by Sy Walker
He did feel like a monster for hurting Brandon's feelings though, and the longer they didn't speak for the rest of that day as Quinn quietly trailed a new set of tracks, the worst that Quinn felt. Finally, he could no longer focus on his work and went out searching for Brandon. Brandon had disappeared from his site, and suddenly, Quinn felt very alone. He called out to Brandon but nobody was there. Quinn felt very close to panicking, hoping that he would be able to find his way out of the vast mountain forest alone without Brandon's help getting to the parking lot.
It was always hard to be honest with the people that he cared about, especially when it could hurt their feelings. But it was something that Quinn felt was very important, especially in developing any kind of long-lasting relationship. He didn't know what kind of relationship he would end up having with Brandon, but he always felt that honesty was the best policy. Except for his truest and deepest personal feelings. He would have done anything to keep people away from those.
Suddenly, Quinn's stomach rumbled and he sat against a tree and got into his backpack in search of his lunch. He would have to find Brandon later, or catch up with him tomorrow. There was nothing more that he could do about it, and allowing the situation to go out of his hands felt a little better. If nothing else, he can use the GPS unit to try and find the parking lot from the forest. He still had some battery life left, but he was pretty sure that he could navigate the forest well enough. He was just hoping to make the trek back with Brandon. When he was with capable people, he began to doubt his own capabilities at times. And Brandon was extremely capable. He knew he should not allow himself to become dependent on Brandon's leadership, and knew that this was a good way for him to learn this lesson.
He ate in silence until he was full and then put his food back into his backpack, careful not to leave anything for wild animals to track him with. He had to head back to the van. The sun would be setting any minute now, and he was careful, he would be trapped in an unfamiliar forest after dark. Worse, he would not even have his forest service partner at his side to help him through it. It was time for him to go home. He would just have to apologize to Brandon tomorrow.
Chapter 8
Sometimes Brandon wished that he wasn't so impulsive. If he had the choice, he would have stayed and talked it out with Quinn. Unfortunately, he was thinking his heart not his mind, and found himself hurt and dismissed by the idea that Quinn could understand nothing about him. When he looked under the surface of things, he realized that he wasn't just upset about not being recognized as the leader of the pack. It also had a lot to do with the fact that he wasn't sure if Quinn would ever be able to understand that he was a wolf shifter himself.
It made Brandon feel very unhappy and self-conscious when he thought about trying to come out to Quinn about his secret. It was obvious that Quinn was struggling with his sexual identity, but it was very unlikely that he had ever had to face something quite as serious as hiding his whole true nature from the rest of the world. Or maybe it was exactly like this, and maybe they had a lot more in common than he thought. But still, it wasn't likely that Quinn would be able to understand his wolf nature. Sure, he can be drawn to it, and he loved wolves as a species, but it seemed like loving a wolf shifter was probably off-limits.
He howled miserably into the night, wanting to give Quinn some kind of a signal. He didn't know what he wanted, but he knew that he was very upset about the idea that Quinn may never be able to understand. He was also miserable that he had to continually try to save his pack. The pressure was never ending, and finding somebody like Quinn who made him feel very confused about his mission brought a lot of stress on his shoulders. He felt that he was carrying the weight of the world, and the only thing that kept him going was the idea his Omega mate might be out there somewhere ready and waiting for him.
The people in his pack heard the howl, and came trotting toward him. He didn't want them to, but they could tell leader was in distress. They were used to being on the lookout for anything strange and suspicious. If Brandon was in trouble, they would be there in a minute to try their best to save him. It was a favorite that they gave each other mutually, and everybody seemd to understand the importance of teamwork.
“Are you all right?" Fiona asked him. Fiona was his stepsister, and he always appreciated her eagerness to help and protect him.
“Yes, I am all right," Brandon lied. “Anyway, it's nothing that anybody can fix. I'm just trying to figure things out. Don't worry. Kind of personal."
She didn't need to ask any more about it, she just nodded knowingly and stepped away. She was still in her wolf form, and he watched her summon the pack and leave them away so that he could have some time alone. Brandon was grateful for the intervention, and found himself trotting through the woods toward a stream. It was the same area where he thought he could lead Quinn and get him off of the wolves trail. With his mind stuck on Quinn, he sat, in his wolf form, at the edge of the water.
Why did everything have to be so complicated? Finding his Omega mate shouldn't be so hard. But how was he supposed to explain to Quinn that he was a wolf shifter? There was no way that anybody would ever accept that outside of this pack. Maybe if he were talking to another shifter things will be different. He would be able to understand. He was talking to a biologist, somebody who made it his business to track the lifestyles of animals.
That was another thing that bothered Brandon. Quinn would just reduce them to animals. Animals who didn't have much reason or sense, and only acted on their instincts. Maybe it was humans who were flawed for ignoring their instincts so much that they get themselves into silly situations. Brandon trusted his instincts, and they were better than most peoples. That was why he was the leader of his pack. Quinn however, obviously did not trust his own instincts and was very afraid of whatever he was capable of. He did not have complete control, it was probably something that terrified Quinn. Brandon didn't respect that, but he also found it endearing. He sighed and looked up at the moon, his mind completely in a jumble. There was no way that he could figure things out with Quinn. He would just have to start avoiding him. That was the easiest way to do it.
He got up and lapped a long drink of cool water from the stream. It gave him some minor peace of mind to have a plan to follow, and knowing that he was going to stop trying was a little bit liberating. He couldn't help but feel sad though, and he headed off into the darkness of the forest alone.
Chapter 9
Quinn was still in the woods. He heard a howl and looked up, startled. He thought maybe this could be his only chance to figure out where the wolves were. He knew that it was a big risk for him to go off on his own in the darkness of the night, especially in a forest where he wasn't sure how to navigate 100%, but he knew that he might never have another chance. It was time to take a big risk, and he was up to the challenge.
He put away his GPS unit and turned it off, so that the sound of any spontaneous alerts would not put him into any danger. He distinctly heard the Wolf howling from the Northwest area of the forest, and decided to take a look around. As the earth began to darken around him, he began to feel very nervous. He wasn't sure where he was going, or why he thought it might be a good idea to be out at night in search of wild and feral wolves, but that was exactly what he was doing. It was definitely a risk.
The other thing on his mind that would not go away was Brandon. Brandon had wandered off into the forest by himself, and Quinn didn't feel right leaving him like that. He had been listening carefully for the rumbling sound of Brandon's engine, but he didn't hear anything. That meant that Brandon was still in the forest somewhere. Brandon would not be safe either, especially if he was having an emotional moment.
The man was impulsive and reckless, and an obvious thrillseeker. Although it was exciting, it could also be dangerous. Although Brandon could navigate the woods by himself, Quinn could not help but feel a responsibility toward him. He knew he should just wait by the van, but after hearing the Wolf howl, he had been d
rawn to it as if it had everything that he had been looking for. The answers to all of his questions.
Cautiously through the dark forest, careful to step over roots and peer into the distance. His eyes were sharp, and he was very quiet and intent, listening for the sounds of movement. Suddenly, he thought he heard the Wolf ahead of him. His heart thudded hard in his chest and he moved closer, hoping to discover the beautiful pack of wolves that had been eluding him all these months. Although he had a lot of valuable research done over the course of time, he needed to find them to study them. Even if it was just for one night, he would have a lot of valuable information. It could change the course of his work forever.
As he crept toward the noise, he suddenly paused. There was something intimidating about the figure that he suddenly saw appear in front of him. It was not the size of a wolf, in fact, it was much smaller. He squinted into the darkness, eager to discover what he had found, and suddenly his hands started to tremble. A mountain lion was slowly heading toward him, eyes fixed on him as if he would make a great midnight snack. Quinn suddenly felt very stupid. He knew that cats hunted at night, and now this one was heading toward him, ready to pounce. He began throwing whatever he could at the cat, but it did not back down and continued forward in an attack stance. He screamed, “Go away!” The cat continued forward. His only chance was to run.
All feeling of logic escaped his mind as he began to flee the monstrous creature. He shouted loudly as he ran, trying hard not to scream like a child. The last thing he needed to do was to attract more attention to himself so other predators might be able to find him. Suddenly, the forest seemed precarious and dangerous, and Quinn had to run carefully to avoid falling. It was a lot easier to avoid the large groups of the trees during the day, but at night, they were lethal. Quinn's foot caught one of the large raised roots, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud. He cried out in pain as his ankle seemed to crush under his weight, and he scrambled to stand up. But it was too late, the mountain lion was ready to pounce. She had caught up to him.
Chapter 10
Quinn quaked in fear and pain, his heart caught in his throat. The eyes of the mountain lion were fixed onto his he was sure that everything was over. He had made a stupid mistake, and now he was going to pay for it. Suddenly, he heard a loud growl coming from behind him, and humongous black body leapt over him and intercepted the mountain lion before it could approach any closer. Standing between himself and the mountain lion was the biggest and most beautiful wolf he had ever seen. The Wolf snarled that the mountain lion, causing her ears to lay back down flat on her head as she retreated.
Quinn wasn't sure what to do, and cried out in pain as he tried to stand up and get away from both of the animals. He looked up to determine where the wolf might be standing, but was surprised to discover that the wolf was gone, and Brandon was panting in front of him, his muscular chest bare and heaving rapidly.
“Where did you come from?" Quinn asked, wincing in pain.
“I've been around," Brandon said, giving him a sheepish look. “Are you all right?"
“Mostly," Quinn said, trying to walk on his ankle and nearly collapsing from the pain.
“Looks like you had a hard fall," Brandon said, his dark eyes boring into Quinn's.
Quinn was tempted to say that yes, he had fallen hard for Brandon, but he didn't think that kind of a flirtation would fly well. And besides, even if he was bold, he was in no mood to be flirting. Brandon's eyes narrowed, and he approached Quinn, offering him support from his wounded ankle. His strong arms were warm around Quinn's cold back, and Brandon had to think fast about where to take him to examine his wounds. Fortunately, he knew just the place.
“There is this cabin a few minutes away from here, nobody really uses it this time of year. It's for random hikers to settle in. I think that we should go there and take a look at that. It'll be fine, no mountain lions can get in.”
Brandon laughed, but deep down, he was terrified and concerned for Quinn. If he hadn't heard Quinn's cry of pain, or smell the fear in the air, Quinn could've been a goner. And it would've been Brandon's fault for leaving him alone in the forest. He had been too careless. They walked side-by-side for a few minutes until they reached the cabin. Brandon opened the door and led Quinn inside, lowering him gently down onto a large sofa. Brandon gently removed Quinn's boots, and Quinn watched him, his green eyes dancing wondrously as the attentive, gorgeous man tended to him. This wasn't where he thought the night would go. It was nice to see Brandon being soft for once, instead of running toward whatever danger might lay ahead of him.
“Hold tight for a second, I'm going to get you some water for that.”
As Brandon walked toward the kitchen, whistling, Quinn's eyes roamed the man's body. For some reason, he had taken his shirt off sometime throughout the night, and now his muscular back was descending away from Quinn, sculpted and beautiful, almost like the statues that Quinn would stare at when he went to the museum. He tried to shake the thought away before Brandon returned with a bag of ice and a towel.
“Those clothes of yours are all muddy now. You should probably take them off,” Brandon said, not realizing how sexual it sounded until it was out of his mouth. He laughed nervously, and Quinn's green eyes fixed on him intently.
“That would make sense," Quinn said softly, his eyes lowering to his hands.
“I'm really sorry that I ditched you like that," Brandon said.
“I understand, I'm sorry too," Quinn said.
“I was really worried about you, when I heard you cry out like that. I'm really glad that nothing happened. It's just that –“suddenly Brandon wanted to tell Quinn everything. Everything about himself. He didn't want to have any secrets anymore. He wanted to be seen. He wanted somebody to talk about the stress of his life with. Somebody who cared about the wolves enough to risk his life after dark to find them. Somebody like Quinn.
“Listen Brandon, I have something I should tell you. I don't really know how to say it, I haven't really said it to myself yet. But I think that I'm falling for you.”
Brandon was startled, and looked into Quinn's eyes, realizing that he was much braver than he gave him credit for. He had faced the mountain lion alone, and now he was also facing his own demons. The fact that Quinn was taking the plunge and being brave first almost made Brandon cry. The man was just so beautiful and so sincere, there was nobody he wanted more to be his Omega mate, and maybe one day bare his wolf pups. The only way that could happen was if Brandon was honest too.
“I have a secret too," Brandon whispered. He looked into Quinn's eyes and held his hands firmly, terrified that he would ruin everything for himself and his people if he told the wrong person, but it was burning there in his chest, and Brandon wasn't the kind of person who listens to his fears. He did whatever he wanted in the moment and dealt with the consequences later. It was time for him to follow his instincts about Quinn.
“You can tell me anything," Quinn said softly, holding Brandon's hands in his own.
“It's not really something I can tell you, it's something that I have to show you."
Quinn watched curiously as Brandon stood up from the big sofa and turned to face him. His eyes softened as he stared at Quinn, and then finally a bright light flashed and Brandon's perfectly sculpted body began to glow and transform. Quinn watched in disbelief as Brandon contorted, until he was in the shape of a great black wolf – the same wolf that had left all those tracks, Quinn suddenly realized, and the same wolf who had saved him from the mountain lion.
“But – but how?” Quinn asked, shaking his head in disbelief and standing up to approach Brandon. “You're just so... so beautiful!”
Quinn's eyes were brimming with tears, both confused, and frightened, and awe-struck. He reached a shaking hand out to Brandon's head and Brandon nudged it, encouraging Quinn to give him a long, loving stroke. Brandon transformed again, shifting back into his human self, and Quinn watched with his mouth agape as his whole, naked body appea
red before him.
“I'm so sorry. I had to protect my pack. That's why I'm part of the Forest Service, there's no other way to make sure they will be safe. I didn't want to mislead you but, their lives are at stake. Nobody can know about us, Quinn. If they do...”
Quinn's eyes suddenly lit up with understanding.
“I see, yes that would be a disaster,” he said softly, almost to himself, as he thought about all of the torture and experimentation beautiful people like Brandon would have to endure. “I won't tell a soul.”
Brandon peered into Quinn's eyes, and knew that he meant it. Quinn touched Brandon's hand gently, gripping it reassuringly, and then longingly. Brandon could see the pleading in his eyes and touched his cheek with his hand. They embraced, Brandon standing and Quinn on the couch. Quinn's head was pressed firmly into Brandon's navel, and Brandon shuddered as Quinn covered his abdomen with unexpected, soft kisses. He could feel himself harden against Quinn's chest, and Quinn felt it too. He looked up at Brandon with twinkling eyes and let his hand loop around Brandon's back, touching every inch of him as he lowered his face and brought his hot lips gently around the sensitive head of Brandon's penis.
