by Jackie Nacht
They remained at the end of the hall until Colin and Sloan eventually left. In Moon Compound, there was always someone watching you.
Chapter Six
It took two weeks for Sloan to finally get them outside and able to hike. Colin was so excited, he could barely contain himself. His brother was doing better and out of intensive care. They'd had a memorial the week before for the pack. That had been the hardest, but Sloan and all his friends had stood by his side, helping him through the service.
Peyton and he were seeing a therapist daily, which sucked but was necessary. Both of them had a long fucking road ahead, but they had each other, and they could get through this together. The damage had been done for Colin, but he had so many people trying to heal him from the loss that he hoped that somewhere down the line, he wouldn’t be thinking of that horrible night every hour of the day.
This was the perfect remedy to help him out. Forget for just a little while. Everyone told him to go out and get some fresh air. The guards even opened the damn door for him and Sloan.
While they allowed residents of Moon Compound to roam the island sometimes, events got in the way. Like the hellhounds that kept showing up in these parts of the Upper Peninsula. Guards had been constantly patrolling the area, not quite sure why there was such an escalation in numbers. So far, none had been spotted on Isle Royale, but they were right off the shores just south.
The Moon Compound was here for a reason. It was usually safe. Packs were around there, because the area was protected by some of the best guards. Right then, it was anything but safe.
The guards had patrolled the area for a week and hadn’t spotted a single hellhound even as recently as that morning. That was the only reason they were finally given the all clear to hike the trail, and even then, guards were probably not going to be farther than a shout away.
Just thinking how far they had walked already had Colin huffing and puffing while Sloan was the epitome of being physically fit. Damn the man and all his muscles. Maybe Colin could jump on his shoulders and go piggyback?
“You need me to slow down?” Sloan called over his shoulder.
“Just need a breather for a sec. Don’t have all those muscles and shifter strength.” Colin couldn’t help but give Sloan a little of the stink eye. He was a sweaty mess. He wanted to look…well, hot but not this kind of hot.
They walked over and rested on a large rock that was off to the side of the trail. Both of them sat quietly, listening to the sounds of Colin’s wheezing. Sloan took off his pack, digging to the side of it, and pulled out a bottle of water, handing it over to him.
Colin took it gratefully and began taking in large gulps. He hadn’t been hiking in a while, and his body was reminding him of it and bitching him out.
“Thanks,” Colin breathed out after drinking half the contents of the bottle.
“No problem. I should have been watching you more closely and not letting you get this tired to begin with. Why don’t we just sit here and eat lunch? Sometimes, I forget that I’ve changed so much since I got my wolf. Sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry; I needed this, and over there looks like a good place to have lunch.” There was a small clearing with the summer sun shining down upon it. The place was surrounded by several thick trees and flowers native to the Isle Royale.
Carefully, they made their way over, setting up a small picnic area. They sat crisscrossed and ate their sandwiches and chips silently. Glancing down at his half-eaten sandwich, Colin wished that he could stay there with Sloan and never return to that cold-ass place that was now supposed to be his home. Lifting his face to the sky, he finally felt the chill of the dreary place melt off him.
There was a soft touch to his cheek, and Colin jumped to see Sloan smiling at him, hand suspended between them. “That’s the first time I’ve seen you look happy.”
“I love it here.”
“Then, I’ll make sure we get here as often as possible.” Sloan smiled and took a great bite out his sandwich.
That shouldn’t turn Colin on, but it did. Maybe it had to do with the feel of this freedom or sharing the moment with Sloan, but he was all of a sudden more hungry for the man.
Dropping his sandwich to the side, Colin watched as Sloan swallowed before he leaned in and licked that marvelously thick-corded neck. Sloan smelled like fresh air with just a hint of the man he was. Crawling farther, he took control of the situation and crawled on top of Sloan’s lap. Feeling Sloan’s massive hands rest on his lower back, Colin shivered as he leaned in to kiss Sloan’s full lips. Excitement washed over him, and he finally felt alive, not just a body walking day to day. More. He craved more of this man.
Sloan slowly lay down, and Colin gratefully followed, never parting his mouth from those luscious lips. Taking a chance, he began nibbling them until Sloan opened up, giving him full access to deepen the kiss.
Rubbing his body over Sloan's, Colin could feel Sloan’s erection through his shorts. Moaning, Colin began to touch the hard, compact muscles of Sloan’s arms, chest, working his way down to his abs.
Colin had fucking lost control, and he didn’t flippin' care whatsoever. His shirt slid up, and Colin felt the small heated contact as their abdomens touched. Hard, ripped and smooth, Colin wanted to feel more of that delicious skin.
Pulling back for only a moment, sitting on Sloan’s lap, Colin ripped his shirt off, seeing that Sloan was just lying there panting. Finally, his brain kicked back into gear.
“Do you want to…” Colin’s cheeks heated, unable to finish. Sheesh, it wasn’t like he was a virgin. Even pre-shifters enjoyed sex, but for some odd reason, he felt a little shy at this moment. Was it because they hadn’t done much and were skipping a whole lot of steps? Probably. Or was it that he was actually initiating it after knowing Sloan only a couple of weeks? Definitely.
Sloan reached up and pushed Colin's hair out of his face. “Before we do anything, tell me where your head is at. I need to know this before we go any further.”
“I want this. Want to be with you.” Colin leaned into Sloan’s hand as he cupped his face.
“Are you ready for this?” Sloan’s hazel eyes stared up in concern.
Colin laughed. “I’m hardly a virgin, Sloan.” Shifters were pretty sexual. They didn’t usually wait very long before becoming intimate with anyone. Kind of an amazing change coming to the compound and seeing such a difference in the shifters there. He saw such a mix of shifters, from those who were extremely sexual to those that were not thinking about being intimate at all. Some were using it to help ease the stress, and some were the polar opposite—too worried about the shift to even think of sex.
“That’s not what I’m talking about, Colin. Are you ready for this?”
Oh. Colin glanced down, staring at his hands on Sloan’s chest. The man was worried about him being ready after all he had been through. His affection for the man grew that Sloan would be so patient with him.
“I’m ready to be with you, Sloan,” Colin whispered.
“We only met a couple of weeks ago. We can wait.” Sloan reached for his hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing the palm.
“Do you not want to?” Was Colin coming off as too forward?
“No, I want to, but I just want this to be right. I want to be with you. I really want to be with you. I care about you a lot,” Sloan murmured.
Colin leaned down and kissed Sloan’s lips slowly before pulling back just a breath's length. “I care about you, and this feels right.”
Sloan didn’t wait another second to lean up, reconnecting their lips. Colin was rolled, and soon, Sloan was bare-chested, reaching for his shorts. The man was growling, and his eyes were shining with need. Colin shivered at seeing the look of possessiveness cross Sloan’s chiseled features.
Lifting his hips, Colin felt the warm summer air kiss his skin as Sloan pulled his shorts off. Colin went to reach for Sloan, but the man was already taking care of his own shorts. Sloan was utterly breathtaking, sho
rt dark hair on his massive chest with a small trail that led down to a hard, thick cock, which made Colin’s mouth water with needing to taste it. The man was the complete package as an Alpha shifter.
Colin watched as Sloan leaned over, those wonderful thick, powerful thighs flexing as he dug into the pack, pulling out…thank fuck, supplies.
“Did you plan?” Colin smiled up at Sloan. They hadn’t even talked about having sex. While they were together, they had spent more time supporting each other than being physical, which made Sloan that much more special to Colin.
“Well, I’ve been so worried about you, I wasn’t sure. But if you took the initiative and wanted to be with me, I sure as hell wasn’t going to be unprepared.” Sloan laughed and then leaned down, kissing the laughter right out of him.
Colin moaned as he felt their heated erections rub together for the first time. Colin thrust his hips up. His cock was leaking copiously onto his stomach and Sloan’s cock, causing them to slide against each other more smoothly.
Sloan slid down his body. “Fuck, you taste so good, Colin.” Sloan growled.
His voice had deepened, and Colin recalled how he sounded the night of the full moon. He almost sounded like that. Sloan licked one nipple, causing his thoughts to scatter as he grabbed onto Sloan’s dark hair, tugging it. Every lick and suck went straight to his cock, making Colin go out of his mind. Sloan moved to the other one, adding a bit of a bite and causing Colin to shout in surprise.
“Fuck, that felt good.” He moaned.
Sloan began working his way down Colin’s body. He could feel Sloan’s nibbling get more aggressive along his hip and couldn’t give a fuck if he broke the skin a couple times. Every time he did, it was like it amped up his need for the man.
Reaching for the lube, Colin handed it to Sloan just as he began licking on his cock. He dropped it by his thigh as his head flopped back, moaning. He was so close to coming but wanted to hold off until Sloan was inside him.
The brush against his leg indicated that Sloan grabbed the lube as he took Colin all the way to the root. Colin couldn’t help but thrust up into Sloan’s mouth. That hot, wet cavern encasing his cock made it impossible not to. Sloan took it all, letting him fuck his mouth for all it was worth.
A moment later and Colin shouted out as he felt a wet finger circling his entrance. Sloan wasted no time in sinking a finger inside.
“Fuck, Sloan! More!” he shouted as he felt a second finger working its way in and began pumping immediately with the first. Colin pushed back on them, trying to get them as deep as possible.
A third finger was inserted, and Colin felt a burn at the stretch. Glancing down, Colin saw that Sloan's eyes definitely had the same look as the night of the full moon. The wolf was close to the surface, and Colin was shocked by it since new shifters didn’t ever have that happen except during the moon's pull.
“Sloan?” Colin was worried for his lover.
Sloan didn’t answer, instead pulling his fingers free and lubing up his cock.
Colin shot up and grabbed a hold of his thick arms. “Sloan, are you all right?”
Sloan's gaze shot up to meet his, wild. The man was trembling, out of control. “I just need you…so fucking badly.” Sloan’s voice was low, guttural, not entirely his human side. Colin should've felt nervous, but as Sloan's gaze pierced his, his body submitted utterly.
Sloan took deep, heaving breaths and, by the looks of it, tried his hardest to get himself under control. Colin knew that wasn’t going to fucking happen. Did he care right now? No, he wanted this. Was it reckless? Hell yes, but it was a chance he was going to take for the man he was falling for.
Colin tried to relax as Sloan lined up his thick cock and began to enter him. Sweat popped out on his brow that wasn’t entirely from the sunshine beating down upon their skin. Gazing up, Colin watched Sloan grit his teeth, trying to keep in control.
“You okay?” Sloan growled deeply, eyes wild.
“Keep going.” Colin moaned. The burn and pleasure were perfect, sending Colin to a whole new level of euphoria.
Sloan slowly slid in and out in small pulses until Colin could finally feel Sloan’s pelvis rest against his ass. His lover's hands were flexing on his hips. For sure, he was going to have bruises there later, and it was turning him on all the more to be marked by the man.
Colin had never liked it rough until now. With Sloan, he loved it and craved more.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, he couldn’t believe the man fit all the way in. Pleasure spread through Colin’s entire body as Sloan began working his cock in and out of him. His hands scrambled to hold onto something and found it when he grabbed Sloan’s muscular forearms. His cock lay heavily and hard against his abdomen, leaking against his muscular ridges.
Sloan was really working his hips as he grabbed Colin's legs and slung them over his powerful arms. The change in position had Sloan hitting Colin’s prostate on every thrust.
“There. Gods, harder!”
Growling, Sloan strengthened his thrust, tucking his face into Colin’s shoulder. Colin wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to be able to hold out. With Sloan nipping and licking at his neck, he felt like he was going to erupt any second.
Trying to stave off the impending climax, he noticed Sloan’s shoulder right in front of his face. Returning the gesture, Colin began nipping and licking the shoulder. The taste became like a drug, and he couldn’t control himself when he bit down hard on the shoulder, breaking the skin and tasting the coppery taste of his lover’s blood.
Colin climaxed, cum spurting as Sloan shouted.
He was still climaxing, feeling the jets hitting his stomach, when he heard the loud growl, and Sloan struck. A pain hit his shoulder as Sloan bit deeply. The man mewled into his shoulder, and Colin could feel the warmth of cum shoot inside him.
It seemed like forever before they were able to come down from their orgasms. Sloan lay panting on him, still rigid inside. Colin could feel the pounding of their heartbeats against one another. Looking up into the man’s eyes, Sloan was the epitome of masculine and beauty all in one. Glancing down, he noticed the crimson on Sloan’s lips and chin.
Sloan’s eyes were staring down at Colin’s lips, and he knew Sloan was seeing the same thing that he was. Blood. Lots of blood. Colin glanced over at the shoulder he bit and couldn’t believe the damage he had done.
“Oh my gods, Sloan, I am so sorry.” Colin reached for the injury, his hand hovering over it, afraid to touch and cause any more pain.
“Hold still,” Sloan said in alarm, jumping up and digging into the pack. He pulled out a shirt, and Colin was surprised when he came over, putting it on Colin’s neck instead of his own.
The man was rocking over him, naked and holding the shirt. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Colin tried to reassure him. “It’s okay, Sloan. I’m fine.”
“I lost control. I’m so sorry.” Sloan was murmuring over and over. The man was beyond hearing Colin.
Colin reached up and grabbed Sloan’s face, making the man focus on his eyes and not his shoulder. “It’s okay. Now, I need you to let me up so I can take care of you too. You’re bleeding as well.”
Sloan blinked a few times. “I am?”
“Yes,” Colin whispered. “Please, let me get something in the pack to stop the bleeding.” Swiftly glancing at the wound, Colin noticed a small trail of crimson sliding down to the man’s pec.
Sloan eased back, and Colin went over to the pack, pulling out a pair of shorts. It wasn’t perfect, but they were really running out of clothes or anything to stop the blood.
Crawling back over, he applied pressure with the shorts to the bite wound, murmuring, “We both lost control. And I loved it, so there’s no need to apologize, but looking at your neck, maybe I need to apologize to you. I’m sorry I hurt you, Sloan.”
Sloan pulled him onto his lap. “I loved it too, but we need to be more careful. I wasn’t in control at all. It almost felt like I w
as going to shift. My wolf was so close to the surface.”
“I know. I saw it in your eyes. Your voice changed too, just like the night of the full moon.” Colin removed the shorts from over the bite, seeing that while the wound was still there, the bleeding had slowed. Lucky shifter and his ability to heal faster.
“We can’t do this again. I have no control. What if next time it’s worse?” Sloan was patting his shoulder, voice growing in distress.
Colin stopped Sloan’s frantic tending. “I trust you. Neither you nor your wolf will hurt me.”
Sloan was shaking his head. “I have no control of my shift, Colin. You shouldn’t say something so reckless.”
“I thought I was being a little careless at first when I saw your eyes, but I just knew you won’t hurt me. Call it instinct. Take a deep breath and think. Do you actually believe your wolf will hurt me?”
Sloan's brows furrowed, deep in thought. “I’m just not sure. I’ve never had control of it before. I’m too afraid to risk it and end up hurting you.”
Colin knew Sloan had serious trouble in controlling his wolf, and he knew where he was coming from with his lack of confidence to keep himself in check. But he hoped down the line Sloan would feel the instinct that everything was going to be okay and no longer resist his wolf tooth and nail.
“This isn’t stopping, Colin. We need to go back so someone can take a look at it,” Sloan voiced worriedly. He grabbed his shorts off the ground and put them on. Colin was about to look for his when Sloan came over with them.
“I got it, and I don’t want to tell anyone.” For some reason, Colin really didn’t want this special moment broadcasted to the whole compound. And he didn’t want the man he was falling in love with to get in trouble.
Colin couldn’t believe it. In all the shit that had happened to him in the last several weeks, he'd managed to fall in love. How the hell it happened, well, it could only take someone as amazing as Sloan to be there to help him to heal.
