STORY EXCERPT

Bane Orion opened his apartment door and tossed his keys onto the table by the door. He was not cut out to be a babysitter. It was so much simpler to sit and click away on his computer and deal with pack stuff than to spend time with a hormonal she-wolf. It made him extremely happy that he was gay and didn’t have to deal with any females except his mother and Mrs. Sutton.

Ding!

Tension knotted between Bane’s eyes. He knew who the text would be from. Thumbing the screen, he quickly read the message and sighed.

Today?

If there was ever a fucked-up situation, it was this one. Promises, angry words, deception, and begging had created this horrible mess. And every day Bane’s anger and frustration took its toll on his body. All because of one night. One night that had gone horribly wrong.

As he hit reply, he walked into his office and stopped short.

“Son of a bitch.” The room was trashed. His computer was gone, his file cabinets were empty, and papers were strewn across every surface of the room. Whoever had been in his place was good. When he had arrived home there had been no sign of forced entry, the apartment was as he had left it that morning and whoever had entered only touched the office. What they had wanted, though, was what worried Bane. Thankfully, there wasn’t anything except game files on the stolen computer.

Ding!

Looking down at the screen, he sighed. Nothing was sacred. He always knew.

What happened? Your wolf got startled.

“I can’t talk now,” he responded, and called Teague next.

Whoever searched his office hadn’t found anything, to Bane’s knowledge. His external drive was at the pack office in the safe. He always locked it up each night. The files in his apartment were his personal ones. There was nothing here of any importance.

“What’s up?” Teague answered.

“It could be nothing. But somebody broke into my place and trashed my office.”

“Fuck!”

“It’s cool, bro. I’m gonna call the sheriff to be all by-the-book, but I can say with about ninety-nine percent certainty they left with nothing but frustration.”

“Need me there?”

“Nah, I’m a big, bad beta, I can handle myself and this mess,” Bane assured him. “I’ll wait for the deputies to arrive and let them look around.”

“Any scents?” Teague asked. A faint baby’s cry sounded in the background.

“No, nothing. Go back to your baby, bro. I’ll update you after the report is filed.”

“I don’t like this, Bane.”

Bane chuckled despite the tension of the situation. “Brother, there isn’t much you do like. Why should this be any different?”

“Fuck off.”

“Not a chance,” Bane fired back, and hung up the phone.

Ding!

What is happening? Why won’t you tell me? Do I need to come home?

Sighing, Bane closed his eyes and tried to find his patience.

No, everything is fine. Just stay away. He hated typing it, but this was the way it needed to be. They couldn’t be around each other. It was just the way it had to be.

Bane turned, heading toward the living room to call the sheriff’s office, and never saw the swing of the bat that slammed into his head and knocked him out cold. His phone flew across the room and started going wild.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

* * * *

The explosion of pain that slammed through Cole Sutton’s chest after he sent his last text dropped him to the floor. His classmates rushed to his side in the middle of lecture hall. Cole knew his classmates were trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Everybody had gathered where he had dropped to the ground, but he was sure no one could figure out what had happened. To the unknown, it likely appeared as if he was having an anxiety attack.

One moment he was sitting and taking down the professor’s notes like everyone else, all while sneaking looks at his phone and texting. The next moment, he shouted out, fell to the floor, and was gasping for breath.

Cole’s wolf was panicking at the pain and scratching to get out. Security was called, then he was transported to the university health center.

“Where’s my phone?” Cole gasped as they laid him out on an exam cushion. His vision was turning spotty.

“It’s in your pocket, Cole,” the medical assistant replied.

“Call my brother, Teague Sutton,” Cole panted. The pain was intense, and he couldn’t hold on much longer. He felt like he was going to pass out at any second.

“We can do that.”

“No, now, please.”

The medical assistant took out the phone and swiped it open. She quickly found his contacts and dialed Teague’s number.

“Put it to my ear,” Cole asked, barely able to catch his breath.

“What’s up, brother, you never call me?” Teague answered.

“Teague,” Cole gasped. “Find Bane....something happened....hurt.”

Then Cole passed out.

ADULT EXCERPT

This was it. He was going to do this. He had to leave for college in three days, and he was finally of legal age. Nobody would care, nobody would get in trouble, and he could finally make a move on Bane Orion.

He had snuck out of the house after everyone had gone to bed, a miracle to accomplish with his mother and her weird alpha senses. All of his brothers no longer lived at home except him. Even Beau lived in the enforcer housing since he had bombed at college. Cole now had one mission: to get into Bane’s bed. He had wanted the man forever, it seemed. Plus, if he wasn’t missing signs, Bane felt something for him, too. Every once in a while, he would feel like he was being watched and would glance up to find Bane looking quickly somewhere else.

Yeah, the man was a walking wet dream. Not as tall as Teague, Bane had a physique that was more lean and contoured than bulky muscle. His hair begged to be stroked or grabbed in passion, and Cole dreamed of being the person to do that. Even though the man was ten years older than him, Cole didn’t care. Fate didn’t care about ages, as far as he was concerned. He hadn’t matured in his scent, he probably wouldn’t for a number of years yet, but he knew deep down in his soul that Fate would gift him the man he desired.

Bane didn’t lock his doors. He said that Suncrest wasn’t a dangerous place to live, so he didn’t need to bother. When Cole had heard that, he began this plan for his birthday. The walk to Bane’s apartment wasn’t far from where his family’s house was on the edge of the pack forest. He approached the door quietly, and ever so slowly turned the knob on the door.

It was dark inside, so hopefully Bane was in bed asleep. Creeping quietly down the hall to the bedroom, Cole glanced inside to see a sight better than he could imagine. A sheet low on Bane’s hips revealed the man was nude, and the twilight shone through the window, making Bane’s golden body look like an offering. Cole stripped quietly and approached the bed. His nerves were attempting to get the best of him by causing his body to quake with anticipation. He truly hoped he wasn’t wrong about Bane’s attraction to him. Slowly, he lifted the sheet and slid in next to the warm heat of Bane’s body. He cuddled close and tucked his face into Bane’s neck, inhaling deeply. He couldn’t resist licking the skin in front of him. The flavor just from that singular taste was enough to make Cole moan. Before he could do it again, he found himself smothered by Bane’s hard body and firm lips crushing down onto his own.

His already hard dick managed to harden more when he felt the weight of Bane’s body on top of his and the thick ridge of the man’s erection pressed firmly to his belly. Cole couldn’t see Bane’s eyes, but his lips moved with intention. They pressed and nibbled before his tongue pressed against Cole’s for entry. The slick appendage slipped into Cole’s mouth and he sucked on it, savoring Bane’s unique flavor.

Cole didn’t know where to put his hands, so he settled for stroking them down Bane’s muscular back. He was shorter than Bane and could only reach so far, but he really wanted to touch the shaft pulsing against him. Pushing gently, he was surprised when Bane tumbled to his back with no argument. The moon shone down through the window onto the man’s face, revealing that Bane’s eyes were still closed in sleep. Disappointment filled Cole. The man had kissed him like he was his whole world and had been asleep! That just wouldn’t do.

Starting at Bane’s collarbone, he kissed and nipped his way down Bane’s body. He flicked the tight nipples on each side of his chest hoping for a response. He got one. Bane’s legs shifted and a soft moan filled the quiet bedroom. Cole smiled and flicked them again before stroking with his hands and mouth down towards the thick erection resting against Bane’s belly.

Hesitation set in. This was a big deal. Cole had only ever snuck glances at dirty magazines and online porn. The fact that he hadn’t run from the room like the scared virgin he was surprised the hell out of him. Kissing and stroking Bane had obviously had an effect on the man even in sleep, and now Cole’s mouth watered just thinking about sucking the length into his mouth. Taking the shaft in his hand, he stroked the hard steel gently. Though larger in size than his own dick, Cole figured if he did what felt good to himself, it was all the same. However, the tip looked like a succulent treat. He moved to kneel between Bane’s spread legs and held the shaft up straight before slowly licking the head. His first taste of the pre-cum was cool and bitter, but Cole decided it wasn’t horrible. He licked the head again hoping for another taste before wrapping his mouth around the warm bulb and sucking lightly. A hand gripped his hair, causing Cole to jump, but the hand only pushed down, encouraging him to take more of the length into his mouth.

“What have you gotten yourself into, Cole?” Bane’s voice whispered. Cole’s stomach jolted upon realizing that Bane had awoken and caught him. But some insane part of him didn’t care. This is what he wanted: to be with Bane. “If I wasn’t half asleep and fucking hard as hell right now, I’d beat your ass for this.”

Cole popped off his dick and looked up at the eyes he loved. “Don’t make me go. I’ve wanted you for so fucking long.”