by Sy Walker
Copyright 2017 by Sy Walker- All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Daddy Bear
Gay Shifter Romance
By: Sy Walker
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Table of Contents
Main Short Story
Daddy Wolf
Chapter One
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Bonus Stories
M/F: Tiger Tail
M/F: Lion Shifter of Oz
M/F: Time of the Werebears
M/F: Comeshift Series
M/F: The Grey
M/F: Space Dragon
M/M: White Wolf
M/M: Wolf Trails
M/M: Omega’s Ride
Main Short Story
Daddy Wolf
Chapter One
“What the hell were you thinking?” Lindsay shouted.
Zander cringed. His wife’s harsh voice was grating on him, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to handle this conversation.
“Telling Tom right in front of the Olsens that I’m the one keeping you from having kids!? Do you know what kind of a monster that makes me look like?”
Lindsay’s dark eyes flashed and Zander sighed. If she didn’t want to look like a monster, maybe she should treat him better. Everybody talked about her behind her back anyway. They saw how she treated him. Everyone thought he was crazy to still be with her. And lately he was starting to think that he was a little bit out there himself.
“I wasn’t trying to make you look bad,” he said, immediately regretting it. He had learned long ago not to open his mouth. Anything he said when she was in a mood like this could be turned against him. There was no winning an argument with Lindsay. Absolutely none.
“Well you did make me look bad! With that whole sob story about how you’ve always wanted children, but how I wasn’t a good enough wife and made you give up on that dream? What were you thinking, you pansy-assed cretin?!”
Zander had taken his wife’s abuse long enough to know that nothing he said or did would take her off the course of berating him until she had gotten it out of his system. And that usually didn’t happen until she had torn him apart, digging into every possible thing she could think of that she didn’t like about him. The way he danced. The way he laughed. The way he forgot to take out the trash when she told him to, or how he was too tired after cooking their meals to do the dishes right away. Nothing he ever did was right to her, and he was getting pretty fed up with her selfish tendency of making herself into the perpetual victim.
“It’s not a sob story, it’s the truth!” Zander finally shouted. He usually grit his teeth and beared it when she lashed out on him, but enough was enough. He wasn’t in the mood today.
Lindsay’s mouth hung open in shock as his blue eyes focused on her, his face colored with anger.
“You told me when we were dating that the children I daydreamed about would exist one day. You thought that my family had all kinds of money and you were completely shocked when my parents died and didn’t have a penny to spare. Your attitude entirely changed. I found out pretty quickly just how selfish and cold you are, taking and taking and taking from me!”
Lindsay opened her mouth to interrupt, but he ran his hand through his jet black hair and shook his head, cutting her off before she could say a word.
“I’m not the kind of person you can just push around for your whole life. You told me that we would have children. You made yourself out to be everything I could ever want in a person and did a complete transformation when we were married. You thought you had me secured for life and that there was nothing else you had to do, right?”
“Zander, I—”
“No! I don’t need this from you. I never have. If you don’t start respecting me, that’s it. I’m putting my foot down. All I did was tell the truth. You don’t want children. I do. You’re lucky I don’t tell the whole neighborhood everything else too!”
“Whatever, Zander,” Lindsay scoffed.
She left the room in a huff, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.
Zander shook his head. Lindsay had been really letting herself go. And he had the feeling that something was going on with her, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what. Not that it mattered. She insisted on having her privacy and independence. If Zander bothered to pry into it, he would probably end up regretting it.
Lindsay’s car sped off and Zander glanced at the clock. It was already past six. He had to work in the morning, and if he was going to get any of the bills paid tonight, he would have to sit down and balance his checkbook. He tried to ignore the bitterness he felt when he looked through Lindsay’s receipts. She spent as much of his money as she possibly could, without any regard to how hard he had to work to pay their mortgage and cover all of their bills. He could do it. He was a hard worker and determined to take care of his family. But the stress was getting worse and worse.
Zander sighed, grabbing a pen. If he ever wanted to get dinner on the table, balance his finances, and get up for work on time, he would have to start now.
Chapter 2
Pushing papers wasn’t exactly the most thrilling thing in the world, but Zander was good at it. He had always been meticulous, analytical, and very dependable. All of these qualities were assets in his job at the company. He had even been awarded a promotion recently, but it had been making him a few professional enemies.
If they knew that he really didn’t give a crap about the job, they would probably tear him apart and give him an even harder time. Everyone was competing for a higher rank in the company. The prestige was irresistible. It was nice living according to the rules in some ways, but Zander had always wished for something better.
When 5:00 p.m. finally rolled around, Zander gladly put on his jacket and headed back home. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to relaxing out under the stars.
As he drove home, he checked his voicemail messages. Lindsay had left a few during the day detailing all of the money he was expected to bring home to finish paying off the mortgage and what she would need from him for groceries and other bills. Zander gripped the steering wheel harder. Even when he gave her the money she asked for, she ended up asking for more later, for the same things. She spent it if she had it in her pocket.
Zander put the phone face down on his dashboard without listening to the rest of the messages. He had a feeling they were more of the same. Since Lindsay didn’t work, she spent most of her time at home alone, thinking about how to spend his money. Well that, and coming up with lists of everything she didn’t like about him so she would have ammunition during their arguments.
Linda, a friend of his, had been there during one of their fights before and had taken him aside afterward. She was a social worker and seemed genuinely concerned.
“You do realize women can abuse men too, don’t you?” she’d asked him. “You deserve to be with someone who will help build you up, not tear you down. You understand that, right?”
Zander had been so embarrassed that he hadn’t spoken to Linda for the rest of the night. She didn’t seem to be bothered by it t
hough, and had still hugged him goodbye, whispering for him to get some help.
Even though thinking about Linda’s comment made him angry, he kept returning to it. Maybe the way Lindsay treated him was abusive. Just thinking about it made his stomach turn. It made him feel weak and emasculated. How could Linda even dare to suggest that he, a grown adult man, couldn’t take care of himself? What kind of a man was he if he let a woman boss him around? It was humiliating that she could even consider it. He was just as capable as anybody else, and there she’d been telling him that he couldn’t even manage to survive in his own relationship. You would think that he of all people would know it if he were being abused.
Besides, he had been the one to propose, for better or for worse. And he was going to stick with their marriage until the end. Or at least until his wife managed to do something unforgiveable. He knew she was spoiled. It was his own fault if he didn’t know how to deal with it. He had committed to her.
Zander was lost in these thoughts when a shiny SUV drove past him, going the opposite direction. He glanced over absentmindedly, and then stared hard. That was Lindsay in the passenger seat. And she was hanging on the arm of another man. Zander didn’t recognize him. He wasn’t very attractive, but he was clearly wealthy.
Zander slowed his own car and turned around to follow the SUV. He drove slowly, keeping his eyes glued on the shining black vehicle. What in the world was she doing with this man? She had mentioned in one of her messages that she was going to be out grocery shopping when he got home. It had been a relief to know he would be alone, but now he wasn’t sure what to think.
His heart pounded heavily, and a cool anger seemed to be controlling his every move, guaranteeing that he was able to do everything in a calm and calculated manner. He had never felt this way before, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. It was as if he were tapping into an animal instinct he had never experienced before.
The SUV eventually crossed over into the exit lane and Zander followed it until it pulled into the driveway of a huge, fancy house. He was shocked when Lindsay climbed out of the car and started passionately kissing the man in the SUV. Zander’s rage quickly overcame his shock. He parked on the curb, not caring if he got a ticket, and stomped out to face them.
They didn’t notice that he was there at first, but then Lindsay finally opened her eyes. When she saw Zander standing in front of them, staring at her, she pushed the man away and gasped.
“What the hell are you doing here, Zander? You’re supposed to be—”
“Don’t tell me where I’m supposed to be or what I’m supposed to be doing! You have no right!”
Lindsay laughed nervously as the man she was with whipped around to face Zander.
“What’s this about, Lindsay?” he asked.
“Wait, you didn’t even tell him that you were married?” Zander asked. “You’re a real piece of work.”
“You’re married?!”
The man eyed Lindsay up and down, pure disgust etched all over his face.
“No! I mean, well, it’s complicated baby…”
Lindsay reached out to grab the man’s arm. He shook her off and stormed toward the door of his house. She tried to follow him but he stopped her with a glare.
“I want you off of my property. Now. Before I call my lawyers.”
Lindsay’s face fell and she turned back to glare at Zander.
“Do you see what you’ve done? That man was a meal ticket! He was giving me enough to pay for all the utilities because you’re such a worthless provider that I had no choice but to—”
“Enough!”
Zander’s voice boomed and Lindsay stared at him in shock. Zander almost never raised his voice, and even during their argument last night, he hadn’t been as forceful as he was being now. Last night he had been willing to forgive and forget. He had been willing to move forward and work toward their dreams as a couple. Now, everything had changed.
“I don’t owe you a fuckin’ thing, Lindsay. You’ve been messing with my head for long enough. Now I see you for what you really are. An abusive, toxic tramp! I’m done with this.”
And with that, Zander hopped into his car and sped away, leaving Lindsay in the driveway with no way home.
Chapter 3
Zander was furious, but somehow he was still in that cool and calculating zone that allowed him to think logically, and make sound decisions. The first thing he did was drive to an auto dealership. He had bought the SUV because he had always been under the impression that he and Lindsay would end up having children together. It wasn’t until he had put the down payment on their house—in hername—that she had told him she was going to turn one of the bedrooms into her office, because she didn’t want kids after all.
It had been a crushing blow, but Zander had always hoped that she would go back to the way she used to be, back when they had fantasized about their perfect family together. But that was never going to happen, and he was going to get rid of this car before any divorce papers were finalized. She would try to take half of everything because he hadn’t been smart enough to get a prenuptial agreement. He would get this SUV out of his life and pull all the money out of their joint savings account before she could even get out of her sucker’s driveway.
Zander sighed when he got out of the car and slammed the door shut. He had always loved the gleaming colors in car lots. He walked up and down the rows of cars, until he stopped with his heart thudding in his chest. A motorcycle.
He had gotten his motorcycle license right about the time he had married Lindsay, but she’d never let him ride. She liked to be in the car with him, and complained that she didn’t feel safe on motorcycles. He used to tell himself that the real reason she made such a fuss about it was because she was worried about his safety, but she never said anything about how dangerous it could be. All she really seemed to care about was being left behind, and not wanting to be associated with someone who could be considered a dumb biker with no future.
The memory made Zander’s blood boil. His whole marriage had been a lie. Even more humiliating than that, he’d spent the entire time lying to himself and defending a woman over and over again who clearly had no love or respect for him. He was going to do whatever it took to get this huge mistake behind him.
“Hey partner, looking to buy today?” the salesman asked, walking up to him. He looked out of place in the suburban area in his cowboy hat and impressive cowboy boots. Zander looked him up and down, his heart doing strange flip flops in his chest. The man represented something to him. Freedom. A new goal.
“Yeah,” Zander said. “As a matter of fact I am.”
“Great! What are you looking for?”
“I think I already found it,” Zander said, patting the handles of the gorgeous black motorcycle.
“Really?” the man asked, as if pleasantly surprised. “Well I’ll be damned. Been eyeing that bike myself. But I’ll gladly sell it to you.”
“Think I could trade it in?” Zander asked, pointing his thumb back at the big SUV.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, partner,” the man said with a grin.
Zander smiled back.
He was going to be okay.
Chapter 4
The man at the dealership had given Zander an idea. When he was a kid, he had always wanted to escape the stifling throes of suburbia and really get his hands dirty. He had longed for the rough-and-tumble lifestyle of a mountain man. Somebody who lived and died by his own merit. A pioneer of the wilderness.
He didn’t care about leaving his job and he didn’t have to worry about mortgage payments either. The house was in Lindsay’s name. Let her find a job and worry about it. He had never liked the house much anyway. She had been in control of every aspect of their marriage and now she was going to pay for it. And if she didn’t like it, she would see him in court.
He would bike west. All the bikers in the movies seemed to do it with no problem. All he would have to do was get himself from point A to point B, and f
ind somewhere to settle down and start his new self-sufficient life. From that point on, nobody would be able to tell him no.
Zander passed the road sign notifying him that he’d managed to make it all the way out to Montana since he’d left Lindsay, and he felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He glanced at his watch, proud of the time he was making. It had been a long, intensive ride. He’d had to watch out for everything from potholes and debris in the road to a herd of buffalo crossing in front of him, but the thrill was part of the fun.
Zander’s heart was racing as he sped down the highway. He was surprised by how difficult it was to steer the bike. It had been a long time since he’d driven a motorcycle. When he sped up, the bike seemed even harder to control. He wished that he had bought a helmet, because the faster he went the more convinced he was that he might wipe out.
A car zoomed around him on the highway and Zander’s bike swerved to the left. He hadn’t realized how scary it would be to ride around so many other cars. He’d been hoping that he would be able to drive naturally, but he had barely known what he was doing when he’d passed his motorcycle license test. Now he was in the big leagues without any real practice under his belt. He was going to have to be careful.
Suddenly, a deer leaped out at him from the trees lining the highway. He cried out in surprise and swerved to avoid hitting it. The bike fell over on its side and slid with Zander still on it. He grunted in pain as he hit the guard rail.
The sickening sound of breaking glass made Zander cringe, but the pain his leg was in as the bike’s momentum dragged him forward was even worse.
“Aw hell,” Zander heard a man’s voice say, somewhere off in the distance. He looked in the direction he’d heard it come from and was shocked when he saw what appeared to be a naked man in the foliage. But when the same man was soon kneeling over him, lifting the bike off of Zander’s legs, he was at least partially clothed. Zander thought he must have been hallucinating the whole thing.
