by Skye Jones
As Luke neared, he scented the air, and Sean shuddered at the flicker of horror that passed over Luke’s features. Sean wanted to scream, and cry, and howl to the heavens. Christ, but he hated seeing those emotions on Luke’s face, and he hated even more the role his own stupid actions played in everything that had gone down.
“We’ll be right outside the door. Shout when Fuckface wakes up.” Dylan sauntered over to McFarlane, gave him a hefty kick, then turned to the door and left the room. The others followed him, all of them studiously avoiding looking at Luke and Sean.
“I’m sorry.” Sean could barely get the words out. He blamed himself for the mess, but anger at Luke’s seeming disgust thrummed in his veins, too. Even as he apologized, part of him wanted to slap Luke for looking at him in such a way. Yeah, he’d fucked up, big time. Ran out like a child. Forgotten his cell, and gone to a bar where he knew no one, but the idea McFarlane might be right. The very thought Luke might not want him because he carried another’s scent? It tore him apart. “I’m not tainted. I didn’t let them—”
“Don’t.” Luke ground out the word. “Don’t.” His voice broke. “Don’t you dare say sorry. This is not on you.”
He moved closer still, odd whimpering sounds coming from his throat. Sounds Sean had never heard him make before. “Did they hurt you?” Luke took a gentle hold of Sean as he spoke.
“No. He gave me a thrashing with a riding crop, but it didn’t even sting. Honest.” Sean managed to laugh.
Luke turned his head and nuzzled him, rubbing his face over Sean’s chin and neck. “You smell of them, did they…did they hurt you in any other way?” Luke moved back, far enough to look Sean in the eye.
“Would it matter?” Despite the calmness of his tone, Sean’s heart nearly pounded its way out of his chest while he waited for Luke to answer.
“Of course it matters! I couldn’t bear for you to be hurt.”
“Would it change how you feel about me?” Sean should put his mate out of his misery, tell him the truth, but James’ taunts about Luke not wanting Sean if he were tainted wouldn’t let him alone.
“What? Jesus, no! Nothing could change the way I feel about you.” Luke met his gaze steadily. “It kills me to think of what they’ve done to you, but it doesn’t change how much I love you. What’s going on, Sean? What did they do?” His eyes grew wild.
Sean put a hand out to Luke, steadied him. “They didn’t hurt me. Not in the way you’re thinking. When you guys broke in upstairs, James kissed me, which let me tell you…absolutely gross, and rubbed himself on me. Dalton did the same. James thought…” He trailed off as shame welled up in response to his doubt.
“What?” Luke snorted. “That I’d leave you if you smelt of another wolf?”
“I’m sorry. I should have known. He gets inside your head though, messes with you.” Tears slid down his face again. God, he’d turned into a leaky faucet. Sean couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried.
“No more apologies. You’re safe…it’s all that matters. I couldn’t bear to lose you.” Luke’s face shone wet with tears.
Sean didn’t know what to do as he witnessed his mate cry for the first time ever.
“Oh, love.” He kissed Luke’s face. “It’s okay. You got me. I’m safe, you’re safe. It’s all good.”
A low whimpered groan drew Sean’s gaze across the room to James McFarlane.
McFarlane lifted his lip in a sneer. “How very touching.”
Luke started to move across the room.
James gave a sharp cry. “Stay where you are and think about this before you do something you’ll regret.”
“I won’t regret killing you,” Luke replied.
“Maybe not, but your golden boy over there put up with hell for fifty years to protect his pack. When he left, I might have been somewhat angry, but I didn’t break the treaty. His family lives. His father and his mother, they live. If I die here tonight, there will be a new war. All those years of hell will be for nothing.”
Sean grit his teeth as anger coursed through him, lighting up his insides. He wanted to throttle James with his bare hands. He couldn’t move, though. Luke held him fascinated. Nonchalantly, the alpha stalked right up to James and sat in front of him, cross-legged on the floor. Luke’s arms casually rested on his knees, as if about to chat to an old friend. Sean wanted to see this nearly as much as he wanted to kill McFarlane.
“I underestimated you.” James sounded like he meant the respect in his words. “You’re a very powerful alpha. I can sense it. We could do a lot together. My pack is large and wealthy, yet your group is so small. You deserve a pack befitting your strength.”
“Nah.” Luke shrugged. “I like my pack small, don’t need the ego boost of a larger one, thanks all the same. As for Sean’s family…they don’t deserve to live, but if he wants, I’ll go get them myself. Bring them back to my territory. They’ll be safe from any war there.”
“You can’t simply walk onto their land. The enforcers would rip you to shreds.” James lunged forward, only to drop back with a hiss as the chain dug into his naked flesh.
“Oh, but I can,” Luke answered mildly. “Besides, I have other resources at my disposal. So, you see.” He leaned in and tapped James on the forehead with his index finger in time with his next words. “You. Are. Shit. Out. Of. Luck.”
The door opened and Dylan swung his head around. “Heard you talking. Thought I’d come and help out.”
For Dylan, this would be personal. Would he want to help Luke tear James apart?
“Come on in.” Luke’s voice still held an insanely genial tone. “We’re having a little chat.”
Luke turned and caught Sean’s eye. “Sean, if you say the word, I’ll spare this sack of shit, but I swear I can get your family out.”
“You’re my family,” Sean stated simply. After the hell they’d put him through, he really didn’t care what happened to his birth pack anymore.
Luke nodded and turned back to James. “Sorry, friend. It seems you’re out of bargaining chips.”
“Sean, no.” McFarlane’s face crumbled. “Don’t let him do this. I know I could be harsh, but we spent fifty years together. I’m your mate. Under the laws of our realm, you still belong to me. If you let him kill me, it makes you a murderer too. It’s against our code. You’re an honorable man. I know you are. Don’t let this deed blacken your soul. I love you. Please. I love you.”
God, the utter bastard! Sean’s vision swam when James declared his love. Ignoring his aching, weary body, he pulled himself up to standing and walked over to the men.
“Can you stand up a moment?” he asked Luke.
With a puzzled twitch of his eyebrows, his mate did as asked. Sean dug into Luke’s back pocket and took out the silver knife.
“Sean?” Luke reached forward.
“No! Don’t.” Sean forced the words out. “I need this.” Shifter law stated the right to the kill belonged with Luke, as the alpha. The way Sean saw things, the right to end James McFarlane sat squarely with him.
Not arguing, for once in his life, Luke nodded and hung back. Dylan followed suit. The whole world narrowed for Sean until only he and James existed.
Walking slowly up behind the person he’d feared and hated in equal measure, Sean knew what must be done. With one hand, he grabbed James’ hair and pulled his head up and back. With the other, he took the silver blade and pressed it against James’ throat. Eerie calm descended, covering him in a soothing blanket.
“This is for Mari.” He sliced the blade clean across McFarlane’s throat.
Blood poured onto the floor. James jerked and shuddered, giving a horrible watery gurgle as his limbs jumped.
It would have been easy to let Luke handle James, but Sean needed the kill. Needed to show his old alpha that he held no power any longer. He wanted James to die knowing it was at his hand.
Sean glanced at his mate. Luke looked dispassionately at the dying man then flicked his gaze up to Sean’s and held
it. They continued to look only at one another as the noises and twitching grew quieter. After what could have been minutes, or hours, all sound ceased. Sean’s heart hammered as his clammy hands dropped the silver knife onto the floor.
Dylan kneeled and touched the shifter. “He’s dead.” He turned toward the door and shouted, “Hawk? Can you come and help clean this garbage up?”
Hawk and his pack entered the room and began to move efficiently around. They would get rid of the bodies and remove all evidence of the fight.
It was finally over! Sean walked toward the wall at the far end of the room, his back to the others, needing a moment to compose himself. Nausea washed over him in strong waves, along with slight stomach cramps. He didn’t want to be sick but didn’t know if he could hold it down. He’d hated James. Had wanted to be the one to end it, but now shock, and the after effects of his actions, were battering into him like a storm he couldn’t hold back. He bent over and gasped, trying to get air past his tight throat.
“Sean?” Luke touched his shoulder. “It’s okay. You did the right thing…for Mari. Don’t think of him anymore. It’s finally over. Let’s go home.” Luke wrapped his thick arms around Sean and pulled him into a hug.
Sean sank into the warmth and comfort of the familiar, solid shape behind him. He could hear Luke’s steady heartbeat and it helped his own to calm and find a more regular rhythm. A completely unexpected sense of peace washed over him. He turned around in Luke’s arms; relieved his legs didn’t wobble too badly. As he looked up into those familiar stormy eyes, Luke dropped his head and gently brushed warm lips over Sean’s closed mouth.
“I love you. And I’m proud of you,” Luke whispered.
“I love you, too.”
“When you two girls are done, we’ve finished up here.” Hawk winked over at them.
Luke grinned and walked back into the center of the room.
“Hawk.” He took the other alpha’s hand. “I owe you one.”
“Glad I could help.” Hawk shook Luke’s hand. “Now go on, you two. I think you’ve got some reconnecting to do.”
“Dylan. I can’t thank you enough.” Luke pulled the huge man into a hug. “Do you want to come back to the condo? Spend a few days getting some rest and relaxation?”
“Thanks, but I shouldn’t. I’ve got things to wrap up in New York. They still aren’t convinced I’m not coming back. I’m going to insist they find a new alpha to run the team they are recruiting for. I don’t want the job.”
“What will you do?” Luke asked.
“I’m going home.”
“Home? As in back to Wales?” Sean couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice.
“Some of us like our Celtic roots,” Dylan teased softly. “In all seriousness, I need somewhere to base myself if I’m going to find the fuckers who took my pack from me. Home seems like the best place to do so. Plus…I’m tired. I need to grieve before I can get my head back in the game. When I’m more sorted, I’m going to find the fucking abominations that took my Nikos and end them.”
Dylan lost his pack during an attack by what he believed to be a group of vampires. Sean didn’t doubt Dylan’s account for a moment, despite nothing like it having been noted before in the species' history. The man was a stone cold warrior. If he said vamps did it, vamps did it.
Sean’s heart broke for Dylan. He couldn’t imagine losing Luke or Kayley. He reached out and held Dylan’s hand for a moment. “Words seem kind of inadequate. If you ever need anything, you know where we are.”
“I do. You take care now and don’t go to any more strange bars alone.” Dylan turned away and walked to the exit. As he reached the door, he paused and turned back. “Take care of one another. It’s more precious than we know, our bond with our mates.”
“Come on. Let’s go home.” Luke looked about to drop.
Sean didn’t argue with the suggestion. He wanted nothing more.
Chapter 15
They’d been back a few hours, yet the atmosphere in the living room remained charged. The pack needed time to reconnect and feel settled, so they’d sat and talked with drinks and some nibbles, although none of them seemed to want to eat much. They’d joked around and made light of the situation, but increasingly Sean could sense Luke’s desperation to get him alone. It rolled off the alpha in waves.
Sean shifted in his seat and stretched his legs. God, he ached all over. Must be the hours of being held. Emotionally though, he gave himself eight out of ten. In the immediate aftermath of taking James McFarlane’s life, a whole raft of feelings hit. He’d been triumphant, hopped up and buzzed, but also sickened at his actions.
Now, sitting with his pack, and with some distance from the day’s events, pure unadulterated relief raced through his veins, warming him. No longer would he need to wonder if McFarlane would track him down. He’d never imagined in a million years the crazed alpha would take him in the manner he had, but Sean had always thought one day the shifter would come for him and upset his happy new life. Finally, fucking finally, he could let go of all his worry. He was physically lighter, no longer carrying around the huge weight of all the anxiety and fear he’d lived with daily for so long.
“Hey? You okay?” He leaned into Luke and gave his shoulder a soft bump.
The strain of recent events were etched in Luke’s face, highlighted by the grim brackets surrounding his mouth and the deep grooves between his eyebrows.
“Are you?” Luke turned to Sean, and his gray eyes told so many stories. They told Sean how loved he was, how much Luke needed him and how protected he would always be.
“I know you won’t believe me but I’m good. More than good. I’m finally free of the past and it’s really sinking in.”
“You are free, totally and utterly,” Luke said. “You know…” He motioned for Sean to follow him as he stood and walked out the room.
They ended up in the games room, Luke pacing, his long legs eating up the carpet.
“Now McFarlane’s gone, it’s safe for you to return home. I want you to know…” Luke dragged his gaze up to meet Sean’s. “I want you to know, if it’s what you really want, I’ll understand.”
“You mean…forever?” Fear punched into Sean, an unwelcome visitor after his recent warm and fuzzies. Why the hell would Luke let him go? Had the scent of the over wolves pushed his mate too far after all?
“Jesus, no. Not for fucking ever.” Luke’s eyes flashed with anger.
Sean grinned, happy with the answer.
“You belong with me, with us. I meant for a while. Do you want to go forever?”
“I don’t even want to go for a while. I meant what I said to James. You’re my family now. I doubt the Scots packs will go to war again without James to cause trouble, but if they do?” He shrugged. “It is what it is, nothing to do with me. They washed their hands of me and I’m returning the favor. I haven’t contacted anyone in my family for years. They could be dead already and I wouldn’t know. There’s nothing for me in Scotland anymore. My home is with you.”
Luke gave a lopsided smile and closed the distance between them. Strong arms locked around Sean, and he found himself pulled flush against a rock hard body. Luke rubbed himself against Sean as he nuzzled his neck and licked at his throat and face.
“Can still smell them.” Luke pulled away, nose wrinkling. “Can’t bear it. They hurt you, and I can scent them all over you.”
“I took two showers.” Sean held his laughter back. “You can take me to bed in a while, make me yours again.”
“I need to hold you. Need you to smell right again.”
“You mean smell of you?” Sean couldn’t resist the gentle tease. He got another hard hug for his trouble.
“Yes, smell of me. You’re mine!” The fierce scowl on Luke’s face as they parted shouldn’t have made him even more attractive, but it did. His eyes positively burned.
“Okay, chill out, Tarzan. We’ll stroll back in the den, pretend we’re civilized people for another momen
t or two before we sneak off to bed and you can spend all night rubbing yourself all over me. Sound good?”
Luke’s reply came in the form of a happy growl.
Sean walked over to Kayley as they entered the main room and dropped his voice low as he leaned in. “Luke might be a bit forceful tonight. He’s all alpha’d up after today, so he could be more full-on than usual. I wanted to warn you. I love it, personally, but you might find him a bit of a handful.”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head. “I’m not sleeping with you two tonight. You need to reconnect.”
“You’re part of us now.”
“Not yet. Not in the same way. And tonight I think he needs you, and you need him. I’m only next door and we’ll be together again soon enough. I think you should take tonight and…” She trailed off as her color warmed up.
“What?”
“I’ve been reading. Will showed me some of the old books you guys gave him about your world. I read how shifters always need to smell their partner’s scent on their skin. If one goes away, they need to spend time reconnecting. It’ll be hot enough for me to be next door and imagine you two.”
Heart swollen, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “You’re going to make an incredible wolf and an even better mate.” Her beam of happiness pierced his soul, made him giddy.
“I can’t wait for it to happen,” she whispered. “What happened…it’s made me realize how much I want to be with you both.” Her serious expression gave way to something more playful as she flicked her gaze up and down his body. “And I’m looking forward to all the fun we’ll have together once it’s done.”
Sean tried to ignore his hardening dick, and the way she tempted him so very much. Maybe Kayley needed some alone time tonight, too, to come to terms with all she’d seen and the huge changes to come in her life? At some point in the next couple of days, gorgeous Kayley Mitchell would cease to be a human and start a new life as a shifter. He grew tired of waiting for Luke to claim her and could tell Luke reached the edge of his patience, too. Now she’d told them she wanted in, they’d no earthly reason to hold back.
