Bardulf liked Ryan Oakley, a lot, and he usually didn’t like humans all that much. He didn’t dislike them; he just preferred not to get tangled up in too much humanity. It was dangerous for shifters and humans to mingle. However, his wolf liked Ryan Oakley, and that was downright disturbing. All his instincts screamed mine at him every time he glanced at the singer.

What the fuck was going on? He took a deep breath, letting the scent of the man tease at him. Ryan smelled like wood and wire and all the stuff that goes along with playing a finely crafted electric instrument, with an added little touch of “bad boy” flavor on top. Ryan smelled like someone he already knew, as if his essence had been hardwired into Bardulf’s psyche, and that was incredibly fucked up. His wolf growled softly at him, prodding him into moving closer.

“If you don’t want to do the kissing thing, I’m okay with that,” he offered quietly.

Ryan’s eyes widened a fraction. Bardulf watched the man’s pupils expand until the black almost swallowed the bright whiskey brown irises. He ached to run his hands through Ryan’s tousled dark hair. It just touched the man’s shoulders. It looked like sable. Jesus, he had it bad. He wanted to adjust his cock, but figured that would be a serious tell, and he couldn’t afford to spook the human.

“No, that’s okay. It’s fine.” Ryan smiled, though it seemed a tad forced to Bardulf. “Especially if your sister insists on it. I wouldn’t want to be the cause of any kind of sibling rift.”

If he only knew it wasn’t Faylen who is insisting on a kiss, Bardulf thought as he swallowed his wolf back. He’d perfected control over the years, with a lot of hard work. He’d had to learn to harness his beast, ever since he’d realized he was an Alpha, and therefore twice as dangerous as an ordinary werewolf. He would not act like a wild puppy. He also wasn’t going to dance around this situation like a teenager for much longer. If Ryan said he was willing to give up a kiss, then Bardulf was going to take the invitation. He stepped close enough to feel Ryan’s warmth. “If you’re certain, I’m not going to turn you down.”

Ryan licked his lips. “Yeah.” His voice cracked. “I’m sure. Go for it.” He lifted his chin. “We’ve got fifteen minutes before the rest of the guys come in for the meet and greet and general picture taking.”

Bardulf looked at him. Ryan was a hair taller than he was, and just as muscular, not that it mattered one bit. Weres were stronger than humans. He could rip Ryan’s throat out in the time it took for the musician to blink. But you wouldn’t do that to your mate, a voice in the back of his head said. Bardulf’s heart tripped at the thought. Fucking hell, he thought, mouth suddenly dry as a desert. Mate? Ryan was human.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” Ryan asked him.

Bardulf didn’t have the heart to tell him that instead of a kiss, he suddenly wanted a bite. He wanted to claim Ryan as his own. His wolf howled in his head and the tips of his fingers prickled as he took a deep breath and forced his body to obey his will. He would not fucking shift here.

“Okay, fine. If you’re getting cold feet, I’ll take care of it,” Ryan murmured, stepping close and grabbing Bardulf’s biceps. He wasn’t gentle about it, and that just made his wolf like the man even more. Bardulf steeled himself, and then Ryan’s lips were on his.

Soft. Sweet, Bardulf thought, and then his wolf growled. Mine.

Ryan gasped as Bardulf slid his fists into his hair and deepened the kiss. He licked inside, chasing Ryan’s taste. He had to get closer. He needed more. Ryan shuddered and kissed him back, fingers tightening to the point of pain on Bardulf’s arms. Bardulf didn’t care. His wolf liked it. He slid a thigh between Ryan’s legs and shoved. Ryan stumbled back and Bardulf followed until they hit the wall, and then he had to come up for air.

“Fucking hell,” Ryan whispered, lips wet and red as he stared at Bardulf.

Bardulf agreed. Mate, his wolf rumbled.

****

Ryan couldn’t breathe right. He also couldn’t move, not with Bardulf’s leg thrust between his and rubbing in the perfect spot, right up against his dick. He wasn’t sure he wanted to move. Instead of struggling, he grabbed Bardulf’s face and drew the man in again, kissing him harshly. If he was going to turn gay in a fraction of an instant, he was going to fucking enjoy it as much as possible. The stubble on Bardulf’s jaw scraped over his palms, and he shivered, liking that more than he ought to. Although, when have I ever done what I was supposed to do? he thought, licking into Bardulf’s mouth eagerly.

Bardulf didn’t resist. Instead, he shoved closer, pushing Ryan into the cinderblock wall hard enough so that he could feel every goddamn inch of his muscled body. The sensation of Bardulf’s heart thundering against his own was only vaguely reassuring.

“What the fuck is happening?” he managed to ask, in between kisses that resembled bites more than anything else at this point. Bardulf smelled amazing—better than any other lover he’d ever had. And he’d had a lot, before his self-imposed moratorium last year. He’d decided he didn’t want another random hookup because those encounters always left him feeling empty, but Bardulf didn’t make him feel like that. He smelled sort of familiar, like he already knew the man. The scent was something like a forest mixed with hot steel. Wild and fucking impossible. This wasn’t a kiss. This was fuck-at-first-sight. Something he swore he’d never do.

“Fuck,” Bardulf growled as if he were reading Ryan’s mind. He tightened his fingers in Ryan’s hair hard enough to hurt.

After only sort of catching his breath, Ryan barked a laugh. “Yeah, no. There isn’t enough time for fucking, hot stuff.” But he wanted to. Oh, God, he wanted to. And isn’t that just fucking ridiculous, when you always thought you were a straight boy? he asked himself incredulously. He felt as if some wild proto-human instinct had risen up inside his body and taken over. You don’t know the first thing about fucking a dude, anyway, so get a grip, Ryan.

Instead of replying, Bardulf kissed him again, then scraped his teeth down Ryan’s neck, pausing to bite gently on the tendon between his shoulder and jaw. He froze like that, breathing heavily. The warmth of his mouth on his skin nearly put Ryan over the edge.