by Gem Frost
He wanted Jon. He ached for him. If he flexed his hips just a little, he could rub his swelling cock against Jon’s, and just the thought was enough to make him harder than marble.
“So,” he said, grinning more widely. “What else are you going to do to thank me?”
Chapter 2
Jon stared up at Caeden. There was something bizarre about the way his old friend was behaving. It was creepy, and rather terrifying. Jon had seen him not that long ago, on the night the two of them had celebrated Cae’s birthday, and Cae had seemed normal then, if (understandably) a little subdued, a bit depressed. But now…
Somehow over the past month, Cae had developed a kind of swagger to his walk, a masculine arrogance that was totally different from his usual gentle bossiness. His posture, his actions, displayed the raw power of the alpha, but without the protective instinct that usually tempered it. It was frightening.
And, disturbingly, kind of hot.
Jon couldn’t help noticing that Cae seemed to be oozing sexuality from every pore. He wore a black, tight-fitting t-shirt that stretched over his pecs and abs, showing off his muscular biceps and forearms. Worn black jeans clung to his thighs and displayed an impressive bulge in front that made Jon’s mouth water. Cae’s whole demeanor had changed, and he seemed utterly unlike the decent, unassuming boy Jon had known all his life.
He looked totally different from the clean-cut, all-American boy he’d always been, too. His jawline was rough with stubble, and his bangs were a dark tumble of hair that almost concealed his glittering golden eyes. All his hair had grown out quite a bit, framing the sharp angles of his face in long, loose waves. The cocky grin that curved his mouth showed a quick flash of wickedly sharp eyeteeth, and there was something in his eyes that looked dangerous, almost feral. He was looking at Jon almost the way those guys had, before they’d tried to—
But no, that was stupid. Jon had had a crush on Cae for years, ever since the summer they’d both turned sixteen and he’d become aware of the other boy’s burgeoning sexiness. He’d only become more painfully conscious of Cae’s impossible beauty since then.
But Caeden was an alpha, had been born to be the Alpha, and alphas were always heterosexual, aggressively so, to ensure they’d sire lots and lots of cubs. Assuming he learned to effect the change, Cae would eventually marry a female wolf, and one high in the Pack order besides. His proper mate would be a strong and beautiful female beta, not a thin, geeky male who was one of the lowest-ranking omegas in the Pack. Jon had always known his crush was hopeless, so he’d tried his best to forget it.
Besides, it was wrong to lust after Cae, all things considered. Even though he was huge, massive, and powerful, he was still a cub as far as the Pack was concerned. Which meant that instead of being the most pursued male in the Pack, as a strong and gorgeous alpha would ordinarily be, he was off limits to everyone. Even someone as low-ranked as Jon.
Anyway, this was Cae, not some random gang member. Yeah, he was hanging out in a bad section of town and kicking ass, wearing clothing that made him look dangerous. And yeah, he seemed caught in the throes of some sort of mental breakdown, but underneath the black clothes and the long, untamed hair… he was still Jon’s best friend and protector. He was still Caeden.
“Uh…” Cae had asked how he wanted to thank him, and Jon suddenly realized he was still waiting for an answer, the golden eyes watching alertly. “I’ll buy you dinner if you want,” he offered.
Caeden’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “I don’t think so.”
“Uh…” Jon floundered, aware that he’d misstepped somehow, but not certain how. “Look, I just don’t want you to leave again. I’ve been looking all over Crystal City for you, and I want to…to talk to you for a while. Okay?”
Cae’s lips drew back, exposing his teeth. “Did my dad send you?”
“Um…” Jon tried to lie, but couldn’t. He could no more lie to an alpha than he could fly. Besides, he and Cae had always been honest with one another. “Yeah. He wants you to come back.”
“Fuck that. I’m not going back, Jon. Not ever.”
“Maybe if we could just talk about it a little…”
Cae moved forward just a bit. Now his body was pressing against Jon’s, who suddenly became aware that the very impressive bulge in Cae’s jeans was more impressive than ever. Oh, my God, he thought, shocked and bewildered and not a little turned on. His head whirled in shock and lust. He wants me. Cae wants me.
“I really don’t want to talk,” Cae said softly.
Jon stared up into his eyes, confused. Bewildered. Because Cae wasn’t interested in him. Cae couldn’t be interested in him. It was impossible.
And yet he very clearly was. Jon had been with plenty of guys, and he was no innocent. There was no mistaking the other man’s hard-on.
Maybe it was adrenaline, he thought. Cae had just been in a fight, after all, and maybe it had given him a kind of rush. It wouldn’t be surprising, since a lot of their kind took savage joy in fighting—though he’d never thought of Cae as the vicious type. Well, not until recently, anyway. Or maybe Cae had simply missed Jon as much as Jon had missed him, and was really, really glad to see him...
Either way, Jon wasn’t inclined to spend too much time wondering about the reasons behind Cae’s odd behavior. His skin flushed all over, making him hot and cold all at once, and he felt his own cock swelling, aching with need. He felt like he was on fire, and he moved restlessly against Cae, craving his touch.
Their cocks brushed together, and even through two layers of denim it felt spectacular. Jon moaned, rubbing instinctively against the hard, hot bulge in Cae’s jeans, and he heard a low growling sound from the other man. Suddenly Caeden’s hands were on his ass, tugging him closer, and he rocked against Jon urgently.
Jon’s breath came fast, almost in pants. He longed to wrap his arms around the other man’s neck, kiss his jawline, and surrender totally, but this wasn’t the place for it. They were in public, for God’s sake, in some gang’s territory, and there was a complete stranger not three feet away, moaning and rubbing at his throat. It would be dangerous, even possibly fatal, to let down their guard in a place like this.
And besides, he’d been sent here on a mission, which had very decidedly not been to have sex with the Alpha’s son. The Alpha would rip him to pieces if he let this happen.
“Cae! What the hell?”
“I want to fuck you, Jon.” Cae’s voice was a low, seductive rasp in his ear. “I just want to tear your clothes off and fuck you.”
Given the situation he’d been in just a few minutes ago, at the mercy of a dozen guys, the idea of giving himself to Caeden should have scared the hell out of him, especially considering how violent his friend had inexplicably become. But this wasn’t some random guy—it was Cae. Even though he was clearly fucked up in the head right now, he was still Caeden.
Jon had wanted him for years, and at the hoarse words, his body responded with a throb of longing, making him shudder.
“Not here,” he whispered, aware that the correct response should have been not anywhere. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t. He’d been asking around about Cae, as the Alpha had ordered, and he’d learned enough to figure out that the other man was behaving in an extremely uncharacteristic way. Something had to be wrong with him.
Ordinarily Caeden didn’t want him, and that was fine. More than fine—it was simply the way things had to be. He’d resigned himself to being just friends with the other man a long time ago. And yet…
Well, given this opportunity, he didn’t have the strength to say no.
Damn it.
Cae didn’t hesitate. “Okay,” he said, and swooped Jon up in his arms as if Jon weighed nothing at all.
Jon let himself be picked up and carried like a cub. He couldn’t have done much about it even if he objected, really. Caeden had somehow become almost as strong and fast as his Alpha father, despite his inability to—
Jon put his worries out
of his mind, and allowed himself to enjoy being dominated this way. It was like a dream come true. Every omega’s secret fantasy was to be under the command of an alpha, after all. It could never happen in reality, since alphas didn’t sully themselves by having sex with any wolf lower than a beta, but there were plenty of bad erotic romances written about it—and he’d eagerly read every last one of them, over and over again.
It felt like he’d fallen into one of those stories tonight. He was in Cae’s strong arms, his head resting against the broad, muscular chest, and the night breeze cooled his heated skin as they moved through the city.
Cae trotted along easily, as if Jon weighed nothing at all. Moments later, he leapt easily over a five-foot chain-link fence, into what looked like a junkyard. There were old cars everywhere, dark shadowy hulks lit by the silvery moonlight. An enormous Rottweiler came racing up to them, its sharp teeth bared in an ugly snarl, but at a low-pitched growl from Caeden it lowered its stub of a tail and slunk away into the shadows, whimpering.
Apparently even dogs had no trouble recognizing an alpha.
Cae placed Jon down on the hood of an old rusty car and shoved him over on his back, and Jon yelped in indignation.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Cae blinked down at him. There was just enough moonlight that Jon could see confusion on his shadowed features. “I told you,” he said. “I want to fuck you.”
“In a junkyard? On the hood of a car?”
Caeden frowned, his heavy eyebrows drawing down. “You didn’t seem to like the idea of doing it in the alley. I thought you wanted to go somewhere private.”
Jon sighed. Maybe the junkyard was abandoned at night, but it wasn’t exactly private. In their own town, it wouldn’t matter that much to him, since their kind were pretty casual about sex. But this was a human city, and the absolute last thing he wanted was to be seen by human eyes while he was in the throes of passion. He didn’t trust humans, and he wasn’t sure he could let his guard down in a place that reeked so strongly of them. “I was thinking somewhere a little more, you know, indoors.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Those eyeteeth flashed again, unsurprisingly reminiscent of a snarling wolf, and he grasped Jon’s t-shirt in either hand and ripped it apart.
Jon flinched, shocked at how easily he’d torn the fabric. He’d already figured out that for whatever reason, Cae was more canine than human right now, but he hadn’t realized how fucking scary it would make him. Jon wasn’t scared of any ordinary wolf, because now that he was grown up, no wolf would ever hurt him, regardless of his low status, as long as he was appropriately submissive. Higher-ranked wolves might humiliate him or mock him or bully him—but they wouldn’t physically harm him. Only the Alpha could hurt him, and the old man was unlikely to ever concern himself with so low-ranked a wolf.
But whatever had happened to Cae wasn’t ordinary. This was something strange and new, and it sent chills down Jon’s spine. He’d known the other man forever, and never in his life had he been afraid of him.
But he was scared right now. Terrified, if he was going to let himself be honest about it.
Cae paused, and drew in a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. “You’re afraid of me,” he said softly.
Jon thought about denying it, but didn’t bother. Even in their human forms their people all possessed an enhanced sense of smell. And Cae wasn’t merely human right now. He was—oh, hell, Jon didn’t know what he was. As far as he knew, this had never happened to anyone else before. Just Caeden.
“Yeah,” he admitted in a gruff voice. “I’m scared. You’re not acting like yourself, Cae.”
“Because I want to fuck you?”
“Partly. And because…” He blew out a breath, knowing he was playing with fire here. Cae could turn all that fury and aggression onto him. It was possible. He was clearly screwed up in the head, and the fact that they’d been best friends forever might not be enough to deter him if Jon pissed him off. “The way you beat the shit out of that guy, Cae. That’s not you.”
Caeden snarled again, showing his teeth. “It’s me now.”
“No, it’s not. I think… I think it’s the animal inside, trying to get out.”
“The animal can’t get out.” Cae growled audibly, a low, dangerous rumble. “Four years of trying, Jon. Four fucking years. You didn’t have any trouble shifting when you turned twenty-one, and neither did anybody else, ever. So why the fuck can’t I?”
“I don’t know.” Jon tried not to shiver at the expression in Cae’s eyes, a look of rage and anguish and terrible isolation. He’d watched his friend suffer quietly all this time, and he knew better than anyone how terribly alone Cae felt.
Cae’s great-great-grandfather had founded the town of Wolf Green, so named because it was nestled in the deep emerald woods of the Shenandoah Valley. Since that long-ago day, his family had always been the leaders of the town, and the Pack that lived there. Cae had been born to be the Alpha, to lead the Pack, like his father and ancestors before him. Instead he was inexplicably trapped in human form, unable to shift.
Cae was twenty-five, powerful and forceful and fully mature, a tall, muscular man in the prime of his life. Yet because he couldn’t shift, he remained a cub in the Pack’s eyes, a child rather than a man, the object of scorn and derision instead of respect. No one dared mock him to his face and bring down the Alpha’s wrath—but Jon was sure that Cae knew perfectly well what was being said behind his back. He heard the laughter and the muttered comments, saw the contemptuous looks and the sneering smiles.
In four short years, he’d gone from being the pride and hope of the Pack… to a punchline.
Jon didn’t blame him for running away. He himself would have turned tail and run a long time ago. In a way, what had happened to Cae was worse than being one of the lowest-ranked omegas, the way Jon was. Because Cae ought to be respected and adored by everyone in the Pack. He’d been born to power, but instead he was a laughingstock. Jon could only imagine how much that hurt.
“You should be afraid of me.” Cae spoke in a low voice. “I’m not the man I used to be, Jon. I’m someone else. Something else.”
“Yeah. I figure it’s because you’ve never managed to shift, Cae. It’s making you sick somehow. It’s not your fault.”
“Maybe.” Cae’s voice was dark. “But what I was sick to begin with? What if I’m screwed up somehow, all wrong on the inside, and that’s why I could never shift?” He ran a blunt fingertip down Jon’s abdomen, caressing the dark-gold hair that ran from his navel down into his jeans, and Jon gasped and quivered. “Maybe this is who I really am, Jon. A man who takes pleasure in hurting other people, and who dreams of killing. A man who’s going to rip someone apart, sooner or later, tear apart muscle and bone and watch the blood spurt everywhere, and enjoy every minute of it. Maybe this is the real me. You wouldn’t want me then, would you?”
He unfastened Jon’s jeans and shoved his boxers down, and Jon’s cock sprang free with an alacrity that embarrassed him. He glanced down and saw that it was swollen, dark with blood, glistening with moisture in the moonlight.
Jon spoke without thought. “I want you no matter what, Cae.”
Cae stared at him for a long moment, his golden eyes luminous in the silvery light from the moon. “I don’t believe that. Not unless you’re as crazy as I am.”
“Believe it. I’m not crazy. I just—you’re my friend, Cae. My best friend. I could never turn my back on you.”
Cae hesitated a moment longer, then grasped Jon’s cock in his big, strong hand, pulling it toward him so he could look more closely, exposing it to his ravenous gaze. Jon realized he was leaking precome everywhere, and he blushed, even as more fluid spilled out of his cock.
“You’re ready to be fucked,” Caeden whispered, his voice rough.
Maybe he was ready. Jon wasn’t certain. Wolves typically were pretty casual about sex from the day they first turned until the day they were mated, and a low-ranked omega w
as a popular choice for casual sex even if his chances of finding a life-mate weren’t great. Jon had screwed plenty of other guys, but he’d never really connected with any of them, despite his obvious orientation in that direction, because he’d been too focused on Cae. Even knowing he’d never be able to have his friend, he’d never been able to truly form an emotional bond with another man.
So lying here on his back, exposed, his cock throbbing in Cae’s hand—hell, yeah, he was ready, physically speaking.
But emotionally… that was another subject entirely.
He loved Caeden Wolf, loved him with every fiber of his being. But he was scared down to his core. Cae wasn’t his normal calm, gentle self, and he wasn’t displaying the cool, unemotional savagery of a wolf, either. There was something burning inside him that Jon had never seen in the Pack before, something vicious, almost ugly. It wasn’t like his friend. Hell, it wasn’t like any wolf he’d ever met.
There was something wrong with Cae. Of that Jon had no doubt.
And the fact that he himself was willing to throw everything aside and have sex with his best friend anyway—well, it was obvious he was all mixed up where Cae was concerned. Sleeping with the other man would only complicate his emotions further, and it might very well make a bad situation worse.
But he had to stop what was happening to the other man somehow. The Alpha had sent him here to save Cae, and that was what he was going to do, one way or the other. He couldn’t just stand by and watch his friend go bad this way.
A shiver went down his spine. Given what he’d seen earlier, the cold glitter he’d seen in Cae’s eyes as he choked the other man senseless, he had a horrible certainty that Cae was already going bad.
The thought made his throat ache. Despite the bossy nature that was part and parcel of an alpha, Cae had always been the sweetest and most decent of guys, and to think of him transforming into a murderous psychopath made tears rise to Jon’s eyes.
