STORY EXCERPT

A new scent hit Dom’s nose. A familiar one. Time froze. Teddy Grayson stood a few feet from Kris and Alec, sweaty, covered in dirt, and looking annoyed as hell. He looked as good as Dom remembered. Handsome. Teddy was untouchable, off-limits to him, and yet all Dom wanted to do was close his fist over that thick black hair and tug Teddy’s face close to his for a kiss.

Would Teddy taste as sweet as he remembered? He bet Teddy’s hazel-brown eyes would go wide in shock the way they did when Dom stole a kiss from him at that drunken Christmas party at the pack house five years ago.

Was Teddy an illusion? Kris ran straight for Teddy. A growl tore from Dom’s throat. He didn’t bother taking off his pants. The wolf burst out of his skin. Dom welcomed the change, because whether Teddy was real or a figment of his imagination, he couldn’t allow Kris to harm a single hair on Teddy’s hair.

Bones broke. His pants tore. Fur covered his entire body. He wasn’t going to make it. Dom howled as Kris leapt at Teddy, but the submissive werewolf snatched something from his back pocket. Teddy wielded his phone like some kind of light saber. It was almost funny, useless—except the flashlight from his phone blinded Kris for a second.

Alec snarled. Just great. Of course. Alec and Kris’s favorite past time might be trying to kill each other, but they’d have each other’s back if another threat came along—except Teddy was no threat.

Dom finished his shift. He ran out of his porch, collided into Alec just as Alec was about to back his brother up. Ryder fired his gun again. This time, the bullet missed both Alec and him by an inch.

Alec froze. Dom looked over his shoulder to see Ryder pointing his gun at Alec’s head. For once, Ryder had made himself useful. Kris recovered, about to swipe his claws at Teddy’s legs, but Dom was on him. He pounced on Kris’s back, sinking his claws into fur, then flesh.

Kris growled. Alec let out a warning snarl.

Teddy fell flat on his ass on the ground. Recognition must’ve hit him, because he whispered, “Dom? Is that you?”

Tears hovered in Teddy’s eyes and that stopped him cold, summoned all the bloodlust inside of him. He’d rip Kris’s head off for making Teddy cry. Damn it. The last time he saw tears in Teddy’s eyes, it had been the day Talon and he left the pack house. Back then, he thought Teddy was wasting his grief on them.

Dom didn’t want to see Teddy in this state again.

In Dom’s mind, Teddy had been better off without Talon and him, because Teddy could live a normal life. Teddy would find someone, settle down—except thinking about Teddy with someone else put him in a white-hot jealous rage. He didn’t want Teddy to move on, because he wanted Teddy for himself.

Screw Talon and his promise not to come near Teddy again.

Kris stopping clawing at him to look from Teddy and back to him again. Dom wanted to rip out his throat, but clarity returned to Kris’s blue eyes. Kris’s human side, his rational side, was back.

He released Kris but kept his close eyes on him.

“Well, that’s it folks. Show’s over,” Ryder yelled from his porch.

Asshole, Dom thought, and yet he owed it to Ryder for keeping Alec in place and not complicating the situation even further. Kris slunk towards his cabin. Alec must’ve called it a day as well, because he returned to his own place. Dom finally turned his attention to Teddy.

Whatever was he thinking? Teddy wasn’t his to keep. The best thing to do was send Teddy on his way after finding out why he was here. He might have unresolved feelings for Teddy, but Teddy didn’t belong here with all the flawed and bloodthirsty monsters. Maybe he could drive Teddy back to town, to the bus station before Talon returned to camp.

Seeing Teddy here in the flesh might only unhinge Talon further. He couldn’t have that.

Dom shifted forms as Teddy got back on his feet. The submissive werewolf seemed to stare at him for a few seconds. Teddy began to reach out, to touch the rake mark on his chest, but he grabbed Teddy’s wrist.

“You’re hurt,” Teddy whispered, looking him up and down.

The concern in Teddy’s voice thawed his heart a little. It had been so long since someone gave two shits about him. Out here in the wild where everyone was trying to kill each other, showing any sentiment was considered a weakness.

Sure, he saw Talon as the brother he never had, but Talon was being a dick lately. That sad excuse of an Alpha didn’t give a damn about him, or the rest of his pack mates. Only Dom had been holding this group together, and their bonds were fragile at best. Easily broken.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.

Ted pulled his hand away, looked like he’d been slapped in the face. “To see you and Talon of course. I’m worried about you guys. Is that a crime?”

Ryder hummed a tune on his porch, which didn’t help his nerves. He grabbed Teddy’s arm.

“Let’s head inside my cabin. You looked like you’ve been through hell,” Dom said.

ADULT EXCERPT

Dom stood so close, his dick pressed up against his belly.

Teddy couldn’t help but look down at the monster of a cock. He wondered how it would feel like, between his ass cheeks and, finally, Dom sliding it all the way in, claiming him in the most intimate way possible.

“I’ve been in love with you for what felt like forever.” The confession tumbled from his lips easily. Teddy knew he should back off. Those words might turn Dom off, but they didn’t. Dom’s eyes glowed amber. Dom cupped his cheek, his hand big, warm, and callused.

“I know,” Dom said.

“I tried to convince myself it was a silly crush that would go away. It never did,” Teddy finished. “I came here with the hopes you’d help me forget about my broken heart.”

“Hank broke you.” He barely managed to grit out those words.

“No. Hank’s old news. What we had was never real. Superficial. Dom, you were the one who broke me when you left with Talon two years ago,” Teddy said. He could tell those words prickled at Dom’s heart, that they hurt him, but Teddy needed to get this out of his chest.

“You ruined love for me.” Teddy finished.

“Good.”

Arrogant wolf.

He let out a laugh. “Why is that good?”

“Because I’m going to make sure the only man you ever think about is me.” Dom tipped his chin using his fingers and plundered his mouth.

* * * *

Dom formulated a plan while he was out hunting dinner with Kris. He told himself he’d wait for Talon to come back before breaking the news. Dom intended to have Teddy, with or without Talon’s permission, but he’d go the civil route. After what Teddy told him, he didn’t think he could wait any longer.

Possession took hold of him. Lust made his dick rock-hard. He deepened the kiss, thrusted his tongue down Teddy’s throat only for Teddy to suck down on it. Wild little hellion.

Alec was wrong. Teddy might be a liability in a fight, but he could bring something more to the table. Teddy might just be the glue they needed to fix their broken pack together. Teddy was certainly essential to him. He was the oxygen Dom needed to breathe, and it felt like Dom had been drowning for a long time, cast adrift in a meaningless direction.

Dom grabbed a fistful of Teddy’s shirt and tore it to shreds. The fabric fluttered to the ground. Teddy’s shorts were next. Teddy gasped as he pulled his mouth away to finish his task. He kicked the ruined clothes aside.

“Wow. That was so savage. I like,” Teddy said, licking his lips. ‘

Teddy earned himself another kiss. Dom pinned Teddy’s arms above his head and took his time tasting and exploring the rest of him. He alternated kisses with bites, leaving a trail of them down Teddy’s neck, his chest.

All that while, Teddy moaned and thrust his hips against him, rubbing their cocks together. Dom ran his hands down Teddy’s slender body, all that smooth, creamy skin waiting to wear his marks of possession.

He paused to say, “Look at you. Hard for me already.”

“You bet. I wanted this for a very long time.”

“You won’t be disappointed.”

“Boastful words.”

Dom grinned. He let Teddy go and took a step back, admiring the souvenirs he left on Teddy’s body. Dom moved his gaze back to Teddy’s face, his neck. There. The spot between shoulder and neck. He’d leave his mate mark there, make Teddy his forever. He buried his face into the side of Teddy’s neck, inhaling his sweet scent. He could get lost in that amazing smell. He pulled his head back, realizing his teeth had lengthened to fangs.

Teddy’s pupils were dilated, his mouth still parted slightly. Teddy didn’t seem to notice his loss of control. Dom retracted his fangs, breathing hard. Now wasn’t the time to make Teddy his mate. He had to wait. Fucking Teddy now might piss Talon off, but mating him? Talon would kill him, but he didn’t really care anymore.

His mate. Those words thickened his cock. The red tip of his dick was already leaking pre-cum. He swiped the liquid with his fingers, offered his hand to Teddy. Teddy leaned forward, pushed his pink little tongue out, and licked his digits dry.

Dom always thought Teddy deserved a better mate, a normal life, a path different from the one Talon and he had chosen. He was so wrong. Leaving his mate behind only made both miserable. Back then, he thought he was doing the right thing. He knew if he let Talon go alone, Talon would eventually end up dead. Someone needed to watch Talon’s back. He did his job but couldn’t save Talon from his demons anyway.

“What are you thinking about?” Teddy asked in a seductive voice. The submissive wolf ran a finger down his chest and flashed him a mischievous smile.

“Your brother.”

“Ew.”

“Not that way. I spent two years of my life, trying to keep him on a straight path, but I failed and scarified my own happiness in return. Now I can make up for lost time.”

“Exactly the words I want to hear.”

“On fours,” he ordered.

He helped Teddy to his hands and knees. Teddy wagged his ass at him. Laughing, he gave Teddy’s ass a slap, making the submissive shifter jump. Dom made a quick trip to the bathroom to grab a bottle of lube.

He returned, almost expecting Teddy to be gone or a hallucination, but his playful wolf remained were Dom left him. Dom bent down in front of Teddy, gave him a kiss before positioning himself behind Teddy.

Dom used his foot to part Teddy’s thighs. Teddy lowered his chest into the wooden floors and pushed his ass up at him in offering. Dom adored him in that moment, loved how responsive Teddy was to him.