STORY EXCERPT

He squinted, trying to see what had made the noise. Of course, Waffles was nowhere to be found. The dang dog was probably hiding under the couch.

Where Triff should have been, too.

That was when he spotted a shadowy lump close to the back fence. It was too small to be the guy Triff had seen in the alley. The lump was more the size of a coyote or a large dog.

Were there coyotes near Willow Point? There were definitely lots and lots of woods. It only stood to reason that predators might be lurking in them.

Tossing common sense out the window, Triff cracked the back door open and listened. He heard crickets, the slight breeze in the leaves, and a dog barking a few houses down. The grass was still slightly wet from the rain earlier, tickling his toes as he walked outside.

When he looked over his shoulder, Waffles was just inside the door, her head cocked to the side, watching him. At least one of them had sense enough not to venture into danger.

“You’re a big wuss,” he hissed at her.

Waffles’ tail wagged.

“That wasn’t a compliment.” Triff turned back around, squinting as he moved closer to the lump. If it was an animal, how had it gotten past his six-foot-high wooden privacy fence? Could wild animals jump that high? Hell if he knew.

The closer Triff got, the easier it was to make out fur. The lump was a dog. A very big dog. Its coat was black with patches of gray and white, and it was curled in on itself. Was it dead? Triff was still trying to figure out how the dog had gotten over the fence in the first place.

He took in a deep breath and ventured even closer. Triff needed his head examined. He was scared out of his mind, but instead of running back inside, his dumb ass was investigating.

“See, this is how those people in horror movies die. Instead of jumping into your car and taking off, you stick around to find the killer.”

But it wasn’t a killer. It was a dog.

“Hey, fella,” Triff said when he was about ten feet away. “Are you hurt?”

A low whimper made all of Triff’s fears vanish. Aw. The poor thing. “What happened to you?”

He finally made it to the dog and lowered to his knees. Triff felt sorry for the animal but not enough to pet it. The dang thing was huge, and if it attacked, Triff would be a snack.

He noticed blood matting the dog’s fur. “Oh my god. How did you hurt yourself?” He rolled his eyes. “Not like I’m expecting you to answer me.”

Taking a dangerous chance, Triff brushed aside the soft fur to find a hole. His jaw dropped as he brushed aside even more fur. “You’ve been shot!”

Triff had no idea what to do. It wasn’t like he could lift the dog on his own. The thing had to weigh over a hundred pounds. But there was an entrance gate on his fence. He could bring his car around and take the dog to the vet.

Was the vet even open at this hour? Triff jumped to his feet and raced inside, grabbing his phone to look up the town vet. He needed to know what time they opened.

At the bottom of the website was a phone number for emergencies. Triff called it as he paced his living room. There was no use putting the dog into his car if he couldn’t take him anywhere.

“Dr. Freeman,” the guy said when he answered. He sounded as if Triff had woken him.

“Hi, this is Triff Cardea. I’m new in town and just found a wounded dog in my backyard. His fur is bloody, and there’s a hole in his side. I think he’s been shot.”

“Do you know where my office is?” Dr. Freeman sounded wide awake now.

“Not really. I’ll use my GPS to find you. How long will you take to meet me there?”

“I live upstairs from my practice,” Dr. Freeman said. “I’ll be ready when you get here.”

Now Triff just had to figure out how to get the oversized dog into his car. “Okay, I’ll be right over.”

After he hung up, he used his GPS for location, then shoved his phone into his pocket, got his shoes on, and grabbed his keys and wallet before rushing to his driveway, completely forgetting that he might have a real-life killer after him.

Triff pulled into the alley that ran along the back of his house and stopped at the gate. He eased it open, telling himself to lock it when he got the dog into the car.

“Hey, boy. I’m taking you to get some help, so don’t eat me.” Triff glanced at his back door. It seemed Waffles wasn’t afraid of the doggy door this time, because she was standing on the back patio, barking.

“Go inside,” he called to her. “Daddy will be home after I get this poor fella some help.” Triff frowned and looked down at the dog, feeling like a creep for peering between its legs. “Yep, a boy.”

Squatting and using his legs, he tried his best to lift the heavy beast and barely got him off the ground. Triff grunted the entire time as he carried the dog to his car, cursing when he realized he hadn’t opened the back door.

By the time he balanced the dog and got the door opened, he was panting. “You weigh a ton,” he grunted as he deposited the animal onto the seat. “I’ll have the vet carry you inside before I put my back out.”

After jumping into the driver’s seat—but not before locking the gate—Triff took off. What did it say about him that he would run from a murder scene but race through town to get a stray dog help? God, his life was so ass backward.

He found the vet clinic with no problem. Triff pulled into the closest parking spot and ran inside. He was shocked the front door was unlocked. “Dr. Freeman?” he called out to the empty lobby.

The guy who came down the hallway was nice looking, with a head full of silky hair, an aquiline nose, and perfect lips. Triff had to remind himself that he was there for an emergency and not to hit on the hot doctor. The guy was also wearing a white lab coat, which made him look very professional.

“He’s in my car. I would have brought him inside, but he’s very heavy.”

“I’ll grab him.” The doctor walked out, and Triff followed.

“I noticed him in my backyard. I don’t even know how he got there since my fence is six feet high.”

The doctor looked at the dog passed out in Triff’s backseat with a frown. “Mr. Cardea, this isn’t a dog.”

“It’s not?” Triff gazed harder, but it still looked like a dog to him. “Then what is it?”

“A wolf.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Cisco’s hand worked from Triff’s side to his hip then around to his back, where it lingered on his backside. Triff couldn’t stop the shiver even if he wanted to. What Cisco had told him was insane, but Triff had seen it with his own eyes.

And he truly did feel the connection. To the point that he was turned on by Cisco’s touch, but he wanted more. He wanted to feel Cisco’s weight pressing him into the mattress as the guy bound their souls together. Triff shuddered at the thought of having Cisco’s cock buried deep inside him, of Cisco biting him, permanently stamping his ownership on him.

He moved his hand up Cisco’s leanly muscled chest and lingered at his throat. He gazed into those pretty eyes, amazed at how much he really did trust Cisco and how much he wanted to belong to him.

“I want you to bind us together.” Triff kissed Cisco’s naked chest.

Cisco’s eyelids slid half-closed as he pulled Triff into a tighter embrace. Triff inhaled sharply when Cisco rolled them, placing Triff on his back.

“Call me your mate.”

“My mate.” Triff liked the sound of that.

Cisco helped Triff out of his shirt. He ghosted his hand across Triff’s chest then lapped at his left nipple. Triff hissed as he writhed beneath Cisco, loving how his mate’s tongue felt on his skin. His entire body flushed as Triff gripped Cisco’s biceps and held on to them as his cock hardened.

Deep, hot need swirled through Triff. His body felt as if it had been set on fire. He tugged at Cisco’s arms, whimpering at the sensations lashing through him.

Cisco moved to his side, reached for the nightstand, and pulled out the bottle of lube. Triff lay there panting as Cisco got up, unfastened Triff’s pants, and slid them free, along with his underwear.

He lay there completely naked, exposed to Cisco’s gaze. Triff’s heart sped when he once again gazed between Cisco’s legs to see his long, thick, hard length jutting out. It had been a long while since Triff had had sex, and he had a feeling that Cisco would be a great lover.

Cisco crawled back onto the bed and pulled Triff into his arms. Cisco’s body was rock solid, warm, and welcoming as he began to kiss Triff, his hand gliding over Triff’s ass.

“I can’t believe how lucky I got when it comes to mates.”

“Me either.” Triff cupped Cisco’s jaw then pressed his lips to Cisco’s. “Make me yours.”

With a deep growl, Cisco lubed his fingers, spread Triff’s legs, then drove his fingers deep into Triff’s ass.

Triff hissed at the sharp pain as he dug his nails into Cisco’s arms. The lust in Cisco’s eyes showed that he was barely holding on to his control. Cisco stretched him as he kissed his way from Triff’s neck to his jaw then over his cheek, eyelids, and his lips. Triff gasped into Cisco’s mouth as his mate added another finger.

The fullness raced him to the edge as Triff fought to hold on. Cisco hadn’t even entered him yet, and already Triff was ready to come. He bit his lower lip hard, trying desperately to control the raging storm inside him.

“Don’t you dare hold back.” Cisco’s gaze roamed over Triff’s face. “Give me everything you have in you.”

As if his voice and command were a trigger, Triff cried out as his orgasm swept through him. Cisco moved between his legs then eased inside Triff’s body. Triff gasped as he tugged at Cisco’s forearms.

“That’s it, sweetheart.” Cisco spoke through clenched teeth as he sank deeper into Triff’s ass.

Triff’s pleasure turned to pain, then morphed back to pleasure as Cisco thrust, holding himself above Triff by his outstretched arms.

“Wrap your legs around my waist.”

Triff did as commanded, locking his ankles together. “It’s been a while.”

“You can handle this,” Cisco reassured him.

“I know I can.” Triff felt as if he were freefalling with every thrust, with every swivel of Cisco’s hips. The room grew darker, hotter, or that could just been his imagination. He still couldn’t believe he was having sex with his plumber. More to the point, with a guy who could change into a wolf.

That still boggled his mind, but Triff let it go and just felt. Felt how Cisco was rocking his entire world, how much he trusted the guy, how much he wanted to belong to his wolf. Triff had never felt this way toward anyone else.

He knew he should be freaking out. Triff should have demanded Cisco take him home after that mind-blowing revelation. But for reasons he didn’t quite understand, Triff couldn’t imagine leaving Cisco.

It actually hurt his heart to even think about it.