by Jamie Cage
Copyright and Title Page
Copyright © 2018 by Jamie Cage (Author)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Thank you very much for purchasing this book.
Title: Lost With You
Subtitle: Clean Gay Werewolf Shifter Romance
Author: Jamie Cage
Table of Contents
Copyright and Title Page
Lost With You
Description
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Lost With You
Description
Magic meets love, and mysterious creatures meet each other in a world that’s so familiar yet so haunting. Werewolves are running wild in the forest and humans are not happy about it. Regardless, two of these strange and captivating being manage to meet each other perfectly. Andy was a lonesome wolf retreated to life among skeptical humans. Donnie was an adventurer able to take both human and animal shapes. Their connection will be strong enough to guide them toward the future. But will it be enough to fight the shadows of their past? Both men’s worlds are going to be thrown upside down time and time again. It starts with tender caresses and playful words; it moves with shy promises and daring propositions. Their love will take them across the ocean, through new identities and new friendships alike. To fight for the delight of staring into each other’s eyes.
Chapter 1
Andy Rivers walked through the forest as if he owned it – not precisely with superiority or carelessness, quite the opposite. He walked paying attention to the details, feeling protective over every leaf and flower, feeling fiercely connected to the soil under his shoes. He moved slowly and barely making any noise. An onlooker might have thought he was crazy, mainly because no one from his town dared to venture that far into the forest. In fact, it was kind of prohibited. Andy was different, though, he knew things the rest didn’t, and he was capable of actions none of them suspected. There was something inside of him and in the depths of the forest that was intricately connected.
These odd strolls into the forest were part of his routine. He went there every day or night at least once, or else he felt incomplete. Sometimes he would take longer and go deeper into the woods and become something else. Rarely was he interrupted. The animals of the woods had grown accustomed to his presence; he was feared and respected in ways that no one else from his town could understand or hope for. However, life and fate work in ways that make nothing in this world permanent. Andy had expected it, secretly and without actually wishing it would happen, but he just knew that someday his routine was going to be broken. He was somewhat prepared.
Andy’s senses were trained to perfection even beyond their natural power. That’s how from miles away he was able to feel something nearing his position. Something was moving wildly toward his beloved town. Something that smelled of desperation and recklessness, something feral and strangely familiar. Andy began running, faster and faster, enjoying the feel of it, the adrenaline and the wind crashing on his skin as he slowly let go of his clothes. He ran with all his might until his bleached blonde hair that looked so gray overgrew turning into magnificent silver fur that covered his entire body. He ran until his spine started aching and he moved to run on all fours, something he was able to do for his hands and feet had turned into paws. His head had utterly changed shape, his teeth were sharpened, and his distinct features had turned into the face of an animal. He had completely transformed his body into that of a wolf. He was awe-inspiring, with the bright gray fur, the muscular limbs, the fierce expression and the body bigger than any regular wild wolf.
With the new found speed, Andy quickly reached the intruder. They aggressively knocked into each other, tumbling down and sending the stranger flying away. They jumped at one another on instinct, fighting and struggling around for a few seconds; until the stranger pulled away. Although Andy was baring his fangs, looking menacingly and successfully conveying the message of “turn around, or this will get ugly.”
However, to Andy’s surprise, the other wolf actually stayed back, didn’t run away in fear but didn’t fight either. The big wolf of chocolate brown colored fur just stayed still, tilting his head in curiosity and sniffing the air. When he seemed to realize something about Andy he sat back and started wagging his tail. It’s safe to say; Andy was confused. Out of all the possible reactions to a fight with an intruder that wasn’t one he was expecting. Regardless, Donnie sniffed the air as well and came to the conclusion that his opponent wasn’t a wild wolf; he was another werewolf like him. For his attitude, Andy thought he might be a lost pup, but he was too big for that.
There was magic in the air, two wonderful creature meeting for the first time, in their unusual shapes, in unexpected conditions, not understanding who the other was, why they were there, but not complaining. The fact is that no matter how they tried to analyze the situation, they began moving on instinct. Continuously sniffing the air, that’s how they first constructed an image of the creature in front of them. Then, moving slowly, deliberately, testing one another. Andy’s experience and first idea was to stare, then showing teeth, growling, appearing menacing, that was his territory, after all. However, it was strange to see the other one begin to relax and wag his brown, fluffy tail again. The other wolf was visibly smiling, not preoccupied at all and maybe even excited to be there.
Their instinctual dance around each other that was meant as a test morphed into a game. The brown wolf started to move faster, taking little jumps forward and backward, inviting Andy to the game. It was reflex; it wasn’t something planned. But when a wolf finds a friend, is shows kindness and easiness, there’s hardly an option but to playback. Both grown wolves began playing, chasing each other, jumping on each other, playfully struggling against one another. Running in circles and from one place to another, their tails moving unstoppably. It was a good sign and more fun than Andy had had in years.
When it was established the stranger wasn’t a threat, both of them could relax into another shape. The playfulness of a puppy was gone, but when the stranger went back to his human shape, panting and smiling with excitement shining on his eyes, Andy couldn’t decide if he was surprised or not to find a man in his early twenties staring back at him with a smile.
Andy turned back human again and returned the smile with a frown. They weren’t uncomfortable at all at being naked, that’s just the way it was, the way they all had been raised, to be completely comfortable with their bodies, human or not. In any case, Andy had taken the anticipations of leaving changes of spare clothes scattered around the forest in case of emergency. Without a word, he got up and started walking around, smelling for the scent of the clothes he’d need and that he would probably have to lend to the stranger, considering the young man had got up and followed Andy.
“Hey! Wait! We haven’t met! Hello?” His voice was cheerful as if they hadn’t almost got in a possibly deadly fight. Yet Andy wasn’t paying him attention. Still, this didn’t seem to bother the young man. “My name’s Donnie. I’m… a little bit lost, I guess. I wasn’t expecting to run into one of us! We ran into each other, didn’t we?”
“I’m Andy Rivers. Are you going to the town? Passing by? Anything you need?” Andy asked him casually as he dressed himself up. Already with pants but missing his shirt, Andy stood still waiting for the other man to answer.
Donnie was holding on to the borrowed t-shirt, not putting it on, seemingly paralyzed. He stared at Andy, admiring his human shape, the muscular body, the pale skin, and piercing gray eyes, everything about that man seemed to glow, Donnie thought. It made something in his chest flutter, and before he would blush, he looked down and muttered an answer.
“No. Not really. I’m… I’m fine. Just walking around…”
In any other occasion, Andy would have thought the man was a threat. But there was something undeniably tender about Donnie’s entire presence – in the softness of his wild brown hair, his bright and honest eyes and the ingenuity in his voice. Still, there was the apparent strength in his body, the several, noticeable scars and the whole oddness of him running without any clear direction.
“This is my town, just so know. Don’t get in trouble.” Said Andy.
Despite attempting to leave a warning, both of them noticed that Andy’s voice was undecided. Donnie had clear that he was to stay away from the town and not bring any chaos to the peacefulness that was Andy’s home. But they were both aware of the care that Andy let escape in the second sentence. As if he was concerned about Donnie’s safety.
When Andy’s started walking away, still without a wearing a shirt, the sight of his naked back made Donnie snap back to his senses.
“Can I see you again?”
“I don’t know. Let’s see if you can.”
Donnie was left speechless. He wondered for a second if he had imagined Andy’s answer, if he had made up the playfulness of his tone in his mind. But when Andy turned around for a second to wink at Donnie as a way of goodbye, Donnie was sure that the immediate attraction was mutual. They were definitely going to see each other again.
Chapter 2
If anyone had asked him, Andy would have purposely denied that he was looking forward to seeing Donnie again. However, Andy didn’t have many friends – he was quite a solitary man. In town, most people were… too human. He just didn’t seem to understand them or feel understood by them. Of course, the majority of them were friendly enough. He had a few neighbors he trusted, people he could go to in need of aid. But there were also, and these were a lot, people that unknowing of Andy’s secret, were openly hateful of werewolves. They were afraid and ready to kill any magical creature. Specifically, they had deemed the monster a dangerous beast, a plague, a reason to stay away of the forest. That’s why Andy preferred to live quietly, without raising suspicions and without getting too close to anybody.
Still, the day before, he had met a handsome man with power just like him. Donnie was beautiful and captivating. Andy had barely caught sight of those sweet brown eyes, but he already felt their pull. So, unafraid of any judgment, Andy directly went back into the woods the next day, not the same route and maintaining his routine to appear careless. Though on his insides he was hoping to meet the young wolf again.
Effectively and sooner than expected, Andy watched a body lying on the ground. He worried for a second. But his ears were immediately able to pick up the sound of Donnie’s calm heartbeat. In exchange, Donnie had heard and smelled Andy approaching, if he had been in his wolf shape he would have surely wagged his tail, but as a human, he limited to raising his head smiling.
“Just enjoying the sun.” he explained, as if Andy had asked a question. “Missed me Already?”
“Not in the slightest.” Andy answered; still, he sat down a few feet away from Donnie, leaning against the trunk of a tree.
Donnie was excited thinking that Andy might like him, might want to start a conversation, something certainly smelled of nervousness, but that might be just him.
“So you’re just planning to stay around here? Just live in this forest?” Andy asked, refraining from adding “my forest.”
“Why not?” Donnie answered.
His smile was dazzling. Andy frowned; the smile came with a certain spark that made him nervous, honestly. He didn’t know what to do with his hands; he ran them through his platinum hair and got to his feet, fleetingly and awkwardly.
“Right. Well, you know…”
“Not getting in trouble, not disturbing your little town and staying out of your way. Hey, it was you who found me today.”
It was an understatement that Donnie had gained quite the confidence overnight. He was still laying down, bathing in the morning sun and wearing some of Andy’s spare clothes.
“Shut up, kid.” Andy said, a smile making it way to his lips as he passed by Donnie, messing up the wild brown hair of the handsome man that continued to stare as Andy walked away.
In truth, both men continued to run into each other throughout the next few days. Andy was smitten in the youthful and candid ways of Donnie who seemed perpetually trapped in a state of charming human and undomesticated wolf, smart man and playful animal. On the other hand, Donnie was otherworldly mesmerized by Andy. As for Donnie, Andy was everything the perfect man was supposed to be. Andy was independent, fearless, intelligent, honest and brilliant. Donnie looked in awe as Andy walked the forest, so sure of his steps and aware of his surroundings, and when he talks he accentuates the right words and controls his tone. When he was a wolf, he moved with ferocity and precision.
So it was to be expected that both of them looked at every possible chance at seeing one another. Andy started visiting the forest more and more often, spending all of his free time there. The second he stepped into the woods he would immediately wait for the sound of Donnie’s step or his scent. Then it was just a matter of time. Sometimes Andy would catch sight of a blur of brown fur moving quickly in the distance, and a few minutes later Donnie would appear, hastily dressed and smiling at Andy.
“What a coincidence!” Donnie would exclaim again and again, even though it wasn’t.
Other times, Donnie would reach Andy without any previous warning, even when he knew he wouldn’t surprise the werewolf of highly developed senses. Still, he’d joke about coincidences. Andy, in exchange, would act shocked here and there just to amuse the other man. There was a little bit of truth in his reaction though. Laying eyes on Donnie’s figure was always a pleasant event. It always took Andy by surprise.
Of course, there were also the times when they met on their wolf forms. It was always enjoyable to be a wolf, to let that side of themselves run free and move mostly on instincts and not so much on conscious thought. It was nice, for both of them to interact with another wolf. They would race each other around the woods, get into new depths of the forest, find the secret little rivers and ponds to drink fresh water, and even prey together. It was always dangerous because as half beasts sometimes they were directed by their stomach and they were terrified of ever fighting, ever hurting the other one. Still, nothing bad ever happened. They would just feast on their prey and then rest with the best company they could have dreamed of.
Every time, they continued to walk together, silently accepting that it wasn’t a coincidence and that they both longed for the company of the other one. They talked about anything and almost everything. Andy had missed having someone to discuss completely honest werewolves’ matters with. While Donnie was simply ecstatic to hear anything and everything Andy had to say; to hear about a different lifestyle. Andy had spent most of his life surrounded by humans, and why Donnie didn’t share much of his past was because he was more comfortable in the woods than the city. It still made Andy slightly suspicious; a man living in the forest, without any plans or clear intentions and not sharing anything about his past. H
owever, he couldn’t find it in himself to turn away from Donnie.
Bits and pieces of their life’s and past would continuously slip here and there. Otherwise, they just thought about those facts on the rare occasion when they walked in silence. Donnie would hurt thinking of his past, of the place and the people he ran away from, he had told Andy that he wasn’t planning on going back to the place he left, but Andy didn’t know that Donnie just wasn’t allowed to go back. Simultaneously, he would shake with the uncertainty that surrounded his future. Was it delightful or terrifying, not having any idea of what came next? At first, he had been glad, but now there was Andy, with his structured life among humans, his routine and his manners. Where would Donnie go if he couldn’t stay in Andy’s forest forever? Was he strong enough to part ways with the handsome werewolf of silver fur and shiny eyes? These questions ran on a loop on Donnie’s mind until he was too tired to think.
Andy’s situation was similar. His heart ached for the loneliness that waited for him at home as soon as he left Donnie and the woods behind. What was even home anyway? That was the main question that kept moving straight to the forefront of his mind. Living among humans that didn’t know who he was, people that would fear or hate him if they found out the truth, was that living? How come he only felt alive whenever he was running free through the forest with Donnie by his side? And what brought that life, was it the forest itself or the charming man that had captured all of his attention like nothing else has ever done? It was terrible to feel like you were disarming your entire life, it was like feeling lost inside your own home – it was so confusing for Andy. So he could only enjoy the grounding energy of Donnie while it lasted, because inevitably something had to change, sooner rather than later when a pair of hearts would break surely.
Chapter 3
The moment of change came even sooner than anticipated. It was a beautiful revelation and an equally painful ultimatum. One fateful day, Andy was walking through the forest, eager and full of dread at the prospect of seeing Donnie. Andy was aware that he was older, he was possibly wiser, he was better equipped to take the most logical and practical decisions to guarantee the safety and wellbeing of everybody around. Soon enough, a few teenagers, high on the adrenaline of vacations had ventured too deep into the forest, with deadly guns in their hands, ready to hunt anything that moved. Andy had no idea exactly who would have ended up hunted if the kids had run into Donnie, but it would have been terrible either way. Also, rumors had started growing in the town; dangerous rumors about magical creatures getting too close to the town. Dangerous because what if anyone started suspecting anything from the lonesome man who was the only one that ever walked into the woods without any fear whatsoever?
