STORY EXCERPT

He could sense Nathan following swiftly behind him. Ryan was bigger and faster. He slowed down on purpose, even if he didn’t mean to, until Nathan caught up with him. The submissive wolf nipped his fur. Nathan was playful today, Ryan noticed. In response, he swatted Nathan’s muzzle.

The submissive wolf glared. How cute. Ryan took off again. Nathan did an impressive job of catching up with him, despite Ryan knowing Nathan didn’t possess as much stamina as he did. As Beta of his small pack, Ryan always needed to be in top shape. It was part of his responsibilities to protect any member of the pack, to serve as a good soldier.

Sometimes, he wondered what else was there for him. In the past, Noel used to work hard for the pack. With Kian in the picture, Noel now cared for his mate and pack. Seeing his brother and his brother’s mate sometimes made him look at Nathan differently.

What would it be like, to take a strong-willed werewolf like Nathan?

Oh, Ryan knew Nathan didn’t just possess a sharp tongue. Nathan might appear tough on the outside—the submissive wolf had to be strong for both himself and his younger brother—but Ryan saw glimpses of Nathan’s other side, a tender side Nathan only showed to him when he was feeling dangerous.

Without realizing it, Ryan had taken the path leading to the old facility. He came to a sudden stop on the cliff overlooking Alpine Industries’ abandoned testing labs. This had been a place of nightmares, of misery.

The humans set up the lab even before Ryan and his pack arrived in Blue Moon. This lab was the reason why Nathan’s old pack Alpha had decided to investigate and in the end, made the wrong decisions.

Ryan wondered if Allie was in a facility just like this one. Recalling the abandoned medical equipment, the cages, and the torture devices made him see red again. Ryan wanted nothing more than to sink his fangs into one of these humans. Better yet, he’d kill them all, except there was nothing here.

God knew they scouted the facility for clues plenty of times. Nathan slid closer until their coats brushed against each other. Ryan lost some of his intensity and hatred. He was ashamed of himself for nearly losing control of his animal. It had been a long time since that happened.

Not wanting to linger there any longer, Ryan broke into a run again. It gave him relief and comfort that Nathan tailed behind him, letting him take the lead. Ryan led them to an open clearing near a spring. He lay down, exhausted.

Nathan joined him. The submissive wolf rolled on his stomach and shifted. Once he was human again, Nathan placed a hand over his eyes and looked upward, skyward.

“Plenty of stars out tonight,” Nathan remarked.

Ryan was on the fence. Should he shift back to human, too?

That wasn’t the best decision to make. Sitting so close to Nathan, Nathan’s tantalizing scents caressed his nostrils. Didn’t Nathan know how tempting he looked like this? A thin sheen of sweat covered Nathan’s lean body. Ryan wanted nothing more than to lick and explore every inch of his prize.

Wait. Nathan wasn’t his prize or his anything really, just a guest of the pack. A respectable host didn’t think of dirty thoughts when it came to their guest. Still, Nathan didn’t need to turn back to human.

“Ryan? Are you still awake?” Nathan gently raked his fingers through his fur.

Ryan let out a warning snarl, but the submissive wolf didn’t get the message. Nathan kept stroking him. That was nice, Ryan decided. He placed his muzzle on Nathan’s chest, watching Nathan from the corner of his eye while Nathan continued looking at the sky.

“I remember Kian being interested in astronomy. It was merely a fad, but we saved up to get him a decent telescope anyway. After he got sick of it, I started using it. I wonder where that telescope’s at.”

Ryan paused. When Alpine Industries sent bounty hunters after Nathan and the survivors of Nathan’s former pack, Nathan and the rest had to leave everything behind to run.

“You know,” Nathan drawled. “I feel like I’m talking to myself. Then again, you prefer being a wolf more than a man, don’t you?”

Ryan of course, couldn’t say anything.

“That’s fine,” Nathan murmured.

There was disappointment in the submissive wolf’s voice. Ryan was still close to losing control. It would be so easy to claim Nathan as his mate. God knew Ryan had fantasized about what he wanted to do to Nathan’s sweet and sexy body.

You only live once. Those had been Noel’s parting words. Ryan had a feeling his brother was talking about Nathan. Every other member of the pack assumed they were an item, despite not doing anything. Ryan was a coward. Fuck, he’d never backed away from a challenge his entire life and yet here he was, afraid to start something with Nathan. Nathan was exactly that.

After Nathan’s parents died when he was young, Nathan took over raising his brother. Since then, Nathan had been watching over Kian. However, it was Noel’s job to do that. Certain he was making a decision he would soon regret, Ryan shifted.

He had enough of hiding and avoiding because a predator didn’t act like prey. Rolling on top of Nathan, he straddled the submissive wolf, pinning Nathan’s arms above his head. Ryan breathed hard. Fuck. He was doing this wrong, and he knew it, but he had trouble holding on to logic. Nathan simply smelled too good, and the feel of their skin touching was incredible.

“Finally,” Nathan said. The submissive wolf didn’t look scared or apprehensive like he should.

“Stop baiting me, I’m not warning you again.” Hell. Those weren’t the words Ryan really wanted to say, but there was no taking them back now.

“Baiting you? You agreed to go for a run, or did you forget?”

This little wolf certainly had guts. It was time to remind Nathan who the dominant was in this arrangement.

“You want me, little wolf? Here I am.”

ADULT EXCERPT

They were night and day, exact opposites, but with Ryan around, the world felt like a different place altogether.

“No answer for me? Here I thought you never ran out of words to say,” Ryan remarked.

Ryan’s words dragged him back to reality. Nathan had trouble thinking, especially with the firm muscles of Ryan’s torso rubbing against his. Their chests touched, so did their groins, and his cock was growing hard by the second. Nathan never hid his interest, but this was downright shameful. He was acting like some young and horny wolf pup.

Miraculously, Nathan’s tongue worked. “You placed me in a difficult position. How do you expect me to answer when you’re on top of me and holding me down?”

“Tell me to fuck off and I won’t touch you again,” Ryan said.

The dominant wolf held his wrists down. The grip was firm, but not bruising. Nathan always liked being tied up occasionally during sex. Not that any guy he ever dated was this overwhelming.

Some part of him had forgotten what exactly Ryan was. Ryan’s pupils turned yellow. Most of the time, the dominant wolf hid his emotions well, but something had changed tonight because there was nothing but lethal hunger there. Nathan felt the same.

Weeks of playing this hot and cold game wore him out. It served only to build the tension between them.

Ryan leaned in, sniffing and licking the side of his neck. He groaned when Ryan nipped at his racing pulse. “I can’t hear you.”

“I don’t scare easy.” Despite the bold words, he didn’t feel the least bit brave. Nathan thought he knew who he wanted, but he finally understood whatever this was, there was no going back. This wasn’t a hook-up or anything temporary. The heat between them burned too hot.

“Kiss me,” Nathan whispered, terrified Ryan would reject him.

It turned out he had nothing to worry about. Ryan sealed their lips together and ignited the fire inside them, turning it into an inferno. It wasn’t a gentle kiss. Ryan kissed rough and hard, exactly how Nathan wanted it. Their tongues and teeth tangled.

Keeping one hand on his wrists, Ryan moved his hand down the length of his body. Nathan shivered when Ryan’s fingertips brushed against his left nipple, giving the bud a tug. The slight pain only added an additional edge to the pressure building inside him. God. They hadn’t even done anything and yet Nathan could shoot right there and then.

He held back, not wanting to spoil the moment. Ryan found his dick and started to stroke.  He found himself thrusting his hips into Ryan’s waiting hand. The dominant wolf pulled his mouth away, gaze never leaving his. That was so intense, the way Ryan continued to look at him like he was something worth devouring in bite-sized pieces.

“You like my hand wrapped around your needy cock, pet?” Ryan whispered against his ear, making him shudder.

“You know I do.”

“Is that all you want, a handjob?”

Nathan swallowed. “No.”

“Tell me.”

Who was this playful and gorgeous man? Was this how Ryan was once he took down all his barriers?

Blushing, Nathan did. He didn’t know how long this mood would last, but he planned to take advantage of every second Ryan was like this. “I want your cock in me.”

“Do you now?”

“Yes. Please.”

“Please,” Ryan mused. “I like that word.”

“Please fuck me, with a cherry on top?” Nathan asked.

Laughter bubbled out of Ryan’s mouth, unexpected and carefree. Dumbfounded, he could only stare. The Beta should laugh more often. It was such a nice sound. Ryan had a handsome smile, too, but those were only reserved for special moments. It was understandable. Nathan wouldn’t know what to do if their positions were reserved and Kian had been taken by Alpine Industries for experimentation.

“Not yet. I want to hear you scream out my name.”

Ryan worked his dick faster, pumping up and down. Just when Nathan was about to blow, Ryan swiped the pre-cum off his dick and licked it away. The sight was beyond arousing. He groaned, but Ryan gave his prick a warning squeeze.

“No coming without my permission,” Ryan warned.

He whined. “That’s hard.”

“Do it for me.”

“Do I get a prize?” Nathan asked with a grin, but he soon lost his train of thought. Ryan glided his fist around his dick faster, and Nathan knew he would no longer be able to hold back his orgasm if this continued.

“Maybe.” Ryan thumbed away the pre-cum on his tip and gave it a squeeze. Nathan was so close, and Ryan must have sensed it, too, because the dominant wolf said, “Give me your surrender, Nathan. Do it.”

The pressure inside him burst. With a cry, Nathan exploded, coating Ryan’s hand with his seed. Despite his haze-filled mind, shock registered when Ryan lifted his wet hand to his lips and licked. Desperate to have a taste of the two of them, Nathan grabbed Ryan’s hand and licked it dry. The big wolf chuckled.

“Are you going to fuck me now?” Nathan asked.