Wrecking Wren [Alpha Wreckers 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Read online

  Alpha Wreckers 1

  Wrecking Wren

  When his arranged marriage ended, the only thing that kept avian shifter Wren alive is his unborn child. His online cake business is growing, and he hires a contractor to renovate his kitchen for his business. The last thing he expects is to fall for his contractor, werewolf Alpha Cole Mercer. Everyone knows the Mercer brothers are trouble, but the heart knows what it wants, and Wren starts falling hard and fast for the big bad wolf.

  Cole Mercer can’t deny his attraction for Wren. Because of his dark past, his animal is out-of-control and dangerous, but he finds himself enjoying spending time with Wren. He goes out of his way to oversee the construction repairs himself. Some lines can’t be crossed. Wren deserves better, but his wolf intends to claim Wren as his mate. There’s no stopping an Alpha once he sets his eyes on his prize.

  Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Contemporary, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 21,075 words

  WRECKING WREN

  Alpha Wreckers 1

  Fel Fern

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  WRECKING WREN

  Copyright © 2017 by Fel Fern

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-529-4

  First Publication: August 2017

  Cover design by Channing Harris

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book or print book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Felicia Fern works as a graphic designer during the day, and loves penning M/M paranormal erotic romance at night.

  A sadist who loves watching her heroes break their backs trying to earn their happy endings, Fel likes throwing in the occasional dash of the unknown to the usual romantic concoction.

  For all titles by Fel Fern, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/fel-fern

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Landmarks

  Cover

  WRECKING WREN

  Alpha Wreckers 1

  FEL FERN

  Copyright © 2017

  Prologue

  Twenty-years ago

  “Thank you,” said the eleven-year-old brown-haired kid to Cole Mercer. One eye was blue, the other shut from the black eye his bully gave him. Even so, the kid smiled up at him, unnerving Cole.

  The kid reminded him of an eager and happy puppy. His chest constricted, his wolf more watchful than ever. Dangerous, he thought, turning away. Cole normally preferred to mind his own business, but he couldn’t stand bullies. Thankfully, Gary Pater had released the kid after he’d threatened to break Gary’s arm in pieces.

  Cole didn’t take his eyes off Gary yet.

  Gary scoffed. “Whatever. Protect all the lost little animals you come across. Not like someone like you will ever find a mate.”

  Then Gary started walking away. The school bell had rung five minutes ago. Cole should let it go, get his ass back home to do his chores, but he refused to let this slide.

  “Take those words back,” Cole yelled to Gary across the school yard. “Or you’ll regret them.”

  Gary, bigger, meaner, and older, laughed. Cole’s face burned, but he refused to budge. He curled his fists by his sides, silently seething. Gary’s words struck a vulnerable chord, but he refused to show pain, tears, sadness. Negative emotions like those could be used against him; he had learned that in the last foster home.

  “What? You really think a scrawny and ugly orphaned mutt like you, who has no pack, will find a mate?” Gary asked, striding back to him.

  At fifteen, Gary was tall for his age and had started to bulk up. Cole remembered even the girls in his class swooning over the pretty boy. It didn’t help Gary came from a wealthy family, and they belonged to the ruling wolf pack in town. Cole might be nobody, but his wolf hovered on the surface of his skin.

  His animal shimmered in rage. Like him, his beast was always angry. Murky memories of the past rose up in his head, of a woman’s tear-streaked face and bloodshot eyes staring back at him with indescribable hatred.

  Who wanted to be mated anyway? The mating bond was lethal, poison.

  “Go to hell,” he gritted out.

  The next time Gary laughed, Cole decked him. He remembered to sheathe his claws at least, tempting though it was to let them slide out, slice the cruelty away from the cocky little bastard who had everything while he had nothing.

  You no good little bastard. What did I do to deserve giving birth to a monster like you? Those words echoed in his head again.

  It had been years since he last spoke to his mother. She could never touch him again, but some wounds would never heal. His fist flew, collided against Gary’s face, but Gary belonged to a pack and knew how to fight back. Gary clocked him in the ribs, made him gasp, but Cole refused to give up. A spinning blow nearly knocked Cole off his feet, broke his nose instead.

  From the corner of his eye, he saw a crowd gathered, chanting Gary’s name. Of course they would. Cole had no one in his corner, never did. The knowledge deflated his spirit a little, but Gary needed to pound him into the concrete, to suck out the last bit of his pride before he yielded.

  “Cole, what the hell are you thinking?” A voice cut through the crowd.

  Before Cole could come at Gary again, strong arms wrapped around his skinny frame, dragging him away from his opponent. He snarled at Spencer, whose grip felt like iron.

  Despite being a year older than him, Spencer’s control over his own beast was impeccable. Silent and perceptive, Spencer always remained in the background and stayed away from fights, but when pushed to the edge, Spencer fought like a mad bear, just like all of the Mercer kids.

  Across from him, Malik held Gary in a chokehold.

  “The boys and I don’t want any trouble,” Malik drawled.

  Tall, handsome Malik always smiled, as if the entire world seemed like a joke to him, but Cole saw the scars treading Malik’s back. Now, only Nash was missing in the picture. He grimaced. The oldest of the Mercer boys, Nash also stepped in to teach them discipline when Isiah couldn’t.

  “Let me go, or I’ll go after you and the rest of your fucking brothers,” Gary hissed.

  Malik’s green gaze turned sharp, shards of yellow in his pupils, a sign his jaguar peered out of his fa
ce. “No, you won’t. Nash is calling one of the teachers. You pull some bullshit on one of us, it rebounds back on you, you understand? I’m sure you don’t want your pack or family to realize you’re a weakling who couldn’t even stand toe-to-toe with a boy three years younger than you.”

  Realization dawned on Gary that Malik intended on blackmailing him if Gary didn’t do as Malik said. Seconds passed.

  Cole thought back on the word Malik used. Brothers. It felt odd to say them on his lips. All of them were so different from each other, yet similar in many ways. They were four boys with raging beasts inside of them, adopted by a human with a bleeding heart, against the world.

  “Fine,” Gary gritted out.

  Malik finally released Gary.

  Gary moved a distance away, before making a face, glaring at all of them, looking down on them, no doubt. Finally, Gary’s gaze lingered on Cole the longest. “You and your brother are nothing but trash, and you’ll be trash the rest of your lives.”

  He lunged at Gary, snarling, teeth bared, but Spencer yanked his collar back.

  “Let him be. We wounded his pride, it’s natural for him to lash back at us,” Spencer said in a quiet voice.

  He had a rebuttal ready, except he glimpsed darkness in Spencer’s normally calm gaze. Cole zipped his trap shut, watched Gary return to his cohorts and leave the area just as Nash returned with one of their teenagers. His oldest brother pretended to look confused and smiled at Mrs. Lee, the school’s English teacher.

  Even at fifteen, Nash could charm anyone, even the teacher. Mrs. Lee and Nash traded a few more words. She laughed, disappeared back inside the building.

  Nash turned to him, furious, big brother mask on. Nash stalked up to them. Spencer finally let Cole go and gave him a sharp, backhanded smack. He growled.

  “What were you thinking?” Nash hissed. “None of us have good records. You want to separate us that badly?”

  Pride refused him to back down. Then again, all of them knew they had dominant animals in them. That was the reason why social services considered them hopeless cases. Submissive shifters were easy to manage, just like normal human kids, but no one wanted to take in monsters back to their homes, all save Isiah Mercer.

  “I could have taken him,” he sullenly replied. “Besides, we’re not even real brothers.”

  He regretted that last bit instantly.

  “Take those words back, Cole,” Nash said, voice hard, pupils bright yellow.

  Cole looked away from Nash’s gaze first.

  “Sorry.” He seldom apologized but he knew they meant it. “What Gary said really rankled, you know.”

  “For what it’s worth, I think whoever becomes your mate is lucky,” said a small voice. Cole blinked, realizing the brown-haired kid he’d saved from Gary’s wrath had approached them, a tentative shy smile on his lips.

  “What do you know?” he demanded, his mother’s tear-streaked face still in his mind.

  “Who’s this?” Malik asked, ever the curious cat.

  The boy gave him a gap-toothed grin and nodded to Cole, before running away.

  “I get it. You stepped in and saved that kid, didn’t you? You could never look away from violence,” Nash finally said.

  “That’s necessarily a bad thing,” Spencer spoke for the first time, pulling Cole into a hug. He grumbled under his breath, but didn’t argue when Spencer said, “Come on. Let’s get ourselves home, before Isiah tans our hides from skimping out on our chores.”

  Chapter One

  “So, how long does it take to finish my new kitchen?” Wren asked his new general contractor.

  Cole Mercer leaned against his cracked kitchen counter, and Wren couldn’t help but stare at Cole’s biceps and triceps, bulging against his plain white shirt. Cole shifted and Wren told himself to pay attention at the problem at hand, to focus.

  Everyone in town knew tangling with Cole Mercer was akin to dancing with fire; getting burned was inevitable. Cole left a score of broken hearts in his wake, a bonafide playboy, and Wren understood why.

  Charm combined with Cole’s naturally rugged good looks—those startling green eyes and thick mane of dark golden hair—certainly made for one hell of a stunning combination. His best friend had warned him about Cole, but Cole happened to be the best contractor around these parts. Cole and his brothers ran Alpha Wreckers Inc., the best dream team one could hope for when it came to renovation, from remodeling to simple house repairs.

  “About four to six weeks. I need to make an assessment after we iron out what exactly you want done,” Cole replied, turning to scribble something on his battered notebook. “What did you say about the cabinets again?”

  Wren froze up, couldn’t help but admire how Cole’s firm ass looked amazing in those faded jeans.

  “Little bird,” Cole threw over his back. “You checking out my ass?”

  Definitely a playful tone of voice.

  It was a nice ass, but Wren didn’t say that out loud. This Alpha werewolf didn’t need compliments like that, because they would only serve to bloat Cole’s ego. He swallowed. “Are you always this cocky?”

  “According to the reviews, my lovers like me the way I am.”

  “Too bad I’m not one of them. I’m your client, as in the guy who’s about to pay you to wreck my kitchen and make it all pretty and shit?”

  “Pretty and shit?” Cole asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Professional,” he managed to say. “I bake a lot. This space is my personal haven. I want a contemporary and versatile kitchen.”

  “So you’ve mentioned in your e-mail. Let’s discuss this further somewhere. Do you have coffee?”

  “My coffee machine’s broke,” he mumbled, embarrassed. “I was going to replace it this afternoon.”

  “Excellent. We’ll continue this discussion at a cafe or a diner.”

  Wait. What?

  “What’s wrong with my kitchen? Plus, I need to run a couple of errands,” he quickly said.

  “Oh? You blowing me off? Ouch. That’s a first.”

  “Blowing—wait. This isn’t a date, but a professional meeting, right?”

  Thank God for his quick tongue, because this Alpha werewolf was doing strange things to him. Ever since his mate Trey died, he didn’t think he could look at another man and feel desire. Besides, werewolves and avian shifters didn’t mix together. Cole appearing in his kitchen today changed all that, and he needed time to regroup, think. Could he still change his mind, maybe request someone other than Cole?

  “Sure, if you say so, cutie.” Cole tucked his notebook by his side. “How about a compromise? We’ll have a nice sit-down, some filling breakfast, coffee, and I’ll be your personal driver for the morning.”

  “I’ve already eaten.” Wren had his usual slice of toast and black coffee earlier.

  “Well, you sure could use another. You’re all skin and bones.” Cole eyed him up and down, assessing him. The stare unnerved him slightly. They were going off-script and he didn’t like that one bit. He was supposed to meet his contractor, get an estimate, and move on with his schedule.

  Routine was important to Wren. It kept him sane, saved him when he felt adrift, his inner bird lost after Trey died. Accepting Cole’s invitation would ruin his perfect routine, shatter the illusion everything was fine, that he was moving on.

  Shifters only mated once. After Trey died, everyone he knew assumed he’d follow after. They never said it aloud, but he didn’t blame them because he thought the same thing, except there was one last anchor keeping him marooned to reality.

  Wren briefly touched his still flat belly, felt the tiny heartbeat there. The growing baby inside of him was his sole source of strength, but the baby also reminded him that once he or she came out, he would be too busy to do something fun and light.

  He should politely refuse Cole, except his inner wren wanted to accept Cole’s invitation. What was wrong with changing his routine? This might be his last chance to indulge a little, and for all of Cole�
��s flirting, he actually enjoyed the Alpha werewolf’s teasing.

  They had a little history between them, but Cole seemed to have forgotten. That stung a little, but who could blame the Alpha?

  It happened twenty years ago. Both of them had been children. Since then, Wren learned to spread his wings from the nest, found his mate, had Trey’s child growing in his belly. A happy ending ought to have followed that path, except it didn’t. Wrenching himself away from thoughts that might spiral down to depression, he met the Alpha werewolf’s gaze.

  Cole, he realized, had gone deathly quiet for a while now.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Did you say something? I tend to zone off these days.”

  “What do you see little bird that the rest of the world can’t?” Cole’s tone had turned serious. Even the werewolf’s expression matched his voice.

  Wren blinked, realizing Cole stood in front of him, a titan easily twice his size and all of him was made of muscle. Huge dominant shifter males, predators, could smell vulnerability from a mile away.

  Wren couldn’t count the number of times acquaintances dropped by to offer their condolences, but he could tell they wanted something else, a fling or a quick hook-up maybe. Wren wasn’t stupid. He gave his heart and soul to his mate and had nothing else to give. In the shifter community, one-night stands were all he was good for. At the very least, he had the right to choose.

  He tensed, a number of scenarios running through his mind. What would Cole do next? The least expected, it turned out, because Cole cupped his jaw, running a calloused thumb over the day-old stubble there, the motion impossibly gentle, the touch feather-light. It was a sharp contrast to the big, rough werewolf who had laughed so easily a moment ago.