Bear Mountain Bride: Shifter Romance by Sky Winters (31)

I kissed his forehead gently and held him close to my chest. And, for the first time, we fell asleep together in the bed we were destined to share for the rest of our lives.

 

Bear Back

Chapter 1

“What do you mean it’s not going to print this week?” Lewis Olsen cried into the phone. “I’ve been in Mexico for two months, the least you could do is print the article on time!”

Lewis frowned as he listened to his editor-in-chief bumble around for explanations. Lewis was one of the top writers in his field, so when things didn’t go how he expected them to, he could always find new work elsewhere. But he liked his boss, and privately enjoyed making the man feel like he was in hot water.

“Look, it’ll run next week. And we’ll have another assignment ready for you.”

Lewis sighed. “All right. I’ll talk to you later.” They hung up amicably, and Lewis briefly wondered what the next assignment would be. He loved his work, and he loved traveling, but there were times he wished he would be able to relax and stay put in one place.

Lewis glanced at his watch and stretched. He was sitting in the Houston airport, waiting for his flight out of Texas before he could return home to his boyfriend. Peter had been acting extremely needy and catty for the past few months, even before Lewis went to Mexico, and it had been quite trying for Lewis’ patience. Although he was older than Lewis, Peter was quite immature and always wanted to believe that the world revolved around him. Lewis’ first impression had been that the gorgeous man was a victim of his own tendency for drama. But all the same, Lewis hadn’t been able to resist Peter’s lures.

The flight was nothing special—not to mention he was extremely used to flying—and as he headed back to New York, his mind wandered to Peter. It had been months since Lewis had been with a man at all, much less his boyfriend. He was as loyal as they came, so there was no way he would even consider cheating, even if two months was terribly long to go without sex. Now he couldn’t keep his mind off of the sinewy pleasures he would finally be able to experience again when he made it back home to Peter. It had been a far too long and lonely trip.

He had even been tempted by one of the Mexican men he’d been interviewing in the city of Tampico. The man’s eye told Lewis everything he needed to know about him, and he had almost given in to his desires. But images of Peter had flooded Lewis’ mind, and he’d turned the man down by ending the interview early and heading back to his hotel room to relieve some of his frustration on his own.

Lewis had called Peter that night, hoping that hearing his voice would remind him of why it was better to be loyal to him, but he couldn’t get through. And when Peter called back, all he could do was complain about everything under the sun. Lewis forgetting to do his laundry before he left on the trip. How lonely it was to stay in Lewis’ condo alone all day every day because he didn’t have enough money to go out to the clubs and enjoy himself if he wanted to afford groceries.

But Lewis couldn’t suggest that Peter get a job and help pay some of the bills. Peter was a self-proclaimed housewife, and refused to do anything that would require him to lift a finger. The title, Lewis had concluded, didn’t seem to suit him. But he didn’t say anything. Because he loved Peter. Even if he was tempted by another man from time to time…right?

Chapter 2

Peter had been in a foul mood since before Lewis had ever left for Mexico. Lewis thought Peter might want to be able to spend more time with him, so he had requested to leave early after wrapping up the piece in Mexico. He thought the surprise would thrill Peter. Lewis had already planned a romantic dinner date at Peter’s favorite restaurant.

Lewis was relieved to finally be home. He unlocked the door as quietly as possible, hoping to surprise Peter, no matter where he was in the house. Lewis silently sat his bags down and crept through the house, ready to yell “Surprise!” the second he saw Peter.

He wasn’t in the living room, or on the balcony smoking where he usually was. Lewis decided to try the bedroom, and quietly pushed the door open, ready to jump into bed with his sleeping lover.

But what greeted him was a shock. Peter was in the bedroom, but he wasn’t alone. He was standing at the foot of the bed, with another man Lewis recognized from the gay bar kneeling on the ground with Peter’s cock in his mouth.

“Surprise,” Lewis said weakly, unsure whether to fly into a rage or crumple to the floor in tears.

“What the fuck are you doing back so soon?” Peter asked, pushing the other man away and reaching for a blanket to cover his erection.

“Don’t you mean, what the fuck are you doing with your cock in another man’s mouth?” Lewis retorted, his rage mounting.

“It’s not…I was just…”

“What, lonely? You poor baby. Get the fuck out of my house.”

Peter was frozen, staring at Lewis in disbelief. Lewis had never raised his voice to Peter, no matter how frustrated Peter had made him. The perfect patsy.

“Now!”

They gathered up their clothes and Lewis chased them both out of the apartment with his fists balled. He was glad his answer had been to fly into a rage. Peter wasn’t worth the tears. In some way he had known that from the start. But he had let himself get caught up in the idea of being with a handsome, shallow man, even though he knew he should have been smarter than that.

Lewis sank down into one of the chairs at his dining room table and sighed heavily. How could he have let himself fall for such a wily man’s charms? And the worst part was, he had always known on some level exactly what kind of person Peter was. If the world didn’t revolve around him, he would go out in search of people who would make sure that Peter felt like the most important thing in their lives. He wanted to be the center of attention at all times, and when he wasn’t he threw a fit. If he gave Peter a chance, he knew Peter would try to turn this around on him, complain that it was because he was never around.

But Lewis was a grown man. An adult, and a mature one with a great career. He wasn’t going to just drop everything to nurture an attention whore and narcissist. That wasn’t the way they were going to play it, and he would be damned if that’s what Peter demanded. Drop his life and career or else he’ll act out and cheat on Lewis? Like hell!

His cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket and Lewis pulled it out angrily, sure that it was Peter calling to give some half-assed explanation and try to make Lewis feel bad for being the one who had left him alone for two months. He checked the caller ID, ready to throw the phone across the room, but it wasn’t Peter. It was his boss.

“Larry?” he asked, trying to keep the edge out of his voice. If he snapped on Larry the way he wanted to do with Peter, he might not have a job anymore. That would make his day just perfect.

“Hey Lewis, I have the perfect job for you. Are you ready for this?”

Lewis sighed. What would Larry know about the perfect job for him? And what did it matter when it felt like his life was falling apart?

Lewis cringed. He had to pull himself together. It wasn’t as bad as it felt. He would move on, and Peter would soon be a relic of the past. Everything would be all right.

“What is it, Larry?”

“I know how into environmental issues you are. And you write so much better when you’re passionate about your cause.”

“Uh huh…” Lewis said, biting his tongue to keep from telling Larry to get to the point.

“Black bears are being reintroduced to the Ozark mountains, and I was thinking we should send you there next to cover the reintroduction efforts and chronicle the success. Talk to local officials and enthusiasts, people who might not want the bears to be there. There’s so much opportunity for a story here, I know you’ll find a good angle.”

“The Ozark mountains, huh?” Lewis said thoughtfully. “I suppose that could be interesting.”

“Of course it will be interesting!” Larry exclaimed. “There’s going to be a lot of ground to cover with this one. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to get up close and personal with some bears of your own.”

Bears had always been a private fascination of Lewis’. He had always wanted to see them in person, but his life had taken him to NYC, where he couldn’t always go out into the wilderness, and even the travels for his job kept him mainly in cities. Although northern New York was beautiful, he had always wanted to travel to the mountains and see the wildlife in its natural habitat. Now, apparently, he was going to get the chance.

“Count me in,” Lewis said. “When can I leave?”

“As soon as possible!” Larry said. “I can give you a few weeks home first, of course.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Lewis said. “Get me a flight out tonight. I’m ready now.”

Chapter 3

Lewis boarded the flight with nervous butterflies in his stomach. He hadn’t been expecting to be back on an airplane so soon, but with the way Peter had behaved, he didn’t want to be anywhere near New York. Everything about the city just seemed to reflect exactly the same shallow mindset that Peter had always had. Although it had been pivotal for Lewis’ career to live in the city so close to publishers and people who could recognize his talent, there were a lot of issues that he had with living in a place like New York.

He had always felt like he belonged more in a more rural area. He’d been born outside of New York and moved to the city as a child. His parents were wealthy, but had disowned him when they’d found out he was gay. He’d gotten past that years ago, realizing he didn’t need them if they couldn’t accept who he truly was. It was better for him to strike out on his own, and every time his parents heard his name on the radio, they would remember that their son wasn’t a fuckup in the eyes of anyone but themselves.

After a long flight and two layovers, Lewis was finally in the Ozark mountains. As soon as he stepped off the plane he could tell the difference between the air quality in the mountains versus the air in New York. There was no smog here. And nobody was begging for change. In New York, he would have had to weave through the beggars and stop in to donate to the local shelter. But there weren’t any homeless shelters here. Apparently there didn’t need to be any.

A rental car was waiting for him at the airport and he hastily filled out the paperwork. Throwing his suitcase in the back, he got in. By all rights, he should have felt exhausted, but instead he really felt like heading to the bar to drown his sorrows. Even though he knew that he was better off without Peter in the long run, he had still wasted two years of his life on a person he had been hoping to make a more significant commitment to. It was devastating, in a way, to know that Peter had probably been doing things like this right from the start. This wasn’t the first long trip Lewis had taken during their relationship.

Lewis was shocked by how tiny the town was, and found the bar nearly right away. It was a small, out of the way establishment, with a rustic look and comforting feel. Lewis parked the rental car and headed inside, not sure what to expect.

The lights were dim and there were bikers scattered throughout the bar. All of them were dressed in leather and turned their dark, serious eyes onto Lewis. He waved meekly and made his way to a stool at the bar and sat down heavily.

“Whiskey please,” he said.

The bartender came to him with glittering eyes and grinned. “New here?” he asked, sliding a shot of whiskey to Lewis.

“Very,” he said with a sigh. “My flight just arrived.”

“Ohhh,” the bartender said, tapping the bar with his fingers. He looked a little bit mean and Lewis wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to him. “Interesting. You don’t happen to know the rules here then, do you?”

“Leave him alone, Ernie,” a deep, masculine voice spoke out from behind Lewis. Lewis was startled and turned around to face the man who had defended him. He was tall, rugged, and handsome, with menacing brown eyes and thick, dark hair that was wild and unkempt, but in an attractive sort of way. His face was covered in a thick five o’clock shadow. There were men in New York who would have spent hundreds of dollars for that look, but on this man it seemed to be his natural state of being. And it was extremely sexy.

“What’s your name?” the man asked, lowering himself beside Lewis. He smelled of cedar wood and fresh air, as if he had just come in from outside. The man’s arms were bare, and he wore only a leather vest with a bear’s paw print on the back of it. His arms were thick and muscular, full of tattoos. Lewis did everything he could to avoid looking at the bulge in the man’s tight jeans. He turned his eyes to his drink, clearing his throat before he answered.

“I’m Lewis.”

“Lewis huh?” the man snorted, grabbing an unopened beer from the bartender and popping the bottle cap off with his bare hands. “Sounds like your parents must have been snobs.”

Lewis laughed, delighted by the man’s honesty. “Try present tense.”

“Ouch,” the man said, his handsome face breaking out into a smile. He offered his beer bottle to Lewis for a toast and Lewis clinked his shot glass against it.

“My name is Jake,” the man said, after a long swig of beer. “Why’re you here?”

Lewis was used to making small talk with strangers, but this question struck him as odd. It was as if he was being protective of turf that Lewis wasn’t entirely welcome in. And from the way the other bikers in the bar were staring at him, he wouldn’t be surprised if that was truly the case.

“I’m a writer,” Lewis said reluctantly, gesturing to the bartender for another shot. The bartender glowered at him, but when Jake raised his eyebrow at the man, he reluctantly poured the shot and slid it to Lewis.

“Thanks,” Lewis said.

The bartender said nothing, just sneered and turned his back on the men, walking to the other end of the bar to wait on three bikers who were staring at them with the same look of resentment as everybody else.

“A writer, huh?” Jake said with a low whistle. “Most of the guys in here can barely string a sentence together. That’s pretty impressive.”

The intensity of the glares increased but nobody said anything back to Jake. Lewis shifted nervously. Maybe he should leave.

“Are you published in anything?”

Lewis couldn’t tell if this man was being sincere or if he was just trying to lure him into some kind of trap. He was so handsome that Lewis wanted to believe that he was being sincere. But previous experience had proved that if a tough guy sensed any of his gay vibe, it could result in some serious physical harm. Maybe it would be better if he just disengaged from the conversation.

But when he tried to say he was leaving, the man’s gentle brown eyes kept Lewis captive in his seat. There seemed to be nothing malicious at all about him. He was genuinely interested in Lewis’s work. And for some reason, Lewis really wanted him to be.

“Actually, I’m really successful in my field. So yes. I’m in newspapers and magazines quite frequently.”

“What do you write about?” Jake asked.

“Whatever it is that my editor wants me to. Usually if he knows it’s something I’m passionate about. That’s when I do my best work.”

“So then, Lewis, what is it that you’re passionate about here?”

Was that a seductive gleam in the man’s eye? A flirtatious tone in his voice? Lewis couldn’t be sure. But usually, when a man was interested in him, it was safer to find out in the city, surrounded by other friends who could protect him. Out in the country, with all these angry looking tough guys, Lewis could easily find himself in major trouble.

“Well, I was assigned here because of the black bears being reintroduced in the mountains. I’m supposed to get some feedback from the locals and learn what I can about how the efforts are going. Whether or not it’s successful. Maybe chronical as much of the transition as possible…”

Lewis trailed off as his mind wandered back to Peter. When he’d left Mexico, he had been hoping to lie low back in the condo for a few months and spend some much needed time having his carnal desires catered to by the person who was supposed to love him. Lewis was exhausted. Traveling constantly could be really tiring. Sometimes he just felt lost without having anywhere to go to call home and feel settled. And god, he was horny.

“That’s fascinating,” Jake said, his eyes suddenly hard for some reason. Had Lewis said something wrong? “I’m quite interested in the efforts myself.”

“Oh?”

“But enough about that,” Jake said, moving closer to Lewis. “It looks like there’s something on your mind.”

Lewis cringed. How had the man been able to tell?

“No…”

“Come on,” Jake said. “It looks like you haven’t slept in days. And now you’re here taking shots alone in a strange town you’ve never been to. Tell me what’s really going on with you.”

Lewis took a deep, shuddering breath. Could he really trust this man with his sorrows? Jake was staring at him, one eyebrow raised and his handsome face lit with anticipation. Lewis wasn’t sure he could refuse.

“My…relationship broke up,” he said carefully. “I found the person I was with, with another man.”

“Oh,” Jake said with a frown. “Sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah. I always thought it was going to be easier when you found someone. You would think after two years, he—”

Lewis cringed. He’d let the cat out of the bag. But maybe Jake hadn’t noticed.

“So it’s a he, then,” Jake said. “I thought so.”

“It’s not what you…” Lewis stood, knocking over his empty shot glass in a clumsy attempt to get away from Jake. But Jake just watched him scrambling away, a wry smile playing his lips.

“Men can be so fickle,” he said, slipping off his stool and facing Lewis.

Jake was about half a foot taller and Lewis peered up into his eyes, unsure of what to expect. Everybody in the bar was watching them closely, and Jake took a look around the room. He sighed, then put his hand on Lewis’ shoulder.

“Why don’t we go outside and get some fresh air for a few minutes,” Jake said.

“All right,” Lewis said nervously. He didn’t have the muscle he needed to refuse.

Maybe it would be safer out in the open away from the other men in the bar. He wouldn’t have to worry so much about getting jumped, at least.

“Over here,” Jake said, walking to the back of the bar parking lot, beyond the area where Lewis had parked his rental car. Lewis gasped when they reached an area that looked out over the mountains. He had never seen a view quite so beautiful. The moon was a clear silver over the trees, and Jake pointed out toward a specific mountain range.

“I heard that’s where they’ll be,” Jake said, looking into Lewis’ eyes.

His heart drummed in his chest. He hated how attracted he was to this rugged man. But on the other hand, Lewis was feeling a little nervous, staying aware in case anybody came to ambush him. He couldn’t be too careful, even if he wanted to relax with this handsome man and enjoy the view before him.

But Jake moved closer to him and once again Lewis was overpowered by his delicious, spicy aroma. Lewis had never been so near to anybody that made him feel so comfortable before. But it was a reluctant comfort. He wanted more than anything to trust that this handsome man could be legitimately kind and understanding, even if he was gay. But that wasn’t always the case and he was scared.

“I’m sorry about your boyfriend,” Jake said after a moment of silence, looking out over the mountains.

“Thanks,” Lewis said. “But he’s my ex. And honestly, I’m better off without him. I knew what he was like from the start but…I guess I let myself get blinded by what I wanted and thought he could be. Stopped paying attention to what he is.”

“That happens,” Jake said with a short laugh. “I guess there’s a reason I don’t date much. Not a lot of guys out there who get me.”

“Guys?” Lewis asked, a little too eagerly. He hated how into this man he was. He wasn’t usually the type to fall fast and hard for anybody, but somehow this man was irresistible. And he hadn’t been with a man in months. It was long past time. He felt like he would have done anything to get into bed with this man. And it was a feeling that scared him a little bit. He didn’t like to think that he was anything like the superficial gay men he’d met that couldn’t commit.

But he had already proven to himself that he was nothing like that. Was it really so wrong to want a quick release after a terrible experience? It made him feel sick that the last person who had touched him had probably touched tens of other men not long before or after. He needed to cleanse. It was time for him to purify. And maybe being with another man was exactly what he needed.

“Surprised?” Jake asked, smiling at Lewis.

“More like relieved, I think,” Lewis said, laughing and looking up at the sky. Missouri was full of beautiful, twinkling stars. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so at home in a place where he could see the sky. He had loved the way the sky looked in Mexico, but he was hardly comfortable there. If he hadn’t been exploring oil spills in the gulf, he probably would have preferred to stay home. But the world had the right to know, and they all trusted Lewis Olsen to tell them the truth about environmental issues.

“Where are you from?” Jake asked, his eyes twinkling at Lewis.

Lewis grinned. “New York City.”

Lewis was itching for a cigarette. He always did when he drank. But he had quit years ago. He couldn’t truly call himself an environmentalist if he was polluting the planet all of his own free will every couple of hours.

“Then you’re a long way from home,” Jake said. Before Lewis had a chance to reply, Jake’s mouth was pressed against his own and a hot flood of desire gripped Lewis where he stood.

He was overwhelmed by his lust and didn’t have the willpower to fight Jake’s advances. Even if this was some strange trick being played on him by the Midwestern bikers, he didn’t care. The man’s lips felt too good, charged with some kind of irresistible electricity that nearly brought Lewis to his knees.

When they broke apart, Jake grinned.

“What would you say about a bike ride?” he asked slyly, gesturing to one of the motorcycles in the parking lot.

“Really?”

Lewis had never been on a motorcycle before. The prospect filled him with a childlike excitement.

“But haven’t you been drinking?” Lewis said, trying to keep his head on straight. The two shots had gotten him feeling pretty good, and he had no idea how long Jake had been at the bar.

“One beer ain’t shit,” Jake laughed, and Lewis was captivated by the man’s perfect smile, and even, white teeth.

“All right,” he murmured, surprising himself with his willingness to get on the bike with a perfect stranger. “Where are we going?”

“Wherever the wind takes us,” Jake said, leading him to the motorcycle and tossing him a helmet. “Get on.”

Lewis climbed on the back of the bike and Jake straddled the seat in front of him, kicking the bike into gear.

“Let’s ride.”

Chapter 4

As they rode the bike through the winding mountain roads, Lewis couldn’t help but feel terrified. He gripped onto Jake’s broad chest as they sped down roads that overlooked rocky canyons and miles and miles of beautiful forest. If they took just one wrong turn, they would be goners.

For the first ten minutes, fear gripped Lewis’ heart, until finally Jake glanced back at him in the rearview mirror.

“Are you doing okay back there?” he asked, smiling broadly.

“Y-yeah,” Lewis replied. It was partially true. He was really enjoying the feeling of the open road beneath them. The way the bike moved so quickly that it almost felt like they were flying. Soon, the fear gave way to an entirely new feeling—a feeling of liberation and excitement. Release, in a way.

Lewis, who was feeling buzzed but not quite drunk from the large shots of whiskey he’d received, allowed his brain to fuzzily process the situation that he was in. He was on the back of a motorcycle with a ridiculously gorgeous man who looked like he’d just walked right off the cover of some outdoorsman magazine.

Any of the men he hung out with in New York would be insanely jealous of Lewis if they knew what was going on. And although it was nice to know that people would envy him, it didn’t really matter. Those materialistic and superficial people were thousands of miles away. It was time for Lewis to just enjoy himself without worrying about anybody else for a change. He was going to just worry about himself from now on.

***

When the ride finally ended, Lewis realized that they had stopped at a remote wooden cabin. Jake dismounted and held his hand out to Lewis to help him get off the bike. They stumbled into each other, laughing. Lewis’ legs were shaky, but he had never had more fun in his life.

“Easy there,” Jake said, his dark eyes twinkling.

He held Lewis closely, his strong hands gripping his hips firmly. Soon, Lewis could feel Jake’s stubble against his cheek and his soft lips pressing firmly against his own.

“I missed this,” Lewis said, pulling away and panting. “Are you sure you want to?”

“Are you kidding?” Jake laughed, kissing Lewis again. “Do I look like I do anything I don’t want to do?”

A deep thrill electrified Lewis as he was swept away in the sensual pleasures of Jake’s tongue. Jake wasted no time pushing Lewis inside the cabin, maneuvering them inside without removing his lips. They were soon stumbling through a small living room, cluttered with bookshelves, full to the brim. Lewis made a note to comment on them the second their mouths broke and he was ready for some conversation.

Suddenly, Jake shoved his hands down Lewis’ pants and gave his cock a quick squeeze. Lewis forgot everything else he was thinking as he was shocked into a deep pleasure unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. He’d enjoyed the company of multiple men, including the two year mistake he had experienced with Peter, but none of them had ever touched him the way Jake was touching him now. It was almost as if Jake had some sort of strange power or thrall that none of the other men in his life had.

Lewis moaned out loud when Jake’s other hand slid under his shirt and pulled it off, and his mouth moved from Lewis’ and onto his nipple. Soon, they were kissing passionately and Jake was forcefully stripping the clothes from Lewis’ body.

He cried out in ecstasy when Jake flipped him around and pinned him against the wall, showering his back with fervent, enthusiastic kisses as he started taking off his own clothes, letting them drop to the floor. Lewis felt a sudden thrill as Jake pressed the length of his cock against his ass. It was bigger than he had expected, possibly the biggest he had ever felt.

Lewis moaned when Jake reached around and gripped Lewis’ hard member in his hands and gave it a forceful tug. Tendrils of pleasure shot into Lewis’ abdomen and a hot pleasure took him by surprise as Jake buried the head of his cock inside of Lewis. Lewis broke out in goosebumps when Jake grunted with pleasure. It was the most animalistic sound he’d ever heard, and it aroused Lewis so deeply that he released a long strand of precum right into Jake’s hand.

Jake buried his head into Lewis’ neck, kissing him gently as he moaned with pleasure, nodding in approval at the warm liquid in his hand. It provided lubrication, adding an extra layer of bliss as he stroked Lewis, tugging him gently as he began rocking his hips in a slow, rhythmic motion, gently prying into Lewis and pleasuring them both with his body.

Lewis succumbed to the bliss of Jake’s nimble, experienced fingers. He knew exactly how to work a man’s body. He cried out in ecstasy when Jake squeezed the shaft of his penis and finally shoved himself wholly inside of him. Jake took it as a sign of encouragement and continued to unleash short bursts of his whole power, until Lewis was used to his force.

Lewis moaned out loud, and gritted his teeth as Jake dragged his nails down his back. Lewis had to brace himself against the wall as Jake, still somehow able to multitask and pleasure Lewis with his incredible fingers, provided him with the most gratifying fuck he had ever had. He found himself already looking forward to the next time.

But that was presumptuous. He couldn’t let himself get swept up in fantasy just because he had done one impulsive thing in his life by getting on the back of a stranger’s motorcycle and letting him take him in his living room. Jake broke into his thoughts by lifting Lewis by the hips and throwing him into the couch so that he was bent completely over. He released his grip on Lewis’ shaft and Lewis gripped the edge of the couch, gasping in pleasure as Jake’s body jackhammered into his.

Lewis exploded with burst after burst of pleasure as Jake’s urgent thrusting created a delicious friction inside of him. The burning inside of him grew to a fever pitch, until he felt the rocking of Jake’s hips pause. The sensitive nerves inside of Lewis were at the height of their pleasure. Jake lunged forward and gripped Lewis’ pulsing member, squeezing it tightly. He suddenly felt Jake’s cock shudder inside of him before it unleashed a hot torrent of cum.

Jake hissed in pleasure and Lewis groaned as his body was overpowered and Jake’s hand was filled with Lewis’ orgasm. Jake continued thrusting inside of him until every last drop had been spilled.

When Jake finally pulled away, he looked Lewis in the eyes and grinned. “Want to do it again?”

Lewis looked Jake up and down, not believing his luck. He had never seen a more attractive man. His powerful chest was heaving as Jake struggled to catch his breath, and his cock was already starting to get hard again. His body was full of tattoos, and his chest covered with thick black hair.

Lewis nodded without a word and Jake grabbed his hand, leading him down the hall to his bedroom.

Chapter 5

The next morning, Lewis woke up in confusion. He was used to this feeling, traveling all over the world to get the best stories, but this time, something was different. His entire body was aching, raw with the results of the pleasure he had shared with Jake the night before. But where was Jake?

Lewis sat up in bed. His head was pounding and Jake was nowhere to be found. He crept tentatively from the bed, wrapping a sheet from the bed around. He had never had such a wild night of passion in his life. None of his lovers had been able to muster the stamina that Jake had.

“Jake?” he called. But there was nobody there to greet him.

Lewis shuffled through the house, frowning as he tried to find the man from the night before. When he glanced at the grandfather clock in the living room, he cursed. He was going to be late for his meeting. And he hadn’t even brought his rental car with him. He was stranded.

Lewis discarded the sheet on Jake’s couch and retrieved his clothes from the night before. Why had Jake left him there like that without even bothering to wake him up? Had he done something wrong? He couldn’t imagine ever just leaving after being intimate with someone, or leaving a perfect stranger in his house for that matter.

He dressed quickly, feeling a little bit like he had just swallowed some kind of stomach bile. Maybe Jake was ashamed of what they had done. Lewis couldn’t help but feel cast aside. Why was it that nobody ever really gave his feelings the thought that they deserved? He was always going above and beyond for everybody else. Even Larry, his boss, knew that.

Shit, Larry! Lewis reached into his pocket and felt a surge of relief when he found his cell phone. If he could get reception in the mountains, which was unlikely, he might be able to call for a cab without being too late for the meeting.

When he turned the phone on, his stomach dropped. He didn’t have any bars. He would have to go outside and try to find a spot with reception. He grumbled to himself as he left Jake’s house. He might as well just walk into town himself.

By the time he found a spot with reception, his foul mood was cemented. He hadn’t felt like setting up the meeting so soon, but since they would be expecting him, it would be rude to miss it. He called the taxi service and within a miraculous fifteen minutes, Lewis was on the road.

He wished that he’d had time to prepare. Maybe if he hadn’t gone to the bar that night to drown his sorrows he would have been able to grab his briefcase from the rental car. It was full of prompts that Larry had hoped he would work on to get an angle on the story. Then again, he usually ignored the prompts anyway and was able to get to the heart of the matter without much help. That’s why they always hired him. He was the best at what he did and everybody knew it.

Unfortunately, that didn’t leave him immune to the first case of wanderlust he’d had after his break up. And it infuriated him that he had succumbed to his desires for a man who would be willing to leave him stranded in the woods as if he didn’t exist. Wouldn’t most normal people leave a note or something?

It was infuriating how some men just treated others like they were objects to be used and disposed of at a moment’s notice. Everybody was constantly trying to just move themselves up in the world and they didn’t care whose heads they stepped on. At least Lewis had a noble career. He couldn’t step on anybody’s head. He had gotten there with sheer persistence and hard work, dedicated to refining his craft and becoming the best at what he did.

When the cab finally made it to the Missouri Department of Conservation to meet his contact and the guides who were going to help him through the wilderness, Lewis sighed in relief. He wasn’t even five minutes late. He must have overestimated how far away Jake’s house had been. He felt a twinge of guilt for not locking up the man’s house after he left, leaving it open to who knew what kind of burglars and animals, but he justified it by thinking that if Jake had just used and abused him for the night, then he had brought it upon himself.

“Good morning, Lewis,” a jovial man said, coming forward to shake his hand. “I was told to be expecting you today. Come, come. Let’s go to my office and discuss your plans for the article.”

Lewis was glad he had gone over all of his briefing documents on the plane, otherwise he wouldn’t have had anything to say to the kind man, whose name he discovered was Melvin Blake. He was the head of activities there, and seemed very enthusiastic about all things wilderness. It was a breath of fresh air after being stuck in Mexico, where many of the people he spoke to didn’t give a damn about the contamination so much as they did how they could profit off of the cleanup efforts. Still, that was the case in every environmental issue he covered. That was probably why everybody trusted his reporting. He was never one to mince his words and he called things as he saw them.

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” Melvin was saying toward the end of the meeting. He led Lewis out of his office and had insisted on giving him the grand tour of the facilities. “We will make ourselves available to answer any questions that you might have. Now if you really want to get up close and personal though, and track the progress of the black bears as they begin to adjust to the reintroduction efforts, you’re going to want to cozy up to one of our bear specialists.”

Melvin beamed proudly at a door before opening it and gesturing for Lewis to walk inside. When he did, his heart started hammering wildly in his chest. There was Jake, bent over a large table with a huge map sprawled across it, staring closely and tracing a line with colored pencil.

“Jake! Come say hello to our guest,” Melvin exclaimed, slapping Lewis on the back. Jake glanced up from the table and gave Jake a brief nod, as if they had never met before. Or as if they had met and it had been so inconsequential that it didn’t even warrant a hello. Lewis couldn’t help but feel hurt.

“Jake here’s busy with the project, of course. Excuse us, Jake.”

Jake nodded again, this time without looking up from his map, and Melvin led Lewis through the door once again.

“At about three o’clock, Jake is scheduled to go out into the forest and check on the bears’ progress. He does good work, so I’ve scheduled you to follow him and be his shadow for the rest of your time here. It should give you a firsthand account of the efforts that we’re making to allow this species to thrive in what used to be their natural habitat. I think you’ll be very pleased!”

Yes, Lewis thought grimly. Very pleased indeed.

***
By the time that three o’clock rolled around, Lewis was a nervous wreck. He hadn’t slept enough the night before, and he wasn’t sure he was prepared to ride through the forest in the little off-road vehicle that the Department of Conservation had commissioned for the project.

But before he had the chance to back out, Jake emerged from the office, a pencil tucked behind his ear. He was dressed in a white dress shirt and snug black pants, and Lewis couldn’t help but gawk when he remembered how good Jake’s body had felt pressed against him the night before. Lewis hated himself for still being so attracted to Jake, after how the man had treated him but nature was nature, he reasoned. It couldn’t be helped.

Jake silently got behind the wheel of the car and, without a word, headed into the depths of the mountains. Lewis could take a hint and he knew better than to speak. Jake paused every so often to scribble down some notes on a clipboard that he had wedged between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat, and then tuck the pencil behind his ear once again.

The white shirt hugged his muscular body tightly, and Lewis couldn’t help but stare at him. Finally, Jake sighed and caught his eye.

“What?”

“I just…I didn’t expect to see you here,” Lewis replied. “You didn’t tell me about what you do for a living. I just assumed…”

“What, that I’m a biker?” Jake asked, a smile playing across his lips. “Not hardly. But I know a lot of guys who are. And they respect me up there. I keep to myself for the most part thought. That’s how I like it.”

“So you really like bears,” Lewis said, trying to make the excruciating ride a little bit less awkward. He knew that Jake had to be regretting the choices they had made the night before. He had all the signs of regret. And although it hurt his feelings, Lewis couldn’t blame him much. What if he thought Lewis might blab about him being gay to his friends.

“I don’t ‘really like’ bears,” Jake said edgily, stopping the car abruptly. “Get out. We have to walk from here.”

“Oh,” Lewis said, his cheeks burning red.

He couldn’t remember the last time a man had been able to make him so flustered so easily. It was a little bit embarrassing. If he had known that Jake was a bear specialist he would have to work with for the duration of his time in the Ozark mountains, would he still have wanted to sleep with him? He liked to think that he would have had more sense than that. But the truth was that he probably would have done it anyway. It had been too long since he’d felt truly wanted.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Jake said, turning to glance at Lewis as he led the way through the mountains. “But I take my work here very seriously. I’d appreciate it if you don’t interrupt me.”

“All right,” Lewis said quietly. He couldn’t tell if he was being reprimanded or if he should consider it a half-assed apology for the cold way that Jake was behaving. Maybe they would be able to sort that out after work. He was going to need a ride back to his rental car, after all.

“Stop,” Jake said suddenly, holding his arm out in front of Lewis. Lewis stopped abruptly, and was shocked to see two bears just ahead of them. “Don’t move.”

Lewis didn’t need to be told twice. The bears were playing amicably, rolling around on the forest floor and eating something off the ground lazily. They were fairly large, but Lewis got the feeling that they were just babies.

“Cubs,” Jake confirmed into a voice recorder once they had gone. “Adolescents. Seem to be adjusting well to their new surroundings. Already found a food source and feeling comfortable enough to play.”

Jake rolled his sleeves up and jotted down a note on his clipboard before proceeding. Lewis couldn’t help but marvel at the man. Outside of work, he seemed like a completely different person. But when he was working, he was so focused and attentive to detail. Maybe he really was just trying to do his best for the bears. He had left in the morning because he didn’t want to be late for work. Maybe Lewis was just being over sensitive.

To test his theory, Lewis took a deep breath and walked abreast Jake. They didn’t speak, and finally Lewis gathered the courage to reach out and touch Jake’s hand. Jake’s fingers tensed up when Lewis wove his own through them, and they held hands briefly before Jake stopped walking.

“Look, I know it’s romantic being here by yourself where nobody’s watching, but I’d really like to focus on my job right now. I already asked you not to interrupt. Please respect that. This is important to me.” He pulled his hand away from Jake’s and walked on ahead.

Lewis sighed. This was going to be a long assignment.

Chapter 6

Lewis had been working with Jake for the past two weeks. He had made himself as comfortable as he could possibly be in the hotel that Larry had provided for him. His first impression of the town had been wrong. It was much bigger than he’d thought originally. He’d simply followed the GPS to the bar nearest the airport, which, coincidentally, was far outside of city limits. He had been spending his time exploring the area and found that it was a surprisingly nice little haunt. He wouldn’t mind a few more months of exploration.

Everything about his job was perfect. Except for Jake. Things had been awkward between them since the first day. Neither of them dared to speak about what had happened between them, and had to pretend that nothing happened, especially when other people were around. The tension in the room went up sevenfold whenever others were in the room with them, and Jake usually found a corner to hide in while Lewis had to make small talk about the progress of his article.

It was a lucky thing that he was comfortable with strangers, and kept himself armed with questions to ask when things got awkward, whether with Jake or with anybody else. It was part of the gig as an investigative journalist. He just couldn’t figure out what it might take to crack Jake.

Whether he liked it or not, he was wildly attracted to the man, and the longer he spent out in the isolated mountains with him, watching the professional and distant way he handled his work, the deeper his lust for Jake grew.

He thought for a while that his feelings might have just been one-sided, except that one day, while they were deep in the woods, Lewis felt like he was being watched. It was a feeling he was used to in the forest. Sometimes the animals would spot them and flee. But when he looked cautiously around for the source, he met eyes with Jake, who was staring at him with a hungry, shameless look of lust.

But when Lewis approached him after catching him in the act, Jake moved quickly away, as if it had never happened. Still, the incident had left Lewis with the hard-on from hell, and he spent the rest of their time together trying not to do anything foolish. Especially because they had agreed to take out an inexperienced field scientist named Mindy to check on the habitat.

It was encouraging. Jake was constantly on Lewis’ mind. The night they had spent together had been the most erotic of his life to date. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move past it. And even though Jake was pretending like it had never happened and trying to play it cool, the animalistic lust in his eyes confirmed what Lewis had suspected all along—Jake wanted him just as badly. But something was holding him back.

Finally, in the third week of research, Lewis decided enough was enough and confronted Jake about it..

“Jake,” he said, trying to keep his voice even and confident. He didn’t want Jake to look down on him somehow.

“Yeah?” he asked, glancing into Lewis’ eyes. Lewis frowned, detecting a hint of sadness in them.

“I know work is important, but can I ask you something?”

Jake sighed in response, but Lewis didn’t let himself get deterred.

“Would you like to go out and, I don’t know…get drinks with me after work or something?”

Jake looked abruptly into Lewis’ eyes, with the same hungry look of longing that Lewis had caught him with a couple of weeks prior. But before he could answer, a loud rumble pierced the air.

“Fuck,” Jake whispered. “The bears!”

The men ran at full speed toward their destination—an intimate looking post where they had been observing the bears in their natural habitat. Once in a while, Lewis would get good pictures from the area. The bears had settled close to the site. But nobody was supposed to be driving this deeply into the forest. They weren’t even allowed to take the off-roader.

When they reached the site, Lewis’ chest was burning with the effort of exertion and he gasped out loud. A group of drunken rednecks were whooping and hollering, aiming their rifles at one of the bear cubs.

“No!” Lewis exclaimed, running forward to try to save the bear.

“Lewis!”

The rednecks cackled when they saw that there were two human targets and turned their barrels on them. Lewis saw an evil glint in the eyes of the man closest to him as he prepared to empty a round into Lewis’ stomach. He knew for certain that he was going to be a goner.

Suddenly, a vicious roar shook the foliage around them and the men paled, scrambling backward in fright. Lewis was shocked when the biggest bear he had ever seen, black and beautiful, leapt over him and lunged at the redneck who was aiming at Lewis. He mauled him with his giant paw, sharp claws ripping into the man’s flesh, leaving his corpse lying on the ground. He emitted a mighty roar and the three other rednecks tried to scramble away and load their weapons at the same time. But they were too drunk to do either one very gracefully.

Before Lewis could register what was happening, the bear was swiping one powerful paw after another until all of the men were writhing in agony on the ground. A deafening roar pierced the air, and the men who weren’t dead cowered, sobbing for mercy. But it was too late for them now.

The bears they had been after originally had heard the call, and now, several of them appeared from the woods. It was as if the mighty black bear had summoned them to finish the job, and they did so, heartily.

Lewis looked away from the gory scene, shocked that somehow he had survived and was still miraculously intact. He turned to find Jake, to ask the more experienced man what to do, but then he realized that the handsome man was nowhere in sight.

He turned back the bears, his gaze settling on the largest bear, and in his heart, he knew the truth. When the giant black bear walked toward him, its gentle brown eyes low to the ground, Lewis swallowed hard.

“Jake?” he whispered.

He squinted as a blinding light flashed before him, and soon the giant bear’s figure was morphing before Lewis’ eyes. The thick black hair disappeared and soon the paws were hands and the muzzle had turned into Jake’s teasing, arrogant smile. Lewis wasn’t entirely sure what to think or how to react. The only thing he knew was that he’d never seen anything more sexy.

“Jake!” Lewis raced toward the other man, who was standing completely nude in the forest. Lewis disregarded the bears around them and was promptly embraced by Jake’s muscular arms.

“I’m so sorry I have been avoiding you,” Jake murmured into Lewis’ hair. “I’ve wanted you so badly that it hurts.”

“Me too,” Lewis whispered.

“But I’ve had a secret to hide. There’s no way you would have believed me if I just told you outright. And I’m bound by a sacred oath not to reveal my identity to any normal humans. I’m not even supposed to feel this way about you. If my pack finds out, I’ll probably be ostracized. Mating with you isn’t allowed.”

“There’s nothing that they can do to us,” Lewis said, touching Jake’s cheek. The stubble felt rough under his hand, and he smiled. “I thought you were mad at me or something.”

“No! I gave you a lot more reason to be mad at me,” Jake admitted miserably. His dark eyes were filled with pain. “I’m a bear shifter. I fall hard and fast, forever, to one man. But since I’m the alpha…”

“Doesn’t that mean that you get to make the rules?” Lewis reminded him. “There’s an exception for everything. Dogma can’t make up our lives in black and white. I learned that much trying to grow up both orthodox Christian and gay at the same time.”

Jake grinned and looked back at the group of black bears that were standing behind them, finishing off the last of the rednecks.

“What do you say?” Jake whispered to them. One of the bears came forward and bowed its head briefly, before shapeshifting into a tall, naked woman.

“If the rest agree,” she said softly. “I give you my blessing.”

The other bears were still for a moment before each of them walked forward and bowed their heads.

“We will not speak of this to the elders, and if we do, we will all take responsibility for your love. This man was willing to risk his life to protect us. As far as we’re concerned, he is one of us.”

Jake’s face broke out into a broad smile and he looked at Lewis with brown eyes, glittering with tears.

“I knew you were the one for me the moment I saw you. Thank you for doing nothing but proving me right.”

The woman smiled and shifted back into her bear form, and the rest of the bears followed her lead as she walked deeper into the forest, leaving Jake and Lewis to kiss passionately in celebration of their love.

Chapter 7

That night, Jake drove Lewis back to his cabin in the woods. They were both quiet, but a gentle hum seemed to fill the vehicle. Jake was sure it was the sound of his heavy heartbeat. He reached over and took Jake’s hand, squeezing it.

When they arrived back to the cabin, Lewis smiled privately to himself. He had been regretting ever going there just a few short days ago, wishing that he’d had the self-restraint not to get caught up in Jake’s sensual web. Jake had hurt him, treating him that way.

But Jake had only done it because he’d broken the rules of his kind and had been worried about what might happen to Lewis if he mated with him. The truth had been that, all along, Jake had been just as tortured as Lewis. And he was working hard to make sure that his family and friends in the bear clan would be safe.

“Come on,” Jake said, his deep voice soft. He tugged Lewis into the cabin, where they were finally free to kiss once again, the same way they had kissed before.

Jake’s passionate tongue slid into Lewis’ mouth, and soon, he was being stripped and caressed by Jake’s capable hands. Lewis pulled Jake’s shirt off and unbuttoned his jeans, letting his pants and boxers drop to the floor. When they were both fully exposed to one another, Jake’s eyes glowed with an amber desire, and Lewis knew that was why they hadn’t been face to face the first time that they’d been intimate. He couldn’t control himself when he was aroused, and it was obvious that Lewis would have asked silly questions the first time.

This time, however, Jake pushed Lewis into the bedroom and forced him onto the bed, where he proceeded to kneel over Lewis’ abdomen and bring the head of Lewis’ aching cock into his mouth. They both shuddered with pleasure as Jake’s tongue worked his body.

Lewis took the initiative, gripping Jake’s firm muscle in his hands. It made sense now why Jake was so big, and why the mystical way he touched Lewis brought him more pleasure than any other man had ever been able to muster. It was as if Lewis had been waiting for this type of love his whole life, without even knowing it.

Jake grunted appreciatively as Lewis stroked him, and bobbed his head rhythmically until Lewis wasn’t able to control himself any longer. He cried out in rapture as Jake took his hot mouth away, letting streams of Lewis’ semen fall into his hands.

Jake wasted no time in pushing himself up off the bed and lubricating his massive erection with Lewis’ cum. He pushed Lewis onto his stomach and lifted his hips in one graceful move. Lewis panted as bliss overtook him, and Jake began to work his way inside of Lewis’ thighs. He reached around and began to fondle Lewis with long, bold strokes, until he was nearly crazy with longing.

Jake immediately set to work in moving his hips, allowing himself to take pleasure where it could be found. Lewis moaned in ecstasy as Jake’s powerful body rammed into his, sending endless waves of pleasure coursing through him. He had never had a lover more powerful, yet still caring and considerate of his pleasure.

They groaned together as Lewis’ body gave way to another orgasm. But Jake was far from done. His stamina would impress the most skilled of lovers, and Lewis wasn’t sure if it was because he was a bear shifter, or because he was just an alpha type of man.

Lewis gasped in ecstasy when Jake slowed his movement and gripped his cock one more time, making it hard again with just one touch. He hadn’t known that men could manage multiple orgasms, but with Jake there was no other option. The man knew exactly how to work his body.

Soon, Lewis was overwhelmed by immense pleasure and they both cried out in ecstasy as Jake’s cock shuddered inside Lewis. The rapid bucking of Jake’s hips grew to a fever pitch as he came close to shooting his load deep inside of Lewis. Somehow he was able to delay the inevitable and gripped Lewis’s cock hard, jerking it back and forth until they were both so close to coming that Lewis nearly cried.

Finally, Jake gave a ferocious roar and an explosion of semen rocked their bodies. Lewis was overcome by pleasure and joined Jake in his climax, his body filled by the powerful force of Jake’s orgasm. They grunted together as Jake thrust until he was finally flaccid, and then pulled gently out of Lewis with a broad smile.

“I missed you so much,” he said, propping himself up on the pillow beside Lewis. “You have no idea how hard it was for me to keep myself at a distance. I thought I would endanger you if I didn’t. My family can be a little…mean…to outsiders.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Lewis said, stroking Jake’s cheek. They kissed deeply, a long, lingering kiss that Lewis wished would never end. “I understand that you wanted to protect me.”

“More than anything,” Jake said, looking suddenly very serious. His deep, amber eyes bore into Lewis’. “And I’m going to protect you for the rest of our lives. From now on, you’re mine.”

Jake gripped Lewis by the waist and pulled him close to his warm body, showering his neck and shoulders with tender kisses.

“And you’re mine,” Lewis said blissfully, as Jake’s strong arm draped around him.

He closed his eyes, shocked by the pleasure that he had stumbled into during his random assignment to the Ozark mountains. He had known when he first arrived that it would be hard to leave the comfortable little place, but now he had to accept that leaving was going to be impossible. He had found the place where he was supposed to be. A spot in the world where he really belonged. And as long as he lived, he was going to treasure it.

Howling for the Bear

“Another one, Zebe?”

“Yes. Just keep them coming, Andy.”

“Will do, partner. Hey, I’m sorry to hear about Caleb. He was a good guy.”

“He was the best. Thanks.”

Zebe stared down at the bar, feeling like all of the wind had been knocked out of him. It had been a long day and he felt emotionally and physically drained. When his brother, Caleb, had been found in the woods by local hikers, local authorities had chalked it up to a random bear attack, but Zebe and his family knew the truth. It was no random attack and it was no ordinary bear.

As the bar filled with members of the community that knew him and his family, there were continued expressions of sympathy for his loss. They bought him drinks and tried to console him. What he really wanted was just to be left alone to dull the pain. Picking up his glass, he moved over to a quiet booth near the back where he would be less obvious to them. The quiet didn’t last long.

“You look like you’ve had a rough day, gorgeous,” a quiet voice said from nearby.

Zebe squinted up at the guy standing in front of his table. He was tall, broad shouldered and gorgeous. His thick black hair was closely cropped, giving him a buff military look. Perhaps he was just what was needed to forget his pain, at least for tonight.

“Something like that,” he replied.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

“Not at all. Have a seat.”

“I’m Blake.”

“Good to meet you, Blake. Are you from Bozeman?”

“Not originally. I just moved over here from Butte.”

“Liking it so far?”

“It’s interesting. How about you?”

“Born and raised.”

“How about I buy you another drink?”

“I have a better idea, how about we just skip the small talk and go back to my place for another drink?”

“That sounds even better.”

The two of them made their way out to their bikes and headed off toward Zebe’s house, a large farmhouse on the outskirts of town surrounded by acres of nothing but fields, trees and streams and, on one side, mountains.

“This is quite remote,” Blake commented as they parked their bikes and walked toward the stately wrap around porch.

“It was my brother’s place. He died recently and so, I guess it is mine now.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks. Anyway, let’s not talk about that. Let’s get a drink and chat a bit.”

“Sure.”

The two of them kicked back on the sofa with a bottle of scotch and a couple of glasses. Zebe was surprised at how well he felt he already knew Blake. It was if they just clicked instantly. It wasn’t long until all conversation took a turn for the physical.

“You have the most beautiful eyes,” Blake said, brushing away a sandy lock of hair from Zebe’s face.

Rather than respond, Zebe smiled and leaned in to kiss him. For a moment, it was like fireworks going off, but then something struck him. Being so close, he couldn’t help but notice the distinct smell of his skin. He hadn’t noticed it so much earlier due to the amount he’d had to drink, but they had slowed down quite a bit while talking and he had sobered a bit. The scent was one he was all too familiar with and he pulled away for a moment and looked at him, hesitant.

“I don’t care if you don’t,” Blake said, understanding exactly what was running through his mind.

Zebe sighed and pulled him toward him, kissing him deeply. The passion ignited between them only made the scent stronger, as Zeke was sure it did with his own. There was no doubt about what Blake was, and that he knew exactly what Zeke was, as well. Still, there seemed to be no stopping them as their passion took on a life of its own.

“You stink so badly,” Zebe laughed as he pulled away.

“As do you,” Blake replied with a wry smile.

“Oh well, fuck it.”

“My sentiments precisely,” Blake added, reaching for him and unbuttoning the fly on his jeans.

Zebe began kissing him again, fumbling with the buttons on Blake’s shirt as he searched his mouth hungrily with his tongue. Their bodies pressed into one another, all muscle and hard angles. Blake’s growing erection pressed into Zebe’s rising cock as they stripped one another bare and began exploring every inch of skin exposed with their hands and mouths. Blake bit into a bare shoulder, eliciting a loud groan from Zebe as they enjoyed one another feverishly.

Blake dropped to the floor in front of Zebe and took his cock in one hand, stroking it firmly within his grasp. Tossing his head back, he became lost in the sensations of the strokes along the length of his pulsating erection. Blake’s tongue explored the aching tip slowly and thoroughly, enjoying the taste and feel of it in his mouth.

“God, that feels amazing,” Zebe breathed, his hips tilted forward as if to offer himself completely. Tangling his fingers in Blake’s hair, he allowed himself to just enjoy what he was doing even though he knew he shouldn’t be with him. It was just one night.

“Yes. Yes,” he moaned loudly as Blake took more of him in his mouth and began sucking his way up and down the length of his cock. His hands stroked his balls and fingered his ass as he slipped up and down his throbbing instrument. It was hard to hold back his climax with the pressure of Blake’s jaws sucking his cock so powerfully, but he pushed back the urge. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he forced his head downward, filling his mouth with a heavy load of cum.

“You might smell bad, but you taste fantastic,” Blake smiled, wiping an escaped bit of cum from his lips. “I bet you feel even better.

Pulling Zebe upward, he turned him around to that he was draped across the back of the sofa legs spread apart to expose his tight ass. Reaching between him legs, he paused to wet his fingers and began slowly trailing them around the outer rim of his ass. Zebe moaned loudly in anticipation as he inserted a single finger, slowly slipping more and more of it inside of him and sliding it back and forth to ready him for his cock.

Blake continued to tease him as he grew hard again in anticipation of having him inside of his ass. He groaned loudly as the tip of Blake’s cock finally slid in and he began slowly rocking back and forth, piercing him more with each thrust. His powerful hands gripped his waist as he steadied him and sank deeper inside of him until he was fully engaged.

“Fuck, that feels amazing,” Zebe gasped.

“Feels pretty great from this end too. I can’t wait until you return the favor.”

“You bet your sweet ass I will,” Zebe replied, his words cut off as he gasped loudly with the power of a sudden thrust.

“You’re so damned tight,” Blake breathed pulling almost fully out before slamming back home to his center again. The most pleasurable twinge rocketed through Zebe’s body as Blake fell into a rhythm, fucking him with long, powerful strokes. Their combined sounds echoed throughout the room.

“Fuck me, you big stinky bear,” Zebe barked at him.

“I do love making you howl.”

Blake grabbed a patch of hair and yanked Zebe’s head back, thrusting into him hard enough that it felt like he was tearing him apart. It only made him want it more as their muscular bodies slammed together in perfect unison until Blake couldn’t hold back any longer and exploded inside of him before they collapsed against one another across the sofa.

“That was unbelievably intense,” Blake told him as he pulled away.

“I would have to agree with that,” Zebe replied a bit short of breath.

“I’m glad that I came across you in the bar,” Blake said thoughtfully.

“Not nearly as glad as I am. Come on. Let’s go get a few hours sleep.”

“That sounds fantastic. Lead the way.”

Zebe led Blake to his bedroom and they climbed naked beneath the covers. Kissing and exploring the hard angles of one another’s bodies with their fingers for a while, they lay in the lazy aftermath of their passion, content with one another despite their considerable differences. For now, it was simply what it was and that was more than enough. Drifting off into a deep sleep, they awoke to the sun shining through the window the following morning.

“It’s a beautiful day out. What do you say we go over to my place and I’ll show you my favorite hiking trail?” Blake told Zebe, playing lightly with a small sprig of hair as he spoke.

“I don’t know, Blake. Maybe we should just let this go with a one-night stand. Us being together could cause ripples that I’m not sure I want to face.”

“It’s just a bit of hiking, Zebe. Nothing more. If something else comes of it, then we will face it together.”

“I guess I am getting a bit ahead of myself. Sure, let’s get some hiking in. Let me change and get my pack.”

“Sounds good.”

An hour later, they were headed up a mountain side behind Blake’s home, a large cabin every bit as remote as Zebe’s, but across the river. It was well known that the river served as a dividing point between their people, and Zebe felt just a bit of trepidation about being on the wrong side of it, especially after what had happened to his brother. Everyone knew the rules about staying on their own side of Montana. Now that he was sober, he realized what a bad idea this all might be.

“Blake, I think I should turn back and head home.”

“What? Why? You’ve come all this way already.”

“We both know I don’t belong here. It could bring a lot of trouble for the both of us.”

“This is my private property, five hundred acres of it. No one will bother you here.”

“I’m just getting more uncomfortable with it. You know, all my brother did was drift toward the wrong side of the river when his boat stalled. Next thing I know, I’m down at the county coroner’s office identifying his body. We both know those weren’t wild animals that attacked him.”

“Look, Zebe, I know nothing about your brother’s death. I had nothing to do with it. Our families, the hate between them goes back to times long before you and I came into the picture, but I’m not about that. I have no animosity toward anyone who doesn’t bring it upon themselves.”

“I feel the same, but it doesn’t change the way things are. We can never be a couple. It would never be accepted. Why waste time and get too involved in a hopeless situation?”

“It is only hopeless if we make it that way. Let’s just enjoy it one day at a time and see where it takes us. I’d really like to see our families get along again and if that has to start with just the two of us, then I’ll take it.”

“Okay, Blake. I’ll try to get past it, but only because you are so insanely hot.”

“That’s the spirit,” Blake laughed, leaning in and kissing him softly.

Zebe felt something, something real, down in the pit of his stomach. Maybe it was just anxiety or nerves, but it felt more like butterflies. Getting attached to Blake was a bad idea, but damn it if he didn’t feel a pull toward him that went far deeper than his looks.

“Let’s get moving then. This trail isn’t going to turn into a moving sidewalk and take us to the top of the mountain.”

“Indeed it isn’t.”

They chatted some more along the way, mostly about how their families had come to be so at odds with one another. It had taken place well before they had been brought into the world, but it was one of many stories handed down through the ages that served to remind each of them why it was important not to befriend one another. At least, it was intended to do so.

“My father says he can remember when our families used to run on both sides of the river together. They played together, fought together. There was no difference in our people other than the obvious physical aspects.”

“Mine says the same. It was his father that started this. He and a man named Pete Featherskull used to be best friends until they fell in love with the same girl, my grandmother. He used to tell me the story when I was young. She and Pete grew up together and he was in love with her from the time he first lay eyes on her as a little girl, but she didn’t feel the same about him and though our families were friends, they were forbidden to intermarry.”

“Yes, I’ve heard the story, but had no idea if it was just folklore or true.”

“It is very true, according to my grandfather. He came here when he was thirteen from another territory. He and Pete became best friends almost endlessly. They used to hunt together and run through the forests as a pair. Then, Pete introduced him to a young woman named Hilda and it was love at first sight. Of course, Pete never told my grandfather that, but it became obvious that he had feelings for her later on.”

“I wonder why he never told him? Surely if they were best friends, your grandfather would have backed off.”

“Maybe. I don’t know. His feelings for my grandmother were very strong from the start. He said it was like waking up one morning and realizing he had been missing half of himself all his life. I’m not sure he could have stopped himself from loving her and perhaps he would have thought there was no reason to since Pete couldn’t be with her anyway.”

“I can see that. I guess it boils down to love or friendship, which was more important.”

“Guess no one will ever know. My grandfather didn’t realize Pete was in love with her until the end. He said he thought the jealousy was more about him spending so much time with her and neglecting their friendship, so he tried to spend more time with Pete, but he could see something had changed and it was too late, so he withdrew. Time passed and he and my grandmother got married. That was when the tragic events we are told about took place.”

“Yes. I heard that the two men had an argument over a woman and it ended in a fight which was joined by members of both families, losing dozens in the clash and more in the years afterward as the hostilities continued.”

“Pretty much. My grandfather said that he was walking home with my grandmother. They had only been married for a week and were still in that state of bliss. They encountered Pete on the street and he was very drunk, began insulting my grandfather and eventually attacked. My grandfather told my grandmother to run rather than fight and she did, but she circled back, with family members she had quickly gathered from nearby houses. Pete’s family had heard the commotion and done the same.”

“I can only imagine a fight like that, both families in mass. I hope to never see one first hand. I am not afraid to fight, but I don’t really see the point in it all. To have our families at odds for so many years over a romantic slight is bad enough. I’m glad they at least called a truce and agreed to stay on our own sides of the river.”

“Me too. I’d love to be able to repair that rift between all of us, but I’ve no idea where to even start. I’m afraid it may even get worse again with the death of your brother.”

“There has been talk, but at the end of the day, I think my people prefer to live in peace and not have to look over their shoulders everywhere they go. No one is happy about my brother’s demise, but he was on the wrong side of the river, no matter how he got there.”

“True. Still, I don’t understand why he wasn’t merely warned and sent on his way. There was no need for what they did to him.”

“No, there wasn’t. I can only assume it was some of the teens who saw an opportunity to use skills in a real world situation. Your brother just landed in the wrong place at the wrong time and someone saw him as an opportunity to hone their attacks.”

“Well, it would be nice if we could all find peace again.”

“If nothing else, at least the two of us have found peace with one another.”

“True. Very true.”

The conversation lagged as they reached a steep incline and made their way up it, finally reaching the top after traversing some jagged rock facings and almost nonexistent foot paths. It had been a bit more strenuous than Zebe had expected but well worth the effort as the pair of them stood looking over the land below them.

“Wow. I can see why you love this place. The view is spectacular!”

“It certainly is,” Blake replied, smiling softly as Zebe turned and realized he was looking at him rather than the countryside below them.

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Zebe said with a smile of his own.

“I sure hope so. Come here and I’ll show you something.”

Zebe walked over to where he stood and watched as he extended his arm across the river, pointing to an area that was immediately recognizable. It was his house.

“You have quite the keen sense of direction and sight.”

“I certainly do,” he laughed.

Zebe looked at his home for a minute before walking around the edge of the mountain top and getting a good view of his own around the area. There was a perfect view of the entire area from up here. He was marveling at how much he could see from just this one spot when a wave of weakness seemed to fall across him, followed by a feeling of nausea.

“I think we best be getting back.”

“What’s wrong?” Blake asked, noting that something didn’t quite seem right with him.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps just time to eat.”

“Here. I brought some snacks, munch on some of this jerky and we’ll head down. Maybe you can get your strength back up along the way.”

“Sounds good,” Zebe replied, but he wasn’t sure about that. Something was horribly wrong. He felt peculiar in a way that he had never experienced before. By the time they had made it down off the mountain, Blake was having to actively support his weight and help him walk. It was if he had no strength left and he felt increasingly ill.

“Sit down here and let me get you some juice,” Blake told him, seating him on the sofa in his massive den.

“I don’t know what happened. I was fine earlier and now I feel faint and my stomach is hurting so bad. My strength is zapped and I feel completely nauseated.”

“Yeah. I have that effect on men.”

“Oh please, don’t make me laugh. Even that takes more energy than I have,” Blake replied, stifling a chuckle.

“I think we have a problem, Zebe.”

“Well, I know I certainly seem to.”

“You know, there is a legend. I thought it was a myth.”

Blake looked at him with a puzzled expression and then his eyes opened wide as he realized what he was talking about.

“No way. It’s just not possible.”

“It is possible. Very possible. We used no protection last night, which was unsafe by anyone’s standards, but I never would have guessed it would lead to this.”

“I can’t be pregnant! That’s just an old story that is told.”

“You have all the symptoms.”

“I just don’t believe it. I need to go to the doctor.”

“And what happens when he confirms what I’m telling you? How will you explain your condition to people who don’t understand that people like us even exist? You’ll end up as the poster child for the National Query or in a lab somewhere.”

“I’ll go to the club doctor. He’s one of us.”

“Then let’s go. The sooner we know, the better. If we are right, you’re going to need a lot of supplements and proper care. Can he be trusted not to let this get out to the motor club just yet?”

“Yes. He knows not to talk about anything when it comes to me and the other members.”

“Come on then. We’ll take the car.”

Zebe let Blake help him out to the car and get him seated inside of it. It was surprising to find out that he drove something as upscale and classic as an old rolls Royce. It wasn’t exactly the sort of car you’d expect to see a biker driving.

“Nice car.”

“Mint. One owner, my grandfather. He left it to me when he parted.”

“I’m sorry to hear he is gone.”

“He’s not dead. He just went overseas and couldn’t take it with him.”

“You’ve a very weird sense of humor at times.”

“At all the times, really. Let’s get going.”

The two of them drove in silence to the doctor’s house. By the time they arrived, Zebe was pale and in considerable pain. Blake helped him to the door and knocked on it. An older man approached the door and squinted out at the two of them, wrinkling up his nose in distaste.

“Zebe, why have you brought this musty smelling creature to my house?”

“He brought me here, Doc. I’m sick and need you to look at me.”

“He fucking stinks.”

“Doc, I’ve no time for that. Help me.”

“Fine. Come in.”

Blake helped Zebe inside, following the doctor to another room that sat to one side of his living room. He pushed back a curtain and indicated for him to lay Zebe across the bed, still looking distastefully at the bear shifter in his midst as he instructed Zebe to get undressed.

“Alright, what are your symptoms?”

Zebe listed off all his symptoms and looked at Blake nervously as he waited for the doctor to finish his exam. The doctor shook his head ruefully and eyed the two of them.

“Well, the two of you are in quite a pickle.”

“I’m pregnant,” Zebe offered.

“Yes, you are. Everything seems normal. The pain and illness is just your body adjusting to a foreign entity. Not only is it an anomaly for a man to be pregnant, but you have the added dimension of your embryo being part bear shifter. Your wolf blood is reacting to that as if being attacked by a virus.”

“What’s going to happen?”

“Well, I have to say I’ve never encountered it before, but I’ve read about the process. Gestation will be short, only ten days. Your body is going to be racked with discomfort and illness the entire time, I’m afraid to say, but it’s not fatal. The child appears healthy and you were healthy when you conceived it, so your chances of having a healthy hybrid wolf/bear shifter are very good.”

“I don’t know how this could have happened,” Zebe said aloud.

“I’m guessing you had sex with that furrball over there. You’d have better served yourself and your family by having made a nice fireplace rug out of him. They aren’t going to take this very well.”

Blake scowled back at the doctor but said nothing. Zebe looked at him apologetically and began pulling his shirt over his head. He faltered a bit as he started to get off the exam table and Blake was quickly by his side to support him.

“Hmmph,” the doctor uttered. “I’ll get you some vitamins and supplements. You won’t be able to get what you need elsewhere so just come back to me if you run out . . . or send the bear, I guess.”

“Thank you, Doc.”

“How are you going to handle this with your family and with the club?”

“I don’t know yet, Doc. We have a lot to talk about. We’ll figure it out. In the meantime, this is just between us, okay?”

“Boy Scout’s honor.”

“I doubt you were ever a boy scout,” Zebe said with as much of a laugh as he could muster.

“You’d be surprised what I was in my day,” the doctor replied before leaving the room to retrieve whatever magic potions he intended for Zebe to take.

“This is unbelievable,” Zebe said to Blake after he was gone.

“Unbelievable and beautiful,” Blake said with a warm smile.

“I can’t believe you seem excited about this.”

“I can’t believe you aren’t.”

“I have some sort of wolf bear growing inside my . . . shit.” Blake turned toward the doctor as soon as he walked back in. “Where exactly is it growing?”

“You have a womb.”

“I have a what???”

“That’s right. You have a womb. Do you know what the odds of your being gay, having a womb and procreating with a bear shifter are? That’s why this hasn’t happened for thousands of years. No wonder everyone thinks it is just a fairy tale.”

“Why has no one ever noticed such an anomaly before?”

“Simple. You’ve always been healthy. Any injuries you’ve ever had have healed themselves so quickly there was never a need to see a doctor and get any kind of tests that would have revealed such a thing. Even if there had been, it lies dormant until such time as it is put to use. It’s not like the womb of a woman, but more like a . . . let’s say, collapsible water bottle waiting to be filled. It would have been lying to one side against muscle tissue, not bothering anything.”

“Okay. So I have a womb. Where precisely will the child be exiting?”

“Well, you may not like that part. Here, take these pads. You’re going to need them.”

“For?”

“Now that the bottle has been filled, the neck of it will begin extending and making room. It will detach itself to the space between your testicles and rectum and create an exit for the newborn.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“I’m not. Once the baby is born, the womb will exit with it and be clipped with the umbilical cord. The exit will heal up just like any other wound you’ve ever had and you’ll never bear another child. No pun intended.”

Zebe looked positively green at the thought of what the doctor was telling him. He looked at Blake, who appeared rapt with attention, hanging on the doctor’s every word.

“That is fantastic!”

“Easy for you to say, you aren’t growing a vagina!” Zebe exclaimed.

“It will be okay, Zebe. I will take good care of you.”

“You’re going to have to. This isn’t going to set well with folks and he’s not going to be in any condition to fight during his pregnancy. In fact, he won’t be able to shift at all until after the baby is born. He’ll need a lot of help and a lot of protection, even from his own, I’m afraid.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Blake said solemnly.

“You better do that quickly,” the doctor told both of them, handing them the supplies he had retrieved and seeing them to the door. “Just call me if you need anything or when it’s time. I’ll be there to make sure you get through this in one piece.”

“Thank you for everything, Doc,” Blake said.

“Not a problem. Not every day I get to deliver a mythical creature. I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’m glad one of us is,” Zebe replied.

“Two of us. You’ll join us when you have adjusted to the idea of it all,” Blake told him, opening the car door for him.

Looking down at his abdomen, Zebe could already see signs of swelling. The baby was growing fast thanks to his accelerated metabolism. He suspected that Blake’s was the same, so it would be a double dose of it, thus why the gestation period was so short he was guessing. Ten days wasn’t long to adjust to the idea and they still had to consider how they were going to break this to their respective families and motor clubs.

Back at Blake’s house, they sat on the sofa and just stared at the wall for a moment, adjusting to the idea and collecting their thoughts. It was Blake that finally broke the silence as he turned to Zebe and pulled his hand toward him, holding it gently as he spoke.

“I think this is an opportunity, Zebe.”

“An opportunity for what? To prove we know nothing about parenting a child? We hardly even know one another. I’m a wolf shifter. You are a bear shifter. Who knows what this child will be.”

“Loved, that is what this child will be. Loved by the both of us. I think you and I were destined to be together. I felt it from the moment I first laid eyes on you in the bar. Do you not think I already knew you were a wolf before I came near you? I just didn’t care. I wanted you, needed you in some weird way. It is like I was drawn to you instantly.”

“I felt a pull myself, even after I realized what you were.”

“Then, let’s just give this a shot. Us, the baby, everything.”

“I don’t suppose we’ve much choice.”

“This is an opportunity for us to show our families and the community that we can all exist as equals. We can all be a part of one another’s lives without having to fight just because we are different. This baby could bring everyone back together.”

“Or it could just drive us all further apart and us completely out of town, or worse.”

“I refuse to think that way.”

“Look what happened to my brother, Blake.”

“The actions of a few don’t speak for the whole. I know, for a fact, that my family and my club are seeking out those responsible for killing without any serious provocation. If your brother just drifted and they killed him for it, they will be punished. Unless he attacked them first, they will pay for their actions. It was excessive and unnecessary. No one wants to go back to all-out war.”

“Perhaps so, but it won’t bring my brother back.”

“No, but we can possibly be the ones that end this animosity between our families once and for all.”

“Do you really think that?”

“I’d like to believe it. Time will tell, I suppose.”

“Then, let’s go tell the masses.”

“No. I don’t think we are ready for that just yet. There are those that will try to stop a reconciliation. I won’t risk having you or the baby harmed before it can even be brought into the world. I think it is best that we keep it quiet until it is born and then pursue peace between our sides.”

“Makes sense. Plus, we don’t know what this thing is going to be. What if it is some sort of awful creature? I mean, half bear, half wolf? How does that even work?”

“I don’t know. I suppose we will find out.”

“Okay. We will begin making plans tomorrow. Right now, I feel exhausted. Do you think I could just lie down for a while?”

“Of course. Go relax in my bed for a while. I’ll start us some dinner and wake you up in a bit. I’ve got some fantastic steaks. I’m guessing you like yours rare too?”

“Usually, but I’m feeling a little queasy at the moment, so we may have to go with medium well.”

“Good enough. Do you need anything else?”

“No, not at the moment.”

“I’ll start the steaks marinating and get the prep work done then. Rest well.”

“Thanks.”

Zebe lay in the darkness of Blake’s room, the thick curtains closed to keep out the daylight which had already started to fade. Day one of ten was already passing and he knew the time would fly by before it was time for the baby to come. He didn’t want to show just how very afraid he was. He was a pack leader, for fuck’s sake. Still, he was more frightened than he had ever been in his life. If only his brother was here to talk to. He had always made things better. He didn’t even remember falling asleep, but before he knew it, two hours had passed and Blake was sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking his cheek softly.

“Do you feel any better?”

“A bit. I think the supplements may be kicking in. I don’t feel quite as tired as I did, but now I’m starving!”

“Good. Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes. I’ll leave you to get yourself together before coming out to eat.”

“Thanks, Blake. You’re being incredibly good to me.”

“Well, you are carrying our child. I’m looking forward to raising it with you, in all honesty. Even if we have to move to some other place and hide from our families to do so, I’ll do that with you. We’re in this together now.”

“Yes, we are. I’ll be out in just a minute.”

“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

Blake kissed him on the cheek and made his way back to the kitchen to finish up dinner. By the time Zebe made his way out to the table, it was already set and the food was out on the table waiting for him. Blake pulled out a chair for him and then sat on the opposite side to eat his own meal. He wanted to be polite, but he was ravenous and scarfed it all down quickly.

“Well, you really wolfed that down,” Blake quipped

“Really? Trying to be punny?” Zebe shot back.

“A little. Are you still hungry?”

“Honestly? Yes. I feel like I could eat a whole wildebeest by myself.”

“Well, I’m fresh out of wildebeest, but I do have plenty of food. Come into the kitchen and get whatever you want.”

Zebe followed Blake to the kitchen and waited as he opened the fridge and the cabinets. He stood at the kitchen counter where he rapidly ate a leftover pot roast with potatoes, onions and carrots and then made his way through various fruits and vegetables. He finished with a small cake from the deli and drank an entire gallon of orange juice.

“Oh boy. This is going to be an expensive pregnancy,” Blake laughed.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. You’re eating for two. We’ll make a list of what you want and make sure you have plenty. I can duck out to the store in the morning.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“I don’t think so. You’re already showing. You don’t go from having six pack abs to having a keg overnight without there being questions. Even if you didn’t draw attention with that, we can’t be seen together just yet.”

“I suppose you are right. I’ll at least give you some money to help out.”

“Don’t worry about that. I have plenty money.”

“Still, I’d like to do my part.”

“I think you are doing more than your fair share already,” Blake replied, placing his hand on Zebe’s already noticeably rounded belly.

“What are we going to do, Blake?”

“I don’t know. Come on. Let’s go sit down in the den and we’ll try to figure out a plan on how to break the news to everyone without getting mobbed.”

“I think we should start with just the elders. Maybe call them together for some sort of peace talks and see how they react to that. When we have them all together in a room and know they are at least interested in making peace, then we can tell them what has happened. They are old and superstitious. Surely the fact that we have born a child into the world that belongs to both families will serve as a sign that peace is a must for all of us,” Zebe told him.

“I think that is probably the best plan. If we can convince them, then they will dictate down to the younger members and it will be accepted, even if not all of them agree with it.”

“Let’s hope so. So, we concentrate on getting this baby born and then hope for the best. What is our contingency plan?”

“Simple. If they say no, we don’t wait for a skirmish to break out once they’ve alerted the others. We go there already packed to head for the east coast, far out of harm’s way.”

“How will we live? Our entire lives are here. We both have the clubs and our businesses to run. How will we make a living?”

“I have plenty of money saved up for an emergency and I would say that events unfolding that are not in our favor certainly qualifies. We leave and don’t look back. We rebuild somewhere else.”

“I have some money saved too. It’s hard to walk away from what you’ve worked hard to build, but I guess we may be left with no choice if it comes to that.”

“Then, as soon as the baby is born and you are well enough to get out, you will go to your place and pack what you need. I’ll keep the baby here. Once we are packed, we’ll call a meeting with the elders and present our case to them. What happens after that depends on their reaction.”

“I don’t know if I’m more afraid of giving birth or facing them.”

“Completely understandable.”

“Tell me it is going to be okay, Blake.”

“It will be fine,” Blake replied, reaching out to caress his cheek for a moment before pulling him into a kiss. Zebe felt it down to his toes. If nothing else was clear about their future, the fact that he had met Blake for a reason and belonged with him was a certainty in his mind. He curled up against his chest, feeling like it was precisely where he should be.

The moment was shattered as someone locked loudly at the front door. Blake eased up from the sofa and peeped through the blinds of a nearby window. He walked back to the sofa and sat down, whispering to Zebe.

“It’s just my cousin Jacob. He’ll go away if I don’t answer.”

Zebe nodded, but it quickly became apparent that Jacob was not going away. He pounded on the door and yelled for Blake to answer it.

“Come on, Blake . . . man. I know you are in there. I need help. My bike broke down just up the road.”

“Great. Give me a minute and I’ll get rid of him.”

Blake knew it would have been hard for Jacob to walk out of here. He had injured his leg in a bike accident a few years ago and it had healed improperly. Despite Doc breaking it back apart and resetting it several times, it was just never right again. Jacob walked with a noticeable limp unless he was shifted and he couldn’t very well walk down the outer road in were bear form. It must have been hard for him to even make it down the long gravel road that led here.

“About time, man. I’m sweating my balls off out here.”

“Sorry about that. I was busy.”

“I need you to take me back to town and get the flatbed for my bike. Motor’s fucked.”

“I can’t right now. Just take mine and leave it at the shop while you bring the truck back to get yours. I can pick it up later when I come into town in the car.”

“I appreciate it, man.”

“Just stay here. I’ll get you the keys.”

“Man, it’s hot out here. You care if I come in and get some water?”

“Um, yeah. Give me a minute.”

“What the hell? You hiding a body in there?”

“Not yet, but if you don’t shut up, I might be. I’ll be right back.”

Blake shut the door and leaned against it, looking toward the sofa. Zebe wasn’t there. Walking toward the center of the room, he saw that the bedroom door was closed. Good. He walked back over to the door and told Jacob to come in. The younger man followed him to the kitchen and accepted the glass he handed him to retrieve water from the filtered pitcher in the refrigerator.

“That’s better. I was completely parched. Let me get out of your hair and go get my stuff taken care of.”

“Alright. Just park the bike inside and I’ll get it back later.”

“Sounds . . .,” Jacob started to say, but the words drifted off as his nose suddenly lifted into the air, sniffing around them. “You smell that?”

“I don’t smell anything. You’ve been out in the sun too long. Get going.”

“No, man. It smells like a wolf.”

“You’re just imagining things. I’ve got stuff to do. Get going.”

“No. I’m telling you that there is a wolf nearby. I can smell him, just like I smelled that one along the river when Harper and me were hunting.”

“You saw the wolf shifter that was killed?”

“Yeah, man. Who do you think killed him? He was on the wrong side of the river.”

“Did he attack you?”

“No. He was just dead in the water and drifted over from how it looked. Harper and I sent a loud and clear message about what happens to mange riddled wolves who don’t stay on their own side of the state.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you? He didn’t even mean to come over here!”

“Didn’t mean to or not, he was in dangerous waters and should have been more careful.”

Before Blake could react further, the bedroom door burst open and Zebe came charging out, right at Jacob. The look on his face was pure hatred, no doubt having heard the conversation from where he had been concealing himself in the bedroom.

“You worthless piece of shit! My brother never hurt anyone and would have never harmed you!”

Jacob looked bewildered for just a moment, but as Zebe’s hands met his chest in a massive shove that sent him flying out the open front door, his eyes narrowed and he came back up from where he landed on the ground, shifting into bear form.

“Jacob, no!” Blake shouted at him, but he was already lunging toward Zebe, who was helpless against him without his shifting powers. He prepared for the attack the best he could by doubling over and protecting his growing midriff, which Jacob apparently had not even noticed. Instead, he heard a heavy thud as Blake shifted and threw his own weight against Jacob, pushing him back out the door. The two of them rolled around on the front lawn, all claws, growls and blood.

Zebe felt sick at his stomach again. He couldn’t even help Blake. It was his fault that this was happening and he couldn’t do a thing to intervene. It seemed to go on forever as the two bear shifters clashed with one another, using teeth and claws to do damage. Though Blake was a bit larger, Jacob seemed more agile and was getting far too many swipes in against him. There was blood everywhere.

Blake fell to the ground, heaving for breath, giving Zebe just enough time to pull away and head for the door again. Zebe stood his ground, refusing to run from the piece of human waste that had killed his brother. The bear was almost upon him when Blake once again threw himself onto him and pushed him away to one side. Their heavy bodies thudded against the side of the house and Zebe watched as Blake bite heavily into Jacob’s neck, ripping his throat out and falling back on his haunches as it lay bleeding and panting on the ground.

Jacob’s bear form faded away as he resumed human form, his eyes fixed and his breath still. He was dead. Blake shifted and walked over to him, looking down at him with tears in his eyes. It was obvious that he was distraught at what he had been forced to do, but Zebe couldn’t say he was sorry about it. He made a note that Harper would be dealt with personally when he was able to do so. Looking up, he saw a scratched, bloody Blake walking toward him, his wounds healing rapidly.

“We need to get you out of here until I can deal with this. People will come looking for him and they will smell you, just as he did. I’m going to take you home until after they’ve come to deal with his body,” Blake told him in a shaky voice.

“What will you tell them happened?”

“Just that he attacked me and it was self-defense.”

“They will want to know why he attacked you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with them. I just need to get you someplace safe first.”

“Okay, Blake. I need to take care of some things at home anyway.”

“Let’s get going then. I’ll call them on my way back.”

Zebe followed him out to the car and climbed in on the passenger side. They drove back to his place in complete silence, each lost in thought. Zebe looked out over the water as they crossed the bridge that divided them. Today’s events with Jacob only made him warier of how things might unfold when they confronted the elders with their news. While he’d like to think a hybrid baby might be just the thing to bring their people together, he had some serious reservations about it.

Finally, they were pulling into his driveway. Blake helped him from the car. It had already begun to be uncomfortable just getting up and down with his growing belly in the way. How women spent months in this condition was beyond him. It was decidedly obtrusive and inconvenient for him already. Blake walked him into the house and looked around to make sure it was okay before kissing him goodbye.

“Lock the doors and don’t answer them for anyone.”

“No one is going to bother me here.”

“I’d just like to be sure of that.”

“Okay, Blake. I’ll see you soon.”

“You certainly will.”

Hours passed and Zebe was beginning to get worried. Finally, headlights flooded the front window. He waited breathlessly out of sight of the window to make sure it was Blake before going to the door. His heart thudded as footsteps sounded on the front stoop and there was a knock at the door. He hated being so frightened, but without his shifting ability and an unborn child to protect, he had little choice but to exercise caution.

“Zebe, it’s me,” Blake called from the front door.

“Thank goodness! I was getting worried,” Zebe told him as he unlocked and opened the door.

“It was a bit of a mess, but it’s settled now. I told them that he confessed to me that he had been the one who killed the wolf shifter on the river for no other reason than he had drifted into our territory by accident and that we had words, as I felt it would only bring more trouble. Then, he attacked and I had to put him down. It was mostly the truth. I just left you out of it. They will learn that part of it soon enough.”

“At least it is over now and one of my brother’s killers has been brought to justice.”

“No, both of them have. I told them about Harper. They will take care of him.”

“How so?”

“Let’s just say he will be of no harm to anyone else. The fact that they are concerned with an unnecessary kill tells me that they will be open to what we will be sharing with them next week.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“They are clearing Jacob’s remains from my house. Do you care if we just stay here for now? I think it might be best if we steer clear for a couple of days. I told them I was going to get away for some fresh air.”

“That sounds good to me.”

“Good. I brought your supplements and the pads the doc gave you.”

“I still am not quite certain what those are for,” Zebe responded.

“I have a feeling you’ll figure it out if and when they are needed.”

“Unfortunately, you are probably right.”

Several days passed during which the couple remained at Zebe’s. Blake checked in with the club and his family periodically just to keep up appearances, but mostly stayed by Zebe’s side. Zebe had been forced to claim an emergency out of town and go into hiding until after the birth due to the rapidly increasing size of his abdomen. Before he knew it they were only days away from the birth of their child.

“We’re going to have to head back to the house now. The doctor will not come to this side of the river to deliver and I don’t want to risk having you out and about in your condition when it comes closer to time,” Blake told him.

“That all makes sense. I definitely don’t want to do this without a doctor, even if it is an old, crotchety one like him.”

“I agree. I don’t think I’m equipped to deal with delivering a baby, much less one being born in such extraordinary circumstances.”

“Are you as scared as I am? I mean, I have no idea how to parent and we are going to have a child that is decidedly out of the ordinary to bring up. What will he be and how do we train him if we don’t understand how our different gifts affect him?”

“We’ll be like any other parents with their first child, making mistakes and just doing the best we can. Hopefully, when the elders become involved, there will be things they can advise us on that will help us along.”

“I just hope you are right. It would be a much better benefit to have them on our side rather than against us. If we have to run, we’re completely on our own.”

“Let’s just not worry with that right now. We’ll focus on getting the baby here safely before we worry about all that.”

“I can’t help it, Blake. I am worried. This has all been so sudden. For the first time in my life, I feel genuinely frightened by something.”

“I do too, but we’ll be okay. Come here.”

Blake pulled Zebe into his arms and held him. Even their relationship was different for Zebe. He had always been the alpha male in his relationships, but it seemed Blake had taken over that role in this one and it didn’t really bother him. Their relationship worked. Despite all of the what ifs and concerns, he felt happier than he had ever been in his life. Perhaps it was just some sort of hormonal thing due to the pregnancy, but he was very content to just let things be instead of feeling as if he had to be in total control as he usually did.

Zebe awoke the morning of the tenth day with the most incredible pain. He had just been to the doctor the day before due to heavy bleeding that had really worried him until he was told what it was. The exit was forming and now he knew what the pads were for. This must be what women felt like at least once a month . . . bloated, bleeding and in pain.

“You are going into labor. It’s time,” the doctor told them.

“No. I’m not ready,” Zebe said woefully.

“You are ready. Today is your due date. The baby is on the way. You have to be ready.”

“I can’t do this, Doc.”

“You can and you will. I will take good care of you. I promise, even if you do smell like a dirty dishtowel.”

Zebe almost laughed at his continued distaste for his wolf scent, but it caused a sharp pain in his side to laugh and he quickly stopped, grimacing instead.

“This is so great. We’re going to be fathers!”

“You’ll be a father. I am apparently a mother,” Zebe said sarcastically.

“As long as you don’t start wearing dresses and pearls, you can call yourself what you’d like,” Blake told him playfully.”

“It seems apt. Of course you realize that makes you a motherfu. . .,” Zebe began, his words cut off by a pain that seemed to rack his entire body.

“See, that is what you get for being mean to me,” Blake teased.

“Doc, can you check and see if he has a womb? I think I’d like to return this favor to him once we square all this away.”

“Sure, sure. I’ll get right on that. For now, get undressed and up on the table. Let’s get you into the stirrups and work on bringing this baby into the world.”

After several hours of labor, during which Zebe was quite certain he would pass out or perhaps even drop dead, their son was delivered. He smiled weakly as the doctor help the baby up and cleared its lungs, bringing forth a ferocious fit of crying. It was beautiful. He looked over at Blake, still holding his hand despite his efforts to squeeze it clean off his wrist during delivery and noted tears falling down his face.

“You did great. Just look at him. He’s perfect.”

“He looks so normal.”

“What did you expect? A wolf snout and fur covering?”

“I don’t know, some sign of what he will be, I suppose.”

“Time will tell.”

The doctor finished cleaning up the baby and lay him on Zebe’s chest, letting the two of them enjoy him as his tiny hands grasped their fingers and he cooed quietly, now calm and at peace near Zebe’s heartbeat. He was stunning. A sadness passed over Zebe as he realized that the real work would begin now. They would have to face the council of elders from both families and they would have to raise this very special miracle of a child.

“Alright boys. The easy part is over. Now, it’s time for the hard part,” the doctor told them as he finished tending to Zebe after the birth.

“The hard part?” the asked, almost in unison.

“Yeah. You have to raise the little booger now.”

They laughed as they went back to admiring the baby. After resting for a while in the doctor’s makeshift delivery room, Zebe was allowed to go home. They spent the next few days just enjoying their child and allowing Zebe’s wounds to heal. He was grateful to get back to normal, even stepping out into the back yard where he couldn’t be seen if someone happened to come to the house and shifting into wolf form long enough to make sure he still could do so without a problem.

Finally, they each called their respective elder councils and asked to meet with them, explaining that there would be members of the other shifter family in attendance so there were no surprises. Though each side had arguments against attending any peace talks, it seemed more like posturing than a sincere desire not to make peace. When the day arrived, both Blake and Zeke were extremely nervous. They took the baby, whom they had named Michael Darren after each of their grandfathers, with them.

“You ready for this?” Blake asked.

“As ready as I will ever be,” Zebe replied.

“Just remember, Michael comes first. You make sure he is safe and I’ll do most of the talking.”

“Sounds good to me. Let’s do this.”

Blake kissed him on the forehead before they walked into the large building where council meetings hadn’t been held in decades. It sat on a barge in the middle of the river with a walkway coming in from either side. Neither was surprised to see that the elders sat on their respective sides not speaking or looking at one another as they waited for them to arrive.

“Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming here today to listen to us. Before we begin, we want you to know that we have the deepest respect for each and every one of you on both sides. We hope that you will hear us out and consider what we have to say with the gravest consideration. As many of you are aware, there was recently an incident in which a wolf shifter was killed after having drifted across the river into bear shifter territory. This is his brother, Zebe.”

Everyone’s eyes fell on Zebe and looked curiously upon the bundle he held in his arms as he greeted them with a warm smile. Of course, most of the wolf elders knew him from previous discussions of how to handle the murder of his brother and they smiled thoughtfully at him. The bear shifter elders remained expressionless as they waited for more, looking back toward Blake.

“Zebe is my partner and the bundle he carries in his arms is the first wolf/bear hybrid born in thousands of years. We came here today to ask that you consider this great miracle as a sign that our people should restore the peace that existed not that long ago between us. Our fighting has gone on long enough and we feel it is time you established your places in history as the elder council that established a new era of nonviolence and perhaps even friendship.”

“What sort of nonsense is this? That is just a myth. What do you think you are trying to prove?” one of the elders said angrily, jumping to his feet.

“I promise you that it is not a myth. This baby is, in fact, our offspring and while we don’t know what traits he will possess, we can tell you that it seems to us that he is just the sign that has been needed that we’ve reached a point in modern times where it is in all our best interests to make peace with one another,” Blake said hastily, moving in front of Zebe and Michael protectively.

“Have you any proof of this, son?” one of the bear shifter elders asked quietly, drawing the eyes of all the others, including the one who had burst out in anger.

“Doctor Dunson will confirm what I am saying to you. He assisted us with the birth when the time came. He can provide you with the assurance that this is Zebe’s child and since only another shifter can impregnate a man, you will have to afford me the willingness to accept that I know I am the father.”

“Let me see the child,” a wolf elder said, stepping forward toward the center of the room. Zebe nodded toward Blake and stepped forward, opening Michael’s blanket and letting him view the child. He was surprised when the elder reached for his foot, gently pulling his toes apart and nodding. “He speaks the truth. This child bears the mark.”

Several other council members stepped forward to see for themselves and before long, the entire council was intermingled looking at the baby. Many of them broke out in smiles and hugged the men, shaking their hands and congratulating them. Finally, they all returned to their seats and looked at the two of them.

“Zebe, I am sorry for what happened to your brother. I have learned that the culprits have paid the price for their actions. We have no desire to escalate the situation with further acts of violence. If your elders can agree, I believe it is in everyone’s best interest to make peace with one another and take action against any that dare breach that promise,” the Chief elder of the bear shifters said.

“I see no reason not to make such a pact and require our people to honor it,” the Chief elder of the wolf shifters replied.

“Then we are at peace?” Blake said, more a statement than a question.

The two chiefs nodded their agreement.

“Then I suggest we have a grand celebration and share the good news with everyone,” Blake said.

The elders agreed and began calling in other members of the community to join them in celebrating a new day where bear and wolf shifters would live among one another peacefully. Blake and Zebe smiled down at Michael as he smiled up at them happily. It was hard to imagine that one day, this tiny child would be found in the history books of their people as the one who brought peace between their people. Not only were they his very proud parents, but they were falling deeper in love every day.

DADDY WOLF

Chapter 1

Greg trudged into the condo he was renting with his fiancé Jorge. Jorge, as expected, was up in the loft in front of his giant easel. The canvas was blank, as it usually was, and Greg sighed. Jorge kept promising that his next masterpiece would sell for as much or more as the first, but somehow he just never seemed to be working on anything at all. It was starting to weigh on Greg, who spent nearly twelve hours every day at his soulless, corporate job. His cousin Brad had started a successful company years ago and had hired him in early. Although the pay was great, the long, grueling hours were destroying him.

“Jorge,” Greg called.

“Yes?” Jorge’s falsetto pierced the air and Greg cringed.

“I thought I asked you to take out the trash. And those tissues are still on the table. You’re going to get me sick! You know I can’t afford to miss work. We’d be late on rent again.”

“Of course,” Jorge said, his French accent thick and playful. “My bad.”

It was always his bad. Ever since moving in with Jorge, Greg’s blood pressure had been on the rise. Dealing with his soul-sucking job might have been okay if he was still living in his affordable bungalow, but Jorge had insisted they find something fancier, where they could truly start their lives together. But spending the rest of his life cleaning up after a lazy man-child who was all talk and no action, was the last thing that Greg wanted to do. Still, he had made a commitment. Maybe, eventually, Jorge would catch on and pick up his slack in the household. One could only hope.

Greg didn’t have time to argue with him. He had been working all day and needed to get some sleep before the next shift. Brad’s company had a big shipment coming in, and huge deals were in the works. While Brad was on vacation in the Bahamas, Greg was in charge and pulling double shifts to make ends meet, and do whatever had to be done to keep the company afloat while Brad dodged phone calls.

After a long, steaming shower, Greg plopped facedown onto the bed and fell immediately into a deep sleep. Sometime during the night, he felt the warm weight of Jorge fall beside him. Normally he would have wanted to put his arm around him, but neither of them had been in a cuddling mood lately.

The next morning rolled around like clockwork. When Greg woke up, Jorge rolled over and smiled at him. Greg’s heart fluttered. Sometimes it was hard to remember why they were together, but that smile always did it.

“Good morning, love,” Jorge said.

“Morning,” Greg replied, snuggling into his shoulder.

“I forgot to ask, how was your day yesterday?” Jorge shifted so their eyes could meet. “You showered in such a rush there was no time for us.”

“Oh, it was good. We got some business from the wolf shifters downtown. I met with one of the alphas and they loved Brad’s plan.”

“Wolf shifters?” Jorge said, crinkling his nose. “They’re such beasts. What do you need to do business with them for?”

Greg prickled. He had actually very much enjoyed the interaction he had with the wolf shifters the day before. They were a wild bunch, sure, but they were loyal and fierce. People you could respect. Jorge just thought they were dirty and ate out of trash bins.

“Money is money,” Greg said with a frown.

“Too true,” Jorge said. “As soon as I finish with this canvas, we’ll be rolling in it!”

Greg smiled indulgently at Jorge, wondering when exactly that would be.

“Of course,” Greg said, climbing out of bed. It was time to get ready for work.

As he walked through the apartment on his way out, he was irritated to see Jorge’s old tissues still stacked on top of Greg’s business magazines, and the trash still overflowing in its bin. The easel in the loft was still blank, and Jorge was snoring loudly.

He arrived at the office as usual and spent the next six hours working like a mule. When 2:00 rolled around, Greg’s cell phone buzzed in his pocket.

“Yo! Cousin! I’m on the way to the office. Thanks for holding down the fort. Why don’t you give yourself the rest of the day off!”

Brad clicked off the phone and Greg’s heart pounded with elation. He would be able to get home. Maybe spend some time with Jorge. Definitely take out the trash.

He hopped into his convertible and sped home as quickly as he could. It had been a long time since he had been able to relax, and after two weeks of twelve hour days, he felt he deserved it.

The condo was eerily quiet when he entered. Jorge was neither snoring nor in the loft painting. Greg tucked his keys into his pocket and poked his head into the bedroom, hoping to ask Jorge what he wanted for dinner.

“Jesus Christ!” Greg exclaimed in disgust.

Jorge was in their bed with another man. Someone he had claimed was just a friend from the gallery. He had been hanging around quite a bit lately, and now Greg knew why.

“This isn’t what it looks like!” Jorge exclaimed.

“Save it you bastard!” Greg cried. “You can keep the condo. I’m moving the hell out of here.”

Greg packed his bags and kicked the trash can over as he left. He should have seen this coming. Jorge was a loser from the start. Now he would just have to start over.

Chapter 2

“I quit,” Greg told Brad in the same matter-of-fact way that Brad had told him he would have to pull twelve hour shifts for the next few weeks while he drank martinis and went surfing. Before Brad could protest, he hung up the phone and turned to his friend Marty.

He had known Marty since they were sophomores in college, and he was his closest friend in the area.

“Nice,” Marty croaked between hits on his cigarette. “Stick it to the man!”

Greg smiled and ran his hand through his thick brown hair. It had been cut close not long ago, a look that suited Brad and his stupid company, but Greg had never liked it much.

“I think I’m going to grow this out,” he said.

“Cool man,” Marty said.

They drank for the rest of the night, bitching together about the ridiculous situations Jorge put him in and problems Marty was having with his ex-wife. By the end of the night, both of them had decided to revert back to the slogan they had lived by in college. Don’t get mad. Get even.

In Greg’s case, this meant thinking outside the box. The city was full of all sorts of people. Everyone from strippers to shifters populated the area. Jorge had always been a close-minded and judgmental type, wrinkling his nose in disgust even when a shifter had just asked to buy them drinks. Greg on the other hand had always been strangely drawn to these mysterious creatures.

When he retired for the night in the bedroom Marty had given him to use, he logged onto Facebook before falling asleep. His feed was littered with advertisements for a dating app for men to meet other male shifters. The app was called “ShiftMe”, and it had been wildly successful. He was shocked to find that his friend Alex had already joined months ago, and was posting pictures with his shifter husband and their new baby!

It was shocking to see how engrained this new lifestyle was. Greg had never known that male shifters could impregnate other men. Knowing it sent a thrill through him. Maybe what he really wanted was a family that didn’t abide by the rules and regulations set by the majority. Judgmental people like Jorge didn’t have to be the ones who called the shots about what was acceptable. Everybody wanted different things, and in that moment, nothing could have been clearer than the fact that Greg wanted a wolf shifter.

With shaking hands, he clicked on the link that he saw on his Facebook page, and was taken to the ShiftMe website, where he tentatively created an account. He had the option of finding friends on his Facebook who had already joined the site, but chose not to. This was going to be his own secret. If he liked it, great, he could advertise it to the world. And if he didn’t, well, nobody would have to know the difference. Still, it would feel good to give in to his temptations. Who cared if they were too dangerous for a lying coward like Jorge? Every single shifter he had ever met was gorgeous. And as he browsed through the site, he realized that the shifters seeking men like himself were no different.

Greg’s heart pounded as he looked through the pictures of shifter men. He was looking for something specific about them. Something that he knew would make Jorge jealous and upset. Finally, the most bad-ass man he had ever seen was smirking at him, his long dark hair framing his face. He had a well-groomed goatee and a leather vest. Not only that, but he was ripped. He had the kind of body that Greg could only dream about. It was the opposite of Jorge’s lean muscles. Instead, he looked like he could break a man in half without even meaning to.

Greg realized that he had been staring at the picture for a long time, and that he had grown hard just looking at the man. This would be the shifter he tried to hook up with. He went to work finding his most rebellious looking picture for his profile, settling with himself flipping off Jorge during Halloween, when he had been dressed as a mock biker. It would have to do.

He nervously typed his message.

Urgent. Hook up needed. Meet at the shifter club downtown? Fangs. 6:00 tonight.

Even if the tough guy didn’t reply, at least he would be in the right place to find himself a hook up. Fangs was teeming with just the unsavory sort that made Jorge’s skin crawl. It was the perfect place to exact his revenge.

Greg set to work dressing himself up. It was already nearly 5:00, and he would need time to drive across town to get to Fangs by 6. He chose a tank top that showed off his perfect biceps; not bulky and intimidating like the shifter’s, but still formidable. Hopefully it would be good enough for him.

“Going somewhere?” Marty asked as Greg whisked past.

“Getting my revenge,” Greg said.

Chapter 3

The wolf shifter club was just as seedy as Jorge had always made it out to be. Still, it was clean and everybody seemed to be leaving each other alone. The people he had claimed were beasts, at least knew how to hold their liquor.

He had no trouble spotting the man who had represented the epitome of rebellion on the ShiftMe site. He was looming in the corner, his dark eyes fixed menacingly on the ground. For some reason, even though he was really attractive, nobody was making any effort to talk to him. Maybe they were intimidated by him. Whatever the reason, Greg was the only one who seemed brave enough to approach him.

“There you are,” the man said, gripping Greg firmly by the arm. He pulled Greg behind him, dragging him outside into an alley.

“Hi,” Greg said, wondering what he should say to a man like this. They clearly had nothing in common. Still, he was a nice guy at heart and wanted to feel closer to the man. “My name is..”

“Shut up and kiss me,” the shifter said, throwing himself into Greg’s personal space. They kissed, but it wasn’t the intimate thrill that Greg had been hoping for. Instead, he found himself trying to pull away for air, or maybe for some space from the man. It was a little bit too alarming to be sexy.

Greg yelped as the man’s strong hands groped him roughly. Greg tried to call for help but the man’s mouth was pressed hard against his, and it was impossible to get a word out. Finally, he was able to squirm away.

“Stop it!” Greg panted.

The shifter’s face morphed in rage, and his dark eyes bore into Greg’s.

“What do you mean stop it?” he demanded. “You’re the one who contacted me, remember? Or were you just being a cock tease? I fucking hate little cock teases!”

Greg cried out in fear as the shifter lunged at him, his hands ready to wrap around Greg’s neck.

“I’m gonna get what I fucking came here for you little twink. You think I can’t tell that this is all a game for you? Dress up a little and think you can roll with the big boys?”

Greg cowered as the man grew furious, his eyes flashing wildly and changing from the dark brown they had started as and into a deep, void-like black. The man snarled as he gripped Greg by the shoulders. Greg flinched, bracing himself for a world of pain.

Suddenly, Greg was being pulled away from the man by the back of his shirt.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You leave that boy alone!”

An older man was standing between Greg and the attacker, his salt and pepper hair glistening silver in the moonlight. The man had his hands on his hips, his muscular arms flexed and ready to put up a fight.

“But the fuckin twink led me on, Luke!”

“It’s all right, Bruce. Maybe his ways are different than yours and that’s okay. Right? Remember what we talked about before.”