POCKET-SIZED PRINCE

STORY EXCERPT

The wheels of the private Learjet set down, and Zack felt his heartbeat stutter just as the wheels did when they hit the tarmac. He pulled at his collar again, feeling like the tie was tightening around his throat.

This was it.

The jet slowed and then gradually turned toward the private hanger where Zack waited. The airport was small but so were the town and the pack. They had a mere sixty-one members and were one of the smaller packs in the Northwestern Shifter Territory. And that was a lot of territory. It consisted of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Zack liked having a smaller pack. He knew each member by first name. He knew who they were related to, who was having pups, what couples were mating, and when a member needed a little extra attention. He knew the members of his pack like they were in his very own family, and to him, they were.

He just hoped it stayed that way.

There was no telling what the new alpha would do. Most alphas cleaned house when they took over a pack. Sometimes, members were banished or killed in challenges. Other times, new members were brought in.

Things didn’t always turn out for the best.

Zack had lost his own parents when Dawson took over as alpha. They had been banished from the pack because they openly disagreed with the man when he outlawed their right to mate with humans. His parents had been forced to join another pack several hundred miles away. Zack had been an adult and was not allowed to leave with his parents. He hadn’t even been allowed to see them in the last ten years.

Maybe the new alpha would change things.

Maybe not.

Zack stood up straighter and dropped his hands, clasping them behind his back, as the jet pulled to a stop in front of him. He’d be lying if he said his heart wasn’t beating a little faster and his throat wasn’t drying up like the Sahara Desert as the door opened and a set of stairs lowered.

His throat grew even dryer when a tall man stepped out of the plane. He wasn’t dressed as Zack thought a new alpha coming to meet his new pack would have been dressed. Where there should have been a suit, instead there were tight, faded jeans, a short-sleeved black T-shirt, and black leather boots.

No matter how the man was dressed, though, he was still Zack’s alpha and deserved his respect. “Alpha Khenti.” Zack nodded when the man reached the bottom of the stairs.

The man pulled down his dark sunglasses with a single finger in the middle of the frame, and peered over the top edge at Zack. “Afraid not, dog boy.”

Zack pressed his lips tightly together. For one, he didn’t want to open his mouth and give credence to the insult just handed to him, even if it was to deny it. For two, Zack suddenly understood who this man was even if he had never met him before. He was an enforcer. He had to be.

If he was a council enforcer, Zack could be in a shitload of trouble. No one crossed a council enforcer and lived to tell the tale. It just wasn’t a smart thing to do. Zack nodded to the man, trying to seem as unthreatening as he possibly could. At six foot three, that was usually pretty hard to do. With this man, who stood several inches taller than he did, it wasn’t so hard.

Zack actually felt a little intimidated.

“Who are you?” the man asked.

“Zack Evens, sir. I was sent by the Aberdeen Pack to greet the new alpha and take him back to pack territory.”

“Identification?”

Really?

Zack pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled his driver’s license out. He handed it to the man and then waited, hoping that he passed whatever security measures were in place.

The man that held his ID looked at it for a moment, and then looked at Zack. And then he lifted his wrist to his mouth and began speaking into a bracelet that looked like it was made of black Paracord, stating Zack’s name and giving his description. Communication device?

Cool.

The man apparently heard what he wanted to hear because after a moment, he nodded and then handed Zack back his license. Zack breathed a sigh of relief as he placed his ID back into his wallet and then put his wallet back into his back pocket.

He glanced up toward the doorway leading into the airplane, wondering where his new alpha was, and then back to the man just staring at him as if he was waiting for something.

Zack felt like a bug on a windshield. He didn’t want to be standing on the tarmac like a damn idiot. He’d rather get the new alpha home and then go off to do—pretty much anything else.

“Well, boys?” came a voice from the doorway, catching Zack’s attention. “Are we done measuring the size of our dicks?” One perfectly manicured eyebrow lifted as a smirk crossed the small man’s face. “Because I can assure you, mine is bigger.”

Zack’s jaw started to drop as he gazed up at the man standing at the top of the stairs. He was dressed simply enough—a white button-down dress shirt and a pair of faded jeans. He even wore a pair of black biker boots like the enforcer—complete with silver wolf heads on each side.

Zack’s jaw continued to unhinge as the man swaggered down the steps, dropping just a little further with each gentle sway of the man’s hips. By the time the golden man reached the tarmac, Zack’s jaw felt like it rested on his chest.

“I’m Ibenré Khenti, but you may refer to me as Iben.” The man held out his hand like he was just a regular guy and not the new alpha of Aberdeen Pack. “I’m the new alpha.”

ADULT EXCERPT

“Alpha, I wanted to—”

Zack’s words faded as Iben looked down at the hand the man had wrapped around his arm. Zack’s skin felt so warm against his, so alive. Iben could hear the rapid pounding of the man’s heart in his chest, hear him swallow as he gathered his courage together. Iben was pretty sure he could even hear the blood pumping through Zack’s veins.

The innocent touch was too much for Iben. After years of denying himself the simplest of touches, and then being faced with a man so beautiful that he made Iben’s teeth ache, he could no longer control himself.

Not when Zack was touching him.

Iben growled as his wolf took control. He swung around and grabbed Zack, taking him down to the soft grass as gently, but as swiftly as he could. He was up and over Zack before the man could even let out an exclamation of surprise.

Iben straddled Zack and leaned down to capture the man’s mouth with his own in a kiss that fed his hungry soul. Zack’s unique taste blasted across his senses like a safety rope to a drowning man.

Iben groaned as he swept his tongue inside of Zack’s mouth and began to explore, dipping and licking with his tongue. He grabbed the edges of Zack’s shirt and pulled, glorying in the sound of fabric ripping.

The skin that was exposed when Iben tossed the edges of the man’s shirt aside was more glorious than even Iben had expected. Muscular pecs and strong abs gave way to a perfect arrow leading to the edge of Zack’s jeans. And a small trail of black hair made a trail from Zack’s belly button to just under his waistband.

Iben needed to know where that trail led to more than he had ever needed anything in his life. He reached down and unbuttoned Zack’s jeans and spread the fabric to the sides, revealing the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

Iben’s breath caught in his throat as he stroked his fingers over Zack’s full, erect cock. He felt Zack’s fingers dig into his arms and quickly looked up in alarm. When his eyes met Zack’s, the man’s hands fell away and he tilted his head back, baring his throat.

Iben’s wolf howled in victory at Zack’s submissive gesture. It was all Iben could do to keep his claws retracted as he unbuttoned his own jeans and pulled out his hard cock. When he leaned in and pressed their cocks together, the need building inside of Iben pulled a deep feral growl from his throat.

“Zack,” he whispered as he started stroking his hand over their combined erections. He leaned down and licked a line up the side of Zack’s throat, careful to keep from biting Zack. When he claimed his mate, he wanted to do it in a bed, not on the grass for anyone to see them.

But nothing said he couldn’t take the edge off right now.

They both needed it. Iben could feel it. Zack was panting softly, his hips flexing as Iben stroked him. The smell of Zack’s arousal was so thick that Iben was swimming in it. He licked at Zack’s neck again, scraping his teeth over the tender flesh.

Damn, it was all Iben could do not to claim Zack now. His wolf was more than ready. Only the strong scent of Zack’s arousal kept the wolf at bay. It was enough to calm the wolf and let them know that their mate was here in their arms.

Soon, Iben promised his wolf. He’d help take the edge off for both of them and then take Zack up to his room and claim him the way both he and his wolf wanted. Zack would be theirs forever.

Just that thought was enough to bring Iben to the edge of a mind-blowing orgasm. He wanted Zack to go with him. With that need in mind, Iben stroked harder, faster, moving his thumb over the small slit at the head of Zack’s dick.

He sank his teeth into Zack’s tender flesh, not enough to break the skin but just hard enough to leave a mark that would tell anyone who saw it that Zack belonged to him. The red mark satisfied his wolf enough to allow Iben control once again.

JULIAN’S HAPPY PLACE

STORY EXCERPT

Djal slipped around the side of the house then pressed his large body back against the large, two-story, wooden building. He closed his eyes and prayed when he heard the quick patter of feet running past his hiding position. He opened his eyes a moment later and held his breath as he watched Julian hurry past him as if he was invisible.

And he wished he was.

This thing with Julian was really getting out of hand. If the man wasn’t trying to chase Djal down, he was staring mooneyes at him. Djal had barely had a minute to himself in two weeks. If something didn’t change soon, Djal was going to strangle the little guy.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Julian, because he did. Julian was cute, and he made Djal laugh. But every time Julian looked at him, he had daydreams in his eyes, and that just wasn’t who Djal was. He didn’t sleep with every Tom, Dick, and Harry that came around, but he liked keeping his options open.

Julian wanted commitment. He wanted a mate, and he wanted Djal to be that mate. Everyone knew it. Djal felt like he had become the butt of everyone’s laughter over the last two weeks. And just because he had tried to comfort the guy after he had been kidnapped and attacked by his ex.

Djal knew he made a mistake when he offered comfort to the man. He knew it when he did it. It should have simply been the beta of the pack—Djal—comforting a pack member—Julian—as was his duty.

It had turned into far more, and now Djal was paying the price. It had gotten to the point where he was avoiding pack gatherings just so that he wouldn’t run into Julian. The guy was sweet, maybe too sweet. There was a gentle nature about Julian that called to every protective instinct Djal had and maybe a few he didn’t even know he had.

Djal wanted to wrap Julian up in bubble wrap so the world couldn’t hurt him. And that was dangerous—to Djal, to Julian, and to the pack. Djal had no doubt that if he gave into the crawling need that ate away at him every time he smelled Julian’s alluring scent, he would forsake everything in order to keep the man safe, even his duty to his alpha and their pack.

And in all of the years that he knew Alpha Iben Khenti, Djal had never let the man down. He wasn’t about to start now, and that meant staying as far away from his cute little pack mate as he possibly could—no matter how much he wanted to taste Julian’s sweetness again.

When the sounds of Julian’s footsteps faded, Djal blew out a frustrated breath and pushed himself away from the side of the house. He cast a quick glance down the path Julian had taken and then hurried it into the alpha house.

Djal wanted to sink into a hole the moment he closed the door behind him and realized that Iben and his mate, Zack, were in the great room, staring right at him with a good deal of amusement on their faces.

“Problems, Djal?” Iben’s eyebrow quirked as the man asked a question he already knew the answer to.

Djal curled back his upper lip as he growled at his alpha. He was probably one of the few people in the world that could get away with such an action without losing his head. Iben had befriended Djal and his siblings, Sissy and Rory, when they were toddlers. They had stood side by side in support of the man ever since.

“I swear to god, Iben,” Djal grumbled as he pushed a hand through his long hair in frustration and stalked into the great room, “if something isn’t done about Julian pretty soon, I’m going to flip the hell out.”

Iben laughed. “He likes you.”

“He’s obsessed!” What part of that didn’t Iben get? Taking a deep, unsteady breath, he stepped back from his alpha and lowered his tone. Iben would have his butt in a sling if he was disrespectful. “He won’t leave me alone, Iben. He follows me everywhere. I can’t get a moment alone.”

“Would it be so bad to be with Julian? He’s actually a pretty great guy.”

Djal’s eyes snapped to Zackary Evans, the mate to Alpha Ibenré Khenti. Zack was crazy about Iben, and protective as hell. He saw his duty to the alpha to keep him safe and happy. He would never understand the need Djal had to keep all of his pack safe. It was ingrained in him, part of his very DNA. He could no more deny his need than he could deny his pack or an order from his alpha.

“My duty is to Iben and this pack,” Djal replied. “I don’t have time for a mate.”

“Maybe you should have thought of that before you slept with Julian.”

Djal’s eyes narrowed. While he hadn’t come right and said he slept with Julian, pretty much everyone knew he had. Djal wasn’t proud of that fact simply because he had been trying to comfort the guy, not fuck him into the mattress.

But one thing had led to another, and things happened.

“It was a onetime thing,” Djal insisted.

“Does Julian know that?” Zack asked.

“I told him.” And he still felt the weight of his guilt at the tears that had sprung to Julian’s eyes when he did. But, no matter how he felt, Djal couldn’t back down. He couldn’t, and wouldn’t, be the mate that Julian was dreaming of.

There was just no way.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Kiss me, pup.”

Djal was ready for Julian to kiss him. He was even ready for the man’s eagerness. He wasn’t ready for the streak of lust that flared to life deep inside of him the second Julian’s lips touched his.

Julian wasn’t a graceful kisser, and he certainly wouldn’t win any awards. But he more than made up for that lack of expertise with pure enthusiasm. Julian kissed Djal with a hunger that rocked Djal to the core.

Crushing Julian to him, Djal pressed his mouth more firmly against Julian’s. He moved his mouth over Julian’s, devouring its softness. He stroked his tongue across Julian’s lips, tasting him. When Julian’s lips parted, Djal delved inside to explore and conquer.

Djal pinned Seth against his chest and moved his lips over the man’s jaw, kissing a line to his swanlike neck. Djal brushed his lips over Julian’s throat. His lips left a blazing trail on Julian’s heated skin. He kissed the silky skin at the base of Julian’s throat.

Something intense flared inside of him when Julian moaned. Djal felt a possessiveness that was far beyond anything he had ever felt for Iben, Sissy, or Rory. He needed to possess Julian, to feel the man submit to him, to his wolf. He needed to know that Julian belonged to him and him alone.

And Djal suspected Julian needed the same thing.

“Mine,” Djal growled savagely against Julian’s throat. He nipped at the bite mark he had left, licking across it with his tongue. Julian’s shudders filled him with an overwhelming need to give the man more—more pleasure, more caring, more everything.

He felt the harsh, uneven breathing coming from Julian’s body. It was as poignant as the hard cock pressing against Djal’s abdomen. Julian’s body seemed to ache for his touch. His beautiful eyes were no longer pale but stunningly emerald green.

Djal stroked his hands down Julian’s side until he reached the man’s ass—and what an ass it was, tight and rounded and made to be fucked. Djal didn’t want to tell Julian that. It seemed wrong and out of place, even if it was true.

“Are you ready for me, pup?”

Julian gulped and nodded.

Djal kept his eyes locked with Julian’s—watching for any sign of pain as he lathered his fingers with lube then slowly pushed one into Julian’s tight ass. Except for the slight inhale of breath, Julian didn’t move a muscle.

He pulled his finger out then pushed back in, gently fucking Julian with his finger. When he thought that Julian could take more, Djal pressed in another finger and wiggled it around.

Julian suddenly wailed when Djal pushed in a third finger and altered the angle of his thrusts. Djal knew that he had hit Julian’s prostate. He started to move his fingers in a steady rhythm, making sure he stroked his fingers over Julian’s sweet spot as often as he could.

“Oh gods…Djal…I have to…oh please.” Julian clutched at Djal’s arm, his nails digging in as he started moving his hips, pushing back against Djal’s fingers. “I need!”

“I know what you need, pup.”

Djal fucked Julian’s ass a few more times and then pulled them free. He grabbed the tube of lube and spread some on his cock. Julian had plenty of lube already in his ass, but Djal wasn’t taking any chances.

The air around Djal seemed electrified as he lifted Julian up by his hips then slowly lowered the man down onto his thick cock, gently thrusting into him. He pressed in a little more each time, and Julian rocked back, silently begging for more. With every inch that slid inside of him, Julian’s eyes widened until they dominated his face.

Once Julian’s body rested fully against his, Djal paused. It took every ounce of control he had honed over the years to keep from plunging into Julian’s sweet body. He wanted to give in to the blazing fire burning inside of him, to plunge deep inside of Julian.

He just couldn’t.

He wouldn’t move until Julian gave him the okay.

“Djal, please, I…I need more.”

Oh, thank fuck!