“What do you think?”

Lucas Pale had been asked that question off and on for the past hour or so, and he had no more idea how to answer it now than he had at the start. What was he, an omega, supposed to think? What answer could he give to the two alphas who were leading him around, offering their opinions and advice on the enormous job he would be undertaking for them?

And the biggest question of all was, how in the hell he thought he was going to be able to accomplish all of this on his own? This was his first big job as an independent architectural contractor, acting all on his own without any sort of guidance. And what a big job it was. Enormous. Massive. Extremely labor intensive and also incredibly complicated in terms of the licenses and paperwork required.

“Well,” Lucas said, pausing to try and give himself enough time to think through what else he was about to say. The problem was, he didn’t actually know what he was going to say. He had an answer, but he had no idea if it was the right one. He should have known. This wasn’t just a job or a career. It was his life. He had all the answers, had been amassing his knowledge since he was old enough to join his father at construction sites. His father was a foreman with extensive knowledge of how buildings worked, and he was a master of heavy equipment.

During those days, Lucas had only been able to stand around and watch or fetch things for the workers, but he absorbed the knowledge like a sponge just from being in the general proximity of his dad.

Now the old man wasn’t here. The absence of his solid presence left Lucas stammering in front of his audience of two, like this was his very first day on the job. He felt like he wouldn’t have even been able to tell the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver.

The two alphas were still waiting. Destiny and Cain, the leader and second-in-command of the wolf pack known as Shadow Claws, respectively.

Shadow Claws was one of two wolf packs which ran the city of Pensacola, the other being Lethal Freedom. A series of wild and disastrous events had caused the two packs to become one, joining forces. Lethal Freedom’s pack leader had jumped ship when the going got tough, leaving Destiny as the sole leader.

Things weren’t easy and hadn’t gotten any easier through the many months which followed. The city was still affected by the events of the past to this day, memories of the massacre of biker wolves still echoing strongly in certain places.

This job Lucas was undertaking would hopefully prove to be a catalyst for the slow bonding between the packs, knitting them together so they could finally feel like they belonged together.

“Lucas?” Destiny’s eyes were narrowed with mingled interest and suspicion. It wasn’t exactly the fiercest look an alpha had ever worn, but Destiny’s eyes were a mismatched pair, one blue and one brown. The look always made him seem more intense than he actually was, even when he was laughing and smiling. “Everything okay? You’re a little pale.”

Cain turned to face the other alpha. “Is that a fucking pun?”

Cain Savage lived up to his last name. He had a wild, rough appearance which left no doubt that he was a biker to the core and always would be, despite the fact he now had a mate and child. That being said, love and family life had softened him. His dark green eyes sparkled with well-meant mischief as he playfully challenged his leader.

Destiny frowned for a moment, then tossed his head back and laughed. His long brown hair bounced around his shoulders, making it seem as if he was shaking with mirth. “I hate myself for that. Puns are the lowest form of humor.”

“Probably why I like them so much,” Cain said. “They’re easy for me to understand.”

Standing back from the two alphas, watching the old friends banter, didn’t really make Lucas feel any better about the situation he had put himself in. These two were so tight, so close, he felt if he joined in on their fun, he just might be getting in the way. Really, he was only an omega, one out of many in the pack. Who was he to do anything? Who was he to think he was important enough to behave as an equal?

Almost as if both of the alphas had the same thought at the same time, they turned to look at Lucas. He restrained the urge to jump back from the combined force of their intense gazes, his heart hammering in his chest.

I should have been thinking of a response while they were distracted. This is going to be awkward.

“I can tell this is going to be difficult,” Destiny said. He nodded wisely, almost sagely.

“What makes you say that?” Lucas blurted out, startled by the near echo of his own thoughts. He felt even more off his footing than before. A thousand other words crowded in on the tip of his tongue, ready to keep jumping out of his mouth if he so much as parted his lips again. He clamped his mouth shut, wanting to put a stop to this before it really took off.

Destiny raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been through this before. We all have. Well, maybe not you. That was before your time.”

Cain grunted. “Look at grandpa over here, reminiscing about the good old days.”

“Hopefully, I won’t be a grandfather for a long, long time.”

The alphas lapsed into that companionable silence again. Lucas tried to calm down his pounding heart. The comment from the pack leader hadn’t been aimed at him, not really. It had only been an observation, a prompt to further the conversation.

It was true. Destiny had been through this before. Shadow Claws had gone through planned renovations like this before. And Lucas hadn’t been there for it, because he hadn’t been a member of the biker pack at the time.

The three of them were standing in the middle of a two-story parking garage on the west end of Pensacola, Florida. At one point, Shadow Claws had ruled this side, while Lethal Freedom ran freely through the east. This garage, owned by Destiny, had long since been modified into a combination of a living facility and a community center. Not all the wolves in the pack lived here, and in fact very few did. However, it was nice to have a place to gather, to shelter, to be welcomed.

That being said, the modifications on the garage were anything but complete. They were threadbare at best, the result of need. Everything was only just in order.

Now, Destiny had the means by which to turn his shelter into a haven. Rather than outsource the work to a human, or someone who wasn’t part of the pack, he had turned his focus inward to see if anyone he knew could take charge of the project.

When the announcement was made, Lucas hadn’t volunteered. He had always been something of a freelancer, knowing that because of his age no one would want to pick him directly. He worked small, temporary positions found for him by his father, for a variety of companies and individuals who could make use of what he had to offer.

And he had quite a lot to offer, or so that was what he was led to believe by his father and many of the other workers he had spent time with. His training was not formal. He had no schooling. It wasn’t required for what he could do, because he received all his training on the job. Through hands-on experience, he was told that he would wind up much more prepared than others his age who went the college route. After all, there was a big difference between learning about how to do something and learning how to actually do it.

Though he hadn’t volunteered, word still got back to Destiny somehow that there was someone in the pack who could do the work. Lucas didn’t know who had been the informant. One of the older bikers, who always seemed to know everything, or one of the many younger bikers around his age, with whom he was halfway, not-quite, sort-of friends.

A few weeks ago, Destiny had approached Lucas and asked him to take a walk with him, to have a talk in private.

All sorts of crazy thoughts raced through Lucas' mind. He was going to be kicked out of the pack. He had done something wrong which demanded punishment, retribution, or perhaps both. He had made someone angry. He was being inadequate.

Something, anything. Everything. All the possibilities launched through his mind like a frenzied wave torn up by a wind, tossed up onto the beach. He was nothing but a fragile sandcastle, at the whim of his better.

Even thinking all these things, even fearing them as he did, Lucas knew all he could do was agree, so he had gone off on that fateful walk with Destiny. They headed down to the first floor and out the front to the parking lot, which was filled with a scattering of various vehicles. Mostly motorcycles of various makes and models, though there were some cars and trucks. A single van. He remembered the red van quite clearly, because it belonged to another wolf who ran a daycare, who was always kind to Lucas, sparing a few moments here and there to engage in a conversation.

Destiny didn’t go into the parking lot. Rather, he started walking around the perimeter of the building. And, as he walked, he had talked.

About his plans, covering the results he wanted in more detail.

About his desires and expectations.

About Lucas. There was nothing personal involved. Destiny recited various bits of information about Lucas that he knew, and Lucas had been surprised by the thoroughness of what was revealed to him. Destiny even knew the construction company his father owned.

When they had completed a full circuit of the parking garage, Destiny had turned to Lucas and said, “Will you take the job?”

The question came so suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, that Lucas hadn’t known what to do. His jaw dropped and stayed dropped, his surprise openly etched on his face for anyone nearby to see. He should have seen that this was a business talk before now.

Destiny had looked at him and then burst out laughing, though there was no taunt in his voice. “You didn’t think I was going to ask you? What, you assumed I was just venting this entire time?”

“I don’t know,” Lucas admitted. That was all he really felt he should say, because all the other thoughts he had in his mind were rejections. No way could he do this. Absolutely no way. Destiny knew everything about him, so surely he could see this was impossible?

Shaking his head, Destiny had reached out and patted his shoulder. The weight of his hand was so heavy it nearly drove Lucas to his knees. “There are plenty of others I could force to listen to me, if I wanted that. Let me assure you that’s not what I wanted from you. I want you to help me make this garage the best damn place it can possibly be.”

“Okay,” Lucas had replied, acknowledging Destiny’s desires, accepting that this was what the alpha leader wanted.

He hadn’t thought he was accepting the job, though upon reflection he could see how someone else might have mistaken that.

A couple days after that, Destiny had come around again with a bunch of papers. Contracts, plans, everything.

On the one hand, it was beyond nice to actually have a client who knew what he was doing.

But, on the other, Lucas was petrified and guilty. And, if he admitted it to himself, maybe a little bit excited.

So, here he was now, walking through the garage, making notes of all the places Destiny wanted to change, mentally calculating the various figures which would be involved in each process. All the while, he was growing more and more afraid that he couldn’t do this.

I should tell him, Lucas thought suddenly. He watched the alphas start to move on together, playfully taunting the other, exchanging old jokes. They would be done with the walkthrough soon. It would be a waste of everyone’s time if this charade carried on any longer.

Relief pulsed through Lucas as he quickened his pace to catch up with the two taller wolves. In only another moment or two, he would have all this pressure taken off his shoulders. He could go off and do his own thing, picking his way through smaller jobs.

“Destiny,” he said, as he came up behind his leader.

Destiny turned, smiling cheerfully. “Yes?”

“You asked what I thought, earlier. I…”

Destiny lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, the suddenness of the movement making Lucas jump. “Damn, I did. You’re right. I’m sorry, Lucas. I got too caught up in things to get your response.”

“That’s okay.”

“So, then, what do you think?”

Lucas opened his mouth to put an end to his involvement in this job when, from out of nowhere, another wolf appeared from around the corner. He wore a leather jacket, studded with various pins. “Cain! You might want to come and help Ralphie wrangle your pup.”

Cain groaned, the sound full of love and tired affection. “What’s Knox gotten into now?”

The other wolf shrugged, his lips quivering as he tried to fight back a smile. “Last I saw, he was running around with a bag of flour from the kitchen. You should be proud of how good he is at shifting at such a young age!”

“I am proud,” Cain sighed. “He’s a smart little bastard. Too smart. If I can’t even keep up with him now, I can only imagine what he’ll be like as a teenager.” The second-in-command glanced over at Destiny, as the wolf who had delivered the message gave a huge grin and went away again. “Dusty, do you mind?”

Dusty was Destiny’s nickname, which came from his pale, powdery wolf coloration. Destiny waved his hand, a dismissive motion. “Go rescue your mate. And give Knox a kiss from me.”

“If he’s been eating straight flour, it’ll have to be a kiss on the cheek.”

Cain scampered off in the direction of the kitchen area, moving quickly for such a big man.

Lucas observed the exchange from where he stood off to the side. Under his breath, not quite meaning to be overheard, he said, “I bet Knox is omega.”

It tended to be difficult to tell whether shifter children would be dominant, submissive, or neutral—alpha, omega, or beta, respectively. They didn’t start branching out in different ways, physically and mentally, until they were a little older. Seeing as Knox was a toddler, not much about him could be known yet. Even in his wolf form, nothing would be revealed.

Destiny tipped his head to one side, then turned back to Lucas from where he had been gazing after his trusted friend. “Why do you say that?” he asked.

Lucas didn’t know whether to blush or go pale. It probably didn’t matter either way because he looked down and spoke to his shoes when giving the answer. His spine prickled, like he was a child caught sticking his hand in the cookie jar. “Knox has been shifting for ages now. He’s smart. And mischievous. I think he’ll be omega.”

Destiny said nothing for a moment, and then he flashed a smile. “You’re right, I think. That pup did start shifting pretty early. And I can see him getting the better of Cain, but when Ralphie’s outmatched? The kid has to have some smarts on his side.”

Seeing his leader smile caused relief to pulse through Lucas. Some of the tension relaxed away from his muscles.

“Do you ever think about starting your own family sometimes, Lucas? If I could be so blunt about it. You’re, what, 21 now?”

“23.”

In the past, omega shifters tended to pair off as soon as they came of age. The trend lately was for relationships to form later on in life, as time went on and shifters grew more accustomed to the changing desires of humans. Education and careers were beginning to take some precedence over reproduction.

“A little older than I thought, then. You ever think about it?”

Lucas shook his head, but he didn’t necessarily mean no. He meant more that he just didn’t want to answer the question. However, this was his pack leader asking and he should answer. “I did, once.”

“Didn’t work out well?”

Lucas said nothing.

Seeming to finally realize he’d pushed too far, Destiny stopped talking. He took a step back, figuratively and literally. “Don’t give up hope. We’ve been having a lot of second winds around here lately. Something in the air.”

More like, something between the two packs. Two groups of people could not be brought together without expecting at least some of them to be interested in the other.

The conversation lagged, and Lucas knew this was his chance. Nothing could be said over him. Nothing could happen to distract them.

Lucas opened his mouth.

“Dusty!”

Dammit!

Destiny turned, his mismatched gaze sharpening as he caught sight of yet another member of the pack running over to get his attention. “What is it, Cujo?”

“You should probably come with me. Abraham’s crashed his bike.”

“Great.” Destiny rolled his eyes. “I don’t suppose it was his own?”

Cujo gave a tired smile. She had a child balanced on one hip, holding him with the practiced effortlessness of a mother. “Keep supposing.”

Destiny repeated, “Great.” He turned his head slightly to look at Lucas and rolled his eyes again. “I need to go take care of this. Are you okay to finish the walkthrough by yourself?”

Lucas was more than capable of doing that. His father would have laughed in the face of anyone who assumed his son wouldn’t be able to do such a simple task.

All the same, he hesitated before answering. “I should be.”

“Good. Thanks. Unfortunately, this is probably going to take a while. But, I’ll be here all day again tomorrow. Come find me, and we’ll talk more in-depth.”

“Okay.”

The two wolves hurried off. Destiny’s voice carried indistinctly back to Lucas, holding a sharp tone of complaint.

Lucas sighed. He had a few options now, as far as he could tell. He could just go home, show up tomorrow, and tell Destiny he couldn’t take this job.

Or, he could finish the walkthrough, give guidance, and say he couldn’t take the job. Then, at least, this wouldn’t be a total waste of time.

And finally, he could go through with this all the way and carry out the renovations Destiny wanted. If he did that, he would have financial security for months. Maybe even years. This was an enormous job. Projects within projects, a steady flow of income in increments. Never enough to make him rich, but enough to cover the essentials and squirrel away a buck or two. He could only go up from here if he took this on for real.

Lucas looked around, trying to see it as if he was looking at it all for the first time. He needed clarity, to see the flaws, the difficulties, and the reality of this place not influenced by his personal opinions.

To him, the garage was a wonderful place, a sanctuary which sometimes felt more like home than his actual home. Even if none of the other wolves were his best friends or family, they were more or less kind, and never outright rude. Some were grumpy. Some were funny. There were always things to be done, tasks to be carried out. Cleaning, cooking, general daily maintenance. There were activities and games.

Even if he didn’t participate very much, he still liked to watch. It made him feel included, though his position was doomed to always be on the outside.

In actuality, the space within these concrete walls was not being utilized efficiently. Sections of wall needed to be knocked down. Others needed to be built. Some areas needed to be reinforced, patched up. Low quality appliances and materials should have been replaced a long time ago or never used at all. Things leaked. There were drafts in some places, not enough air movement in others.

Lucas reached out, brushing his fingertips lightly against the nearest concrete wall. Material crumbled under his touch, clung to the faint indented whorls and lines on his skin.

A wonderful place filled with loyal wolves.

A haven which was far from perfect.

“I could make it better,” he whispered, very softly.

The operative word here was “could.” There was a possibility of it, just as much as there was a possibility he would screw it up.

Lucas brought his hand back to the wall. Maybe he should do the rest of the walkthrough. He would be on his own, unpressured. He could think, reason with himself. If he felt he wasn’t going to be capable of taking on the job for real, he would give Destiny his advice and then absolve himself of any further responsibility.

And, if by some miracle he felt capable of doing this, then he would do it.

Nodding a little to himself, Lucas dropped his hand down and turned in the direction he had been heading. They had already gone through much of the main two floors of the garage, but the open activity spaces and the living quarters were only the beginning. What would really make or break this operation was what lay beneath.

Lucas went on, wrapping around a corner near the workout section of the garage. He followed a length of hallway, noticing the curve of the wall, the pipes overhead, the crumbling area near where the floor met the wall. All of these things he filed away for later, to mull over for later use.

As the hallway neared its end, he came to one of many various staircases. He stopped and held still for a moment, waiting.

Within only a few moments, he picked up on a sensation of stirring air, chilled and damp, in comparison to the steady temperature within these concrete walls. Florida was a rather warm state even in winter, but the garage had its own sort of climate which could change for a variety of reasons.

Any person in the business of building knew an enclosed space was only worth as much as its ability to be manipulated. It was all fine and dandy to build a home, but if there were gaps in the walls, if the cold could get in, and the heat could get out, if the structure wasn’t sturdy enough to take years of abuse, then the home itself was anything but fine and dandy.

If Lucas accomplished anything on this place, he wanted to knock out these damn drafts. The garage had a heating and cooling system already. Managing all these little holes and blank spaces would create a more efficient system without making any real changes or upgrades.

Lucas approached the staircase, trying to pinpoint the source of the draft.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh!” Startled, his heart fluttering like mad in his chest, Lucas whirled around. He placed one hand over his heart. “You scared me!”

“Sorry,” the newcomer said. He didn’t seem very sorry at all. In fact, he was grinning, making no effort to hide his amusement.

Lucas stared at the other person, growing more and more puzzled by the moment.

It was another man, a wolf shifter, an alpha. He wore a blue police officer’s uniform, with a silver badge on the left side of his chest. He filled out the uniform in a casual sort of way, as if he didn’t really need it and might burst out of it at any moment. The seams were stretched almost to absolute breaking point, the material of his blue shirt fitting tight against his broad shoulders like a second skin. When he moved, his muscular thighs rippled under his pants.

The man’s skin was tanned, a delectable shade of burnished gold. He had a scar on one cheek, parallel to the line of his strong jaw. His chin was covered in a thick layer of stubble, which also shadowed part of his neck.

His eyes were very dark brown, nearly black, and looking into them made Lucas feel as if he was falling into some sort of bottomless abyss. They were the kind of eyes a man could get lost in.

His hair was short and dark, too short to be styled in any particular manner. That made sense, since this darkly handsome man hardly looked like anyone who would want to waste time on something as shallow as hair.

Lucas wouldn’t have recognized this man, if not for the scent which filled his nostrils, wreathed around him. It was sweet smoke and cologne, cinnamon and spice, musky dominance.

He knew this scent, knew this man. Knew him very damn well.

“Austin?” Lucas whispered.

Austin Night. His ex-boyfriend.

Austin’s grin faded with surprise. His dark eyes flashed in contrast, a burst of fireworks in an overcast sky. “Lucas? What the hell are you doing here? This is the last place I would have ever expected to find you.”

Lucas swallowed hard. No matter how much time he had spent in Austin’s presence, he had never quite been able to shake the feeling that he was unbalanced, on the verge of missing his footing. His heart skipped beats, and his mouth always seemed to be dry. Good feelings, exciting feelings. It was the intensity which caught him off-guard.

Now, standing here in front of Austin after such a long time, he couldn’t escape the old feelings. If anything, they were stronger than ever though Austin had changed so much.

“You’re a cop now,” was all he could think to say. Not really the most clever of observations.

“And you’re…what? A building inspector?” Austin gestured around to the rest of the building. His grin faded a little as he scrutinized the surroundings. Lucas felt a pang of envy at his easy observation, so free of pressure. “Hell of a lot to inspect, isn’t it?”

“I’m actually a contractor,” Lucas said, softly. He cleared his throat and tried again, a little louder. “I might be doing some renovations here. I was doing a walkthrough of the site.”

Why do I feel a need to explain to him? Is it just because he’s a cop and I’m just me?

Austin was frowning now. “How did you come to find out about this place? Surely there are better jobs than working for a bunch of hooligans.”

“I’m part of Shadow Claws, actually.”

“Part of what? This gang?” Austin looked shocked, and then he laughed, tossing his head back. “That’s a good one. Nice try. Now tell me the real story.”

Lucas pulled in a deep breath. “It’s true. I’m part of this pack.”

“You’re serious.” Austin looked flabbergasted by now. He shook his head slowly, clearly still unwilling to believe the information being given to him. “You, of all people, being part of a lawless motorcycle pack. I’m shocked. I didn’t think you were that kind of person.”

Lucas looked away, his spine prickling a little. There were a lot of things he wanted to say, a lot of things he had no idea how to say. His heart fluttered around in his chest. God, even having this kind of conversation, he couldn’t stop admiring Austin’s body. So powerful. So dominant. And what his shadow of a beard did for his jawline was nearly sinful.

Austin folded his arms across his chest, looking around in much the same manner as before. “Kind of looks like a dump to me. No offense.”

“That’s why I’m going to be working on it,” Lucas said.

The words were out of his mouth in an instant, deciding his fate for him. He was going to take the job. He was going to do everything he could to turn this humble garage into a place worthy of admiration.

Austin shrugged. “Well, good luck. Gotta say again, I’m surprised I ran into you here. You weren’t who I was expecting to find.”

“Who were you looking for?” Lucas asked. If he could send Austin on his way, he could get back to work.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though the alpha wolf had other plans. He gave an easy smile and stepped closer, as if he was about to deliver some secret news which he had no desire for anyone else to hear. “I was looking for the person who was going to be doing work here. I heard about it through the grapevine and wanted to see what was going on for myself.”

“Why?” Lucas asked. He felt shy about asking anything of a police officer, much less one who was his ex. His curiosity was getting the best of him. He leaned forward, entering into the aura of body heat which surrounded the other man. “What about this is of interest to the police?”

Austin didn’t answer, though it didn’t seem to be because he was avoiding the question. Instead, he gazed at Lucas as if he had only just noticed something very important. “I really didn’t expect to see you again,” he said.

His tone was different, carrying a very special sort of meaning that made Lucas' stomach execute a series of complicated flips.

Austin leaned in closer. His eyelids were heavy, shadowing his already-dark eyes. His lips were full and moist, and Lucas found he couldn’t take his eyes off them. “You haven’t changed a bit since I last saw you.”

Lucas swallowed hard, not that he was able to get anything past the huge lump in his throat. His stomach was now looping and twisting, in addition to flipping, like he was the proud owner of the world’s first internal roller coaster. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. It felt like his blood was starting to buzz in his veins.

“You,” Lucas stammered, “have changed a lot.”

Alpha was alpha. They were stronger, more fierce, more capable than any other.

That being said, an alpha could come in a variety of different packages. Some were taller, broader, more muscular than others. Dominance was not merely physical, but a reflection of the inner spirit. It did not equal physical prowess, nor aggression. It was more.

Austin had always been more back when they were dating.

Since then, he had only continued to be more, to increase. He had filled out, developed a look and stature individual to him. He had gained that roguish scar and cultivated a more specific attitude.

So, even though he was the same height, and his hair and eyes were the same color, Austin was anything but the same.

“Oh, yeah?” Austin grinned, looking flattered. His teeth were vaguely pointed, even in human form. “You like it?”

They were standing so close together now that Lucas could feel the burning heat pouring off the other man’s body even more intensely. Through the thin space of air which separated them, he could feel the swells of Austin’s muscles, the sculpted peaks.

Everything inside Lucas stiffened, his supercharged muscles going tense, his electrocuted veins snapping taut. At the apex between his legs, at his groin, something else was stiffening, getting harder.

Knowing Austin would feel it in a second even if he hadn’t already, Lucas leapt backwards. His hands were clenched into fists, his palms clammy.

All of this had to be some sort of tactic, a means to an end. Lucas couldn’t believe that any of this was genuine. He couldn’t allow himself to think that way, because that path was one he had never traveled before and he wouldn’t know how to handle it. Better to stick with what he knew, which was denial.

“What’s going on, Austin?”

Austin retreated, looking conflicted. His mouth slanted, as if he regretted having to pull away. “I’m investigating,” he explained. “And I have to investigate you.”

Lucas blanched. He felt the color draining from his face, slowly leaching away. “Why?” He whispered, because that was all he could manage to do.

Is it something to do with Dad? Someone else I’ve worked with in the past?

“I may have to shut down what you’re about to do here.”

For a single moment, Lucas was relieved. He wouldn’t have to deal with this. He had just been handed the perfect excuse. How could he possibly work on the garage when a police officer told him not to?

Then he felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach, because he had just decided he would do this.

“Let’s go outside,” Austin suggested, “and talk.”