Tasty Treats, Volume 3

CHAPTER 1

«So, how long are we staying?» Donovan Morgan asked as he turned to look at his brother, Chase.

«As long as they need us. Quilliam told us to stay until it was over,» Chase replied as he drove their truck through the quiet streets heading for the home of Daniel Nash, alpha of the Wolf Creek Pack.

«And just how long is that supposed to take?» Donovan asked, hearing his brother's deep sigh at his question. He knew he was being irritable, but he felt irritable. He didn't want to be babysitting some little human.

«Until it's done, Donovan.»

Donovan just rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his collar length light brown hair. He really didn't want to be here, but his alpha, Quilliam Reece, had ordered him and Chase to come down and assist the Wolf Creek Pack. He could think of a hundred places he'd rather be, but an order was an order.

«This is it? This is where the alpha of the Wolf Creek Pack lives?» Donovan watched with curiosity as they pulled into the driveway of a large white farmhouse. It had seen better days but looked to be kept up. It was about as far removed from his very modern log cabin as could be.

«Guess so,» Chase replied as he turned the ignition off on the truck and pulled the keys free. «We might as well go in.»

Donovan nodded, opening his door and climbing out. As he turned to shut the door, he hesitated, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Someone was watching him from inside the house.

He shut the door and turned just in time to see the front curtains fall back into place. Hmm, that was telling. Apparently, they had been expected. Stepping in behind Chase, he followed him to the front door, waiting while Chase knocked.

It took just a few moments for the door to open and an older woman to appear. «Hello, you must be Chase and Donovan. Your alpha called and told us you were coming. I'm Maryann Nash, mate of Daniel Nash. Please, come in,» she said as she held the door open and gestured for them to come into the house.

Donovan smiled as he walked past her, following his brother into the house. He was a little surprised at how welcoming the inside felt. The worn outside belied the homey comfort inside the old farmhouse. It was actually very nice.

«Can I get you boys anything?» Maryann asked, bringing his attention back to her.

«No, thank you,» Donovan and Chase both replied at the same time. He watched Maryann nod her head, rubbing her hands together.

«Well, please, sit down. My husband is at our son, Joseph's house right now, but our other son, James, will be here in a few moments to take you to him.»

Donovan nodded and went to sit down on the couch next to Chase, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together as he waited. Maryann seemed a little nervous and he wondered if she was afraid of them.

«Mrs. Nash, is everything okay?» he heard Chase ask, thankful that he didn't have to.

«Please, call me Maryann. And I'm just upset over this whole business with Nate. He's such a sweet boy and he doesn't deserve to be hunted down like a piece of lost property.»

«Nate?» Donovan asked in curiosity. Reece hadn't told them why they were coming down to help except to say that they were going to help guard someone. They had no idea what they were actually walking into.

«My son's mate, Nate Summers.»

«Nate is your son's-mate?» Donovan asked, surprised that Maryann was talking so casually about her son's mate when he was another man. From what he could see, it didn't bother her at all. His mother, on the other hand, would flip.

After Chase and their brother Devlin had come out to the family a few years ago, it had been made very clear to Donovan that he was not allowed to be gay. He was responsible for producing cubs and carrying on the family name. Being gay was not an option.

«Yes, Nate is Joseph's mate. Is that a problem?» Maryann asked sitting up straighter and staring intently over at Donovan.

«No, ma'am. A mate is a mate, not matter what,» Donovan replied, surprised that he really meant it. He had been searching for his mate for so long, he wouldn't care if she had purple polka dots.

«Good, because I won't have that boy looked down on because of who he loves. He has brought more happiness to my son in the small amount of time he has been here than I have ever seen. Joseph means everything to that boy and, I suspect, Nate means everything to my son.»

«That's as it should be, ma'am.»

«I swear, if you call me ma'am one more time instead of Maryann I'm going to sic my husband on you,» Maryann laughed.

«Yes, ma'am-I mean, Maryann,» Donovan chuckled.

Maryann nodded, sending Donovan a small smile. «Are you sure I can't get you boys something to drink? Something to eat maybe?»

«No, thank you, Maryann. We stopped on the way through town and grabbed something to eat. Our alpha didn't exactly explain the situation to us fully so we didn't know when we might get another chance,» Chase explained.

«Well, I don't think I would be stepping on anyone's toes if I told you that you're here to keep Nate safe. Someone is after him and we need strong boys like you two to make sure that this madman never gets his hands on him. There's no telling what would happen to him then.»

Donovan turned his head slowly to see how Chase was taking that bit of news. Situations like this were somewhat of a sore subject with both of them, which is probably why their alpha sent them.

He turned back to Maryann and smiled. «We understand, Maryann, and don't you worry, we'll do everything in our power to keep Nate safe.»

Maryann reached over and patted Donovan's hand. «I know you will. I'm just so-oh, that must be my son, James, now,» she said as they all heard the front door open and close.

«Mom?»

Donovan froze as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up at the deep raspy voice coming from the other room. His cock had gone so hard, he was afraid it was going to break through his jeans.

Who the hell was it coming through the door and why was he having such an intense reaction? He had never experienced anything like this in his life, not from any girl he had ever dated or any girl he had ever slept with. So, why this voice?

Donovan watched as pair of long legs encased in tight blue jeans came into his line of sight. He lifted his head slowly, moving up past the thick muscular thighs. His eyes paused at the tight bulge that said the other man was having nearly the same reaction as he was before moving on up past the flat stomach and nicely chiseled chest to a square jaw.

But it was the man's smoky, gray eyes that held Donovan spellbound. One look and Donovan knew he was hooked. Hell, he was obsessed. He was looking into the eyes of his future, his mate– and he was a man.

How fucked up was that? Fate had mated him to another man. Donovan had meant it when he said that he had no problem with Maryann's son being mated to another man, but him? That was another story.

He'd never even been with a man. He wouldn't know the first thing to do with one if he did have him in bed. He had only been with women. Guess that was about to change. Now that he had found his mate, anyone else was off limits.

«Oh, James, you made it. Any word?» Maryann asked as she quickly got to her feet and went over to hug her son.

Donovan got to his feet also, having been taught manners by his mother. However, he couldn't keep his eyes off of the man in Maryann's arms. For some reason he couldn't fathom, he wanted it to be his arms the man was in. How weird was that?

«This is my son, James,» Maryann said as she introduced them. «This is Chase and Donovan Morgan from the Shasta Pack. Their alpha sent them down here to help us keep Nate safe.»

«I'm Chase.» Donovan watched Chase reach out and shake James's hand, quickly suppressing the possessive growl building in his throat. It wouldn't do to show his hand before he had a chance to talk to the man.

When James turned his gaze to Donovan, he felt a hundred butterflies take flight in his stomach. This was his mate. He was about to touch his mate for the very first time. He could barely keep his hand from trembling as he held it out.

«I'm Donovan. Donovan Morgan,» he said, hoping that his voice sounded steady to the others in the room. He knew from the slight widening of James's eyes that he had heard the deep drop in his voice.

«James. James Nash, but you can call me Jim,» he said just as he took Donovan's hand.

Donovan's hand did start to tremble the moment Jim's warm skin touched his. Did he feel the bond that was instantly forming between them? Was he as confused by it as Donovan was?

«Jim,» Donovan replied, nodding his head. He held his hand a moment longer, looking deep into Jim's smoky gray eyes before reluctantly releasing it. He didn't want to let him go, but he knew he had to. He could see Chase was beginning to look at him strangely out of the corner of his eye.

«Can I use your bathroom?» Donovan asked, tearing his eyes away from Jim to look over at Maryann.

«I'll show you where it is,» Jim said quickly, stepping out of his mother's arms to lead the way.

Donovan followed behind him, his eyes dropping to the rounded ass walking in front of him. Damn! If he was going to have to be mated to a man at least it was a man with a nice ass. He had always had a thing for tight asses and the one in front of him seemed to be very tight.

When Jim opened a door and walked in, Donovan was surprised until he realized that it was a study and not the bathroom. He followed him in, shutting the door behind him, watching as Jim walked over to a small wooden cabinet and quickly poured two small drinks. He grabbed them, turning to hand one to Donovan before drinking his down.

Setting the glass back down on the counter he stared at Donovan intently for several moments before shaking his head, an amused chuckle broke through his lips. «While I prefer men, I'm not out of the closet,» he said.

«I'm not gay,» Donovan replied, quickly drinking down the brown liquid in his glass.

«Well, it looks like that is about to change for both of us,» Jim laughed nervously.

Donovan set his glass down beside Jim's before turning to look at him. As he looked down at him, he realized that Jim was a few inches shorter than his six foot four. The top of his coal black head barely came up to his nose.

«You feel it, too?» Donovan murmured.

Jim tilted his head back to look up into Donovan's hazel eyes. «We could pretend this never happened and just go our separate ways, find mates of our own choosing. No one has to know but us.»

«Is that what you want?» Donovan asked hesitantly. The mere thought of never seeing Jim again made Donovan's insides rebel. They were mates. There would never be another one for either of them.

Donovan wished that he could read the emotions flashing in Jim's eyes as he stared up at him. He wished that he knew what he was thinking right then. His eyes were so expressive, but Donovan didn't know how to read them. He only hoped that Jim would give him a chance to learn.

Finally, Jim shook his head. «No, I guess not,» he said quietly as he lowered his eyes and turned away. He stepped back over to the wooden cabinet and poured them both another small glass of whiskey, handing one to Donovan.

He held up his glass for a toast. «To the death of the straight man.»

Donovan chuckled, raising his glass to clink it against Jim's before taking a sip. He watched Jim over the edge of his glass. He took a sip, then leaned back against the edge of the cabinet countertop, crossing his arms over his chest.

«So, any idea on how we do this?»

Donovan shook his head. «Nope. Never been with a man before. You?»

Jim shook his head. «No, I've never been with a man. Like I said, I'm not out…to anyone. I don't really have a clue as to what I was doing. This-« Jim said, shrugging his shoulders before taking another sip of his drink.

«Would your brother be offended if we asked him?» Donovan had no idea where that thought had come from, but once he put it into words, it made perfect sense to him. He was pretty sure that they could get the basics down. Sex was still sex, no matter which sex you were with. It was just the dynamics that were slightly different, right?

«Joe? He'd probably laugh his ass off. We'd be better off talking to Nate. At least he's likely to give us the straight story without laughing, but why do you want to talk to them about it? Don't you think we can figure this out on our own?»

«It's not that, Jim. I just don't want to do anything that might hurt either of us or make us uncomfortable. I don't know anything about being with a man and it's not like you're built like a woman,» Donovan replied.

«Do you think that's going to be a big problem? Me not looking like a woman, I mean?»

Donovan could hear the uncertainty in Jim's voice. He took a quick step towards him and grabbed his hand, placing it over the hard bulge in his pants. His eyes nearly crossed at the exquisite feel of his mate's hand on his cock. Damn, that felt good.

«No, I don't think its going to be a problem. I've been hard since I heard your voice,» Donovan growled softly. He closed his eyes and groaned when Jim squeezed his hand around his cock.

«Fuck, you're huge!» Jim whispered in awe as he tried to palm Donovan's entire length.

«It's all yours now, baby. You'd better get used to it,» Donovan replied as he opened his eyes to look down at Jim again.

«Are we really going to do this, Donovan?» Jim whispered. «Seriously?»

«All I know is that I can't stop thinking about you, what you might look like without your clothes on, spread out on my bed. I want to smell you, to taste you, to touch you. I want to know everything about you. What you like and dislike. What your interests are. What makes you feel good.»

Donovan watched as Jim's mouth fell open in surprise and his beautiful gray eyes took on a bright twinkle. Donovan smiled at Jim. «I've never felt this way about anyone in my life. And, truthfully, it scares the hell out of me. But I'd rather try being with you, a man, than be without my mate.»

«Donovan, I-I don't know if I'm ready for this,» Jim whispered. «I've hidden who I was my entire life. I don't think even my brother knows that I'm-that I prefer men.»

Donovan stared down at Jim's distressed face for a moment before nodding his head and taking a step back from him, putting some room between him and temptation. «I understand, Jim,» he said before turning on his heel and walking toward the door.

«Wait, Donovan, please.»

Donovan paused as he reached for the door handle, his hands going flat against the door as he leaned his head forward and rested it on the cool wood. He took several deep breaths trying to calm his nerves.

«I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I just-can we just get to know each other a little first? I didn't even know you thirty minutes ago and as much as I understand that we're mates, I need some time to get used to this whole thing. I resigned myself to having a woman for a mate, not-not you.»

Donovan turned to look back at Jim as a thought suddenly occurred to him. «Is it me or because I'm a man?»

«It's the same thing, isn't it?» Jim asked in confusion.

No, it wasn't, but Donovan instantly knew that he wasn't going to get any type of heartfelt declaration out of Jim. He felt stupid now that he had bared his feelings to Jim. Apparently, it hadn't been a two way street. He just wasn't sure if this was the way Jim normally behaved or if it was because he was a man. Either way, Donovan lost.

«Fine, Jim, if that's what you want. I'll be here until this thing with Nate is over,» he said as he turned back toward the door.

«And then?» Jim asked.

Donovan turned to look back at Jim. «And then I go home.»

CHAPTER 2

Jim watched Donovan walk out of the room, more confused than he could ever remember being in his life. His mate was a man. A damn sexy man, but a man nonetheless. How was he supposed to deal with that?

His brother being gay never bothered him. Maybe because he always knew he was, too. He just didn't think he had the nerve to live as openly as Joe did, but whatever. It was Joe's life. He could do what he wanted with it. And Nate seemed to make him damn happy. So, who was Jim to argue about it?

Him being gay was another story. Jim had never dated a man, let alone kissed one. He had wanted to, but after Joe had come out as gay, Jim had seen what he went through with their friends and family. He never wanted to go through that.

So, he had pretended all of his life he was straight, even dating women on occasion. Jim knew how to elicit a sexual response from a woman, and he knew what he liked, but would it be the same when it was two men together?

Hell, who was he kidding? He was so out of his depth right now, he might as well be on the moon. He wasn't going to be the only one confused by all of this, though. His parents already had one gay son. They were going to shit purple kittens when they found out about Donovan.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, and to get rid of the raging hard-on pressing against his zipper, Jim started for the door. No matter how confused or horny he was right now, he still had a job to do.

Just as he reached the door, however, it swung open. Jim looked up in surprise to see Donovan standing there, a fierce look on his face. «Donovan, what-«

Jim's words were muffled when Donovan took a step forward, shutting the door behind him before reaching for Jim, his arms going around his waist to pull him closer as his lips descended over his.

Jim was frozen, unmoving for a moment, shocked at actually kissing another man intimately before the erotic feeling of Donovan's lips on his overwhelmed him. He grabbed onto Donovan, wrapping his arms around his neck. Oh god, this was why he was gay!

His lips parted and he allowed Donovan entrance, groaning as their tongues met for the first time. He tasted sweet, just like Jim thought that a mate should taste. Jim's body trembled a little as he realized what he was thinking. Donovan was a man and at the moment, Jim didn't care. He could go on kissing Donovan for hours.

He felt Donovan urge him backwards, guiding him until the desk came up behind him. But Donovan didn't stop until Jim was lying back on the desk, his larger body covering his. Jim looked up at Donovan in bewilderment as he lifted his head.

He was shocked to see that Donovan's deep hazel eyes had turned a dark coppery brown. They were smoldering with desire as Donovan gazed down at him. Donovan's lips were red and swollen, slightly parted. His chest rose and fell with his rapid breathing. He looked delicious.

Jim wanted more. He wanted everything Donovan had to give, and then some. His mate looked down at him with desire in his eyes and he wanted more, much, much more.

«Donovan,» Jim whispered as he pulled Donovan's lips back down to his, attacking his mouth the moment their lips met. Jim's cock hardened even more as he heard Donovan groan. Oh god, he could hear that sound for the rest of his life and never get tired of it.

Jim was so immersed in kissing Donovan that he jumped, startled when he felt Donovan's hands grab his ass through his jeans. He opened his eyes when Donovan quickly lifted his head to look down at him in query. Jim grinned, parting his legs to let Donovan's body settled against his hard erection before pulling his head back down.

When Donovan's hand moved around to cup his cock through his jeans, Jim thought he was going to come right there and then. He never felt so alive in his life, so close to the edge of an orgasm. He just knew that if Donovan would touch him a little more, kiss him a little harder, he would come.

Reaching down with his hand, he pushed Donovan's out of the way and quickly unbuttoned his jeans and pulled the zipper down, thankful that he hadn't had any clean boxers that morning when Donovan's hand immediately encircled his cock and began stroking him.

Jim tore his lips away from Donovan's, looking up at him in desperation as he panted heavily. «D-Donovan, need more,» he pleaded in a husky voice, his hand brushing against the hard ridge of Donovan's pants.

Dark, copper eyes stared down at Jim for just a moment before Donovan reached down and unbuttoned his jeans, grabbing both of their cocks in his large hand. Jim's eyes nearly rolled back in his head when Donovan started stroking them together. The feel of his hot skin against his made Jim's breath hitch in his throat.

He reached upward and pushed Donovan's shirt up to his neck, his fingers going to his nipples to pull and twist them. He could hear Donovan's small moan at his action, feel it in the quickening of his strokes, the way his lips latched onto the skin on his neck.

As Donovan's teeth raked across the soft skin between his neck and shoulder, Jim knew that he wanted Donovan to bite down, to sink his long canines in and claim him as his mate. But, he knew if Donovan did that, there would be no going back for either of them.

Once Donovan claimed him, they would be mates forever. There would be no one else for either of them. Still, he couldn't remember ever wanting anything so much in his life. Just the thought that his mate was that close to claiming him…

Jim opened his mouth to beg Donovan to take him, to claim him, but all that came out was a long groan as his cock exploded, shooting spurt after spurt of pearly white cream all over Donovan's hand and their stomachs.

As the air left his lungs, Jim heard Donovan cry out above him, his creamy release mixing with Jim's as he came, burying his face in his neck as his chest heaved. Jim rubbed Donovan's back until he finally lifted his head to look down at him.

His face showed his wonderment at what had just happened between them, then slowly faded away to be replaced by a stone cold mask of nothing. Jim suddenly felt very vulnerable. Donovan looked like he could not have cared less about what had just happened between them, something that Jim felt had been life altering.

He suddenly wished he was anywhere other than where he was, laying on a desk with jeans undone, his spent cock hanging out, and cum smeared all over his stomach. Especially since the man that had just shook his world was standing up and fixing his jeans, looking down at him like he could not have cared less who he was.

Jim quickly stood up and shoved his cock back into his jeans and zipped them up. He reached over and grabbed a couple of napkins and wiped of his stomach and tossed them in the trash before turning back to face Donovan.

But Donovan was already walking away toward the door. Jim reached a hand toward him, wanting to call him back, but quickly lowered it when he remembered the look of disinterest on Donovan's face.

He felt something break in his chest when Donovan reached the door and turned to look back at him, his eyes raking coldly over Jim's body. «I think this proves that sex isn't going to be a problem between us. Remember that when you decide if you're going to keep me or not.»

Jim was devastated as Donovan turned and left the room without another word. This had all been about proving a point? Donovan hadn't been overcome by being with his mate, claiming his mate. He had just been trying to prove a point?

Jim didn't know if he ever felt more used before in his life. Was this how things were going to be between them? Jim didn't even know if this was just Donovan's way of proving something or if he was normally like that. If he was, Jim wasn't sure he wanted to be mated, no matter how sexy the man was.

Tucking his shirt back into his pants, Jim headed for the door. He still had a job to do and not even his thoughts about Donovan were going to keep him from it. His brother needed his help and at least there, he knew what was expected of him.

Walking into the living room, he gazed around the room. His mother was talking quietly with Chase. Donovan stood looking out the front window. Jim took a deep breath, hoping he didn't smell of sex, and cleared his throat.

«Are you all ready to go? Dad is expecting us over at Joe's house,» Jim asked as he walked toward the front door. He could hear Chase and Donovan saying goodbye to his mom as he walked outside and headed for his truck.

Jim climbed in and started the truck, hoping Donovan would ride with his brother instead of him. He didn't know if he was ready to talk to Donovan right now, not the way he was feeling. It would be much better if they each had some space to think.

Even so, as Donovan climbed into the car with his brother, Jim felt disappointed. He shook his head and headed for his brother's house. He was losing his mind. That was it. Donovan was driving him crazy.

«So, what's the story with Jim?» Chase asked as they followed behind him.

«I don't want to talk about it,» Donovan replied stoically as he stared out the window.

«I saw how you looked at him, Donny. I've never seen you look at anyone that way, certainly not another man. So, what's up?» Chase asked.

Donovan turned his head to look over at him. «He's my mate.»

«Fuck!» Chase swore under his breath, shaking his head. «You sure know how to screw things up, don't you? You were supposed to be the one to save the family name. Mom's going to shit bricks when she finds out about this. You know that, don't you?»

Donovan nodded. «Yeah, I kind of figured.»

«Well,» Chase replied, smirking, «If you were going to choose a guy for a mate, you didn't pick a bad looking one. Jim's hot, bro!»

Donovan tried to smile past the possessive growl building in the back of his throat at Chase's words. He knew his brother was gay. He had known for years. He did not like him making comments about his mate, however.

«Course, I prefer my guys to be a little smaller. Someone I can cuddle in my arms. Jim's too masculine for me, but if you like him…» Chase laughed. «You do like him, right?»

«Oh yeah, that doesn't seem to be our problem.»

«Then what is? Why are you riding with me instead of up there with your mate?»

«Because I'm not gay and Jim lives in the closet. Until a few minutes ago, I'd never even kissed another man,» Donovan explained, feeling his cock suddenly harden as he remembered the kiss and the other stuff he had experienced with Jim.

«And now that you have? What do you feel now?»

«Horny!»

«And what are you going to do about it?» Chase asked as they pulled to a stop behind Jim's truck.

«I haven't got a clue,» Donovan replied as he climbed out and followed Jim toward the house and up the steps, waiting while he knocked. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes from trailing down to the tight ass encased in faded jeans. Damn! That man had a perfect ass.

«Hey, Dad, this is Chase and Donovan Morgan from the Shasta pack. Their alpha said we could have them as long as we needed them,» Jim said as he gave his father a slight hug.

«Chase, Donovan, thank you for coming. We can really use your assistance,» Daniel said as he shook both of their hands. «I'm Daniel Nash, alpha of the Wolf Creek Pack. This is my son, Joe, our pack enforcer and the local sheriff. The man sleeping in his lap is his mate, Nate.»

«He's the reason we are here?» Chase asked.

«Yes. If you want to come sit down, I'm sure we can fill you in.»

Donovan sat down across from Joe. He smiled at the sleeping man in Joe's arms, but his attention was on the man that went to stand behind him. He tried to ignore the sweet scent that Jim was giving off when Joe began speaking.

«We need to keep our voices down. Nate just fell asleep and he needs all of the rest he can get,» Joe said, gesturing to the man in his arms.

«What can you tell us?» Chase asked quietly.

«There's a man-Nate calls him the Teacher. We don't know his real name yet. He has spent the better part of the last twenty years making Nate's life hell. He finally escaped the Teacher two years ago, but he's been on the run ever since. The Teacher has his hands in a lot of cookie jars and has a very long reach. No place has been safe for Nate for very long.»

«Why does this guy have such a hard on for your mate?» Donovan asked.

He was surprised when the little man opened his eyes and sat up, looking over at him. «Cause I'm just that damn cute,» Nate said.

Donovan watched with amusement as Joe nuzzled his hair. «Hey, baby, did you have a nice nap?» Joe asked.

«Not really, but I suppose I needed it. So, who are the mountains masquerading as men?» Nate asked, nodding his head towards him and Chase.

Chase leaned forward holding out his hand. «Chase Morgan. My brother Donovan and I were sent down here by our alpha to give you a little added protection.»

Nate grabbed the hand that Joe held out before leaning forward and shaking Chase's hand, then Donovan's. Donovan felt him pause briefly, staring at him before releasing his hand. Did he know about Jim? Could he tell that it was everything Donovan could do not to reach back and touch Jim?

«I guess you want to know about the Teacher?» Nate asked as he released Donovan's hand and sat back in Joe's arms.

«I think we need to know as much as you're comfortable telling us. The more that we know, the better we will be able to protect you,» Donovan replied as he sat back in his seat.

«I'll try to give you the short version then,» Nate replied before taking a deep breath. «The Teacher was made my guardian after my mother died. He uses people like me to make him money, lots of money. I'm one of his top-I get him the most money. That's why he wants me back so bad.»

«You're a prostitute?» Chase asked, his voice laced with horror.

«Not exactly. I have certain abilities. The Teacher sells my services to the highest bidder-government agencies, businessmen, drug dealers, you name it and he sells our services to them. That's how he's gained so much power.»

«Services? Abilities? Mind filling us in on what in the hell you're talking about?» Donovan asked quietly, totally confused at this point. Was he a prostitute?

«For one, I'm a human lie detector. I can tell if someone is lying just by touching them. Two, I can read people's emotions. For example, I know exactly what you are feeling right now and for whom,» Nate replied.

Donovan watched Nate's eye raise up to the gorgeous man standing behind him. He could feel his face heat up when he realized that Nate could sense his desire for Jim. Did he know that they were mates, too?

«That's got to make things interesting, but I can see why the Teacher might want to get you back. So, I guess our job here is to keep him from accomplishing that?» Chase asked a moment later, serious once again.

«Well, I would really appreciate it. Just the thought of that-that man getting his hands on my baby makes me see red,» Joe stated.

«So, from what I understand from my alpha, the Teacher has been seen in town, correct?» Donovan asked.

Joe and Nate both nodded. «Yeah, Joe and I were out eating when I spotted him through the window.»

«Are you sure it was him?» Donovan asked, again, his voice very quiet.

«Oh yes, I'm positive it was the Teacher. There's no mistaking that man. He's been in my life for nearly twenty years. I could spot him in a crowd just by the way he walks. Besides, I've been expecting him.»

«You've been expecting him?» Chase asked in surprise.

«He's been looking for me ever since I escaped two years ago. I knew that if I stayed in one place for too long he'd find me. Joe convinced me to stick around this time.»

«But how did he find you?»

«There are others like me. The Teacher has a whole group of us. Some have used their abilities to keep him away from me. Some have not. I assume that is how he found me. But mostly I think it's because I stayed in one place for more than a few days.»

Chase sat forward in his chair, his hands knotting together. «There are more of you? Where are they and why haven't we heard about this before now?»

«The Teacher moves us around a lot, so I'm not real sure where they are right now. And I suppose the reasons you haven't heard about us is the same reasons not many people know about you. Sometimes, it's better to keep things hidden.»

Chase nodded in understanding. «I can understand that. But I'm curious, what about these others like you? Is the Teacher holding them hostage as well?»

«Most of them, yes. But there are a few of them that like the life that the Teacher provides for them. We call them the Teacher's pets. They like the money and power that they get from doing exactly what he says. The rest though, their lives are pretty much hell.»

Donovan watched tears form in Nate's eyes right before he bent his head. Joe's arms immediately went around him, comforting him. He wondered if it could be that way between him and Jim. If they were mated, would he be able to hold Jim whenever he wanted? Would Jim allow it?

«I had always hoped to go back for them, the ones that don't want to be there. I just don't know how. I don't know where they are and I'm certainly not strong enough to get them away from the Teacher and his army of guards,» Nate said a moment later, raising his head back up.

«Is there any way to get them a message?» Donovan asked curiously.

«No-well-maybe. But I couldn't guarantee it would get to them or that the others wouldn't get the message or even intercept it,» Nate replied.

«How? How can you get a message to them?»

«Okay, this is going to sound funny but I'd have to-meditate. Some of the students have telepathy. If they were receiving at the same time I was sending, they might get the message, especially if they were close by.»

«How close?» Donovan asked.

Nate shrugged. «I'm not sure exactly. Justin has been known to read someone as far away as five hundred miles. So, within a few hundred miles at least. The closer the better.»

«Justin?»

«Justin Reid. He's my best friend. He's a telepath. Justin can read someone's thoughts. The Teacher uses him mostly for business meeting and mergers. He also takes Justin with him when he's discussing a deal with someone to make sure that they're being truthful with him and not hiding anything. Justin has been keeping me safe for awhile now.»

«Safe? How?»

Nate smiled. «He sends me messages every once in awhile telling me when to leave a certain area or to avoid certain people.»

«If he can do this, why didn't he warn you about the Teacher this time?» Joe asked.

«He may not have known. The Teacher doesn't exactly share all of his plans with us. Justin also might be away on another job or too far away to reach me. Worse case scenario, the Teacher found that he was helping me and has stopped him.»

«Would he-hurt Justin?» Joe asked hesitantly.

«I don't know. I don't think so. He never physically hurt us, but he did isolate us. That may not seem too terrible to you, but when the only contact you have is with the other students, you come to appreciate them, a lot.»

«Okay, say you could contact your friend, could you get him to tell you where he and the others are?» Chase asked, looking very serious.

«Yeah, why?»

«What the Teacher is doing is wrong, Nate. I don't care what abilities you and your friends have. It's wrong to hold people against their will and make them do things they don't want to do.»

«You know, don't you?» Nate murmured quietly a moment later.

«Know what?» Chase said hesitantly, looking quickly over at Donovan.

«You know what it's like to be held against your will.»

Silence filled the room. Donovan leaned forward, patting Chase on the back before looking over at Nate. He briefly felt Jim's hand squeeze him on the shoulder, giving him encouragement.

«We don't know personally what it feels like, but we nearly lost our little brother that way. Someone found out that he was a shifter and kidnapped him. They wanted to study him and learn how the shifting worked. By the time we found him, he had been so abused and tortured that he was never the same again.»

«Is he-is he alive?» Nate whispered.

Donovan nodded. «I'm not sure you can call it living, but he's breathing, if that's what you mean. He won't have anything to do with people he doesn't know and he rarely leaves his room. It's like he can't connect with anyone outside of the immediate family.»

«Oh my God, that's terrible. How could someone do that? Don't they understand that you are human just like they are? Everyone has differences. It doesn't make it okay to treat someone like a science experiment,» Nate said, his voice filled with disgust and horror.

«Not everyone believes the way you do, baby. Some people believe that they have a right to treat people how they want for their own self-interests. Others believe that people who are different don't have the same rights as they do. Either way, they're both wrong.»

«I couldn't agree more, Joe,» Chase said. «I think it's important that we save not only Nate from the Teacher, but the others as well. The ones that want to stay with him have that right, but the others…» Chase just shook his head.

Joe nodded. «Okay, so what do you have in mind?»

«The first thing we need to do is have Nate contact his friend. We need to know where the Teacher is holding all of them. In the meantime, I'll contact a few of my friends and assemble a strike force to go in and get them out.»

«You can do that?» Nate asked, astonished.

«I can, yes. I know several people, some pack and some not, that would be very willing to help us. All I have to do is call them. It may take a few hours for them all to get here, but if I call them, they'll come,» Chase replied.

«You can get people together that fast?»

«It's just a matter of knowing who to call. One of my friends has his own plane. He'll fly around and pick everyone up and deliver them here. He doesn't do any of the fighting, mind you, but he'll transport them.»

«What do you need me to do?» Nate asked quickly.

«Get a hold of your friend and find out where the Teacher is keeping him and the others. We'll take care of the rest,» Chase said as he stood to his feet and looked at Joe. «Is there someplace quiet around here? I need to make some phone calls.»

Joe nodded and pointed to his office. «You can use my office. It's right over there.» He watched as Chase nodded and walked into the office, shutting the door behind him before turning to look back down at Nate.

«What do you need to meditate, baby?» Joe asked.

«A quiet spot with no interruptions,» Nate replied.

«Will our bedroom work for you?»

Nate nodded. «Yeah, it should work okay.»

«Then why don't you go upstairs and do whatever it is you do to get in contact with your friend. The rest of us will start preparing things down here. If we have a lot of people coming, we're gonna need food.»

«I think your mother might be able to help with that, Joseph. I'll head over to the house and pick her up, grab some groceries and meet you all back here. Jim? You want to stay here or go with me?» Daniel asked as he stood to his feet.

«I think I'll stick around here, Dad, if you don't mind,» Jim said, his eyes on Donovan, who stared back just as intently.

«Yeah, okay. Then I'll see you all in a little bit.» Daniel was shaking his head as walked out of the house.

«Okay, on that note, I'm going to go upstairs and meditate. I'll let you know if I'm able to contact Justin. Just remember that I need lots of quiet and no interruptions,» Nate said as he stood to his feet. He leaned over and kissed Joe quickly before heading upstairs.

«He's quite the man, isn't he?» Donovan asked as he watched Nate go. He seemed to need Joe as much as Joe needed him. He wondered if it would be that way if he and Jim were mated. Would they hate to be separated even by just a few feet? Donovan was pretty sure they would. They weren't even mated fully yet and he couldn't keep his eyes off of him.

«He's the best. I've never met anyone like him. He has more compassion and care in him than anyone I've ever met.» His eyes turned to Donovan's. «I'll do whatever I have to do to keep him safe.»

Donovan nodded. «Understandable. He's your mate. We protect what is ours,» he said, looking straight into Jim's smoky gray eyes, hoping Jim saw the promise in his eyes. The slight nod of Jim's head made a warm glow flow through Donovan. Maybe they did have a chance together.

CHAPTER 3

«Hey, Nate, can I talk to you for a moment before you meditate?» Jim asked as he followed Nate up the stairs.

«Yeah, sure, Jim, what's up?» Nate asked as he walked into the bedroom to sit down on the side of the bed.

Jim pushed his hands into his pockets and looked down at his feet as he tried to gather his thoughts. He couldn't believe he was actually here asking Nate how to have sex with his mate. His mate-that was still a scary thought.

«Jim?» Nate asked when he didn't immediately answer. «What is it?»

Jim raised his head to look at Nate. He could feel his face reddening. «You know that guy downstairs?»

«Donovan, you mean?» Nate asked with a smirk.

«Yeah. He's-well, he's-«

«Totally hot?» Nate chuckled.

«Better not let my brother hear you say that.»

Nate rolled his eyes. «Please. I may be mated, but I'm not dead. Donovan is gorgeous,» he said as he stood to his feet. «You could do worse, you know.»

«He's my mate, Nate,» Jim explained.

«I know.»

«You know? That's it? That's all you're going to say? You know?» Jim exclaimed.

Nate turned to look at him, a grin on his face. «What would you like me to say? Congratulations? Way to go? Have you seen him naked yet?» Nate laughed.

Jim sat down heavily on the side of the bed, dropping his head into his hands. «You're not helping, Nate.»

«What do you want me to say, Jim?» Nate asked as he knelt down in front of him.

Jim lifted his head to stare down at Nate. «He's a guy, Nate.»

«I kind of noticed that, Jim. So what? You are, too.»

«That's just it. We're both guys. I've never-I mean, before-my parents are going to shit!» Jim groaned.

«Let me ask you something, Jim. Do you think any less of Joe because he loves me or because I love him? Because we're two men?»

«No, of course not, but it's not the same thing, Nate. It's-« Jim began.

«It is the same thing, Jim. Being mated is a wonderful thing. And if you are as lucky as I am, then your mate will make you the happiest person on earth. I've only known Joe for a few weeks but I couldn't ever imagine being with anyone else or not having him in my life.»

Jim stared down at Nate, suddenly understanding that his brother Joe had hit the jackpot with Nate. Over the last few weeks he had seen how happy Nate made Joe. He never realized that Nate felt the same way.

«Do you think-is it possible for two men to be together who have never-well, you know,» Joe said, shrugging his shoulders.

Nate laughed, getting to his feet so that he could sit beside Jim on the bed. «Well, I think it's easier if at least one of you know what you're doing, but it doesn't always happen that way. Until Joe, I'd never been with anyone. Didn't stop us.»

«Donovan wanted to talk to you about that. He wanted to make sure that he didn't do anything that might hurt or make us uncomfortable,» Joe said, chuckling a little. «This whole thing makes me uncomfortable.»

«Enough to give him up?» Nate asked quietly.

«Would I be here embarrassing myself like this if I had decided to give him up?»

«No.» Nate laughed. «I guess not. So, what do you want to know?»

«It's the whole sex thing.»

«Got you a little confused, has it?»

«You have no idea.» Jim laughed. «I mean, I've imagined things in my head, but I have no practical experience.»

«Okay, I think it's safe to say that you're both attracted to each other, right?»

«If you mean do I want to touch him constantly and can't stop thinking about what he looks like naked?» Jim nodded his head. «Then, yeah, we're attracted to each other.»

«Well, I'm pretty sure that the mechanics are pretty much the same as they would be with a woman. There are just a few variations. You'll want to use plenty of this,» Nate said as he reached into the nightstand and pulled out a bottle of lube, handing it to Jim.

«Lube?»

«A gay man's best friend.» Nate laughed before turning serious again. «I'm sure in your experience you've had anal sex with a woman, right?»

«Sure, why?» Jim asked in confusion.

«Did you like it?»

Jim could feel his face heat up again as he nodded. Yeah, he had liked it. In fact, he preferred it. It also seemed to be the easiest way he could get off when having sex with a woman. He just hadn't found a woman that liked it as much as he did.

«When you're with a woman, you don't just stick your dick in her do you? You make sure she's ready, right?»

«Of course! It would hurt if I-Oh!»

Nate patted Jim on the leg. «You'll get it. Men and women have pretty much the same erogenous zones, I think. Nipples are nipples. A kiss on the lips is a kiss on the lips. Get my drift? The actual intercourse is a little different but not that much. When you go down on Donovan, you're not going to find a vagina. You're going to find a dick. Just do to him what feels good to you and you can't go wrong.»

«You make it sounds so easy.»

«It is easy once you get past the fact that he's a man. That's going to be your biggest hurdle. But the nice thing about being mated to a man? You don't always have to be gentle.»

«What do you mean?» Jim asked in curiosity.

«Sometimes Joe can be very gentle and loving. Other times, he just tosses me over the side of the bed and fucks me. We don't have to worry about him hurting me during those times. I think woman prefer gentle to rough. Course, having never been with a woman, I could be wrong.»

«Not by much. It depends on the woman, I think,» Jim replied.

«So, what are you going to do?» Nate asked after a moment.

Jim looked down at the bottle of lube in his hand, turning it over as he thought about what he was going to do. «I don't know if I'm ready to be with a man, but I can't give him up. He's my mate. I'm never going to have another one and I guess I'm hoping to have what you and Joe have.»

Nate smiled over at him when he looked up. «As long as you remember that you have been granted a very special gift and never take Donovan for granted, I don't see why you can't. Finding you're mate is the easy part. Learning to love the one you've been given is not so easy.»

«You don't love Joe?»

«Of course I do. I love him very much, but things aren't always perfect. Look at the shit I've brought into his life. It's horrible. And him being a sheriff? He could be taken from me every time he goes to work. It's not perfect, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. When I'm with him, time stops. He's it, all I think about, all I want, but it's not always easy.»

«I guess I see what you mean,» Jim replied, trying to think what life would be like if he had never met Donovan. And now that he had found him, what would life be like if he let Donovan go? None of it looked good.

«Uh, where can I get a bottle of this stuff?» Jim asked as he held up the bottle of lube.

«You can have that one. It's new and we have more.» Nate laughed. «Joe always makes sure we have plenty on hand. I swear we need to buy stock in the damn company. We'd make millions.»

Jim stood to his feet and headed for the door, turning back to look at Nate. «Thanks, Nate, for talking to me. If I have more questions, would you-«

Nate laughed. «You can ask me anything you want, Jim.»

Jim nodded, opening the door. «I'm glad Joe found you, Nate.»

«Me, too.»

Closing the door behind him, Jim shoved the bottle of lube in his pocket and headed downstairs. He needed to locate his mate and find out if he was still interested in being mated to another man.

Walking into the living room, he found Donovan talking with Chase and Joe. He waited a moment then cleared his throat. «Donovan? Can I speak with you for a moment?»

Donovan, already looking in his direction, nodded his head. Before anyone could see the blush filling his face, Jim turned and went back up the stairs. He could hear Donovan behind him as he went to the guestroom on the far side of the house from Nate.

Jim walked into the middle of the room, turning to face Donovan as he followed him in. «Please, shut the door,» he said. He watched Donovan shut the door, then turn back to him, a dark brown eyebrow raised in query.

As Donovan stared at him, Jim suddenly couldn't think of anything to say. His mouth felt dry, his palms sweaty. Rubbing them on his pants, he felt the bottle of lube in his pocket. Pulling it out, he handed it to Donovan.

«What's this?»

«My answer,» Jim said with quiet emphasis.

«To what?»

«Whether I'm going to keep you or not,» Jim muttered hastily. He suddenly felt like the world's biggest fool as Donovan looked at him, astonishment written all over his face. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe Donovan hadn't been thinking along the same lines.

«You seem to have given this some thought,» Donovan finally said.

Jim nodded his head as he watched Donovan's thumb rub over the small bottle of lube. «I'm not sure I've really been thinking about anything else,» he said in a voice that seemed to come from a long way off.

Jim felt like his nerves were being stretched to the breaking point as he watched Donovan start to pace back and forth. Every few steps he would stop and look over at Jim, his eyebrows drawn together as if he were in deep thought.

Finally, Donovan stopped pacing to stand in front of Jim. «Do I get a say in this?»

Jim's mouth dropped open in shock and surprise siphoned the blood from his face. «Yes, of course you do.» Jim dropped his eyes down to the floor and pushed his hands into his jean pockets. «I just wanted you to know how I felt.»

«Duly noted.»

Jim lifted his eyes to stare Donovan for a moment. Disconcerted at the indifferent look in his eyes, Jim crossed his arms and pointedly looked away from Donovan's piercing gaze. «I'll just let you get back to what you were doing then.»

He started to step past Donovan to leave when a strong grip on his arm stopped him. Jim looked over to see Donovan's hand on his arm, stopping him from leaving. His eyes flickered up briefly as he wondered what other humiliation he was about to endure.

Jim hesitated to say anything, torn by conflicting emotions. He wanted to turn into Donovan's arms and kiss him again. He wanted to explore all of the sexual fantasies swirling around in his head.

He wanted to run for the door and escape the closed expression on Donovan's face, to take back the last few hours and pretend that they never happened. He wanted to be blissfully ignorant of the fact that he couldn't live in the closet anymore because his mate was a man.

He was suddenly anxious to escape from Donovan's disturbing presence, from the feelings of longing he created. To his dismay, his voice broke slightly when he spoke. «Was there something else you wanted, Donovan?»

«I'm not-I'm not very good at this, Jim,» Donovan said, his voice thick and unsteady.

Jim's mind was congested with doubts and fears. He looked away hastily, then moved restlessly. Perhaps it was simply his own uneasiness, but Jim suddenly wondered if Donovan was being totally truthful with him.

«Good at what?» He said the words tentatively as if testing the idea. He took a step back in confusion when Donovan let out a bitter little laugh.

«Besides the whole I'm waiting for my mate thing, there's a reason I don't have a girlfriend right now, Jim,» Donovan said as he released Jim's arm only to stroke his hand through his light brown hair.

His voice was deceptively calm as he continued. «I don't do relationships, Jim. It's too messy. And I basically suck at them.»

When Jim spoke, his voice was tender, almost a murmur. «And you think I'm any better? I've been avoiding getting involved with a woman all of my adult life. And that has nothing to do with waiting for my mate.»

«The whole living in the closet thing?» Donovan asked as he sat down on the side of the bed and looked up at Jim.

Jim nodded, feeling his face heat up. «I watched what Joe went through when he came out, how people changed toward him, and I never wanted to go through that. So, I chose not to.»

Donovan burst out laughing. «That came around to bite you in the ass, didn't it?»

Jim didn't know how to reply to Donovan's words without hurting his feelings or sounding like a complete goober, so he didn't say anything. He just nodded his head in agreement.

«If you've decided to accept me,» Donovan said as he looked down at the bottle of lube in his hand, «how do you plan on avoiding that? I'm pretty sure people are going to figure it out, Jim, because I refuse to live in the closet with you.»

«How about my place then? Will you live there with me?» Jim asked cautiously. He could feel Donovan's eyes on him, watching him, measuring him.

«So, I'm just supposed to give up my place and my position in my pack to move here and live with you?» Donovan asked. «Why don't you move to my pack?»

Jim closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he tried to reign in his anger. He opened his eyes and looked at Donovan, hoping he had beat down his anger enough to not sound like he was attacking Donovan. «Okay, then we'll live with your pack.»

«You're serious.» Donovan sounded astonished. Jim couldn't figure out why.

«Why are you so surprised?» Jim asked in confusion.

Donovan's hands slammed into the mattress beside him. «Jim, you're talking about giving up your life here, your friends, your family, even your job just to move to my pack and live with me. Why would you do that?»

«Because you're my mate?» Jim asked, bewildered.

«Jim, I'm a man.»

Jim tilted his head to one side as he gazed at Donovan, a slight smirk on his face. «That was kind of hard to miss.»

«If we live together, if we claim each other, you're going to have to admit that you're gay. I refuse to pretend we're just roommates or friends. I'll want to live with you in every way, to be able to touch you whenever I want to. I won't make sure that no one is around before I kiss you.»

«And?» Jim asked.

«Jim!» Donovan exclaimed. «You've been living in the closet your entire life. Are you truly willing to come out just because we've met?»

«Donovan, who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?» Jim asked. His ironic tone concealed the emotions he felt.

Jim watched Donovan start to say something, then close his mouth. He opened it again, but no sound came out. Finally, Donovan stared at Jim, baffled. «I don't know.»

Puzzled, and a little more than nervous, Jim stepped forward to stand between Donovan's spread legs, his hands settling on Donovan's shoulders as he looked down at him.

«What don't you know, Donovan?» Jim whispered.

«What if you change your mind, Jim? What if you decide I'm not worth it?» Donovan said, sounding very nervous. «You already see me being a man clumped together with me as a person. How do I know you won't decide at some point to cut your losses and run?»

«I think the same could be said about you. You could decide being gay isn't something you want either. I, at least, have always known that I was gay, even if I never did anything about it. Until you met me, I imagine the thought never crossed your mind.»

Jim's eyebrow nearly shot to his forehead when Donovan's face turned red. «Donovan?»

«It's true that I've never been with a man but that doesn't mean I haven't thought about it. I don't know if that makes me gay or what,» Donovan mumbled.

«Okay, let's take sex out of the equation. If we-« Jim started.

«Are you out of your fucking mind?» Donovan exclaimed. His hands came up to clutch at Jim's waist as if he were afraid to let Jim go. «If you didn't want us to have sex, why the bottle of lube?»

«No, no! I mean let's take the whole gay, not gay thing out of it,» Jim said quickly. He chuckled. «I think it's safe to say we're both attracted to each other and neither of us have an ounce of experience with other men.»

«Okay…and that means what? That neither of us knows what in the hell we're doing? I think we already know that,» Donovan said sarcastically.

Jim laughed. «Okay, yeah, there is that. It also means we're on equal footing here. I've never done this before and neither have you. And I'm not talking about just the sex thing either. Neither one of us has ever had a serious relationship, a mate, or anyone we considered committing to.»

«Where are you going with all of this, Jim?»

«Are you willing to take a chance on me? Knowing that I'm afraid to come out of the closet, but I'm willing to try? Knowing that I've never been with a man? Knowing that I'd really prefer that you moved here and lived with me? That I don't want to leave Wolf Creek? Are you willing to put that all aside and be my mate?» Jim asked as fear and dread knotted inside of him.

«Yes,» Donovan answered without hesitation.

«Then hand me the damn lube!»

CHAPTER 4

Donovan's hand shook as he handed Jim the bottle of lube. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. He was actually going to commit to Jim, another man. His mate. He chewed on his lower lip and stole a look at Jim.

His heart started beating faster at the look of uncertainty on Jim's face. Not because it made him nervous, but because it told him that Jim was as afraid as he was. Somehow, it made Donovan feel more confident.

«Why don't we start off with something small?» he asked as he gave Jim a small smile.

«Like what?»

«You could kiss me,» Donovan replied. His whole being seemed to be filled with waiting as he watched Jim's reaction. His heart began to beat faster as a slow sensuous grin crossed Jim's lips.

«I could do that.» Jim chuckled. «I seem to remember that you're a great kisser.»

Donovan felt like he had died and gone to heaven the moment Jim's lips pressed against his. He tasted just as good as Donovan remembered, maybe even better now that he knew Jim was agreeing to be his mate.

Shivers of desire raced through Donovan at the touch of Jim's tongue against his. His hands slipped up Jim's waist to his chest, pulling him closer until their bodies touched. Donovan's body tingled at the contact.

«Shirt, Jim,» Donovan whispered against Jim's lips as his fingers went to the buttons of Jim's shirt. His fingers shook as he tried to unbutton each button without ripping them off when that was all he really wanted to do.

«Fuck the shirt,» Jim growled as he grabbed the edges of his shirt and pulled, buttons flying everywhere. «You can buy me another one.»

Donovan's lips twisted into a smirk as his eyes traveled down the finer-then-fuck muscled chest and tight abdomen to Jim's jeans, eagerly noting the large bulge trying to break through Jim's zipper.

«How much do your pants cost?»

«I'll make you a deal,» Jim said as he stepped back from Donovan, his hands going to the button of his jeans. «I'll lose the jeans if you do, too.»

Donovan was all too eager to comply. He quickly got to his feet and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it on the floor before reaching for his jeans. As he did, his eyes came up to land on the most perfectly formed male body in the universe.

Jim was glorious! Every damn inch of him, from the top of the collar length black hair that seemed to curl lightly around Jim's chiseled face down to the hard chest and abdomen. Donovan's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth when he looked lower and spied the thick cock jutting out from Jim's small spattering of dark hair. Oh damn!

«Donovan?»

Donovan's eyes flew up to meet Jim's uncertain ones, his face burning red at being caught staring. «If I refuse to replace your shirt and jeans, will you have to go naked?» Donovan asked.

Jim looked a little puzzled, shaking his head. «No, I have more clothes at home.»

«That would be very unfortunate,» Donovan said as his eyes went back to Jim's delectable body. «It's a damn shame to cover up something that sexy.»

«You think I'm sexy?»

Donovan could hear the hesitation in Jim's voice. He sent him a reassuring smile. «No, I think you're lethal. I also think once we get settled into which ever house we decide on, clothing will be optional and highly frowned upon.»

Donovan nearly choked on his tongue as Jim reached down to caress his cock, stroking it a few times. His eyes were glued to the slow motion of Jim's hand. He didn't want to pull his attention away from him, but he needed to get out of jeans and get Jim into the bed.

«Like what you see then?»

«You have no idea,» Donovan replied.

His eyes never left Jim's body as he quickly unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down his legs before kicking them away. As he stood to his full height, letting Jim get a look at his naked form for the first time, Donovan wondered if Jim would feel the same way about him.

«Fuck!» Jim whispered. The hand on his dick stopped as Jim's mouth fell open. Donovan heard the stunned amazement in Jim's voice and hoped that it was a good thing.

«I'm a dead man,» Jim said as he dropped his cock from his hand and reached out for Donovan's body.

«Wha-« Donovan started to ask in confusion, and just a little apprehension.

«If I wasn't a gay man before, I'd certainly be one now,» Jim groaned.

Donovan was shocked when Jim looked up at him. His face was filled with just a little wonder and a whole lot of desire.

«How in the hell have you stayed single? Are all of the women in your pack blind?» Jim asked in astonishment.

Donovan chuckled. «No, I was just never really interested. So, now that we've gotten past the nerve-racking show and tell part of things, how about we move to the hands on bit? Cause I'd really like to get my hands on your bits.»

Jim held his hands out to his sides. «Consider me yours.»

«I do,» Donovan said. He stepped forward and clasped Jim's body tightly to his, his arms wrapping around Jim's midriff, his hands exploring the hollows of Jim's back. Donovan couldn't contain his small moan as their bodies touched.

«It feels right, doesn't it?» Jim asked, voicing Donovan's thoughts.

Donovan reached up and cupped the side of Jim's face to tilt it back, looking down into his deep gray eyes. «Yeah, Jim, it does,» Donovan whispered before he lowered his mouth to Jim's.

His lips were hard and searching as he explored the recesses of Jim's mouth, his tongue warring with Jim's as they both fought to get closer, to feel more, to give into the overwhelming need that they both had.

Donovan turned their bodies and gently eased Jim down onto the bed, following him down to settle between Jim's legs. His breath moved harshly in his chest as he leaned down to lick at Jim's nipple, his tongue teasing one taut dark nipple.

He could hear Jim's soft moan, feel Jim's hands clench in his hair. He moved to the other nipple, giving it the same attention. As he roused Jim's passion, his own grew stronger. The pleasure filling him radiated outward as he began to press his aching cock against Jim's.

Donovan's mouth made a path down Jim's ribs to his stomach. His tongue dipping in and licking around Jim's bellybutton. If the soft whimpers coming from Jim's throat hadn't been an indication of his arousal, the hard cock that sprang up before Donovan as he moved lower, would have shouted it.

Donovan's eyes darted up briefly to Jim's face as he tried to decide where to go from here. The soft glow on Jim's face, the lower lip caught between his teeth, the half-lidded gray eyes all combined to give Donovan his answer.

Hoping he didn't make a fool of himself with his inexperience, Donovan lowered his lips to the head of Jim's cock, licking up the small droplets of pre-cum he found there. Donovan was mildly surprised at the flavor.

He had been prepared for it to be bitter, even repugnant. It wasn't. Jim tasted sweet and tangy, better even than Donovan had been prepared for. He wanted more. He needed more. Leaning down, Donovan licked around the head several times before moving down Jim's thick length.

Moving back to the top, Donovan opened his mouth and swallowed as much of Jim's cock as he could before gagging slightly. He moved back a little, taking just a little of Jim's cock into his mouth at a time until he felt comfortable. Then he slowly began to move his mouth up and down Jim's hard flesh.

His hands explored the hard lines of Jim's waist, his hips, as he moved. Feeling a movement next to his head, Donovan turned his head to see Jim plant his feet into the mattress beside him before he starting lifting up his hips, pushing himself into Donovan's mouth.

«Don-Donovan, please,» Jim pleaded as he pulled at Donovan's hair. «I can't-I'm gonna-«

Donovan reached up and grabbed Jim's hands and held them down to the mattress. He began to move his mouth quicker, licking and sucking at Jim's cock as he heard Jim's whimpers become one long continuous groan.

One sudden thrust of Jim's hips and he exploded into Donovan's mouth. Donovan swallowed as much as he could as he continued to suck at Jim's cock. The scent of his mate's release overwhelmed Donovan.

He needed to be inside of Jim, and now, deep inside of him. With one last lick at Jim's spent cock, Donovan raised his head and searched around for the lube. A smile wove its way across his face when a hand holding the bottle of lube suddenly appeared in front of him.

Donovan grabbed the lube as he scooted up to his knees between Jim's legs. He popped the lid open and poured some out on his fingers, rubbing them together to warm the cold liquid up even as he dropped the bottle onto the mattress.

His eyes widened as he looked down at Jim and found him with his legs pulled up to his chest as he bared himself to Donovan. He looked up at Jim, an eyebrow raised.

«I assume you know how to do this part?» Jim asked as he chuckled.

«I think I can figure it out.» Donovan moved his hand down to spread the lube on his fingers around Jim's sensitive little hole. He stopped instantly, his eyes going up to Jim's face as he heard a soft moan.

«Don't stop. Feels good,» Jim whispered back.

«You'll tell me if I hurt you?» Donovan asked cautiously.

The moment Jim nodded, Donovan returned his attention to the treasure waiting for him. Concerned, he grabbed the bottle of lube and squirted more onto his fingers. As he started to push his finger into Jim, Donovan felt a shiver pass through his body.

In a few minutes, that tight little hole would be wrapped around his cock. Donovan didn't know if he could wait that long. His balls had already drawn up tight against his body and he felt so close to a climax that he had to grip his cock at the base to keep from exploding.

Donovan quickly pressed a second finger in and started moving them both around, stretching Jim. His eyes occasionally flickered up to Jim's face, surprised at the look of intense desire he found there. Was Jim really enjoying this? Would he?

«Jim,» Donovan whispered, «tell me what you're feeling. Do you like this?» Donovan moved his fingers more, adding another one when Jim seemed to be stretched enough. He was stunned to see Jim's cock standing at full mast again.

«Does it feel good?» Donovan asked as he moved his fingers faster.

«Oh fuck, Donava-right there. There!» Jim shouted as his head began to thrash about on the pillow.

«There?» Donovan asked as he moved his fingers around again.

«Yes!»

Donovan quickly noted where his fingers had been before pulling them free. He poured some more lube on his hands then dropped the bottle onto the bed and spreading the liquid on his aching cock.

One hand on Jim's thigh, Donovan used the other to grab his cock and place it against Jim's tight entrance. As he began to push into Jim, Donovan's eyes moved up to meet his, the reality of the moment sinking into him.

For just a moment, time stopped as they shared an intense awareness of each other, of what they were about to do. There was an invisible web building between them, the mating bond. Donovan could feel it, could feel Jim, down to the depths of his soul.

Donovan's breath was shallow, his senses drugged by Jim's scent of arousal and contentment as he sank the last inch into Jim's tight grasp. Donovan was powerless to resist the invitation in Jim's eyes to claim him.

«Mine,» Donovan said possessively as he began to move, thrusting himself slowly into Jim's welcoming body. Donovan was completely unprepared for the intensity of the emotions swamping him.

He suddenly knew this was where he was meant to be and he never wanted to leave. There was no longer any question about accepting Jim. It was now a fact of life, one that only excited Donovan as he foresaw many more nights spent in Jim's arms. Jim was his mate.

«Donovan,» Jim whispered softly.

Donovan looked up at Jim, growling low in his throat as he saw Jim look pointedly at him, then tilt his head to one side, baring his throat submissively to him. Donovan doubted Jim had a submissive bone in his body, but right now it was exactly what he needed, what he craved.

Donovan leaned down over Jim's body. He licked at Jim's lips, kissing him quickly before moving down to lick at the salty skin beneath Jim's ear. He could feel the rapid thud of Jim's heartbeat beneath his tongue, the flow of his life's blood.

«My mate,» Donovan whispered against Jim's hot skin before sinking his canines deep into that soft flesh. Immediately, Donovan was overwhelmed by the intense taste flowing into his mouth.

Jim's tight grip on Donovan's arms mirrored the tight grip his body had on Donovan's cock. A tingling in Donovan's spine heralded his imminent release. But, Donovan wanted Jim with him when he came.

Pulling his teeth from Jim's neck, he licked the small trail of blood there, then turned his head, baring his own neck to Jim's questing mouth. A long drawn out groan broke from Donovan's lips as Jim claimed him, biting into his neck.

Donovan's hips moved faster, harder. He grabbed Jim's hips, sliding his hand down to grip Jim's ass and pull him closer to him, tilting Jim's body as he tried to find that spot again. When Jim's head suddenly reared back and he yelled out, Donovan knew he was there.

His heart pounded with an erratic rhythm as he thrust into Jim. Reclaiming Jim's lips, Donovan crushed Jim to him. His tongue invaded Jim's mouth even as his cock conquered Jim's body.

Electricity seemed to arc through Donovan as he surrendered completely to his mate, filling him with his essence. His senses on fire, Donovan distantly acknowledged the cry from beneath him, the feeling of hot liquid across his abdomen as Jim climaxed.

As he let his head fall down to rest against Jim's neck, Jim's hands wrapping around him, Donovan let all of his doubts and fears drain away. Jim was his, his mate, his love, his everything.

Whatever problems they had paled in comparison to the hysteria of delight rising inside of him. Nothing was worth giving this deep feeling of satisfaction, of knowing that there was someone that belonged to just him.

«You okay, baby?» Jim asked through their mating bond.

Joy bubbled in his laugh as Donovan lifted his head to gaze down at his mate. «No, and I may never be okay again, thank god!»

Jim's eyes twinkled as he grinned back up at Donovan. «You should have felt things from my end.»

«Oh? Are you saying that you enjoyed yourself?»

«I'm saying that we definitely need to decide where we're going to live because now that you belong to me, I refuse to do without this again,» Jim replied out loud.

«Does that mean you're just after me for my body?» Donovan asked, half joking.

«Hell yes, and everything else that goes along with having a mate.» Jim laughed. «That includes you still having to buy me a new shirt. And next time, I get to be on top.»

Donovan pushed himself up onto his arms and rolled to his side, groaning quietly as he pulled from Jim's body. He settled himself back, leaning on his elbows. «Like riding, do you?»

Jim, in the middle of sitting up, turned swiftly to look back at Donovan, a worried little frown on his face. «Donovan, you don't– you're going to-«

«Relax, baby, I was only funning with you. I know this is a give and take relationship. I fully expect you'll fuck me just as much as I fuck you,» Donovan quickly said as he sat up to pat Jim on the back. «Besides, you seemed to enjoy it. I'm hoping I will, too.»

Jim laughed. «Well…»

«Come on, let's get cleaned up. I'm sure everyone is beginning to wonder where we are by now,» Donovan said as he scooted to the edge of the bed and stood up. He reached back and grabbed Jim's hand and pulled him up into his arms. «But, first, I want another kiss.»

CHAPTER 5

Jim laughed as Donovan came back into the room, a simple blue cotton shirt in his hands. «I thought the plan was for you to buy me another shirt, not get me one of yours.»

«Are you saying you don't to wear my shirt?»

«No,» Jim said as he shook his head, then took the shirt. He pulled it over his head and down his chest, smoothing the material with his hands as he looked down at it. «I look good wearing your stuff.»

«You look better wearing me,» Donovan replied, letting out a small chuckle.

Even after the very satisfactory bout of sex they had just had, Jim could still feel his face heat up with embarrassment. He turned even redder as Donovan laughed and reached over to brush his hand down Jim's cheek.

«You're so cute.»

Jim rolled his eyes. «Say that within anyone else's ears and you'll find out just how cute I can be,» he threatened.

«Promise?»

«You have a humorous streak in you, Donovan Morgan,» Jim said sternly as he turned and walked towards the door. «We're going to have to do something about that.»

«You don't like humor?»

Jim smiled. He could hear the confusion in Donovan's voice. When he reached the door, Jim stopped to look over his shoulder at Donovan, flashing him a smile as he batted his eyelashes at him.

«I love humor, but payback can be a real bitch. Say I'm cute in front anyone else and you just might wake up with pink toenails.»

Jim turned away from Donovan's astonished face and opened the door. As he walked through it, he could swear he heard Donovan mumble under his voice.

«I like pink.»

Jim was still chuckling a moment later when they reached the downstairs. He could hear voices coming from the kitchen and went in that direction, Donovan close on his heels.

«Jim?» Joe said as he turned to look at Jim the moment they walked into the kitchen. «I'm going to take Nate to the circle. I want you to go get Dad while Ben informs the rest of the pack. I want everyone to meet us at the circle. It's time for this pack to step up and protect one of their own.»

«Okay, Joe, but are you sure you want us to leave? Don't you need us here to protect Nate, too?» Jim asked.

«I do, but I think it would be a little better use of your time getting the rest of the pack together. You can all meet us down circle. Besides, Donovan will be here to help me keep Nate safe. I just don't want to have him here at the house. This is sure to be the first place that Roger brings the Teacher.»

Jim nodded. «Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay, Ben, you're with me,» Jim replied as he walked out of the kitchen. He was almost to the door when he heard Donovan in his head.

«Wait up a minute, baby,» Donovan said through their bond.

«Why don't you go ahead and get into the car, Ben? I'll be just a moment,» Jim said as he gestured toward his truck before turning back to see Donovan jogging up to him. «What's up?» he asked when Donovan reached him.

«You forgot something,» Donovan replied.

«What?» Jim asked in confusion.

«This,» Donovan said as he wrapped his arms around Jim's shoulders and drew him into them, lowering his lips to explore Jim's mouth. His kiss was slow, thoughtful, and full of promise. And Jim ate it up.

He groaned in disappointment when Donovan pulled his lips away. He actually whimpered. He felt Donovan's hand gently caress the side of his face.

«I still think you're cute,» Donovan whispered. «Now go, and keep your sexy ass out of trouble. I have plans for it later.»

Jim jumped when Donovan swatted him on the ass. As Donovan turned and walked away, Jim stood there, dazed. Damn, that man sure could kiss! Jim was still dazed, a silly grin on his face. He turned and walked to his truck.

He cast one last look in Donovan's direction, feeling his face burn as Donovan blew him a kiss, before backing his truck out of the driveway and heading toward his father's place. He looked over at Ben, surprised at the grin on his face. He was pretty sure he had never seen Ben smile in the entire time he had known him.

«What's so funny?»

«You,» Ben replied, his humor clear in his voice. «I didn't know you were gay.»

«Yeah, well, don't go spreading it around. I'm sure everyone is going to know soon enough. I'd rather get this thing with Nate over with first,» Jim replied.

«He your mate?»

Jim nodded. «Yes, why?»

Ben just shook his head. «Just wondering. You two seem to be rather chummy.»

«You will be too when you meet your mate. There's just no avoiding it. Once you meet her or him, it's over for you. You might as well just give in and go with it. You'll live longer,» Jim said.

«No, there's no mate out there for me,» Ben said.

Jim looked over at him in concern. «There's a mate out there for all of us, Ben.»

«Not for me,» Ben replied. Jim could hear a wistful tone in his voice. «Who would want to be saddled with me?»

«Ben-«

«I will never subject a mate to what I am, Jim. There's no one that deserves that.»

«Ben, you're not a bad guy. Any man, er, woman, would be-« Jim stammered, not sure of Ben's sexual likes.

«Man,» Ben quietly supplied.

«Okay, man than. Any man would be proud to have you as a mate. You're not a bad looking guy and you're certainly strong enough,» Jim said as he looked over at his six foot nine friend. Ben was huge, easily strong enough to protect nearly any mate he might have.

«I'm also a pack soldier. That means I do the fighting for our pack. What man would want to be saddled with that? Not only could I die at any moment, but fighting is my life. And I have the scars to prove it,» Ben said.

Jim shook his head. «Doesn't matter. When you meet your mate, you'll learn to make concessions, to compromise. Trust my words, Ben, you won't have a choice. A mate is a mate and you'll be damn grateful when you find yours. I am.»

Donovan hung up his phone and dropped it in his pocket. He crossed his arms over his chest as his mind wandered to his new mate. Jim was something. Donovan was amazed at how quickly he was beginning to care for the man.

It just didn't seem possible. A few hours and the whole course of his life had changed and, as much as he didn't know what the future held, he knew that Jim would be a part of it. That knowledge sent a small thrill through Donovan's body as he envisioned all of the nights they had ahead of them.

He looked up when he heard people walking toward him to see Joe and Nate. «Ready?» Joe asked as soon as they reached the truck.

«Yeah. I left a message on Chase's voicemail. He's probably going into the warehouse right now so he wouldn't be answering his phone. He'll call me back as soon as it's safe to do so,» Donovan replied.

He saw Joe nod his head as he turned and climbed into the passenger seat. He watched Joe climb in the driver seat, Nate in the back. He was a little confused that he was sitting up front when Nate was Joe's mate.

«Uh, Joe? Shouldn't Nate be sitting up here with you?»

«Normally, that would be true, however, I want to know what your intentions are toward my brother. For that, I want to be able to see your face. Besides, it's easier for Nate to know if you're telling the truth if he doesn't have to swing around in his seat.»

Donovan suddenly remembered Nate saying that he could tell if someone was lying or not, right about the time that Nate's hand landed on his shoulder. Donovan just rolled his eyes as he looked over at Joe.

«So, what do you want to know?»

«What are your intentions toward my brother? You do know he's not gay, right? If you have plans on seducing him, don't,» Joe said as he drove the truck down the road.

Well, shit! If Donovan said anything, he'd be letting Jim's secret out. While they had agreed to be together, they had never discussed how they were going to be together. There just hadn't been time.

«Look, Joe, I understand where you're coming from, really I do, but I can't discuss this with you without Jim's permission. This is between Jim and me, but I do want you to know I am serious about Jim. I'm sorry,» Donovan replied, wishing he was anywhere but where he was.

«Fair enough,» Joe replied, confusing Donovan even more.

Donovan was just about to ask Joe what he meant when Joe glanced into the backseat, his face going white when he heard Nate cry out. Donovan swung around to see Nate, eyes glazed over, staring off into space.

«Nate? Baby? What's wrong?» Joe asked anxiously.

«Taylor just told me that him, Roger, the Teacher, and two armed guards are waiting for us at the circle. He's told them that's where we would be because he's trying to keep the Teacher busy while Chase and the other guys go in for Justin.»

«Why does he need to keep the Teacher busy?» Donovan asked, turning to look back at Nate again.

«I guess Justin is in touch with him, telling him that Chase is already at the warehouse. One of the guards called the Teacher and told them that they were being attacked. He was ready to turn back when Taylor told him where we'd be. He says he's sorry, but it was the only thing he could think of to keep the Teacher busy.»

«No, no, it was a good plan. At least if we know they're waiting for us we won't be surprised or ambushed,» Joe replied.

«You still want to go?» Nate asked.

«We have to, baby. Like Taylor said, we need to give Chase time to get the others out. Besides, the pack should be here any minute,» Joe said as he pulled the truck to a stop and turned it off.

Nate didn't look so sure, but he nodded to Joe anyway. «Okay, if you say so. I think you've lost your ever-loving mind, but…»

Donovan could hear Nate chuckle as he climbed from the truck. He walked to the front of the truck and waited for Nate and Joe to join him. As Joe pulled Nate into his arms and gave him a kiss, Donovan hoped that he and Jim would be the same way. He stood off to the side a bit, trying to give them privacy.

As they walked onto the edge of the circle a moment later, Donovan carefully placed himself on the opposite side of Nate from Joe. They came to a stop when the reached a large clearing that Donovan assumed was the ritual circle.

Donovan carefully eyed the five men he could see facing him from several feet away. He carefully sniffed the air. Four of the men were human and one was shifter. Two of the men stood in front, two larger armed men off to the side. The fourth man stood behind them all.

«Hello, Nathan, I've been looking for you for a long time,» one of the men up front said. Donovan assumed from the expensive suit he was wearing and the air of confidence he had that this was the Teacher.

«Why don't you come over here where you belong and we'll just go? I wouldn't want to see anyone else get hurt,» the Teacher said.

«No, you don't own me and you can't tell me what to do,» Nate replied sternly, his confidence rising with each word out of his mouth.

«Nathan, I don't like repeating myself. Get your ass over here before someone gets hurt,» the Teacher said, his voice rising in anger as he pointed to a spot on the ground right next to him.

«No,» Nate repeated.

«Just remember that you brought this on yourself, Nathan. If you had just done what I had told you to do, none of this would have happened.»

Before Donovan could react to the threat he felt coming, the Teacher pulled a gun, raised his arm, and fired. Donovan felt a searing pain shoot through his body as he grabbed his chest, his shirt turning red with blood as he fell to the ground.

He heard Nate cry out, then the sounds of a fight. The growls he heard told him that Joe had shifted and was even now fighting for their lives. Donovan tried to sit up, but pain shot through him again.

Donovan felt an acute sense of loss as he realized he might never see Jim again. Terrible regrets assailed him as the pain in his chest intensified. He might never get the chance to experience what Jim had earlier. Never get to know the man he was mated to. He might lose Jim before he even got to know him.

Just as Donovan's vision began to dim, he was conscious of a low, tortured cry. Then hands were touching him, pressing down on his bleeding wound. Donovan lifted his eyelids to see Jim kneeling over him, tears trailing down his pale face.

«You die on me, Donovan Morgan, and I swear to god I will commit suicide just to chase you through hell,» Jim sobbed through gritted teeth as he pulled his shirt over his head and pressed it to Donovan's injury.

Donovan chuckled, then moaned as pain swamped him. «Rather have you chase me through the bedroom,» he whispered.

«God, Donovan, how can you joke at a time like this? You have a fucking hole in your chest,» Jim cried out.

«I like pink.» Donovan grinned up at his mate right before he passed out.

* * * *

Jim felt his heart stop in his chest as Donovan's eyes closed and he passed out. Sheer, dark fright swept through him until he realized that Donovan had only passed out. Even now Donovan's werewolf genetics were healing his wound. In a few days, he should be as good as new. Knowing that still didn't stop Jim from worrying.

The sound of a gun going off as they had arrived hadn't frightened Jim nearly as much as the anguish he had felt the moment he had realized that Donovan had been shot. He had felt it even before he had seen Donovan lying on the ground.

Fear, stark and vivid, had enveloped Jim's entire being until he had seen Donovan move as he ran toward him. He had fallen to his knees beside Donovan, instantly putting pressure on the bullet hole in his chest.

He knew that a bullet wound shouldn't be fatal to a shifter, but the very sight of Donovan's chest covered in blood made him ignorant of anything except the fact that his mate was injured and bleeding.

«James?»

Jim looked up to see his mother hovering over him and Donovan. Her face was a mixture of concern and confusion. «He's my mate, Mom.» Was there anything else to say?

Jim felt his mom stare at him for a moment as she absorbed his words. He had never envisioned coming out of the closet quite like this, but right now, with his mate's blood covering his hands, he didn't care.

«Okay, James, let's see about patching your mate up,» Maryann said as she knelt down beside Jim and helped him stop the blood flowing from Donovan's chest.

Jim smiled over at his mom at her accepting nature. He knew he shouldn't have expected any other response from her. Maryann Nash had only ever wanted one thing from her children, their happiness. If he could get his mate patched up, that was exactly what he planned on giving her.

«Is he going to be okay?»

Jim glanced over his shoulder to see Nate standing behind him, a worried frown on his face. Joe stood right behind Nate.

«I think so,» Jim said as he looked back down at his mate. He watched his mother administer help to his mate, thankful when the blood coming from Donovan's wound slowly trailed away.

Once he felt like he could breathe again without his heart pounding out of his chest, Jim looked back at Nate and Joe. «What happened to the Teacher?»

The slight blush that covered his brother's face surprised Jim, as did that giggle that came from Nate.

«Joe went all furry on his ass. Killed the Teacher and his goons. We never have to deal with them again.»

«And your friend, Taylor?» Jim asked.

Nate smirked. «Chase took him back to Joe's place.»

«Whose place?» Joe growled, pulling Nate back against his body.

Jim chuckled when Nate rolled his eyes. He had no doubt whatsoever that Nate wasn't the least bit intimidated by Joe's growling.

«Our place,» Nate replied.

Just to stop Joe from going on about Nate not calling their house, well, their house, Jim interrupted. «Hey, do you mind if we get my mate back to the house? I'd like to get him into bed.»

Nate laughed. «I'll just bet you would.»

CHAPTER 6

«Hey, babe, where are you?» Jim called out as he set the grocery bag in his hands down on the kitchen counter. He reached into the bag and started emptying the contents.

«What's in the bag?»

Jim felt Donovan's arms wrap around his waist, a chin resting on his shoulder as Donovan hugged him from behind. «Our dinner, dessert, and a few other things.»

«Dessert? I like dessert. What did you have in mind?» Donovan chuckled.

«Well, I pretty much have us covered for the next twenty four hours, which is the amount of time we're supposed to be alone with no interruptions,» Jim replied.

«So, what's in the bag?»

Jim grabbed a bottle of wine and set it on the counter. «Wine to go with dinner, fresh garlic, cheese bread, and a complete Italian dinner. Sorry, it's frozen. Unlike Nate, I'm not much of a cook.»

«That's what microwaves are for, baby. Now, what else is in that bag?» Donovan asked as he patted Jim on the ass.

«Ahhh, stuff for a bubble bath for relaxing after dinner and a toothbrush for you since you lost yours, waffles for our breakfast. And those can be cooked in the toaster, thank god. Last, but not least, chocolate syrup.»

Jim snickered at Donovan's confused look. He watched as Donovan reached over to look in the bag, then at him. «Where's the ice cream? You can't have chocolate syrup without ice cream,» Donovan said.

«You can if you don't plan on pouring chocolate syrup over ice cream,» Jim laughed.

«If you're not going to pour the chocolate syrup over ice cream, what are you-oh!»

«Now you're catching on,» Jim said as he watched Donovan's hazel eyes turn deep copper brown. «Want to skip dinner and go straight to dessert?» he asked, waving the bottle chocolate syrup at Donovan.

Donovan grabbed the bottle out of Jim's hands so fast, Jim couldn't help laughing at his eager enthusiasm. A moment later he let out a yelp as Donovan grabbed him and dragged him up the stairs. Guess Donovan liked their dinner plans.

Donovan let out a loud groan an hour later as Jim pounded his thick cock deep into his ass. Jim had said it felt good, but Donovan had no idea that it felt this good until he had tried it for the first time. He thought he was going to lose his mind as pleasure overwhelmed him.

«God, Jim, fuck me harder,» Donovan demanded as he felt a small tingle go up his spine. He started stroking the cock in his hand even faster as Jim's thrusts increased in speed. «I'm so fucking close.»

«Then come for me, baby,» Jim panted. «I'm right behind you.»

«I'd rather you went with me,» Donovan yelled as he came, white pearly seed spurting up from his cock to splatter all over his abdomen and hand. He tightened his muscles down as much as he could, hearing Jim cry out above him just before he felt warm liquid fill him.

Donovan grunted as Jim collapsed down onto his chest. «Damn, you're heavy,» he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Jim's chest.

«Want me to move?» Jim mumbled against Donovan's chest.

«No, I like you right where you are.»

«Hmmm,» Jim mumbled.

Donovan felt Jim plant a couple of kisses along his collarbone. He returned the gesture by kissing Jim's head, rubbing his hands up and down Jim's back. «Feel better?»

«Not yet,» Jim chuckled as he folded his hands over Donovan's chest, resting his chin on his hands. He chuckled lightly and licked a spot of chocolate off of Donovan's chest. «Give me forty of fifty years together and I'll let you know.»

«I'm okay, Jim. I've been okay for over a month now. Stop worrying,» Donovan admonished.

Jim grunted, pulling free of Donovan's body so he could roll off onto the mattress. «You have your hands covered in your mate's blood and see how fast you get over it,» Jim growled as he flung his arm over his eyes.

Donovan rolled to his side and pulled Jim's arm down from his face so he could look into his beautiful gray eyes. «I'm okay, James, I swear,» Donovan said as he reached up to cup Jim's face in his hands. «Never better.»

«Donovan-« Jim began only to stop speaking as Donovan laid a finger against his lips.

«The bullet passed right through me and my werewolf DNA healed me right up. There are no lasting effects. I'm not even sore anymore. At least, my chest isn't,» Donovan chuckled.

In the weeks since he had been shot, he and Jim had spent a lot of time in bed fucking each other until they could barely walk. They had also done a lot of talking between sexual marathons.

With the Teacher and his goons dead and Chase rescuing all of Nate's friends, there hadn't been much need for them to do more than get to know each other.

They still hadn't decided where they were going to live or which one of them was going to join the other's pack. For now, they were just taking things day by day. And that was just fine with Donovan. He liked the slower pace with his mate by his side.

Donovan thought Jim was getting used to being by his side, too. He was no longer embarrassed when someone caught them kissing or holding hands. The unconditional acceptance of Jim's family had gone a long ways toward Jim being comfortable being in a gay relationship.

Donovan would never be able to thank them for that. Especially after his own mother had disowned him the moment she heard Donovan had switched sides and would not be producing any cubs to carry on the family name. Donovan hadn't been surprised. The love and acceptance of Jim's family had gone a long ways toward getting him over his mother's easy dismissal.

Donovan grinned down at his mate as he moved his body over his, straddling his hips and holding his hands back against the mattress. He rubbed himself down the long length of Jim's cock, feeling the slight twinge as it started to come back to life.

«My chest isn't sore anymore, but my ass is. If I didn't know I was going to be on the receiving end of this big thing, I'd be jealous of the fact that your dick is bigger than mine.»

Donovan was delighted when Jim's face turned red. It was just the response he had been hoping for to lighten the mood. Jim was extremely embarrassed about how large he was, and he was very large. The first time Jim had pushed his cock into his ass, Donovan didn't think it was going to fit. Thank god he was wrong.

«Damn, you are so cute,» Donovan chuckled.

«What did I tell you about calling me cute?» Jim growled as he glared up at Donovan.

«You keep promising and I keep telling you that I like pink. I'm still waiting, Jim.»

Donovan didn't think it was possible, but Jim's face turned even redder. «Man to man?» Jim whispered, «I like pink, too.»