***“Ryan?” Ryan heard Deloris calling his name from behind him and turned around to see the warlock, holding in her hands a change of clothes for him. “You need to shift and dress up. Gloria gave me these for you. Come.”The wolfman stared at the clothes, then at the woman who he had a feeling had figure out his secret to an extent. After all, he had no outward deformities. With a grateful nod, Ryan took the clothes and followed the woman to a shed where no one could see him. She left him and went back to join the pack.Ryan heard the shouts before he finished dressing up. He wondered what was happening. He took his time though because he had a feeling it wasn’t anything serious. Gloria was waiting for him when he emerged from the shed.“Reynard killed himself.” She said without preamble. “Used that knife you left lying on the ground.”Ryan nodded and draped an arm around Gloria’s neck. “Can we go home now?”“Sure. Are you okay?”“No,” Ryan responded quietly. “I need Jeremy.”“I know
***The albino looked at the photo in his hand, his face etched with grief. The love of his life. His wife. The woman he’d been with for over a century. She was no more. Killed by the bloody wolves of Stanwood Pack during the battle that saw the collapse of his clan. That little girl had no idea what she and her savage bunch had taken from him. If she did, she wouldn’t have made a deal with him. His thirst for vengeance was definitely more intense than the need to live.The Jackal had been given an assignment. An assignment that was supposed to be very simple and easy. An assignment that was going to give him a second chance at life. A second chance? Really? Who said he wanted to live? How could he, after everything had been taken away from him? In any case, he was not fooled for even a second. Definitely not by some arrogant little bitch. The Jackal knew that the silly girl didn’t have any intention of allowing him to live. He didn’t need to consult zoltar to know that she was going
***The Jackal smiled with satisfaction when he heard Ryan’s hair-raising scream. He’d always wanted to go out with a bang. Well, what a bang. He was finally ready to meet his maker.His mission had been a simple one. With his gift of glamour, he was supposed to disguise himself as the Alpha of Stanwood Pack…Jeremy Stanton. Then he was to manipulate his mate, Ryan, to think he was having a dream. He wasn’t supposed to say a word to Ryan. All he had to do was give him a smile, a light caress, and a few pecks along the jaw. That was it. Although his powers had drastically diminished after the battle between the Wyatt Clan and the Stanwood pack, the Jackal wasn’t worried at all because he was supposed to be in and out of there in not more than two minutes. That was a piece of cake. He was The Jackal after all.But what the little bully didn’t know was that he had his own plan. His plan was to stick it to the Stanwood Pack who had wiped out his clan, by taking out both its alpha and his m
***“Ryan?” Paige breathed through her tears as she watched Ryan’s demeanor change right there before her eyes. Although she could still see the pain in his eyes, he suddenly seemed to have developed a…thick skin of sorts. He didn’t seem as he had just moments earlier…as if he was about to die. He looked…dangerous. “Ryan…” Paige wasn’t afraid of Ryan. She just felt uneasy. “I’ve called Dad and Phillip. I’m sorry for causing all this but we will fix it.” She spoke softly, trying to calm Ryan. She didn’t know whether it was working, but that was all she could do. “I don’t know how but I promise, we…”“Alpha?” Deloris called out softly when she appeared inside Ryan’s study, cutting off Paige’s tirade.The warlock’s eyes widened when she took a look at Ryan. Just one look told Deloris that something was very wrong. There was a wildness about him…almost as if he was having a hard time holding on to his control. He paced like a caged bull. The Ryan pacing before her looked nothing like the
***“Come on, come on, come on…” Stan kept muttering even as everyone’s eyes remained on the portal with rapt attention.One would have thought the roar coming from within the portal would scare the people gathered. Well, they rather looked expectant. They all knew that roar too well. It belonged to none other than their alpha. They had all missed him. And the fact that he was obviously angry wasn’t going to change that.Ryan realized he’d ceased breathing…but he was fine. He just wanted to see that face. That face that he loved so much. That face that brought joy into his heart. That face that made the world a better place for him. He just wanted to see his Jeremy. He didn’t have to wait for long. The only hitch was that the Jeremy that came out of the portal, was not who Ryan had been expecting despite the preceding roar. Not only were Jeremy’s eyes bloody red…showing that his Ojah power was in control, he looked as if he was ready to murder someone.Immediately he stepped out, the
***Everything that happened after Jeremy’s first sob happened so fast it was almost a blur. One moment Ryan was looking down at an emotional Jeremy, the next moment they were on their bed inside their suite. Jeremy didn’t even seem to know what was going on. He just sobbed. It was only when Ryan looked up and saw Deloris standing beside their bed that he connected the dots. She’d blinked them away from all those people.“I didn’t want them to see him like that.” She whispered.“Thanks, Deloris.” Ryan sounded as if he was in shock.“Take care of him.” She said, leaning down to kiss Ryan on his wet cheek. “If you need anything, get in touch with any of us.”“Gloria…”“She’s fine,” Deloris assured Ryan. “Just spend time with him. It’s late anyway. The others will have their turn tomorrow or the day after…don’t think about it.” With that, the warlock disappeared.Ryan draped himself over Jeremy and allowed him to cry it all out. After a long moment, Jeremy finally quieted down and drifte
***Gloria spent about two hours with them and then left. Stan, Paige, and Phillip stopped by after Gloria left, to check up on their friend and alpha. For once, Ryan saw the quiet side of his mate’s friends. Although they looked happy, they were very subdued. Before they left, however, they sat with Ryan at the dining area and told him what Paige had done. Ryan wasn’t amused and he didn’t mince words.“You shouldn’t have done that.” He admonished quietly, his intent gaze on the woman he’d come to see as a good friend. “The fact that it ended well doesn’t make it okay.”“I know, and I’m so sorry, Ryan.” Paige looked so regretful.Ryan nodded but he wasn’t happy at all. He remembered the fear. What if he hadn’t been able to pull Jeremy back from the brink of death? That had been too close. What the fuck had Paige been thinking, Ryan fumed. He now understood why Paige had been so broken about the whole thing. She must have felt so guilty, seeing Jeremy lying on the ground, motionless. R
***Jeremy woke to the feel of hair brushing over his shoulder and an arm slung across his tummy. From that delicious scent filling his nostrils, he just knew that the person sleeping beside him was none other than his mate. But how? For a moment Jeremy didn’t know where he was. He was on his back in a very familiar bed. His? The room was dark but from the face of the clock on the bedside table which glowed brightly in the darkened room, it was two-thirty a.m. He turned his head to look at the most beautiful person he’d ever laid eyes on and just like that, it all came rushing back…The Fort, the sudden excruciating pain in the chest, the high priestess, Ryan, the feeling of nothingness, and then Ryan again…he’d bitten him. Why his mate had felt the need to bite him, Jeremy didn’t know, however. He didn’t mind though because he would have made Ryan mark him too at a point anyway. But everything after Ryan bit him seemed fuzzy. He definitely didn’t remember getting into bed with Ryan.
***Ryan’s eyes went to the clock on the wall immediately his eyes opened. It was already past noon. He noticed immediately how different he felt. His senses were heightened…sharper. Although he was lying down, he felt energized. He felt as if he could do anything. For a moment he closed his eyes, allowing the energy to flow through him. Ryan couldn’t help but wonder where all that vitality was coming from. When he opened his eyes again, he looked down to see what was causing the slight weight on his stomach. A smile lit up his face when his eyes met the beautiful blue ones of his mate. They were slightly reddened but the blue still stood out.Ryan didn’t have to be a genius to know the cause of his mate’s reddened eyes. Hell, he could feel the wetness on his stomach where Jeremy’s head lay. He’d pushed Ryan’s t-shirt up to enable him have contact with the flesh. He was no longer naked as he’d been in his Ojah state, earlier. He’d pulled on black sweats and a black t-shirt. Jeremy loo
***“Too much emotion can bring a warrior to his knees. What Jeremy felt when he felt the presence of that baby…I’ve never felt before.” He rasped. “That intense, unconditional love… It was shocking, it was unexpected, it was overwhelming, and it reduced him to a position of complete submission. If he gets the slightest feeling that you don’t want the baby, it will destroy him. So I ask again; don’t you want the baby?”The relief that washed over Ryan was instant. He’d heard all that he needed to. “I want it.” And Ryan realized he’d meant nothing more. That baby growing inside him was part of him and he loved it already.“Good.” The Ojah looked relieved.“So he’s okay with it?” Ryan asked in a small shaky voice. “He’s not freaked out by my abnormality?”“Your…” The Ojah growled low in his throat. “You really need to stop thinking that way about yourself. Remember that very first hand-job he gave you? In the hospital, after I’d…” He trailed off. At Ryan’s nod, he continued. “Did you se
***Alpha Jeremy Stanton shot out of bed. He turned his head to make sure that his mate was beside him in bed. Ryan was sleeping peacefully on his back with his face turned towards Jeremy. The alpha got out of the bed but didn’t move away from it. Something had woken him up. Better still, someone had. Someone was in the room with them. But who would risk being caught snooping in none other’s room than his, Jeremy wondered. He could hear a heartbeat besides that of his mate. It was faint but it was there. Apart from the heartbeat, he could smell whoever it was. It was a sweet scent, almost like Ryan’s. Maybe whoever was in the room with them wasn’t a threat. But what did the person want in the first place?Jeremy moved away from the bed but stopped when he noticed that the further he moved away from the bed, the fainter the heartbeat got. He crouched down and looked under the bed but there was no one there. He looked down at Ryan’s face, angelic in repose, and listened to his heartbeat
***“Get the fuck out of here, Stan,” Jeremy said lazily as his fingertips tenderly stroked Ryan’s, cheeks and jawline. “Better now?” Jeremy’s voice dropped to the sexy bass rumble that never ceased to melt Ryan.He nodded. “I needed that.”“I know.” Jeremy’s eyes shone with so much love.“Can you unfreeze these old folks now?” Stan stood staring at the monitor, his hands on his lean hips. “Damn, this is one interesting read.” He muttered. “Even to my unprofessional eyes.”Jeremy laughed when Ryan buried his face against his neck with a groan. Now that he was down from his high, he was suddenly mortified he’d acted so shamelessly.“You can always freeze his arse, you know.” Jeremy drawled.“Oh hell, no,” Stan growled, making a dash for the door. That got him raucous laughter from both Jeremy and Ryan.The satiated couple got themselves presentable after Jeremy cleaned them with his boxers. Then they got back into the position they’d been in before Ryan froze the three. Unlike before,
***“Okay, that’s it,” Ryan growled. “I need to… Call him Deloris.” He swung his feet off the bed and sat up. The monitor went crazy.“Alpha Ryan, please.” Dr. Sanders quickly attached one of the electrodes that had fallen off Ryan’s chest.“Ryan you have to fight it.” Deloris ran her hands through the hair of the agitated werewolf.“I can’t anymore.” He grunted. “I don’t want to. It’s becoming too painful to ignore. Please, Deloris. I need him.”Deloris turned to look at Mama Cora with desperate eyes. They had been in the room for a little over an hour. Between Deloris and Mama Cora, they’d had to constantly calm Ryan down. Unfortunately, their spells were no longer working on the nerves of the alpha’s mate. Dr. Sanders claimed he needed just about forty-five minutes more to complete the whole test.“Call him.” Mama Cora said quietly. They could all see how aroused Ryan was. No one could miss that obscenely blatant bulge in his shorts. “Maybe he can calm him down enough for us to con
***Ryan heard them before they entered the Villa. He heard Deloris’ laughter and wanted to go meet her but didn’t want a repeat of what had transpired with Stan so he stayed put. When the door eventually swung open, Jeremy entered first, followed by Deloris, and then the rest. Ryan simply stared from his perch on the windowsill. He noticed that Dr. Sanders sniffed the air tentatively before stepping fully inside.“Ryan…” The Deloris opened her arms with a delighted grin. “Come here, baby. We won’t bite.”“Speak for yourself.” Stan drawled, earning himself an elbow from Jeremy. “Ouch.” But he didn’t even flinch. His amused gaze remained on Ryan.“You must be enjoying it here.” Deloris drew a grinning Ryan into a warm motherly hug. “You look great.”“I’m enjoying it very much.” Ryan sighed, hugging her back. “I’ve missed you.”“Same darling. Same.” She gushed. “Everyone says hi. Your mother says to tell you she’s missed you and needs to hear your voice more.” Deloris added with a frown
***“He’s a man, Stanley.” Mama Cora said with an incredulous look. “That’s the most ridiculous analogy ever.”“Just saying,” Stan murmured with a shrug.“Actually, I’ve thought of it.” Dr. Sanders muttered.“Me too,” Jeremy grumbled. “I mean there was what happened with Nash. Then the guys on the Island. Then the alphas…”“The alphas?” Both Stan and Deloris asked with a shocked look.“Uh-huh.” Jeremy nodded. “That day we went to meet the alphas…they were all drawn to Ryan. Wanted to be around him…talk to him… It was almost as if there was a force that was…”“How many days ago was that?” Dr. Sanders asked with a frown.“Six days ago,” Jeremy answered.“Any peculiar irresistible scent…odour?”“Yes actually.” Jeremy groaned. “All I need to do is get a whiff of that mouthwatering scent. Then I’m ready to go no matter the time or place or how exhausted I am.”“Can you remember when you started smelling it?” The doctor pulled out a tablet from his bag and began to scribble away.Dr. Sander
***Jeremy smirked as he watched the chopper land in the clearing. Trust Stan to go for the chopper he thought, amused. Ryan was still asleep after keeping him awake throughout the night. He hoped the three experts who were getting out of the chopper would help him understand what was happening with his mate.“What the fuck happened to you?” Stan shouted with a concerned look as he jumped out of the chopper whose blades were still whirling.“What do you mean what happened to me?” Jeremy frowned with confusion.“You look sick, man,” Stan stated bluntly as he strolled towards Jeremy. “You look like you haven’t had any food or any sleep in weeks. What the fuck is going on?” He asked, giving Jeremy a one-armed hug.“I feel fine, asshole.” Jeremy growled, extending his hand to shake Dr. Sanders’. “How are you doc?” He smiled at the head physician of Stanwood pack.“I’m good, Alpha.” The elderly doctor responded, observing Jeremy warily.“See the way he’s looking at you?” Stan rasped. “You
***“Please, Jer.” Ryan whimpered, feeling his whole body tremble with aftershocks. Even those were intense. “No more…”“One more,” Jeremy murmured as he leaned down to lick Ryan’s wound close. “I want you to come one more time.” He took Ryan’s lips again in a tender kiss. Then he raised his head to look down into Ryan’s pleasure-ravaged face. Damn, he loved watching Ryan lose it. “Wrap your legs around me, baby.” The alpha of alphas’ voice oozed so much sexiness Ryan moaned and did as instructed, giving himself over to the pleasure that he was already feeling along his spine.This time, Jeremy made mad, slow, passionate, sweet love to his mate. He expertly stroked his cock inside him, rubbing over and over that tender bundle of nerves that pulsed with so much sensation Ryan drooled. They moved in unison, so in tune with each other’s needs. Each gave exactly what the other craved. They were totally in sync with each other, making their love-making intense, erotic, and breathtakingly s