From the epilogue of book 2 in the series – Snake Snack, just to get you in the right mindset…

Liam crashed into his bedroom door frame, then bounced himself into the room. Lucien looked up from where he was sitting on the bed. “What are you doing here?” Liam should have been embarrassed, being seen in such a state, but he couldn’t hide anything from his brother and didn’t even try.

“I was worried about you.” Lucien put a bookmark in the page he was reading and closed the book. “This is the fifth night in a row you’ve gone off without telling anyone where and come home looking like…this.” He waved his hand at Liam’s disheveled state.

“I was trying to get laid; you’ve got no idea what it’s like. My balls are blue.” Liam tugged off his shirt and slumped on the bed. “What am I going to do?” He whispered, tears stinging his eyes. “This is hopeless. My animal half won’t let me get near anybody and the last time I shifted I found myself halfway to Jackson before I could get control of him again.”

“You’re not alone,” Lucien’s arm was warm on his bare shoulders but only the familiarity of his brother’s scent stopped his lion from growling. “Tearing around all over the town, hell the freaking county, it’s not doing you any good. Your lion scented your mate and you’re either going to have to man up and find him, or you’re going to have to find a new hobby or something to take your mind off your balls. You can’t keep doing this to yourself. You’re worrying me. I don’t want to lose you.”

“And that’s why I can’t go.” Tears streamed down Liam’s face but between the smell of booze on his clothes and his windswept hair, tears were the last thing he needed to worry about. “I’m not going anywhere without you. I can’t. I won’t. And besides, fucking Western doesn’t want me. He wanted to get away so bad, he couldn’t get on that plane fast enough. To think of all the years I wasted wanking over that asshole.”

“There’s a good chance you subconsciously knew you were supposed to be mates.”

“Supposed to be, fuck it all. Lucien, I can’t go after him. Even if I did go and by some miracle of the fates he wanted me too, you saw what he did to Simon. What kind of a brother would I be if I claimed the guy who kidnapped my best friend and wanted to keep him as a pet? Simon is as much my brother as you are and what kind of an asshole keeps people as pets even?”

“The kinky kind?” Lucien offered a smile, but then he turned serious again. “This shit is eating you up Li, you can’t keep trying to have sex with someone else. Your lion…he’s just not going to let it happen. So, either find something else to do to try and distract yourself, or…or….” He grinned again.

“What? What are you thinking?” Liam was almost afraid to ask.

“Do you fancy a road trip, little bro?” Lucien waggled his eyebrows.

“To where? What? What would we be doing?”

“Well, while you’ve been trying to fuck anything that moves, and drowning your sorrows when your dick doesn’t work, I’ve been doing some research. I’m fairly sure I know where your errant mate is.”

For a moment Liam felt a spark of hope but it just as quickly died. “It would be no use, even if we did find him. He’s made it plain he doesn’t want me. No one wants me.”

“Don’t talk like that.” All at once Lucien was standing in front of him, his hands heavy on his shoulders. “You are a fucking awesome man and with your heart, you’re going to make Western an amazing mate even if he doesn’t deserve it.”

“See, you don’t like him either.”

“I don’t know him that well and from what I do know, yeah, he’s an opinionated ass,” Lucien countered. “But then so was everyone else in our pride. You heard what Simon said. He’s been banished. He’s about due for a change of attitude.”

“Still doesn’t mean he’d want to claim me.” Liam hung his head. He was so tired; fighting his lion, staying out all night getting drunk in the hopes of finding someone his cock would stay hard for. Another week and Lucien would have to commit him. Did the council have a home for guys rejected by their mates?

“You’re missing one important fact,” Lucien said quietly. “You probably didn’t notice, all fired up on mating hormones, horror at what happened to Simon and trying to keep Western from being killed, but….”

“What?” Liam had gone over that night so many times; his head hurt thinking about it.

“You’re the stronger lion.”

Liam’s mouth dropped open. “Get out of town. I’m not. I can’t be. He’s heaps older than me….”

“It’s true. I’d never noticed it before, but if we were talking wolf pack here, then I’m betting he’s nothing more than a beta wolf and you, my brother, are definitely an alpha.”

“An alpha.” Liam thought about it. Prides didn’t have the same structure as a pack did, purely and simply because it was the female lions that did most of the work in terms of protection and fending for the cubs. But every pride had an alpha male. Their dad was one. It made sense he and Lucien would be too.

“But that still doesn’t make any difference, whether Western submits to me or the other way around. He still doesn’t want me.” And that’s the part that hurt the most. Liam wanted to be wanted.

“Maybe not at first, and it’s not as though I’m suggesting you force yourself on him like he threatened to do with Simon,” Liam winced. He still found that part of Western’s plans sickening. “But if he was in a position where he couldn’t get away…and he’s surrounded by your scent, the power of your lion and your sheer need for him…don’t you think he might come around to your way of thinking?”

It was tempting. So tempting. Liam wanted to be mated, especially now he knew who his mate was. But he wanted what Ra and Seth and now Simon and Darwin shared. A mutual love full of affection and trust; maybe adopt a cub or two. From what he knew of Western the man wasn’t capable of any positive emotion. Even when Liam was a cub and worshipped the man from afar, the guy was still an ass. He always had been. Just an extremely sexy looking one.

Slowly shaking his head, Liam said, “I appreciate it, Lu, you have no idea how much I do. But I can’t. Forcing a mating, even with subtle means, it’s still wrong. I know you think I’m being silly but when I thought about having a mate, I dreamed of being courted, of being treated as someone special. Do you honestly think I’d get that with Western? Be honest.”

Liam could see it. He could see the lie hovering on Lucien’s lips, but his brother wouldn’t do that and with a sad smile, Lucien shook his head. “No, Li. I don’t think he’s the right guy for you at all, but then I’m still pissed at what he put Simon through. But my worry about you far exceeds any ideas I might have about punching him out.”

“I’ll get used to being alone.” Liam rolled back on the bed, closing his eyes. “I’ll find something to do…surely, these feelings will go away in time.” Lucien didn’t answer, but Liam felt him move up behind him, cuddling him close.

“I’m not leaving you. I never will.”

Liam wanted to argue, wanted to ask what would happen when Lucien found his mate, but his brain was fuzzy, his heart hurt and his lion still wanted to break free. Safe in Lucien’s arms, Liam fell into a troubled sleep.