“Hami?” Dallas asked, arching a brow at Hamilton and pressing his lips together. Hamilton scowled.
“Hami. My on-off boyfriend, or friend with benefits, or whatever. I’m not sure how he thinks about us, honestly.”
“Ex. That’s how he thinks about you.”
“Eh. That’s not what he said the last time I called him.”
“Hey! I didn’t say anything about us being together the last time he called,” Hamilton protested, but one glance from Dallas was enough to make him shut up.
“Oh, is that him?” Michel asked. “I need to talk to him.”
“He’s not available at the moment. He won’t be available for you anymore, so you might as well lose his number.”
“Are you his flavor of the week? Because, honey, you wouldn’t be the first one to tell me to fuck off only to be the one to do so. Hami’s not a one-guy man, if you know what I mean.”
Hamilton was going to strangle Michel. He was going to wrap his hands around the guy’s throat and—
“I’m sure that’s what you have to convince yourself of, honey, because you were last week’s flavor, but things are different now. Hamilton is married, and he’s moving to Wyoming. He won’t need you anymore, so really, stop calling. It would be less humiliating for you.”
Hamilton gaped. He’d expected Dallas to get angry with him, of course, but he hadn’t expected Dallas to go off at Michel that way. Dallas was anything but mouthy, and from what Hamilton had seen over the past few weeks, he wasn’t the type to snap like that, not when it didn’t concern his job.
“Married?” Michel sounded just as surprised as Hamilton was, albeit not for the same reason.
“To me.”
“Can’t say I expected to hear this when I called, but okay. I won’t have problems finding someone to fuck me between two guys.”
Dallas relaxed, and he finally looked at Hamilton. Hamilton smiled, because what else could he do? He’d just watched his normally timid mate put a claim on him. It was sexy as fuck, and he wanted Michel to fuck off so he could fuck Dallas on the infirmary bed he was still on.
“Stop calling,” Dallas said to Michel.
“He still owes me money.”
Dallas took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes. “Fine. How much?”
“Five thousand.”
Hamilton cringed. He’d known how much money he still needed to give Michel, but he didn’t have it, not yet, especially not with the move. He’d have gone to talk to Michel before leaving New York, of course, and it wasn’t like he’d have had the money then, but he hadn’t wanted Dallas to know.
“Hamilton know where to send it?”
“Of course he does.”
“Then you’ll have it tomorrow. Now stop calling.”
Dallas didn’t wait for an answer. He hung up and handed Hamilton his phone back. “You should block his number.”
Hamilton nodded. “I will. I... I don’t have the money,” he said, looking down.
To his surprise, Dallas cupped his cheek and made him look up. “Don’t look down, not with me. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Hamilton shrugged. “Michel’s a friend, well, kind of. I needed money for the shop, and I know Morin would have given it to me if I’d asked, but he’s already given so much. I didn’t want to pull him in, and Michel, well. He was there, and he knew I was having problems.”
“It doesn’t matter why you needed it.”
“Maybe not, but it does matter that I don’t have it.”
“You do.”
“Umm, the last time I checked my bank account, it was still mostly empty.”
“I’m sixty-seven. I’ve been living for my job for the past year or so. I earn more than enough, and I’ve been earning more than enough for the past thirty years. I have enough money for both of us, and before you say that I shouldn’t support you or that you can’t accept it, I don’t care. We’re mated, which means that what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours. So the money I have in the bank is yours too, and you’re going to use it to pay your debt to Michel because I don’t want to hear from him ever again. Understood?”
Hamilton nodded. What else could he do? Dallas was magnificent like this, all dominating and in charge.
Dallas nodded back. “Good.”
Hamilton looked around the room, relieved to see they were alone. He reached for his jeans and opened them.
“What are you doing?” Dallas asked.
“I need you to fuck me, like, yesterday.”
“Oh?”
Hamilton looked up. “Yeah. Come here.”
He thought Dallas might try to convince him to take it somewhere else, but instead, he grinned. “Your wishes are orders, Hami.”
Hamilton groaned. “I hate that nickname.”
Chapter Seven
Dallas couldn’t help but look around as they walked. He wasn’t used to being out there with a boyfriend, let alone his mate, and Hamilton had looked like a sad puppy when Dallas had tried to resist handholding. Dallas had given in, even though it made him uncomfortable, but Hamilton’s smile was enough to distract him as they walked through town.
“We should do this more often,” Hamilton said.
“Do what?”
“Going out for coffee. Mal said we were welcome to come back when we want.”
“Isn’t that his job?”
Hamilton rolled his eyes. “Stop raining on my parade.”
Dallas shook his head. “You’re weird.”
“You too. I think you’re weirder than me. I mean, you become a wolf. Oh, by the way, do you think you could shift again? I want to see your wolf.”
Dallas looked around, but no one seemed to have heard Hamilton, or if they had, they didn’t care. No one from the pack had had problems in town, not after what Hamilton and the others had been through, but it didn’t mean things were fine. The humans were getting louder about the shifter issue as the days passed, and Kameron couldn’t leave pack territory anymore. He was afraid someone would report him and that journalists would invade the town.
Dallas was surprised the government was keeping things quiet, but from what he knew, they had their reasons. Some of the highest officials, both in the military and in the government, were shifters, and everyone would have problems if they were kicked out. They couldn’t be replaced easily. There were too many of them. Besides, replacing them would mean the government had put in charge people who couldn’t be trusted. That would open a can of worms no one wanted or could deal with at the moment.
“I can shift again,” Dallas finally said. “In the forest. That way I can run.”
“I wish I could run with you.”
“You can. You can’t become a shifter, but you can still run with me.”
Hamilton smiled, and Dallas forgot about humans and the problems they’d probably cause soon. “I like doing stuff with you.”
“I like it too.”
“I guess it’s a good thing you’re not too busy with the infirmary right now.”
Dallas didn’t tell Hamilton he thought that would probably change. He didn’t need to. Every pack member knew it, and not many of them took the chance of leaving pack territory these days. Dallas didn’t want to be afraid, though. He’d had enough of that when he’d been in the lab, and he’d sworn to himself he was done with fear the moment he got out of there.
Hamilton pulled Dallas closer and wrapped his arm around Dallas’ shoulders, kissing his temple. “We’ll be fine,” he whispered.
“How did you know?”
“What you were thinking? I could feel you were worried, and there’s really only one reason why you’d be, unless you still worry about Michel.”
Dallas snorted. They’d left pack territory today to send Michel the money Hamilton had owed him. That particular situation was over as far as Dallas was concerned, and he wasn’t going to waste more time thinking about Michel. He didn’t like the
man, and he didn’t want to think about him.
“No, I wasn’t thinking about Michel. But just in case, I’m coming with you to New York after New Year.”
Hamilton laughed. “You know I wouldn’t do anything with him. I’m not even going to see him. I’m going to pack my stuff, not to party. Besides,” his voice lowered, “after what you did to me yesterday in the infirmary, how am I supposed to think about anyone else?”
Dallas blushed and looked away. “You can’t mention that while we’re walking in the middle of the street.”
“No one heard me, and I like you when you’re all flustered. You’re a walking contradiction. Like, a lamb on the streets and a lion between the sheets.”
Dallas groaned. “That was bad.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not as smart as you. I couldn’t think of anything else. It’s the best I can do.”
“You’re not stupid.”
“I know I’m not, but I also know you’re smarter. I don’t have a problem with that.”
Dallas opened his mouth to answer, but a scream interrupted him. It came from somewhere to their right, and he looked at Hamilton, wondering what they were supposed to do. He knew he wouldn’t be any good in a fight, even though he was a shifter.
No one else was with them, though, and someone had to do something.
Hamilton was already moving, and Dallas wasn’t going to stay behind. He ran after his mate, his heart beating too fast. The fear of losing Hamilton was the only thing he could think about. Hamilton was human. He wasn’t as strong as shifters, and it wouldn’t take much for him to get injured. He’d barely had the time to recuperate from the wounds he’d gotten the day before.
“Leave him alone,” Hamilton yelled, and Dallas went faster.
He turned into the alley Hamilton had run into and stopped, unsure what to do. Hamilton was facing two guys, and a third guy was on the ground between them. That one looked injured, and Dallas wanted to go to him, but he couldn’t, not while Hamilton was in the middle of things. The man was moving and groaning, so maybe he wasn’t hurt too badly.
“Go away,” one of the standing men said to Hamilton.
“Leave him alone.”
“He’s one of those monsters.”
Hamilton was tensed, his hands curled into fists. He looked ready to jump the guys facing him, and Dallas knew he would. He went to stand by Hamilton’s side, even though he was scared to death. It didn’t matter that he could change into an animal and that he could grow fangs and claws—he was still only a dorky doctor who had no idea how to fight. He wouldn’t let his mate down, though.
“He’s just a kid,” Hamilton said, and when Dallas looked down, he realized Hamilton was right.
The man at their feet couldn’t be more than eighteen or nineteen years old. He was skinny, and his brown hair was long enough that it fell in front of his face. His lip was bloody, probably the work of the two men Hamilton had interrupted, but it wasn’t the only thing wrong with him. Dallas could see it even without examining him. The boy was too thin and bruised, and from the state of his clothes, he’d probably been sleeping in the street.
“He’s one of those weirdos!”
“He hasn’t done anything to you,” Dallas tried to reason. Or at least he hoped the kid hadn’t done anything. He looked like he wouldn’t be able to hurt a fly even if he tried, though, so there was a good chance he hadn’t.
One of the guys took a step toward Dallas, and Hamilton growled. Dallas looked at him with wide eyes, because where had that growl come from? But the result was a good one. The guy who started to move went backward instead. He probably thought Hamilton was a shifter, and Dallas thought they should play on that.
He shifted his fangs, even though he knew this could end badly. He grinned, showing them off, and the two guys paled.
Hamilton chuckled darkly. “You’re not that tough now that you’re not fighting a lonely boy, huh?”
He took a step forward, and the two guys ran. Dallas blinked. He’d expected a fight, a little blood, or at least some insults, but nothing. They’d just run.
“That was easy,” he said.
Hamilton raised his arms and made his muscles bulge, or at least Dallas assumed that was what he’d done. He couldn’t see anything with the coat Hamilton was wearing. “We’re the best team, babe.”
“Don’t call me babe.” Dallas kneeled next to the boy. “I’m Dallas.”
The boy looked at him, his expression between awe and fear. “I’m, uh, I’m Calvin.”
“Hi, Calvin. So, what did those guys do to you?”
Calvin tried to get up, but Dallas pushed him back down. The ground had to be cold, but he wanted to check whether the boy had a concussion before allowing him to move.
He ran his hands over Calvin’s head, but he couldn’t feel anything. “Did they hit you on the head?”
“No. One punched me in the mouth, but that’s all.”
“What about all the other bruises?”
Calvin looked down and tried to close his flimsy coat. “They’re nothing.”
“I don’t believe that, but you can tell me about them later. Are you up to standing?”
“Yeah.”
Dallas helped him, Hamilton hovering close to them. Calvin seemed steady on his feet, so Dallas let go of his arm. “So, what happened?”
Calvin looked around the alley as if he expected another two guys to pop up. “They saw me when I shifted back. I stay in my animal form most of the time because it’s easier to feed, but sometimes... ”
“All right. Do you live in Gillham?”
Calvin shook his head, his dirty hair flying around his face. “No. I came here because of the video.”
“You’re looking for the pack,” Hamilton said.
“Yes. I thought that maybe I could find a job and stay with them. I don’t have money, but I can work.”
Dallas smiled and patted Calvin’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about that now. Come on. Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“To meet the Gillham pack’s alpha.”
About the Author
Catherine lives in Italy, country of good food and hot men. She used to write fantasy as a child, but it was reading her first gay erotic romance novel that made her realize that that was what she really wanted to write.
After graduating from college in English language and translation, she divides her day between writing, reading, taking care of her son and reading some more.
You can find her on Facebook and Twitter or on her website: authorcatherinelievens.wordpress.com
Email: [email protected]
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