Long Road Home

by Chandra Ryan

  “Maybe you should be more relaxed when you go to visit the doctor.” Hank nipped his shoulder. A wave of hunger slammed into him at the thought of relaxing with Hank.

  All other thoughts were drowned out by his need for the man. Nothing else mattered. He would face what next week brought when next week came around. Until then, he determined to enjoy every second he had with him.

  Warm water slid over his face as he knelt in front of the other man’s swollen cock. “You have the best ideas.”

  Hank pulled on Thom’s hair as he took the trucker’s dick deep into his throat. The sting of his scalp made his head light with desire. One week. He promised himself this week. Then he’d let the man go. Even if it killed him.

  Chapter Six

  Hank took a drink of the beer and then put the glass back on the bar. He should be going back home. He shook his head at the thought. He’d started referring to the farm as his home, but Thom hadn’t invited him to stay past the next week.

  “Haven’t seen you around much since you got back.” Gee put a drying towel over his shoulder as he spoke.

  His stomach tightened with nerves. So far nobody had made any mention of his time with the farmer but he kept waiting. There had to be rumors. “Been keeping Thom safe.”

  Gee nodded. “The pack appreciates his produce.”

  “I only came back to talk to Drew about the next order.” He waited for the were-bear to say something but when Gee held his silence, he continued. “Hey, have you seen any large cats around here lately?”

  “Mountain lions usually start coming closer to civilization this time of year in the search for food.”

  He shook his head. “Doesn’t smell like mountain lion.”

  Gee sniffed the air. “You smelling cat in here?”

  Hank shook his head and took another drink of the beer. “No. Near the farm. I’ve been scouting a bit at night and noticed some cat prints. Couldn’t place the scent.”

  “Did you mention it to Drew?”

  “Yeah. He didn’t seem very concerned.” The lack of interest he’d had shown had irritated Hank. Yes, the Alpha had promised to look into it and he had put a couple of pack members on patrol around the farm. He had smelled them when he picked up the scent of the cat. Drew should be doing more, though.

  “There you have it. If it doesn’t bother Drew, it shouldn’t bother you.”

  The words made him defensive. Nobody took Thom’s safety seriously except him. “He has already been shot once, and nobody has any leads.”

  “Oh. I see. You think a shifter is responsible?”

  “I’m keeping my eyes open.”

  Gee nodded. “Good idea. One I think several pack members share. None of us wants anything else to happen to the human.”

  “Because he sells food to the pack.” He couldn’t keep all of his anger out of his words. The other man had come to mean so much to him over the past week but nobody else cared about him other than the service he provided for the pack.

  “We’re concerned about more than his crops. He’s a good guy. Too few of those left in the world if you ask me.” Gee folded his arms over his chest. “You think he doesn’t matter to Drew because he’s not pack. Right?”

  Looking into the amber depths of his drink, he let his silence answer for him.

  “Yes, pack is important. It’s not the only thing Drew cares about, though. He cares about me, and I’m not pack, am I?”

  He refused to look up.

  “He cares about you, too, despite the fact you haven’t taken the blood oath to him.”

  Hank hadn’t thought about it that way. “He doesn’t take me seriously when I talk to him about the danger Thom is in. He’s sent a handful of Wolves to patrol the farmland at night, but hasn’t done anything else.”

  “How do you know he hasn’t done anything else? Because he’s not running around half-cocked screaming orders and burning down houses?”

  He blushed with embarrassment. The were-bear’s words hit a little too close to home. “I’d like to see him do something.”

  “Has there been another attempt on the farmer’s life? Have there been any issues with his land since the attack?”

  He shook his head. “No, but—”

  “Stop right there. There are no exceptions with trust. You came to Drew and alerted him to a problem. Either you trust him to take care of it or you don’t.”

  His heart sank under the weight of the fear and guilt pressing against him. “I’ve been on my own for a long time. Maybe too long. I don’t remember what it’s like to be able to trust someone completely. Even if I did figure out it out, I’m not sure why Drew would care. He doesn’t need me. Nobody does.”

  “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard a Werewolf say.” He snorted. “And I’ve heard my fair share of ridiculous things around here lately. Trust isn’t something we run out of. It’s not something we forget. It’s a choice—a series of choices. Those choices lead to a series of actions. You proved you stull trust us by showing up here. Drew proved worthy by taking you back and giving you purpose in the pack. What happens next is up to you. Are you going to take the oath and keep moving on your current path, or are you going to leave?”

  Returning to his pack—making this life permanent seemed so simple when Gee explained it. “Are you telling me it’s time to shit or get off the pot?”

  “Aren’t you eloquent?” Gee shook his head. “What I’m saying is it’s time to get out of your own way. The only person keeping you from happiness is you.”

  He had to say the words. The secret he’d fought so hard to keep all these years. It weighed too much for him to carry alone any longer. “I’m gay.” It was the softest of whispers, but everybody in the bar heard it. Werewolves had amazing hearing.

  “And?”

  He looked around to find everybody exactly as they had been. Nobody had jumped up and demanded he leave. Nobody had demanded his head. Nobody seemed to care. Or, if they did, they were doing an admirable job not showing it. “Can a member of the pack be gay?” His stomach turned and pitched so rapidly he feared he’d be sick, but he’d put his cards on the table. He needed to know.

  “I can’t answer for every pack. There are a lot of idiots out there.” Gee put his hand on his. He took comfort in the simple gesture. “They can be in this pack, however. We actually have several members who are gay. Drew’s asked a lot of all of us, and he’ll ask a lot of you if you take the oath, but he’s always accepted us for who we are.”

  Needing the liquid courage the drink would provide him, he gulped down the rest of his beer. “Thanks, Gee.”

  “No need to thank me. I’m happy to call you an idiot any time the situation warrants it.” He took the glass and put it in a tub of dirty dishes. “Did you decide what you’re going to do?”

  “I’m going to go swear an oath to a Tao.” He shook his head when he heard the words out loud. He never thought he’d swear an oath to anybody let alone another Tao. “Then I’m going to figure out how to convince Ryker we can trust Thom with our secret. I’m done standing in the way of what I want.”

  Gee smiled. “I knew you were hiding an intelligent Wolf in there somewhere. Glad to see you found him.”

  ***

  Thom looked at the clock again. Hank should’ve been home hours ago. His stomach rumbled for the fifth time in as many minutes. As the clock struck three, he wondered if he should call his cell phone. He hated to seem needy. Appearing desperate would only push the man away quicker.

  When he heard the truck pull up, he breathed a sigh of relief. When Drew got out of the cab as well, though, his earlier tension returned. They’d decided Drew would come over next week. Why would Hank change the plan without talking to him?

  “Anybody home?” Hank’s voice echoed around the house. He though he picked up a touch of nervousness in the words.

  “In the kitchen. I’m making myself a sandwich. Would you like one?” He hurried to
the fridge to pull out the required items to make lunch. He didn’t want Hank to know he’d been waiting for him to pull up, and he most certainly didn’t want him to know Drew made him nervous.

  There were heavy footsteps on the hardwood floors as the men made their way to the kitchen. “Nah. I—we need to talk to you for a second.” He glanced over at Drew as he spoke.

  “Is it about the order? I thought we were going to go over it tonight and then finalize it next week.” He had to pull his gaze away from Drew to address Hank. The man always appeared intimidating but today he wore an especially dark expression. The man terrified him.

  “Are you sure about this, Hank? You’ve only known him for a week,” Drew said. “Once it’s done, it can’t be undone.”

  “I’m sure.”

  His stomach tightened. “I’m not. What’s going on?”

  “How do you feel about me?” Hank asked.

  Such a simple question, yet it wreaked havoc deep inside him. “I like you.”

  “You like me?” he repeated. “Anything more?”

  His heart raced. He didn’t want to come clean. “I appreciate you helping me.”

  “I love you, Thom. I need to know, do you feel the same?”

  The words washed over him like a wave. Of course he loved Hank. The thought of him walking away in a week ate him up inside like a slow-moving cancer. Did he want to tell him, though? “What’s going on? You and Drew are kind of freaking me out.”

  “Do you love me?”

  Now or never. He took a deep breath. “Yes.” He should offer some caveat or explanation but none came. He loved the man.

  Hank took a deep breath and wobbled a little as if he’d lost his balance momentarily. “Good. I have something to tell you and I need you to hear me out.”

  “Okay.” Things were about to get strange. His whole body vibrated with the weird currents of energy being given off by the other men.

  He held up his hand. A bloodstained bandage rested on his palm. “I’ve joined Drew’s group—officially.”

  He pulled a chair out to catch himself as his knees gave. Of everything Hank might have said or done, he had never imagined he’d joined the cult. He’d told Hank he’d hear him out, however, and he planned to keep his word. “Why?”

  “Last chance to walk away, Hank,” Drew said.

  He kept his attention focused on Thom. “I’m one of them. I always have been.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “What I’m about to tell you—show you—you can’t tell anyone. If you hate me, never want to ever see me again, I’ll understand.”

  Drew made a sound. He would’ve sworn the noise had been a stifled laugh if the situation weren’t so serious. “Okay.”

  “You can never tell anyone, though. If you do, Drew will kill me.”

  Drew cleared his throat. “More likely Ryker would, but we’re splitting hairs.”

  He stared planning the quickest route to his handgun. “I don’t think I want to hear any more. I love you, but I don’t want anything to do with a cult who kills their members.”

  “You’re dragging this out too much,” Drew said. “Tell him already.”

  “I’m a Werewolf. Drew is my Alpha. His father was my Alpha before him, but he threw me out of the pack because of my sexual orientation.”

  He continued speaking. Thom saw his mouth moving but he couldn’t process anything. Not with the room swimming around him. Strong hands grabbed his shoulders as he fell forward.

  “Snap out of it.” Drew shook him hard enough to jar him back to the present.

  “Werewolf?” The word came out as a squeak.

  “Yes.” Hank knelt in front of him.

  “I know a great therapist who specializes in psychotic delusions.” He fell silent when Drew growled. They certainly were fond of the noise.

  “Show him.”

  Hank looked at Drew for a second before returning his attention to him. “Remember, no matter what happens, it’s me. You have nothing to worry about or fear.”

  They weren’t the most comforting words given they were coming from a crazy person, but he nodded. His options were limited. “Okay.”

  He took a step back and then his body morphed into a Wolf. The edges of the room dimmed again as Thom fought against the urge to black out.

  “Man up,” Drew whispered. “You have no idea what he risked to show you this. The least you could do is accept his show of trust as the gift it is.”

  He reached out one shaking hand to touch the blond fur on top of the Wolf’s head. “I won’t tell anyone. Ever. I swear.” The Wolf padded closer, encouraging him to scratch behind one of his ears. The jealousy, the man’s protectiveness, even the secretiveness of the commune made sense. They were Werewolves. “If he bites me….”

  Drew snorted. “He won’t. Unless you’re into biting.”

  “Would I become—”

  “No. You’ll never become a Werewolf.” Some of the harshness had left Drew’s voice but he still sounded firm. “If he chooses to take you as a mate, you’ll live a healthier and longer life.”

  He looked at Drew. “This is a lot to process.”

  Hank shifted back into a man. He appeared so lost and scared for a second, Thom had to reach out to him.

  “He’s honest,” Drew said. “And he smells kind.”

  He jumped up and took a step away from the two men. He’d officially reached his breaking point. Now, with Hank a human again, he already doubted what he’d seen. “I smell kind? What the hell did he mean?”

  “Take a deep breath.” Hank stepped toward him slowly as he complied with the order. “Good. We can worry about the smelling thing later. There will be plenty of time.” He turned to Drew. “Thank you. For everything.”

  “I’ll give you two some time alone.”

  His heart beat painfully at being alone with a Werewolf. He couldn’t ask Drew to stay, however. Being alone with two Werewolves didn’t seem any safer.

  “It’s okay. Deep breaths.” Hank’s voice had a hypnotic note to it. Thom found comfort in the slow easy words. “You’re going to be okay.”

  When Hank kissed him, he found he believed the promise. “You’re a Werewolf.” He said the words against Hank’s mouth.

  “I am.”

  “I’m a little scared,” he admitted.

  “Me, too.”

  He found the idea of Hank being afraid of him funny. “I can’t hurt you.”

  “You’re the only person in this world who could.”

  “Drew threatened to kill you.”

  Hank sighed. “If you betrayed me by telling someone about me or put my pack at risk, I would beg for death. It would be a kinder fate.” He pushed Thom back an inch. “You get that, don’t you?”

  “I do.” Crazy as it seemed, he did. He understood. His brain had finally caught up with his other senses.

  “Good.” Hank kissed him again. “Do you want me to stop? To leave?”

  He pulled Hank tighter to him. “No.”

  “Thank God.” His fingers tickled as he pulled Thom’s shirt over his head.

  “Will you move back to the compound?”

  “It’s a town. Not a compound.” His work-calloused hands skimmed over Thom’s ribs. “I wouldn’t move anywhere without you. If you’d feel safer there, we can discuss it.”

  “I like my farm. It’s the only home I’ve ever known. It’s where I feel safest.”

  “Then we stay here.” He undid Thom’s pants and pushed them and his boxers down so they puddled around his ankles. “Now, turn around and brace your arms on the table.”

  Hank grabbed a tube of lube out of the kitchen drawer and spread the slippery substance over Thom’s ass. “No condom this time. Werewolves can’t get or spread disease.”

  In the back of his mind, he remembered Drew mentioning being mated. The word rolled around as if trying to find a place to settle. He had so much new information to
digest, though, the word continued to roll until Hank slid one finger through the tight muscles of his ass. All thought shut down at the sensation.

  “I love you, Thom.” Hank slid a second finger into him as he said the words. Thom arched his back as emotion and desire swept through him.

  “I love you, too.” As Thom said the words Hank pulled his fingers out of him. He didn’t complain. The head of the man’s cock had already started to push against him.

  “Say it again,” Hank commanded.

  He forced himself to relax so he could take Hank into him. When his balls hit Thom’s thighs he said, “I love you.”

  “Fuck yeah, you do.”

  There were no more words as the man laid claim to his ass. With every groan, growl, and thrust, he felt the tie of possession tightening between them. His spine started to tingle, and his balls tightened as he approached climax. Hank grabbed his cock and jerked him off as he released his warm semen deep inside him.

  He’d been fucked senseless in the kitchen by a Werewolf.

  Chapter Seven

  The scent of feline heavy in the night air woke Hank from his deep sleep. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to remember why cats were enough of a worry to wake him. His thoughts were still trapped in a post-sex lethargic state. He didn’t want to focus on anything or anyone other than the man curled up next to him.

  When a Wolf growled, however, he sat up on full alert. The attack, Thom’s wound, the possibility of a cat shifter in the woods—his heart pounded as the memories of the past week flooded his mind. He took a second to collect himself and then slipped out of bed silently. Days of rising hours before the farmer had given him all the practice he needed to accomplish the feat.

  He didn’t bother dressing. He didn’t need to. As soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he shifted into his Wolf and raced outside. Soft growls and yips reached his ears, but they were in the distance. Not wanting to be left out of the chase, he ran in their direction.

  The night air held a cool note as it breezed through his fur. He reveled in the sensation. He’d been so concerned about being discovered by the other man he hadn’t allowed himself to shift all week. Hiding his Wolf was a thing of the past. The promise of running wild and free forever made up for the week of keeping his Wolf locked up.