by Marcy Jacks
And it belonged to the wolf he was riding on right now.
Dex came back to the surface of his haze when the wolf walked through a shallow stream. He didn't hear the barking or yipping behind him anymore. It was quiet. There were birds chirping, but the sun was starting to set. The shadows were long, and the air was starting to cool, but Dex was awake now.
And he realized he was still riding on the back of this wolf.
He pushed himself up onto his hands, staring down at the creature he rode on.
And he couldn't believe it. He felt as though he were riding on a bear, and what the fuck was he thinking doing something like that?
Dex slid off the wolf's back, and ignoring the sense of loss in his stomach, he started to run for the trees, pumping his arms and legs as though his life depended on it.
It probably did.
Dex made it into the trees. He already puffed for breath as he tried climbing over uneven earth and hills and tree roots that arched over the ground.
Every branch seemed determined to reach out and grab at him. Every rock seemed to catch at his foot and stall him. Nothing was working, and he was getting frustrated that he couldn’t get out of here fast enough.
Especially when that giant wolf suddenly appeared in front of him.
No, it didn’t just appear. It ran there and stopped right in Dex’s way, preventing him from passing by.
Dex skidded to a halt, changed directions, and started running again.
He pumped his arms and legs as though he were trying out for the track team.
Only, in this case, the coach would kill him if he didn’t make the cut.
Dex could see the wolf running alongside him through the trees. He didn’t dare turn to look at it, but just seeing it from the corner of his eye was enough to freak him out.
“Leave me alone!”
He had to get away. He had to find someone who would help him. He needed to get away from all of these shifters!
The wolf jumped in front of him again. Its chest rose and fell rapidly, and it narrowed those golden eyes, as though it were angry with him for making it run like that.
Stop!
Dex did stop. He skidded to a halt only because he didn’t want to run into the monstrous wolf in front of him.
Then he fell back onto his ass.
Dex crab-walked backward, trying to get away as the wolf slowly stalked toward him. Those eyes were still so angry. It looked as though it were really going to eat him alive.
But the wolf stopped in front of him when Dex couldn’t make himself move back another step.
So close. That giant, wet black nose nearly touched Dex’s face, and once again, he heard that voice. The voice of the man who’d bid on him.
The voice of the man Dex had begged to stay with.
But it was inside of his head.
Don’t run from me. It’s dangerous to go alone.
Dex blinked. He looked up and around, if only to make sure there was no one else around him.
There was no one else around, and now Dex was stuck sitting there, wondering if he'd gone crazy.
No. He couldn't have. It was impossible. There was no voice in his head, and there was no way he'd been held hostage for long enough that this mattered.
His heart slammed. Dex was only twenty-five, and he thought he was about to experience his first heart attack.
"Go away. Leave me alone."
The wolf pulled back a little, almost as though Dex had hurt him with that, but then it leaned in close again.
We need to get out of here, sweetheart. Come on. I can't have you like this. They'll find you.”
"Leave me alone!"
Dex picked up the first thing his hand could reach for. It was a rock. He threw it at the wolf, and his rock struck his target.
Dex winced as he heard the hard smacking noise, and the wolf pulled back quickly with a sharp yip, the pain clearly getting to him, before the wolf suddenly looked at him again, and those golden eyes were a dangerous shade of red.
Dex shivered. He screamed when the wolf snapped its teeth at him. Dex fell back, arms over his head, waiting for this thing to eat him again. The hot breath of the animal panting over his skin was almost enough to make him pass out. He didn't believe in God, but right about then, Dex found prayer to be the most appropriate thing he could possibly do.
But the biting never came. The pain and blood and screaming…it didn't happen. It was as though the wolf was just standing over him, waiting for him to do something other than to lie back and wait to be turned into paste.
Dex slowly brought his arm down from his face, daring to have a look at the wolf.
Its eyes were no longer that terrible shade of red, but that didn't mean Dex was getting ready to let all of his guard down.
Even though he felt guilty just looking at the creature.
He hated that. Dex had no reason to feel guilty. He was the one being terrorized. He didn't want to be here, and he didn't want to be with this wolf. He didn't ask to be kidnapped, and now, instead of letting him go, the damned wolf kept sending him these weird signals.
"Wh-what do you want from me?"
The wolf released a heavy sigh. Its body shuddered, and then it started to lose its hair, shrinking down, transforming.
Dex's eyes flew wide, watching as it happened, as the bear-sized wolf turned into a man right before his very eyes.
The man kept his clothes. Mostly. They looked messed up and shredded in places. The nice suit he'd been wearing when Dex first met him was a shredded mess, and beneath that mess, there was blood.
"You're bleeding!"
"I'll be all right." The man, Brad, reached out and grabbed his arm.
The contact of skin to skin was so shocking it was as though something hot, cold, and electrical got Dex in the chest at the same time.
He gasped, but he didn't try pulling back. He wanted to let this man hold on to him until the end of time, and oh God, his cock got hard from that touch alone.
Suddenly, the smell of Irish Spring was the sexiest scent in the whole of the world, and Dex wanted more of it.
"Please…"
"I won't hurt you. My name is Bodolf. I need to get you out of here."
"Bodolf? Not…"
Bodolf smiled, though his face was pale. "That was a fake name. None of us were supposed to know who anyone else was."
"Oh." That made sense, but now Dex couldn't look away from the bleeding on this poor man's chest.
And he was struck with the strange urge to want to put his mouth onto the wound. To kiss it and suck on it.
God, Dex was so weird, and he really hoped this man didn't notice that his dick was getting hard. That was too embarrassing, and he didn't want to have to deal with that when he was alone in the woods with someone he'd never met before.
"What's happening to me?"
"You're a wolf soul. Do you know what that means?" Bodolf asked him this as though he were talking to someone who was new to this whole thing. He looked at Dex as though he were fragile. Dex wasn't sure how he felt about that.
"It means werewolves want me for sex. I don't need to know anything else about it."
Except, right about now, it was seemingly a huge mistake to have gone his whole life without asking a little more about whatever it was he had become.
Or had been born as. Dex couldn't recall when he'd looked up and noticed for the first time that shifters seemed to like coming around him, and he didn't care either. The only thing he cared about was getting out of here.
And maybe getting a little more of this man's touch before he made his escape. That would be nice.
Bodolf sighed. He stood, pulling Dex to his feet with him. "It doesn't matter what you know right now. What matters is that we get the hell out of here before someone comes to find us. They're probably still on our tails."
Dex shivered, suddenly looking through the woods, through the long shadows that were getting darker and deeper with every minute that passed by
. He waited for someone to jump out of those shadows, but nothing happened. It seemed to be just him and Bodolf.
But that didn't mean they were safe. Right? After all, the wolves who had taken Dex had managed to grab him and knock him out after his shift at the coffee house ended, and he hadn't even noticed anyone was sneaking up behind him.
These creatures were huge, but they could be fast and silent when they wanted to be.
Dex ran after Bodolf when he realized the other man had walked ahead of him.
Suddenly, Dex was terrified of being left alone.
"Did you kill any of those people at the camp?"
"I imagine I killed quite a few." Bodolf clenched his teeth a little as he crouched down, scooping up some water into his hands and splashing it against his chest. He sighed.
Dex continued to watch, wishing he could do something and keeping silent about his need to put his mouth all over every exposed inch of flesh on the man.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
"Are you sure you're all right? Some of those…some of those look pretty deep."
Bodolf turned and looked at him then away. He seemed to be thinking about something.
Or he was waiting for something.
"I think we're all right here for a few minutes, though it would be a risk to sit still when we are likely being hunted."
Dex shivered. "All right, so do you need a break? Do you want me to get you anything?"
Though Dex had no idea if there was anything he could get for the man when they were in the middle of the woods and night was about to come onto them.
Bodolf stood. "Yeah, there's something you can do for me."
He moved so quickly Dex didn't have the chance to see his attack coming until the other man had grabbed Dex by his wrist again, yanking him forward and then crushing their mouths together.
Dex's first thought wasn't the fear he knew he should feel. He'd seen some of the shifters forcing themselves onto the other wolf souls in the camp. He hadn't wanted to be like them. He hadn't wanted to be in their position.
But when Bodolf kissed him, there was little Dex could do about it except melt into the sensation. The raw need that flared up within him like a wildfire could not be contained.
He’d thought his dick was bothering him a second ago. It was nothing in comparison to the damn near painful throb that hit him hard and hot.
Dex pressed his hands against Bodolf's chest, knowing he should push the other man back, but he didn't. He couldn't. Dex moaned as he felt the man's slick tongue push against his lips, and as he opened for the man, allowing Bodolf to lick inside of his mouth, Dex swore he’d never experienced a sweeter pleasure in all of his life.
He pushed against the other man, letting go, allowing himself to be swept away by the sweet heat, needing more because, now that he had at least this much, it wasn't enough, and he wanted everything.
Dex pulled at those torn clothes, wanting skin, wanting to be filled, to be fucked. The rush of energy and pleasure that surged within him could not be contained, and he didn't care to try.
When Bodolf pulled his mouth back, Dex moaned as though he'd been physically slapped. It hurt. It hurt so much he couldn't stand it. He grabbed at the back of the other man's head and tried to pull him closer.
"No, kiss me," he begged. His body hurt. He needed relief. Only Bodolf could give it to him. He didn't care for anything else.
"I will." God, his voice was a deep growl, and it went right to Dex's cock. "But you have to tell me something first."
"What? Anything. I'll tell you anything." He just wanted this terrible pain to stop.
"Dexter, tell me if they hurt you. Did they touch you? Did they…make you do anything?"
He looked so sad to even have to ask such a thing, and because of the haze of lust, at first Dex didn't understand what the question was about.
Then it hit him, and he got it. "Oh! Well, no. I kept yelling and spitting at them. No one touched me. A couple of people tried though, until I grossed them out."
And Dex realized he had a solid imagination for sickening people when it came down to it. When he wanted to avoid being raped, he knew all the right things to say to make his would-be assaulter want to be anywhere else but with him.
That didn't seem to please Bodolf, however. He growled as though he were angry to hear someone had even tried to do such a thing to him.
"Those motherfuckers. I wish I knew which one of them tried that shit on you. I would kill them again if I could."
Weird how hearing something like that was enough to make Dex so happy. He shouldn't be happy to know this man had killed people, had hurt people for him, but it did.
"It's all right."
Bodolf shook his head. "No, it's not all right. I would have stayed and gone after more if I could, but he was taking you away. I was supposed to help those other wolf souls, and I left them behind."
Dex stopped the other man by pulling him back down for another kiss. Bodolf was almost a full head taller, so it was something of a small miracle that Dex was even able to get him down here so he could kiss the man.
Thankfully, Bodolf didn't fight it. With his strength, with the raw power Dex felt in the other man, it was clear that he could never make this alpha do anything he didn't want to do.
So, for him to allow Dex to yank him down like this, it was clear Bodolf was the one to allow such a thing.
Which was fine by Dex. His brain took a back seat as his body, his dick more specifically, took control. Dex began pulling at Bodolf's shredded clothes.
Bodolf allowed this, too. He groaned low in his throat, a sound that could almost be a growl as Dex kissed and licked at his chest.
At the spots on his chest where he wasn't bleeding from the slashes.
There were a few places, but it almost looked as though those slashes were shrinking.
A trick of the light? Either way, his wounds couldn't be so bad if he was allowing himself to be kissed and licked like this.
"Oh baby, yeah," Bodolf moaned. He pressed his powerful hands to Dex's shoulders then to the back of his head, and Dex thought he was going to die and go to heaven.
Especially when Bodolf pulled his T-shirt off his body, letting it fall to the ground.
It made no sense, but Dex got the intense feeling that whatever it was that ailed Bodolf could only be fixed by getting him out of his clothes and for Dex to put his mouth on every inch of his exposed skin.
So that was exactly what Dex set out to do.
Chapter Five
His mate was so damned sweet. He kissed and licked at Bodolf's chest like a kitten who had found something delicious to suck on.
So good. So cool against the heat of his skin, and the touch of Dex's eager mouth on his skin was enough to make Bodolf growl with appreciation.
The pain in his chest and body, the attacks on those other wolves, stopping the SUV, had all taken its toll on his body. He’d been lucky to get out of there alive. He was lucky to have taken Dex with him, and if he was going to keep his energy up, if he was going to protect his mate, then there was nothing to be done except take what was rightfully his.
It was madness to not take him and madness to do so. They were being hunted by wolves who wanted to hurt them, who wanted to kill them even, but Bodolf needed this, and Dexter's mouth was like that of an angel's on his skin.
He needed more. He needed to fuck this man. He needed to have his cock inside him, to have Dexter screaming his name again and again.
But Dexter shouldn't be loud. Fuck. How was Bodolf supposed to deal with that?
He was going to have to find a way because there was no way this wasn't happening.
Thankfully he had something on him for this occasion.
Nathan, the dumbass, had given Bodolf what he'd called a sample pack. It was simply a small travel-sized bottle of lubricant and a condom.
In case Bodolf had wanted to sample the merchandise, but only for a fee, of course.
At the tim
e, Bodolf had been disgusted, but he'd smiled and pretended as though it had been pleasing to him to receive supplies he could use to rape a wolf soul.
Now he was grateful to have these things in his pocket so he could at least ease the way for his mate.
Even a wolf soul in heat needed to be properly taken care of before he, or she, could be fucked.
Bodolf growled low in his throat as Dexter sank down to his knees. He was really settling into the instinct to mate. That was for damned sure. Bodolf loved it. He undid his pants, the rush of cool energy inside of his body, just beneath his skin, combating against the heat of his injuries and all that running he'd been doing.
And it was so damned good. Too good. Especially when the other man put his mouth around Bodolf's cockhead.
Bodolf growled. It wasn't just him. The wolf inside of his head growled. It sat up straight and positively howled with the pleasure of it.
Bodolf almost howled, too.
But for the sake of his mate, he was going to do his best to keep this conversation in English so his mate would know what Bodolf wanted from him.
As it was, he was doing a damned fine job of keeping his focus right where it needed to be.
Those sweet lips pulled back and forth, bobbing up and down, back to back, his cheeks hollowing as he pulled back before he softened them on the forward surge.
So good. So damned good.
"That's it. God, baby. You feel so good," Bodolf moaned. He held the back of Dexter's head, holding him in place while Bodolf gently thrust back and forward, watching the length of his cock vanish into the man's mouth again and again.
The little aches and pains were starting to melt away. Bodolf could feel it. His larger injuries would take a while longer before they would fade into the distance, but he could handle it so long as his mate never stopped doing this wonderful thing with his mouth.
With his tongue.
God, Dexter pulled back, looked right up at him, and flicked his tongue against the slit of Bodolf's cockhead.
Bodolf groaned. He swore he was going to expire from the pleasure of it. He was never going to be the same after this, and he absolutely did not care.
