Текст книги "Cry wolf"

Автор книги: Jay Ellison

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man and beast. He said nothing. No words were needed.

He pulled Kevin close so he was pressed against the firm, lean muscles of his chest and belly. He used

his other hand to touch Kevin’s face lightly with his fingertips, then leaned down to sniff at his hair and

the side of his face. His heat and touch and smell engulfed Kevin. He wanted desperately to ask question,

to learn who the man was, but instead he just rubbed himself against his companion’s body. All that came

out of his mouth was a low moan of pleasure and desperation.

The man answered it with a rumbling growl of approval, and when Kevin lifted his head, the man claimed

his lips in a fierce, crushing kiss. The sharpness of his canines cut Kevin’s lip, but Kevin didn’t mind the

pain. He relished it, in fact. The man licked at his wound, tasting his blood, soothing the injury. The bank

they stood upon was at a steep angle. The stranger easily pushed Kevin down to the mossy ground and

straddled him. His aggression was both startling and exciting.

He touched the other werewolf’s chest, ran his fingers through the silky, spare fur there, felt the warm

wall of muscle beneath his skin. It was insane that this should be happening. He thought he must be

dreaming. But when the man nudged his legs apart, dipped his head and began licking his balls, Kevin’s

eyes fluttered closed and he let out a sigh of relief as he started rocking his hips back and forth, the gravel

on the riverbank scratching his back.

If this was a dream, it was the best one he’d ever had and he never wanted it to end. He nested his slender

fingers in the long ribbons of the man’s raven-black hair as the man licked up and down his cock, along

his perineum and around his asshole. He was greedy and aggressive, exploring every inch of Kevin’s

most private areas as if they were his to have. The shadow at his chin and throat scratched him thrillingly.

He lost himself in the sheer pleasure of the man’s long, hot tongue entering him, quick and demanding,

wetting him with his saliva and licking hungrily at the inside of his body.

He’d never made love to another werewolf before, but there was something infinitely different and richer

about it than being with a human. It felt raw and unfettered. There were no pretences, no masks involved.

The stranger wanted his body and he wanted to give it to him. He wanted to feel the alpha inside him,

dominating him.

He could feel his climax building, sharp and sudden, but before he could go off, his new lover moved up

his body, licking along his ribs and over his peaked nipples. His tongue was rough like sandpaper and

made Kevin whimper in the back of his throat. The stranger’s thick, steely cock rubbed against his balls,

wetting Kevin with a generous amount of precum. His hair smelled like the forest and Kevin breathed it

in, lost himself in the sensation of being taken by this wild creature. He licked imploringly at the man’s

mouth, clutched his slim ass, lifted his hips welcomingly. The other man understood and instinctively

thrust inside Kevin, quick and harsh.

Kevin let out a sharp yelp, relishing the rush of pain and pleasure as his lover filled him. He was bigger

than Kevin was used to, his cock fat, swollen and eager. He was almost afraid the man would stop or

withdraw, but he was entirely lost in their mating. He braced one sinewy arm above Kevin’s head, his

weight holding him down, and thrust lazily in and out, a growl lodged deep in his throat. His other hand

went to Kevin’s cock, squeezing and caressing until Kevin mewled and scratched at the man’s back and

buttocks, leaving shallow red scratches that healed almost as quickly as they were inflicted. The man

inclined his head so Kevin could taste the man’s full, soft lips and hot tongue.

The man kissed Kevin, sucking at his mouth as he pumped slowly and rhythmically in and out of his body,

the sharp slap of flesh against flesh loud in the stillness of the forest. Their eyes found each other and

locked, and they watched each other closely as they enjoyed every moment of this rutting. The man’s eyes

went from a yellow to a greenish-brown, then back again as the wolf took him over. Kevin knew his own

pale green eyes looked golden-orange in the moonlight.

The stranger increased his rhythm as he reached his end, plunging deeper and faster inside him, their two

bodies working together as one. The divine friction inside Kevin’s body was too much; he could hold off

no longer. He gasped aloud as a massive orgasm shuddered through his body and he came in the man’s

hands, shooting hot, sticky spunk against the beautiful man’s abs and lower belly. The man gripped his

shoulders and pinned him to the ground as he growled and slammed deep inside Kevin’s ass, finally

coming with a trembling lunge and flooding him with his come.

They rubbed their seed and scents against one another. Both were exhausted when the stranger finally

pulled out, and it wasn’t long after that Kevin drifted to sleep in his lover’s strong arms.

***

Chapter Five

Kevin woke with the sensation of the stranger spooning him and caressing his body, running a strong hand

down his hip before detouring to give his cock and balls a friendly squeeze. It was full dark out, the sky

starlit, the moon hanging gravid above the treetops. The night was full of the whistling of night birds and

the twittering of insects, comforting sounds that had never made Kevin feel afraid. It was the sound of

home, safety. Life. The darkness felt good on his skin, and the stranger’s lusty breathing in his ear raised

his desires once more.

The stranger nudged him over onto hands and knees. Kevin compiled, arching his back and lowering his

head submissively. He liked the feeling of the man forcing his legs further apart and sniffing along the

crack of his ass. The man licked and sucked at his balls before mounting him from behind.

Kevin didn’t say a word. Neither did the man. No words were needed. He knew what the alpha wanted,

and he was more than willing to give it to him.

The alpha was rough and demanding this time. Breathing hard through his lust, his engorged dick slapped

between Kevin’s legs, his precum dripping down the insides of his thighs. Kevin didn’t mind submitting

to the powerful alpha, but he didn’t want the alpha thinking he was a pushover, either. He felt his lover

should have to prove himself if he wanted the privilege of fucking him twice.

As the alpha was getting into position, Kevin growled out a warning and shook himself, tried to throw him

off. The alpha let out a snarl in response and snapped at his shoulder, his teeth grazing Kevin. The pain

was immediate and paralyzing, yet strangely pleasurable. Kevin was immediately hard from the bite, the

shock of it making him tremble with need. He obediently lowered his head and raised his ass, letting the

alpha find the right angle to enter him and take his pleasure first.

The alpha wasted no time. Grunting and growling, he held Kevin down and slammed his meaty erection

home, filling him in one great lunge. Kevin yipped and scratched at the earth, digging his fingers into the

mud of the riverbank to better anchor himself and compartmentalize the pain. Soon the alpha was rocking

in and out, grunting as he filled Kevin, claimed every inch of him.

Then something happened and Kevin felt the stranger’s weight increase. He smelled the wolf strong on the

man—musky, male, hot and powerful. He was changing—not into a wolf, but into something decidedly

wolfish. A half-thing. Kevin had had no idea their kind could do that.

The pressure inside him increased and Kevin whimpered as he struggled not to move. The werewolf in

half-beast form had its claws in him, hugged him tight, dug its hind claws into the mud, and began to fuck

him with carnal intensity. Kevin gasped at the bruising impacts. The alpha was bigger and his cock fatter

in this form, and Kevin almost had trouble accommodating him, but the commingling of pain and pleasure

was the sweetest thing he had ever felt and he relished it.

He moaned as he let the big alpha have him, fuck him as hard as he wanted to. They grunted and growled

like two primal beasts in heat. The werewolf filled him to overflowing, its huge balls slapping his ass, its

teeth locked on Kevin’s human shoulder, its burning hot saliva dripping down over his back and chest.

Kevin shivered violently, his arms and legs trembling beneath him as they threatened to spill him to the

forest floor.

The alpha growled out a warning not to move even as he claimed Kevin, trembled himself, filled him with

his seed, then filled him some more. His ejaculate was thick and hot and plentiful, racing down the inside

of Kevin’s legs. Kevin came hard with a bark, pouring himself out in volleys of thick cream all over the

ground as he shifted himself, not into a wolf but into the same half-creature that was mating him so

savagely. The alpha howled in victory, his voice cutting through the forest and making the trees shiver and

the ground faintly vibrate. Kevin answered with a howl of his own and the two of them sang to each other

as they finished making love.

Finally, the alpha was done, empty, his lust sated. He withdrew, letting Kevin fall back to sleep against

the plush warmth of the werewolf’s shining black pelt. For once, Kevin’s dreams were unbroken by the

ragged, lonely need he normally experienced in sleep. He woke the next morning alone, sore, satisfied,

disappointed to find the alpha gone, but full of hope that somewhere out there were others of his kind and

that he would meet them soon.

***

Chapter Six

“My stars, you’re in a good mood today,” Jolene commented in her lazy Southern accent as she sashayed

by the bar.

Kevin was scrubbing down the bar in preparation for the evening crowd, using a combination of bleach

and detergent in a spray bottle to make the bar top as spotless as possible. People said he was anal about

such things, but he always took pride in his work and he wanted to do a good job. He realized after a

moment that he was humming along with the old 80’s Devo beat pounding out of the speakers above. He

hadn’t even realized it. “I had a good weekend.”

She leaned against the bar and said, “So what’s his name, sugar?”

“What do you mean?” he answered innocently.

Jolene rolled his eyes and tossed her head, her giant hoop earrings clanking. She wore a sky-blue pantsuit

and her hair in a big, blonde and somewhat outdated bouffant, but that was just Jolene’s style. She was a

huge fan of Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. Kevin admired her gumption, if not her fashion sense. “You

might be able to hide it from Hannah, but, sugar, I know that look. You’ve been smiling all day like a bear

that’s got into the honey pot. So what’s his name—this stud you’ve met?”

Was he smiling like some big, dumb idiot? He thought about what to say, then decided on the truth. The

truth shall set you free, right? He shrugged. “I don’t know. We didn’t discuss it.”

Jolene’s carefully plucked eyebrows rode to the top of her long forehead. “He didn’t tell you his name?”

“We were a little too busy doing other things,” he said, nearly choking on the words.

She shook her head with exasperation. “You crazy boys. Well, did you at least get his cell number?”

“He didn’t have a cell on him.” Or anything else, Kevin secretly added.

She stopped him from scrubbing the same spot over and over and said, “How do you expect to get in

touch with him, then? You’re gonna be single forever at this rate!”

He thought about that, realized he’d given the situation no real thought. It was late Monday afternoon, and

he was still riding high on the endorphins of having met the alpha at all. He hadn’t thought past their

encounter in the woods. Maybe he didn’t want to. “I don’t know,” he said truthfully. “We never discussed

that.”

Not exactly a lie. They hadn’t discussed anything, hadn’t traded a single word, in fact.

Following the encounter, the alpha had disappeared and Kevin hadn’t seen him since, though he’d spent

considerable time over the weekend trying to track him in the woods. His scent had been there, musky and

feral, but fading too quickly to track very far. Would he see the alpha again? He didn’t know, but his heart

flitted with anticipation, and he found himself compulsively looking at the clock, willing it to move faster

toward six, when they opened the club for the night. He imagined the alpha sitting at the far end of the bar

as he had last Friday night, sleek and elegant, the lust burning coolly in his eyes.

He looked up at Jolene. “I guess I sound pretty stupid. Look pretty stupid, too.”

She patted his hand companionably. “Sugar, you look like a man in love. I hope it works out. You’ve been

alone far too long.” And off she went, to check on the dancers backstage.

Patrons started filtering in an hour later, and Kevin tried to put it out of his mind, but Jolene’s logic

bothered him, and as the hours began to pass without the alpha showing, he found his mood souring

considerably. Normally, he liked his job. He liked serving customers, chatting with patrons, and even

staying late to do odd jobs, whatever they were. He liked doing Jolene favors. It made him feel useful,

like he had an important place in the world. But when he finally realized that the sexy alpha wasn’t going

to show, he just wanted the night to end so he could go home and get some sleep.

The next night he found himself foolishly hoping to see the alpha again, but it didn’t happen. Not that night,

not in the nights that followed. He started feeling like what he was—a fool.

The week positively crawled by, and several times he found his patience for stupid or self-absorbed

patrons put to the test. He started questioning what he was doing with his life, and if there was something

better out there for him. On Friday night, he found his heart thudding nervously, hopefully…foolishly. It

didn’t want to give up on the alpha, even though his mind already had. It had been one week since their

encounter. He stayed late to close up for Jolene. He scrubbed the place down, then scrubbed it again. He

was the last to leave, but the alpha never showed.

He was alone. For the first time, the idea brought real terror to his heart, and he found he hated the alpha,

finally. He’d been okay with being alone until he’d met him. Now the idea filled him with despair.

He found himself trembling several hours later as he drove into the mountains. The cabin was the same as

when he’d left it. He threw his duffle bag down and stripped, racing off into the woods. He sniffed and

sniffed but found no trace of the alpha—or any other wolf. He raced through the woods, baying and

crying, calling out to anyone who might listen, but no one answered.

No one ever answered.

Jolene’s words haunted him. He should have gotten the alpha’s name, his number. Something.

A terrible thought gnawed at him. Was the alpha a dream, maybe? A fantasy? Something his lonely mind

had conjured up to comfort him and compensate for the isolation of his life? Was this what he had to look

forward to? Madness? A life of crying wolf…and receiving no answer?

The run left him feeling pleasantly sore, and the prey he caught filled his aching, empty belly. But the

alpha was not there, no one was there, and when he drove back to the city on Sunday night, he was forced

to stifle the tears that wanted to overflow.

***

Chapter Seven

Why hope to be happy?

It was a question Ron sometimes asked while in the midst of one of his alcoholic fugues. Kevin had

always taken Ron to be a pessimist, but now he was starting to understand the man finally.

He worked the bar, shuffling out drinks in record time, but kept his eyes on his work and off the

customers. He didn’t want to talk to them, didn’t want to hear their insipid tales and sob stories. He didn’t

want to hear how they’d had everything—jobs, families, boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives,

only to fuck things up. That somehow the universe had conspired against them to bring them to this low

point in their little, useless lives. He didn’t want to hear how full other peoples’ lives had been. It made

him realize how little he’d always had, how much he had made do, how he could never hope for anything

more than this petty excuse for an existence.

“Over here!” his sister Hannah called. She was sitting at the end of the bar where the alpha had sat two

weekends ago, waving to him. She and a couple of the girls from school had passed midterms and were

celebrating. He rushed over to serve them their celebratory pitchers of beer and tequila shooters,

reminding himself to smile and congratulate them all.

“Oh my god, Han, this is your brother? He’s so cute!” the blond sitting beside his sister said and started

flirting with him.

The pretty black girl beside her elbowed her hard in the ribs. “Dumbass, it’s a gay bar, Selene.”

“Yeah, so what, Michonne?” Selene shot back. “They’re not going to throw us out, are they?”

Michonne rolled her eyes and pointed at Kevin. “Cute…and not on the menu. Get it?”

Selene looked confused and Hannah laughed at her friends’ antics, the joke entirely on Selene while

Kevin ran out more drinks for them all.

It did his heart good to see his sister happy. He liked how she had never let her handicap get her down. In

that way, she seemed so much stronger than he was.

Then Allison whipped his ass with her bar mop and said, “Stud in the corner wants a Manhattan. Chop,

chop.”

Feeling slightly annoyed, though Allison had never gotten on his nerves before, he said, “So what? Make

him one. You know how.”

“He says he wants you to do it.” She rolled her eyes.

Kevin mixed the drink, barely thinking about it, and carried the cocktail glass down to the table in the far

corner. He set a napkin down and put the Manhattan atop it, keeping his eyes averted so as to avoid

conversation. He almost got away, except the man put his hand over Kevin’s.

He had large, sinewy hands, the nails neatly manicured, and he wore rings. Kevin looked up.

The alpha sat at the table, dressed in a charcoal-grey pinstripe suit, his long black hair braided away from

his face, which was keen and centered on Kevin with obvious interest and appetite. His eyes looked hazel

under the lights of the club, but Kevin knew how quickly they could slip into yellow. He felt his heart

slam up into his throat, and for a long moment he could neither breathe nor speak.

“I apologize for my recent absence, Golden Eyes, but it couldn’t be helped,” he said in his deep,

melodious British voice.

Kevin choked out the words. “Wha-what do you mean?”

The man smiled, a warm, sexy, wanton look. He leaned forward and Kevin caught a whiff of the forest in

his cologne. Kevin’s cock instantly twitched to life in his pants. “Sit down,” he said in a commanding

voice, indicating the chair opposite him, and Kevin immediately obeyed the alpha. A small smirk curled

the man’s soft, sensual lips. “You sought me in the woods this weekend, yes? But I wasn’t there. I wanted

you to know I wasn’t trying to avoid you. I was out of the country on business.”

It took Kevin a moment to digest the words. “You…you could tell I was there?”

“Your scent is prominent in those woods. Yes,” he smiled, “I could tell.”

“Oh.” And then he blurted, “So you weren’t… I mean, I thought maybe I was dreaming, that you weren’t

real.”

The alpha laughed at that. His voice was a low, sensual rumble under the music. “No, Golden Eyes, our

time together was quite real, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I love your smell and taste, young wolf. I

loved being inside you, claiming that lovely virgin ass of yours.”

His words made Kevin blush from head to foot. “I’m not…I mean…” He stared at the tabletop. He didn’t

know how to say it. “That ship sailed a long time ago.”

“You have been with others of your own kind?”

Kevin shook his head. “No.”

“A virgin, like I said.” The alpha narrowed his yellowish eyes. “I like that you don’t smell of pack or

other lovers.” He leaned forward to discreetly snuffle at the side of Kevin’s neck, making him shiver.

“You still smell faintly of me. Good.”

Again, Kevin blushed. “How did you find me? Who are you?”

The alpha’s smile never slipped. He moved his hand to cover Kevin’s. He rubbed his thumb across

Kevin’s palm, his touch sparking like a kiss of electricity across Kevin’s skin. “My name is Roman Le

Feuvre, Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack. As a human, I broker on the London Stock Exchange, but recently I

relocated here to the States along with my pack.”

Someone was calling for him, but Kevin ignored it. “I’m Kevin Sullivan. Wait…you have a pack?”

“Don’t you?”

“Christ, no. I didn’t even know there was anyone else out there like me. I thought I was the only…” He

couldn’t say the word. “The only one of my kind.”

Roman nodded. “You’re an Orphan.” He sniffed again. “How very odd. I would have thought a Pedigree

like yourself would have had many followers by now.”

“Pedigree?”

Roman pursed his soft, full lips. “You don’t know much about yourself, do you, Golden Eyes?”

Kevin didn’t know what to say to that. Allison was bleating for him from the bar as she was quickly

overrun with customers. But Kevin could care less about the bar, Allison, work, or anything else for that

matter. He just wanted to ask the alpha more questions. He wanted to know about the others. But his shift

was far from over.

Roman read him easily. “I can see I’ve got you at a bad time.” His hand moved under the table, gently

squeezing Kevin’s partially erect cock in his trousers so Kevin let out a gentle moan of pleasure. “When

do you get off?”

“Not until two in the morning.” Panic suddenly set in. “Will you wait? You won’t go?”

Roman laughed at his eagerness. “I’ll have my driver pick you up then. Is that acceptable?”

“I can go now.”

“No,” Roman said, his voice deep and commanding. Kevin had a feeling that very few people dared

disobey the man. “Finish your work here. Raise no suspicions. Then you will come to me.” He let

Kevin’s cock go so he could stand up.

“I can’t wait to be with you again,” Kevin told him honestly.

Roman fished the cherry from his Manhattan and lick it with his long, red tongue before sucking it into his

mouth. “My little Orphan, we have all the time in the world to get to know one another.”

***

Chapter Eight

Roman’s driver took him by town car across the city and to a riverside block mansion on West 89th Street.

Kevin wasn’t used to this part of the city. It looked too clean to be New York. The five-story, bow-front

mansion looked like something out of a turn-of-the-century period piece movie.

The drive let him out and he saw Roman waiting for him on the stoop before the huge, gilded, double

doors. He was still dressed in his pinstripe suit, though his hair was loose and flowing in rivers of black

around his intense, hawk-like face. “I’m glad you came,” he said as Kevin reached the top of the stairs.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said honestly.

Roman grinned at his enthusiasm and let him into the foyer with its hardwood floors, wainscoted walls

and crystal chandeliers. Kevin marveled at the luxury. Never in all his days had he expected to ever see

the inside of a palace like this. “This is just one of my holdings,” Roman explained. “I have homes all

over the world.”

Kevin whistled. “You must do pretty well for yourself.”

“I’m over three hundred years old. Experience has turned me into a rather astute businessman, as you can

well imagine—though it has forced me to migrate periodically to keep suspicions down. I alternate forty

or so years between all my holdings, returning to them as my son or grandson, hence the reason the pack

and I have relocated recently to New York City. If I had stayed in London any longer, my human

associates there would have noticed my lack of aging.”

Kevin blinked in disbelief and looked closely at his newfound friend and lover. “You don’t look a day

over thirty. Do you age at all?”

“Werewolves do, but only very slowly, and Pedigrees even slower than that.” Roman looped his arm

familiarly around Kevin’s waist and led him across the receiving hall and past a winding staircase with a

lacy, wrought-iron rail. His hand brushed Kevin’s side and Kevin felt himself relaxing against the old

alpha as they moved down a long hall toward another pair of large, arching doors.

A thought occurred to Kevin. “Isn’t that kind of hard to do, what with the digital age and all?”

“Not if you have the right contacts. Then it’s just a case of crossing the right palms with enough silver.”

Roman stared at him. “How old are you, Golden Eyes?”

“Twenty-eight,” Kevin answered, feeling like a child by Roman’s standards.

“Just a pup. I figured as much.” They passed multiple portraits of other Romans in different period

clothes. The sight of them made Kevin shiver. “At least you won’t have to worry about changing your

identity for a while.”

Kevin’s head spun with the idea that one day he would have to pretend to die, then come back as his own

son. His own grandson. Great-grandson. It was almost more than he could wrap his head around.

Roman gave him an earnest look. “I take it your parents didn’t prepare you for any of this?”

“I never knew my biological parents. I was adopted from an orphanage in Belfast when I was three years

old. They didn’t know anything about my parents, either, except that they were likely killed during an IRA

bombing during The Troubles. I don’t remember any of it.”

“I see.” Roman nodded.

They’d reached the doors. Kevin could hear the backbeat of music playing in the next room like a party

was going on. “Look, Roman, I don’t know anything about this…lifestyle, underworld, whatever you want

to call it. I didn’t even think there were others like me.”

Roman touched his cheek. His touch instantly calmed the butterflies in Kevin’s stomach. “And where,

exactly, did you think you came from, Golden Eyes, if not from other werewolves?”

“Honestly, I never gave it much thought.” He shrugged, realizing how silly he sounded. “I guess maybe I

thought I was cursed by a gypsy or bitten by a wolf when I was a baby. I know it all sounds stupid.”

“You protect your heart from hope,” Roman said, reading him easily. “It’s understandable. But I promise

what you find in this common room will not only answer all your questions, it will make you less alone.”

He kissed Kevin on the forehead and then reached for the old fashioned latch on the double doors and

flung them open.

Kevin gasped.

***

Chapter Nine

The common room was huge, with cathedral ceilings and skylights, and the furnishings decidedly art deco.

The room was warmly paneled in walnut, with beacon lights on the walls, low brass tables, and soft,

brown leather settees and lounge chairs scattered about. A warm fire brewed in the hearth, despite the

summer weather, and above it loomed a huge mantel with a gigantic painting of satyrs and nymphs dancing

in the forest. Murmuring trance music poured from invisible speakers in the walls, and a full balcony

completely surrounded the room. Kevin could see a number of doors on the second floor leading to what

he could only assume were many bedrooms.

The room was almost too warm, but Kevin quickly discovered why. It was occupied by perhaps a dozen

naked young men, some lounging on the furniture, others on the floor, some sort of half-on, half-off the

furnishings, and not a few enjoying the whirlpool tub that took up almost a quarter of the space. A number

lingered around the giant banquet table laden with fruits, sweets and meat. He saw a lot of different types

of meat.

Kevin scanned the occupants. He saw twosomes and threesomes and even a few foursomes going on.

Roman’s pack was mostly occupied with one of two major activities: eating or fucking. All the writhing,

shining, naked bodies moving together, grunting and growling, was enough to give him a hell of a hard-on.

“Welcome to the pack,” Roman said, indicating the room. He walked Kevin around, introducing him to

various members. Kevin quickly discovered that Roman had quite a ménage of men. Different races,

different types, yet all were young and criminally beautiful—well-muscled, with washboard abs and

well-defined pecs, youthful, chiseled faces, and professionally mussed hair. It looked like an orchard of

eager, model-perfect men all made to perfection. Stepford Gay Men. Kevin almost laughed at the idea.

Someone cut the music and the men gathered around Kevin, sniffing his hair and face. One of the pack, a

handsome, tattooed guy, carefully sniffed down the front of his body. Kevin held absolutely still, worry

nibbling at his insides while the guy scented his crotch. What if they found him unworthy? What if they

simply disliked him?

He felt like he was in high school again, terrified that someone would find out he was gay, or a werewolf.

Afraid they would call him a freak—as silly as that sounded. After all, were they not all gay werewolves

here? One of the bigger guys, a well-tanned Scandinavian with plenty of army muscle, dog tags, and a

blond crew cut, sniffed his hair and said, “He smells like trouble, Roman.”

“Kevin is a Pedigree, Fenrir,” Roman explained. And to Kevin, “A Pedigree is a werewolf who was born

into the life, not bitten.”

“Is that bad?” Kevin asked, eyeing the big, blond man watching him so intently. The tattooed guy kneeling

before him nudged at the front of his jeans, making him harder than ever. He thought about backing up, but

he was completely surrounded by the pack. There was no escape.

“Not at all,” Roman said, glaring at Fenrir until he dropped his eyes. “You must forgive Fenrir’s

rudeness. He’s my lieutenant, my second-in-command, and inclined to suspicion.”

“Just doing my job, Roman,” Fenrir said in response.

“Fenrir is jealous,” came a melodious female voice from across the room. “Roman and I are Pedigrees,

as are you, Kevin, whereas Fenrir was bitten—made by us.”

The pack parted in deference to the speaker—a slim, glamorous woman walking down a long, spiraling

staircase. She was the only woman here. Her short, blonde hair framed her smooth, long face in shining