sam shook his head. “I told you who was protecting him – the white wolf. Do you guys want to fuck with him? Really? I thought we had a truce.”
Dmitri rounded on the mid-ranked wolf, his nose freely bleeding, and Wild stomped on the omega’s feet. The smaller wolf flinched, and set his jaw stubbornly. “You’re not getting away so easily.”
“After this? No! Yuri won’t uphold the truce when they invade our territory!”
Wild growled, though the pain in his scalp brought tears to his eyes. Whatever these wolves did to him would be worth it to protect Caleb. That would prove how worthy he was. He’d do anything to protect his mate, even if that mate wanted a human wolf’s bait instead of him.
“He came here to ask me a question.”
“Then what happened to your face?” the dark-haired wolf asked calmly.
Sam glowered and rubbed his cheek.
“I punched him because he fooled around with my mate!” Wild said, and a stunned silence hung in the air.
Another bird whistled in the trees and shot off like a dart. The only sound for a good minute was the intake of breath.
Sam’s face drained of color, and he glared at Wild and threw his hands up into the air. “They already know. It was before I joined their pack.”
The wolves holding Wild squeezed his arms and pulled his hair that much harder, and the little wolf wriggled in their grip. How was he supposed to get out of this? Then a blow landed on the small of his back. Pain shot through every nerve in his body and weakened his knees.
“Nikolai,” the omega gasped.
“He’s spreading rumors to weaken our pack. I don’t like it. I say we kill him now and deal with the white wolf later.”
Wild fought to yank his arms free. If he died now, he couldn’t protect Caleb from them.
“No!” Sam cried and stepped forward, but Dmitri stood in his way.
“This is pack justice. He’s responsible for many crimes; you said so yourself.”
The mid-ranked wolf glowered at his pack, and Wild took the opportunity to take them all by surprise. He shifted into his animal form, his arms easily slipping through their hands – and he snipped at the one who hit him in the back. His teeth sunk into the wolf’s leg in a satisfying way, and he leapt for the trees just as Caleb lumbered through, his crossbow held at the ready.
A low growl rumbled from every wolf in the Eurasian pack, save Sam.
“I wouldn’t,” Caleb warned, and Wild limped behind him. What had that other wolf done to his back?
“You’re in our territory,” Nikolai said, his eyes narrowing.
“We only came into your territory to clean up the hunter’s traps. Looks like your pack didn’t do a good job of it. What more did I expect?”
Dmitri wiped his bloody nose on his sleeve and stepped forward, but Sam gripped his shoulder until his knuckles turned white.
“Let them go,” he said, his voice wavering and his jaw clenched.
Was he mad at Wild and Caleb or his own pack?
“We can’t just–” the dark-haired wolf started, but Sam cut him off.
“Let him go, or I’ll go with them. Your choice.”
If the little wolf could’ve gaped, he would’ve. Instead, Caleb backed slowly out of the stand of trees, Wild struggling next to him, until they cleared the entire field. That’s when the stabbing pain exploded in his back, and the little wolf collapsed into the dirt, whimpering.
“You idiot,” Caleb growled, and hefted him up. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Wild couldn’t answer, and he fought not to pry himself free of the man’s tender hold. After what he learned, how could he look at his mate the same ever again? He’d touched Sam the same way he touched Wild, but he’d done it willingly – without Sam begging for it.
What was so wrong with him that his own mate didn’t want him?
Thankfully, the larger wolf saved the lecture until after dinner. As soon as they got home, Caleb helped Wild into a bath and called Dr. Richards. The man diagnosed the little wolf with a lightly bruised spine and advised him to take it easy for a few days while it healed.
Caleb was very quiet as he prepared their meal, and Wild couldn’t meet the other man’s eye without thinking about what Sam told him. He pictured his mate wit
h the other wolf and glowered at the table. Did the white wolf still think of Sam as wolf’s bait?
He’d changed him – stalked him – how was that not the action of a mate?
The plate clinked as Caleb set it on the table in front of him, piled high with venison steak, mashed potatoes and green beans. They even had a basket of biscuits on the side. After such a long day, Wild’s stomach grumbled and he dug into his food without a word. At least he kept his dinner down, even if his gut twisted and turned with every bite.
Caleb didn’t say anything until he finished the dishes.
“What the hell did you think you were doing?” he asked, his powerful hands gripping the table and the muscles bulging under his shirt.
“What do you mean?” Wild mumbled.
“Why did you go near them? They didn’t have to know we were there until you all but announced it.” The man’s knuckles blanched, although he didn’t raise his voice.
The little wolf finally looked up. Caleb’s jaw tensed, his icy eyes burning with a little flame of blue reflective light.
“I wanted to talk to Sam. He told me the truth about your relationship.”
The white wolf’s eyes widened. “What? What did he say?”
“Like I said, the truth! He told me you changed him! That he was wolf’s bait and you – you –” He couldn’t finish his next sentence without letting on how weak he was. The kitchen got watery and he wiped his eyes, dropping his head back to the table.
“That I what? Gave in to his allure? It’s almost impossible with someone like him.”
Wild swiped his tongue over the cut on his lip. It had bruised, but at least none of his teeth were broken. “If you liked him so much why didn’t you claim him as your mate? You were already more than happy to fuck around with him.”
“Did I say I wanted Sam as my mate? No. He was just someone I was trying to help. Turning him was the only way to stop the power of his curse, that’s why I did it. Nothing more.”
“So you were forced to jerk him off? Just like that? You won’t touch me, but you had to mess around with him. I get it!”
“No, you don’t!” Caleb roared, his voice rattling the little wolf to the bone.
He stared at the larger man. Caleb’s face flushed and the table cracked under his hold. Wild had seen the white wolf annoyed and flustered but never truly angry.
“Do you think Sam wanted it? No! Neither of us did, but we couldn’t withstand the curse – the power is that potent. It’s different from being mates, and you’re lucky you’ve never come across one. You wouldn’t be able to help yourself either.”
“That sounds like an excuse.”
Caleb shook his head, and a strand of pale hair fell across his wide brow. “No. It’s an explanation. I’m not going to use you the way I used him – the way Peter–” His voice trailed to nothing, and he let go of the table and ran a hand over his face. Then he cleared his throat. “You almost got yourself killed for that?”
Wild stood up so quickly his chair toppled over backwards. A slight ache stabbed through his back, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as earlier. At least he could stand up and walk properly now. “I almost got killed to protect you! I was trying to keep them busy so they didn’t sense you.”
“So you’d let them kill you?” the white wolf growled.
“If I had to in order to protect you. It’s what a real mate would do, even if you won’t claim me as your own,” he said, his hands trembling by his sides.
The floor creaked as Caleb stepped forward, looming over Wild. The younger wolf hadn’t felt small around the Eurasian pack – he was even taller than their omega – but the white wolf made anyone feel tiny.
“Do you think I want you to sacrifice yourself for my sake?”
“If you don’t want to claim me, than why would it matter?” Wild mumbled, his heart aching as he stared at the man in front of him. The man whose lips could heal any hurt if only he’d press them to the little wolf’s own.
The lines around Caleb’s eyes crinkled, and he frowned. Wild heard every thump of the man’s heart, and it nearly matched his own. Outside the kitchen window, something rustled through the bushes and an owl hooted from the trees.
“I didn’t save you so you could throw your life away,” he finally said and stalked into the living room, although every word sounded like a chore.
Wild set his jaw and followed the man. “And I don’t want to lose you. Even if you don’t care.”
Caleb rounded on him. “I saved your ass twice, Whelp. Don’t tell me if I care or not.”
“You don’t care that I’m your mate. You don’t care that I want you so badly it hurts, like being stabbed in the heart over and over again. If you did you’d–”
Caleb grabbed the little wolf by the shoulders, his blunt fingers bruising. “If I’d what? Claim you? Fuck you so you could never leave my side?”
Wild’s breath hitched in his throat, his cock flooding with need at the other man’s proximity – his smooth pink lips so close and so kissable. He nodded.
The white wolf’s eyes sizzled over Wild’s face, Caleb’s hands slipping over the little wolf’s biceps slowly.
“Why him and not me?” he asked.
“He was wolf’s bait.” Caleb’s words were barely a whisper, and their lips nearly brushed.
“And what am I?” Wild asked, his entire being begging for this moment.
Caleb made an indecipherable noise and gritted his teeth, the white fangs catching the lamplight. “This is what you want?” he growled as his hands slipped off Wild’s taut arms and over the little wolf’s chest. “You want me to give into you like I gave into him?”
With stinging eyes, he glared at the other man. “No! I want you to–”
Lips smashed against Wild’s before he finished his sentence, the sweet taste of his mate flooding his mouth. His almost mate – when the other wolf finally claimed him they’d be complete. They stumbled and fell onto the couch, the thick cushions breaking their fall. Hands dug into his hips, the tongue probed past his bruised lip and filled him with a heat he’d never known – like having a fever on a sweltering summer’s day.
“This is what you want?” Caleb growled, and the little wolf stared into those wide, arctic eyes. “You want me to take you, no matter what?”
The words felt like icicles to his chest, and his mind fogged with the presence of the man. A hardened bulge pressed against Wild’s own, and he groaned and writhed under it, urging the friction to overwhelm them both.
The white wolf’s eyes shone bright and blue in the room’s dim yellow light. The little wolf leaned up into him, but the man’s hand pressed against his chest, holding him in place.
“No, Whelp. This is what you want, right? Me to take advantage of you just like I did to Sam.”
He grasped Wild’s green T-shirt and ripped. The material fell open and revealed the wolf’s chest, slick with sweat and tight with muscles. Fingers groped over his pert, brown nipples, pinching them until he squirmed. Then Caleb’s mouth descended upon them, licking and suckling the delicate skin as the little wolf moaned, winding his fingers in the man’s silky, blond hair.
The white wolf growled and shook Wild’s hands free. His usually sharp eyes hooded and narrow, devious almost. The little wolf’s heart slammed in his chest at the man’s expression. Would Caleb finally give in and claim him? Make Wild his mate?
Blunt fingers grabbed his sweats and yanked until Wild was free of them. His cock curled up, thick and throbbing for the other man.
For a moment, Caleb’s eyes softened, and he licked his perfectly full lips. Then his face snapped shut again, and he grumbled under his breath, like he was having a silent argument with someone inside his own mind.
Wild reached for the man. His hands sparked as they met the white wolf’s rock hard chest, his fingers exploring the bulges of muscle. He delighted in the tightened fabric around the man's cock.
“Do you want to take my clothes off, Whelp?” Caleb gr
owled.
“Yes,” Wild breathed, pulling at the buttons until they popped open.
Pale curls covered the man’s powerful chest, the scent of his musk overwhelming. The little wolf palmed the skin, his hand catching fire, and Caleb grumbled again.
Without warning, the man pushed the little wolf’s hands above his head. “Don’t make this worse,” he groaned. “You don’t have a say anymore, remember?”
Wild’s mind reeled. A say in what? Being claimed? Why did that matter?
Then a calloused finger stroked the length of his shaft and every thought fluttered out of his mind. A surge of desire shot through his veins, and he bucked his hips into the touch. He needed more of that! More pressure. More friction.
“Ah,” he moaned, and bit his lip until the cut popped open.
The white wolf must’ve smelled the blood, its coppery scent sharp. He furrowed his wide brow, and ran his finger over the weeping head. “This is the good part. Do you know what comes next?”
Wild nodded, dimly aware of the question.
“I could flip you on your stomach and claim you right here. I don’t even have to use lube. Is that what you want?” he said in a voice so soft it almost faded into the night.
“Yes. I don’t care,” Wild begged. “Anything. Just claim me, please!”
Caleb’s nostrils flared, his hands trembling as he unzipped his pants. The hearty length that popped out glistened with pre-come, and Wild’s heart pounded in his throat. This was it. He’d finally get his mate.
“This is what you want,” the man roared, his eyes as hard as diamonds. Hands grabbed the little wolf’s thighs and forced them up, rolling his hips forward. “Do you want to stare at me while I violate you, Whelp?”
Before he could answer, the thick head nudged his ass, the white wolf’s hands spreading his cheeks as it burned his virgin entrance.
“I don’t even have to stretch you out. Is this what you want?”
Something hot dripped down Wild’s cheeks. The coppery taste of blood tingled against his tongue. If this is what his mate wanted. At least the man would claim him. At least he’d admit the truth.
