STORY EXCERPT

The male brought out his claws. His dark eyes flashed to something meaner, something a lot more dangerous—

“You’re going to get the hell out of here, or else I’m going to—”

“Do nothing at all!”

Nathan had a……reaction to that voice.

A reaction he definitely wasn’t proud of, and for the first time since that stupid bear trap got his leg, he was grateful for it.

At least the blood loss meant he wasn’t going to get a hard-on.

But……how? He didn’t think he could be more horrified. Even with the lack of blood, the hairs on the back of his neck still stood on end. Goosebumps formed along his arms and legs.

That voice kissed a long, sensual line down his spine, and meanwhile, he was being held in the arms by the man he’d already mated with. A man he already loved and had left his pride for.

How fucked up was that? It shamed and embarrassed him that he was so disloyal, that he was so fickle, that he would immediately feel a pull of lust and attraction to just a voice.

The only voice he should have felt that for was Marcus.

The voice left him so dazed, and with his injury adding to the problem, he barely had the chance to look up and see who it was who came into the folds.

Another large male. The sort of guy who made Fabio look plain, and Nathan had a love for those old romance novel covers.

Not that Marcus ever let him forget it.

Rambo over there was glaring red eyes of fire at the man, trying to assert his own authority in a way that only a male who was not in charge could do.

“They don’t belong here. We can barely feed our own as it is.”

Yeah, Rambo had definitely lied about being the male in charge. There was no way he should have been the one to talk like that if he had any real power here.

The other male, the Adonis—Christ, what a stereotype—took one look at them.

Marcus cleared his throat, as though he was also put under a spell of sorts.

He stepped forward.

“We won’t stay. Things were tight in my pack, too, and his pride wasn’t much better. We understand. We won’t accept any food or money, but please, I just want his ankle cleaned and bandaged. We will go right after that and find another pack or pride who can take us.”

Marcus had always sounded so confident before. Even when he was going up against alphas he knew overpowered him, there had always been something about him, an authority that came with knowing he was the smartest guy in the room.

Now, he just sounded small and desperate. Nathan hated that he was the reason for that, and he hated it even more that he couldn’t bring himself to not feel lust for a guy he didn’t know.

So he looked away from the blond-haired Fabio, and pressed his face into Marcus’s chest, taking in the man’s scent, the sight of his scars, scars he’d gotten fighting with the lions of Nathan’s former pride whenever he got caught sneaking onto their property.

Nathan wasn’t disloyal! He wasn’t that sort of partner! He wasn’t even going to let it get to that point.

“When did this happen?”

“About five hours ago.”

Really? That long?

“I think he’s getting sick.”

Nathan still wouldn’t look at the man, but he could feel all the gears turning.

“All right, bring him in. I can introduce you to William and the others. We’ll take care of his wounds.”

“Thank you.” Nathan hadn’t heard Marcus sound so relieved before. Not even on the day Nathan agreed to run away with him. “Thank you so much.”

“We are full,” Rambo said with a growl.

“Belmont, shut the fuck up. You’re not in charge.”

And thank God he wasn’t.

Nathan had no idea what was going on in this pack, or who was actually in charge, who William was, but there was clearly some deep shit happening that needed taken care of.

That was fine. They wouldn’t be staying for long, and Nathan wouldn’t be looking at that blond anymore. He could keep to himself, stay in bed, in the barn, or wherever they put him until he was better, and then he and Marcus were going to leave.

Together. Like they’d planned.

“We won’t be any trouble,” Marcus promised.

“It’s no trouble at all,” said the blond, clearly more welcoming than Rambo had been. “We will do what we can. Just come with us and we will get that taken care of before it gets infected.”

That stupid voice sounded too good! Why did Nathan have to like it so much? Why did his body have to react like this when he was already in love with someone else?

And he was in love with Marcus. There was no doubt in his mind about that. No doubts that this was his mate and he’d made the right decision.

He looked up at the man who had risked so much for him. Every scar on his chest, and even the many more he couldn’t see on Marcus’s back, were all proof of his love for Nathan.

“I love you,” Nathan said, needing to hear himself say it, wanting to affirm it to Marcus that he was loyal to him, and not to some other wolf with golden hair and a voice that would have made him hard, probably made him come, if he weren’t feeling so cold and sick.

Marcus looked down at him, those grey eyes soft and warm and everything Nathan wanted.

“I love you, too. Try not to move around too much. We’re getting help.”

Nathan did not deserve this man.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Zane will take you this time. Gotta break him in, I guess.”

He smiled when he said it, but Nathan could sense the intensity the other male felt, the struggle that consumed him.

Somehow, he still managed to hold himself together, doing it for Nathan’s sake.

Nathan was partially glad that he could sense that struggle, that he was so in tune with Marcus’s inner pain and determination.

Because it meant they really were still mated. This wasn’t just in Nathan’s head.

He kissed Marcus harder, crushing their lips together, enjoying the shock he felt in Marcus’s mouth, but the other male easily melted into it.

Nathan didn’t get too many chances to take charge. Marcus was only a beta, and he was all right with switching roles from time to time, but he still fell into the role of topping, of being the dominant one.

Nathan was glad to be able to take over the role for now. And maybe he would need to stay in that role if he was going to convince his mate that they were all right.

They were still solid.

In fact, Marcus seemed a little dazed when he pulled back from the kiss, a blinking smile on his face. “What was that about?”

Nathan shrugged. “Just showing you that I love you, and you’re mine when he’s done with me.”

Marcus’s eyes flew wide. He looked at Nathan as though he’d never really seen him before, and that was more than all right with him.

“Am I going to get a show? Because I must admit, that looked nice.”

Marcus growled at Zane for that, but the blush on his face betrayed the lust he felt.

“Well?” Zane asked.

Marcus cleared his throat, pulling his fingers free, inching himself down the bed.

“All right, but you don’t get to rub this in my face later.”

“I’d rather you rubbed his face into him, if you catch my drift,” Zane said.

Nathan couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Zane climbed onto the bed. “You’re loving every minute of it. No, no, don’t move.”

He settled behind Nathan while Marcus fell to his knees.

It seemed they were switching roles, but both men were also clearly determined to keep Nathan from moving as much as possible.

“It’s only my ankle that’s the problem,” he said.

Marcus pressed a gentle kiss to the healing wound. “And we intend to keep you off it until you’re all better.”

“Just relax now,” Zane said, and for a minute, it almost sounded as though he was purring, too. “You’re in good hands.”

It turned out, he was.

Not that Nathan thought Zane was lying to him, but he’d worried that this was happening too soon. That Marcus and Zane weren’t at a place where they would be all right with sharing with each other.

It turned out that a mating heat didn’t care about those kinds of things.

A mating heat didn’t give a damn if two of the three people involved were on the same level yet.

It only cared about being satisfied.

And satisfy him, they did.

Zane pushed slick fingers into Nathan’s hole, as though making sure for himself that the job had been done right.

Nathan barely had the chance to enjoy that before those fingers wiggled around a bit and were pulled away, replaced by something much thicker, and so much hotter.

He moaned at the initial resistance his body felt to the intrusion, but then, Lord have mercy, he was in.

He was in and he was going to be all right because…damn.

Nathan wiggled around as Zane’s cock pushed inch by inch inside him. Stretching him wide, making him burn.

He came all over Marcus’s face while the man had been licking and teasing Nathan’s testicles.

Marcus pulled back, eyes wide, white on his cheek and even a little on his forehead.

“Oh my God,” Nathan said, moaning with the pleasure of being filled, and barely containing the humiliation, and hilarity, of what he’d just seen.

Yeah, that was pretty good.

Marcus wiped his face clean, glaring at Nathan, though there wasn’t much heat in it.

“I’ll get you back for that one later,” he said.

“L-looking forward to it,” Nathan said with a deep groan. His eyes slid shut, his spine bowing as Zane fucked into him, breathing deeply, hotly against the back of his neck and shoulder.

It felt too good. It felt like he wasn’t just home, but that he was complete.

He thrust his ass back against the movement of Zane’s hips. He tried to keep as much pressure off his bad ankle while digging his feet into the rug beneath him, but it was difficult.

The first time he’d been with Marcus, it felt as though he’d found a piece of himself he hadn’t even known was missing. Something that had seemed so wrong to be without.

Now that Zane was here, inside him, growling filthy things into his ear while making Nathan bounce on his lap, it almost felt like he was flying.

Meanwhile, Marcus kissed his thighs, stroking around Nathan’s cock and testicles before finally putting him out of his misery.

Then he really was in the clouds.