Authors: Amber Kell
Swallowing back his regret, Kaden wiggled a bit, trying to ease out of the alpha’s hold. “I appreciate you guys trying to make me feel better.”
Gage’s grip tightened.
“Ow,” he whimpered. He hadn’t healed quite as much as he’d thought.
Immediately Gage snatched his hands away and Kaden almost tumbled off the bed. He quickly recovered and scurried away from the delectable duo and back under the sheets. He couldn’t hide the lust pouring from him but he didn’t have to give in to it either.
“We’ll leave so you can get some more rest,” Russ said, standing.
Gage stood also and Kaden had to bite his tongue to keep the whimper from rolling up his throat. He desperately wanted Gage to stay and hold him but didn’t want to appear too desperate. His emotions were all over the place. Kaden didn’t know what to do about his insane attraction to the alpha, but he feared he’d have to leave the pack. Lusting after another man’s mate didn’t make for a healthy relationship. His sister’s mating proved that.
Speaking of Alice, he really needed to call her and see how her pregnancy was progressing. He might be the cuckoo bird of his family unit, but he knew they loved him in their own way.
Watching Russ walk away was the highlight of his morning. Buff and gorgeous, the beta rang all the right attraction notes even if Kaden’s attention always returned to Gage. His obsessive interest in another man’s mate struck Kaden as unnatural. If Kaden didn’t know better, he’d think Gage had triggered his mating urges—only possible when true mates met. But how could the alpha be his mate if Gage already had one? Wolves mated for life and only ever with one wolf. He might not have paid too much attention when his parents blathered on about true mates and finding the love of his life, but he did remember that particular point. His parents were long-winded but rarely wrong.
A knot formed in his chest. Kaden took slow, even breaths to hold back the building sobs. He didn’t want either of the men to come back and watch him fall apart. Everything hurt—ribs, chest—but the most damaged portion was his heart.
Maybe his parents had been right. Maybe joining the troops had been a mistake. Silent tears dripped down Kaden’s cheeks and his body shook as he quietly sobbed over a man he knew he couldn’t have and shouldn’t want.
Halfway across camp, Russ froze in his tracks, his hand to his chest. “Kaden.”
“Yeah, I feel it too.” Gage grimaced. “We have to let him have a moment. He still doesn’t understand what’s going on and I refuse to put pressure on him while he’s healing.”
Russ scowled. “But I want him to know that we both want him. I think he considers me an unfaithful bastard who cheats on his mate.”
“I don’t think he truly thinks that,” Gage argued. “After all, if he really thought you were that despicable, he never would’ve let you touch him.”
Russ thought over Kaden’s behaviour for a moment before nodding. “You’re right. He’s probably as conflicted about me as he is about you.”
“Poor thing. Luckily, he’s a quick healer and we can soon let him know how things are going to be.”
“You’re that sure he’ll go along with having both of us as mates?” Russ couldn’t understand his lover’s confidence. Although Gage never flaunted his alpha status in their relationship, Russ knew Gage had a stronger wolf.
Gage gave Russ a sly smile. “Part of my alpha gift is knowing the strengths and weaknesses of all the pack members…”
Russ gritted his teeth as Gage paused for a dramatic moment. “Go on!” he snapped.
“Kaden needs to be dominated and taken care of. Not only in the wolf way, but in the human way also. To have two strong-willed men guide him will give him wet dreams for years to come. I have no doubt once we tell Kaden how the Goddess arranged things he’ll be more than happy to be our mate.”
“Our mate?” Russ’ heart skipped a beat. In all his dreams of how things would happen when he met his mate, never had he thought that Gage would be happy to share.
“Russ, he thinks I’m his mate, I know you’re my mate, and you think he’s your mate. There’s no way anything other than the three of us together is going to work out. He won’t be comfortable alone with you for a while, and you won’t be happy if I’m alone with him. The three of us need to make things work together.”
A knot of tension unfurled in Russ’ chest. “I always worried about what would happen between us when I found my mate. I love you even though you aren’t my Goddess-blessed mate, but I know I’ve hurt you by always searching for someone else.” Russ kissed Gage. He couldn’t convey with mere words how much his lover’s acceptance meant to him. “Thank you.”
For the first time he could remember, Gage blushed. “Come on—we need to check on the injured then we have a war council to attend. We don’t have time to be mushy.”
Russ grinned. “Of course not.”
Happily, he let Gage lead him to the infirmary. Everyone looked to be recovering from their wounds nicely. They were heading out of the tent when Conley rushed over, a panicked expression in his eyes. “I haven’t been able to find Kaden. Have you seen him?”
Russ growled. “Why do you care?”
“P-please tell me he wasn’t killed.” Tears filled the omega’s eyes.
“He’s fine. He has injuries but he’s almost completely healed already,” Gage confirmed.
Russ searched for deception in Conley’s eyes but found only concern.
“I just met him yesterday but he’s a really sweet guy.” Conley’s eyes scanned the infirmary as if trying to spot Kaden.
“He’s fine. I’m sure you’ll see him soon,” Gage consoled him.
“Where is he?” Conley asked. For a wolf so far down on the dominance scale, he sure was a demanding guy.
“I have him in my tent. He’s getting some rest.” Gage scowled at Conley.
Conley’s expression hardened as he bravely tried to stare down the alpha. His body trembled from the effort, but Russ felt a spurt of pride for the man’s bravery. Even an omega could show a backbone over things important to them. “If you use him and toss him aside, your position as alpha won’t save you from the consequences.”
Russ grinned at the omega’s ferocity, watching to see what Gage would do.
“I’m not using him,” Gage denied. “I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. He’s Russ’ mate.”
Conley looked back and forth between them. “I thought you two were mates. Everyone thinks that.”
“Things are a bit complicated. I will make an announcement to the pack later.” Gage brushed away the omega’s curiosity.
“Okay. I trust you, Alpha, at least more than the others I’ve served under. Take care of Kaden. He’s a nice kid.” Conley nodded as if satisfied with the Gage’s decision.
Russ stepped forward. “I have a question for you.”
Conley tilted his head inquiringly.
“Kaden said you were outside the kitchen tent before the explosion. Yet I remember you clearly stating you were on the other side of camp. Why would you lie about that?”
Russ thought for a minute Conley would somehow try to avoid answering but after a quick look around he confessed, “I didn’t want Denel to know I saw him. I’ve been investigating his actions for a while now.”
Gage crossed his arms over his chest. “What are you talking about?”
A crafty gleam entered Conley’s eyes. “Denel has been through three camps and at each camp accidents happened and affected the food supply. I was sent by the War Council to investigate this series of events and find the common thread.”
“Wait… You’re saying you’re a spy for the Council and they sent you here to investigate without telling me?” The scent of Gage’s temper peppered the air. Russ glanced around to make sure no one could over hear them. To an outsider, it hopefully looked like the alpha was dressing down a pack member.
“Why should we believe you?” Russ found the entire explanation a little too smooth.
Conley shrugged. “I don’t really care if you believe me or not. But I’m betting Denel will find a reason to leave the pack in the next few days. He never stays very long before moving on to the next camp.”
“If you’re right, another camp is in danger.” Concern rushed through Russ. Camps were vulnerable to assaults from within. Luckily, few wolves wanted to harm their own.
“That has been his pattern in the past,” Conley agreed. “I can’t say for certain he’ll continue to follow it, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t.”
“Then we should watch him and try to figure out why a werekin would want to help out the enemy,” Gage decided.
After asking a few more follow-up questions, they bid goodbye to the omega and left the infirmary, pleased with the progress everyone had made.
“We need to find where the device was hidden. It will tell us more about the bomber. Attacking our provisions was a classic wartime move. Unfortunately for us, it was also an effective one,” Gage said.
“I’ll put the trackers on it.” Russ said. As Gage’s second in command, he led the trackers—those werekin who were born with an enhanced sense of smell greater than even the normal shifter.
“Good. I’ll meet with the War Council. Let me know if you learn anything.”
Russ nodded. “Will do.”
With a quick kiss, the pair separated to do their job to protect the pack, each in their own way.
* * * *
Gage had spent the past three hours in a meeting studying intel collected by their scouts. The large map in the middle of the table had dozens of pins jabbed through the paper to indicate the locations of known vampire hideouts. The creatures holed up underground and came out through the earth at night to grab any werekin travelling above—an effective and creepy technique. The werekin were becoming nervous about running across hunting grounds at night. Even with their sense of smell, they couldn’t detect the undead sleeping beneath the surface.
“We have to find a way to hunt them during the day while they’re vulnerable. Reports from California indicate some vampires are starting to bind human servants to their will in order to attack werekin in the daylight.” The council had mocked that move until Gage had reminded them that weak humans were just as effective as powerful vampires when rocket launchers were involved.
“We need to find their base,” Lance Thane—a powerful beta—growled as he examined the map. “This can’t continue. We’re now having problems getting supplies past the vampire fields. When truckers stop for the night, the undead kill them and burn our supplies. We can’t afford to lose many more shipments. Pretty soon there won’t be enough money in the world to convince humans to deliver to us.”
Gage rubbed the back of his neck and wondered for the three hundredth time in the past two minutes why he had been born an alpha. Some days he longed to be an omega who only had to worry about carrying out orders.
Life must be simpler for them
.
“Okay, let’s send troops to escort the trucks and watch over the truckers while they sleep. Let’s also set up some dummy shipments and fill them with soldiers to take out vampires when they attack. After a few of these attacks squads, they might decide it isn’t worth it to ambush our shipments.”
Jacob Fellows—another beta leader—spoke up, “Good idea. We can coordinate with the troops to the east. The human council wants to meet next week to coordinate protection for Stansville. I’d like to go as a representative, if that’s all right with you, Alpha. I have some family who live there.”
Gage nodded his agreement. “That’s fine. Take a small troop with you in case it’s a trap.” More than one human colony foolishly sided with the vampires out of some romantic idea that being vampire food was better than fighting for their lives.
How they could handle those creepy grey-green creatures touching them Gage didn’t know, but he also didn’t know what humans saw when they looked at vamps. Werekin could see through vampire glamour, while humans accepted whatever vampires projected. He’d heard from humans before that vampires could make themselves look beautiful enough to lure prey to their side. Gage considered himself blessed that he was immune to such deceptive magic.
“Good luck with the humans. Make sure you approach them with caution. You know they’ll pick the side they think is winning.”
The five betas around the table nodded. Gage’s heart swelled with happiness that he had these strong leaders to depend on. In war you needed to be able to count on your troops, and Gage couldn’t think of five better men. They came to him for advice and to keep him updated, but they rarely needed anything more than to bounce ideas off him—leaving him free to work on the bigger picture of winning the war.
None of them were men to mess with. Beside Lance and Jacob, Edward, Marco and David all led military groups. Each man Gage had grown up with and trusted, not only with his life, but more importantly, the lives of his pack.
After a few more last minute details, the men filed out and Gage concentrated on examining the map, hoping to find some clue as to the vampire’s next step.
Gage looked up from his perusal to see that Lance had stayed behind.
“Is there something we forgot to discuss?” He frowned at the scent of nervousness wafting from the usually confident man.
Lance shifted from foot to foot but stood his ground. “I wanted to ask you about the kitchen helper. I heard you have him in your tent because of the shortage of beds. I could take him off your hands if you’d like. He’s really cute.” Lance gave him a wide, hopeful grin.