Authors: Amber Kell
Gage’s heart skipped a beat. If the pretty gamma had left a few minutes earlier he’d be dead and the light sparking his beautiful gaze would be gone forever.
Pain ripped through Gage’s chest.
Oh…
Gage had never lost someone close to him before, and although he’d just met Kaden, he knew if they lost him, there would be an irreparable hole in his heart.
“You think he’ll wake up soon?” he asked the medic.
The medic’s cool, professional gaze swept Kaden’s still form. “I don’t see why not. He’s werekin. He’ll bounce back.”
Russ watched Kaden breathe, barely remembering to draw oxygen himself as he waited for each inhale and exhale. As soon as the medic cleared him, Russ pounced. Sweeping Kaden off the hard ground, he marched off towards the alpha tent. It didn’t even occur to him that Gage might not want the gamma in their bed. He didn’t give a fuck. He’d almost lost Kaden before they’d even had a chance to tell the gamma how important he was to them. He wasn’t going to let Gage stand in his way, even if his instincts screamed not to defy the more dominant wolf.
His inner wolf’s hackles lowered even further when Gage rushed forwards to open the tent flap for him. Gage didn’t speak until Russ headed for the bedroom area. “No!”
“I’m not leaving him on the floor.” They had some pads for wolf visitors to rest on, but with Kaden’s injuries he wanted the smaller man to be more comfortable.
“You don’t think we’ll jostle him too much if he shares our bed right now? He needs a few days to recover.” The concern in Gage’s voice had Russ rethinking what he’d meant by his instinctive objection.
Russ’ heart cracked a bit and his wolf howled at even the thought of that minor separation. “I-I almost lost him, Gage.” He couldn’t say any more as his throat swelled with emotion and tears filled his eyes.
“Okay. Okay. I understand.” Gage’s bittersweet smile stabbed him in the gut even as Russ carried Kaden into the adjoining area and laid him on their bed. As the alpha, Gage’s tent, the largest in the camp, had two rooms—the big area for meetings with pack members and a separate section for sleeping with an enormous, padded, foldable bed to sleep on.
Russ gently tucked the covers around Kaden. An unfamiliar rush of fear struck him as he realised the fragility of the gamma. One thing about being mated to the alpha—Russ had never had to worry about physical weakness in his partner before. What if Kaden couldn’t handle living with and loving two stronger wolves? What if he didn’t want to? So far, Kaden hadn’t appeared overly impressed by Russ. What if he only ever wanted Gage?
Russ shook away his thoughts. No sense borrowing trouble, as his mother used to say. If Kaden didn’t fall in love with Russ immediately, they had time. Werekin lived for centuries and Russ had no problem investing in the effort to woo his mate.
After setting a glass of water by the bed, he left the room to rejoin Gage. Neither of them wanted to leave the wolf by himself, but he needed the rest and hovering over Kaden wouldn’t speed up his healing.
“We’ll find out who is responsible for the kitchen explosion and take care of them,” Gage growled. “We don’t want to take the chance he could be attacked again.”
Russ nodded. Sitting down at the small meeting table, they discussed how to keep their third safe and who could’ve been responsible.
“We have a traitor inside the camp,” Russ concluded. “Even an accidental gas leak wouldn’t have caused that much damage, not to mention Denel is obsessively careful with the kitchen equipment.”
Gage nodded. “No vampire could’ve infiltrated so deep inside our territory without someone sniffing him out. We must have a sympathiser in the camp.”
As much as it hurt both of them to doubt one of their fellow wolves, they couldn’t let someone get away with killing their people.
“We need to talk to all the remaining kitchen staff and find out who was in the tent when the explosion happened. I’m thinking our man is the one who happened to be elsewhere,” Gage said.
Russ nodded. “I’ll start right away.”
It hurt to leave Kaden while he slept but Russ needed to put the welfare of the pack ahead of his mate. He basked in Gage’s approving smile before he left the tent to go interrogate his own people. A sick feeling churned his gut when he realised someone he knew had betrayed them all, and if the infiltrator wasn’t caught, he could betray them again.
Chapter Three
Kaden awoke and a whimper poured through his chest as he tried to cope with the tearing pain. Everything hurt—his chest, his leg, his arm—and if his back didn’t currently form the shape of a pretzel it wasn’t for lack of trying. Unable to bear the piercing, jabbing sensation anymore, Kaden shifted.
“Gage! He’s awake!” a familiar voice shouted.
Kaden hunkered down on the bed, curling up into the smallest ball possible as Russ stomped into the room. Maybe if he scrunched up tiny the pain wouldn’t be able to find him. He tucked his tail to his nose and closed his eyes.
“Easy, baby,” Russ said in a low, soothing voice as if Kaden were a feral animal who might snap at any minute.
Kaden wiggled on the bed trying to find a position that didn’t hurt. Another whimper eased out of his throat as a painful spike sliced through his body.
“You were hurt in the explosion. It’s going to be a bit before you’re all healed,” Russ explained.
It all came back to him. He’d been pushing the cart back towards the kitchen tent when he saw Conley leaving. The omega hadn’t seen Kaden even though he called out a greeting. Shrugging, Kaden had continued into the tent, heading to the place where they stored the carts. A loud bang had followed a moment later and everything had gone dark.
Russ reached out to touch him and Kaden huddled tighter. He didn’t know where he was but he knew the beta shouldn’t be touching him. The last thing Kaden needed was to attract negative attention from the alpha. He had enough problems fitting in without causing a scandal.
“Now, pup, Russ isn’t going to hurt you.” Gage walked up to the edge of the bed, his voice calming Kaden’s frazzled nerves. Pain rattled his body. Whimpering, Kaden crept closer to the alpha. Surely the man who radiated strength and power could take the hurt away.
Gage sat down and motioned for Kaden to come closer. “Let me check you out.”
Mate!
The wolf wagged his tail, immediately regretting the action.
His big, powerful mate would take care of him. Crawling across the bed, Kaden set his chin on the alpha’s muscular leg. He tilted his head so he could keep Gage in his sights while he begged for attention.
“Aren’t you a pretty wolf? Yes you are,” Gage crooned.
“I’ve never seen a white wolf with a grey tail before,” Russ commented.
Kaden tucked his tail beneath his body. His family had always teased him about his ‘ink-dipped’ tail, and it hadn’t always been in a nice manner.
A good scratch behind his ears soothed his hurt feelings.
“He was admiring—not making fun,” Gage said.
Kaden gave a soft snort and tilted his head for more pets. Gage had found the perfect spot and after a minute his back leg started thumping and his eyes crossed from the glorious sensation.
Ohh! Right there!
He must have telegraphed his enjoyment because Gage continued his brilliant scratching technique. Kaden wondered if it was some sort of alpha skill to know exactly where all the itchy spots were.
Alpha Fu…
Kaden gave a snort of amusement. Sometimes he cracked himself up.
“Why won’t he let me touch him?” Russ asked.
Kaden slid closer to the alpha trying to ensure that as many parts of him as possible were connected with his mate. He scooted across the bed until he almost completely covered Gage’s legs. He could be a lap dog, especially if the man cuddling him continued to smell so amazing. Closing his eyes, Kaden gave himself up to the long, gentle strokes and comforting murmur of conversation between the men.
“He’ll ease up once he knows you,” Gage promised.
“He doesn’t need to know you!” Russ accused.
The alpha shrugged. “His wolf recognises me as his mate.” The glee in Gage’s voice settled Kaden more. The alpha wasn’t mad at him. He withheld his opinion over the beta. Russ appeared to be a man of extremes.
“Can I pet you?” The hurt tone in Russ’ voice caught Kaden’s attention. He blinked up at Gage for guidance. Why did the beta want to pet him so much? He could hear the desperate need in Russ’ tone.
“It’s okay,” Gage assured him.
Turning his head, Kaden leant forward and allowed a few pats on the head before tucking himself back along Gage’s side.
“I guess I’ll have to wait for more,” Russ growled. “The wolf is more difficult than the man.”
Gage laughed. “He’s pretty in either form.”
Kaden licked the alpha’s hand for his excellent taste, then licked it again because he tasted so good.
“You’re a vain little thing, aren’t you?” Gage asked.
“I’m not vain!” Kaden snapped at Gage as he scooted away, his happy moment of cuddles ruined.
“Wow, you shift fast.” Russ’ astonishment brought Kaden’s attention back to the beta.
Kaden shrugged. “It’s genetic. My entire family does.”
“Huh…but you’re a gamma?” Russ asked, his voice hesitant.
“Yes. Shifting speed has nothing to do with rank.” He wondered why he had to tell two high level wolves that fact.
“That’s true,” Gage agreed. “But I’ve rarely met a gamma or omega who could shift that quickly.”
Kaden shrugged and brushed at a sore spot on his chest. He tilted his head down to see it. A newly healed patch of skin sent a pulse of pain through him when he poked at it.
Russ grabbed his wrist. “Don’t do that!”
“What happened? What caused the explosion?” The serious expressions on both of the men’s faces told Kaden something bad had happened. “Was it a gas leak?”
“The kitchen was bombed,” Gage said without fanfare.
Shock went through Kaden as he struggled to understand why anyone would do that. His mind immediately went to the people he worked with.
A gasp tore through Kaden. “Please tell me everyone made it out
,
” he begged.
“The manager, a few cooks and two of the kitchen help. Everyone else died and all the equipment was destroyed.”
Tears filled Kaden’s eyes before slowly dripping down his cheeks. “I’ve only been there for a few meals but everyone was really nice to me. What about Conley? I saw him leaving just before the tent exploded. Is he okay?”
He might have mixed emotions about Conley but the man had helped him.
“Conley is fine. He was right outside the tent?” Russ asked in a strange tone.
Kaden nodded. “Yeah. I waved to him but he didn’t see me. He was walking away from the kitchen so maybe he wasn’t close when it exploded.”
“Did you talk to Conley?” Gage asked Russ.
Russ nodded. “But he said he’d been on the other side of camp.”
“I saw him,” Kaden insisted. He knew only a few people so far. He doubted he’d get anyone mixed up.
“I’ll talk to him again.” Russ’ hard tone didn’t sound like the conversation would be a happy one.
“Be nice to him, he’s had a hard time.” Kaden could tell that the omega had a lot of hidden pain. The scar indicated a man who’d suffered a great deal of trauma. Werekin didn’t scar easily.
“Shh, we’ll find out who did this and rip out their throats. Don’t cry, little pup.” Gage pulled Kaden back into his arms and held him close. Wrapped in his alpha’s warm embrace and soothed by his scent, Kaden snuggled up against Gage and tried to soak up some comfort.
Another hand touched his back and Kaden jolted.
“Shh it’s only me,” Russ said.
Kaden pulled away enough to check Gage’s expression. Exactly why Kaden was concerned about what Gage thought, he couldn’t say. However, right then Gage’s approval was more necessary than air.
“It’s all right,” Gage said. He cradled Kaden closer so his head rested on Gage’s chest. “Russ only wants to make sure you’re all right.”
A long sigh eased out of Kaden at the feel of Gage’s warm body even through the alpha’s thin cotton shirt. It occurred to Gage he should probably put on some clothes as more than one body part enjoyed contact with Gage. Unfortunately dressing involved leaving Gage’s embrace and Kaden didn’t plan to do that any time soon. Not unless he was forcibly removed.
Sighing, Kaden released all his pain and sorrow in a long puff of air. Inhaling deeply, he almost choked on the combined scent of lust wafting off both of the men. How had he not noticed that before? Gage grew hard beneath Kaden’s hip, and he resisted the urge to slide to the floor and examine the phenomenon up close.
Behave!
He silently admonished his eager wolf, who really, really liked that plan. As much as it wrenched his heart, Kaden knew he had to go. If he stayed much longer he’d end up letting both men fuck him, and he didn’t need the pack to turn on him for messing up the alpha’s relationship. He had enough problems with the usual accusations from the spouse or partner of any attractive man he happened to stand too close to. There was more than one reason why he’d left the family’s fold. His sister’s husband had taken an unnatural interest in Kaden despite having mated with Kaden’s sister, Alice.