Ryan's Predicament Read online

  Darkfall Mountain Pack 13

  Ryan’s Predicament

  Dominant wolf, Ryan Sandoval has two priorities—protect his pack in his brother’s stead and find his missing sister. He didn’t factor in the arrival of a submissive Darkfall wolf, one whose presence ensnares all of his senses. Nathan is sexy, brave and isn’t afraid to speak his mind. He’s also Ryan’s mate, but with so many things at stake, Ryan can’t afford any distractions. A single night of passion changes everything. Nathan is everything he ever imagined and more. But news from two strangers shatters their newfound happiness.

  Nathan smelled a trap the moment two hawk shifters approached them. He’s always been moved by reason, but he can’t leave Ryan on his own. Despite not knowing each other long, Nathan knows his heart and body belongs to Ryan. Nathan intends to follow his mate, even to certain death. Can he convince Ryan to leave the past behind and look forward to their unwritten future?

  Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Paranormal, Shape-shifters, Werewolves

  Length: 25,895 words

  RYAN'S PREDICAMENT

  Darkfall Mountain Pack 13

  Fel Fern

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  MANLOVE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

  RYAN'S PREDICAMENT

  Copyright © 2016 by Fel Fern

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-555-0

  First E-book Publication: October 2016

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2016 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.

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  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  About the Author

  RYAN'S PREDICAMENT

  Darkfall Mountain Pack 13

  FEL FERN

  Copyright © 2016

  Chapter One

  Ryan Sandoval couldn’t stand to be inside the cabin any longer. His brother Noel, Alpha of the Blood Ruby pack, had commanded him to keep watch over the other pack members and their guest. That was just an excuse. There was a reason why Noel took his new mate instead of him to another pack’s territory, and that didn’t sit well with Ryan.

  Fuck, hadn’t they seen their pack through the best and worst of times together?

  The Blood Ruby pack wasn’t large. It was only made up of five adult werewolves and two adopted lion cubs. Well, six now including Noel’s mate Kian and Nathan didn’t count. Nathan and Kian were initially outsiders they distrusted, two representatives of the largest and most vicious pack in the country—the Darkfall Mountain pack. Kian had proven his worth and courage, winning Noel’s heart in the process. Nathan however, got on Ryan’s nerves.

  Nathan reminded him that his brother took Kian instead of him. For crying out loud, Ryan was the Beta of the pack. He should be the one beside Noel when entering Darkfall territory. Their little group never intended to settle down in the town of Blue River.

  They were a nomadic pack, one that moved from place to place, until their little sister Allie was kidnapped. They were still searching for answers when Kian and Nathan entered their territory. No other animal group wanted to speak up against Allie’s mysterious captors, and they finally understood why.

  Allie wasn’t taken by average run-of-the-mill kidnappers, but trained human mercenaries who worked for an organization that took and experimented on shifters. Alpine Industries was a major pharmaceutical global company, but that had only been a front.

  Ryan checked their website. Their company words were “helping people get better.” Since the Darkfall pack started sharing information, Ryan’s blood burned hot more and more. Alpine Industries had been nothing more than a front for the largest paranormal-hating group in the nation.

  The wars between the humans and supernatural ended a century ago, but he supposed some people couldn’t let go of hate easily. Ryan understood. He wanted to rip out the throats of the scientists who got their hands on his sister.

  “You’re still brooding?” Nathan’s voice interrupted him. “You’ll wear the carpets out if you keep pacing like that.”

  Snarling softly under his breath, Ryan turned to the other man. He didn’t know why the lean and handsome submissive always riled him up. His wolf didn’t sense Nathan as his enemy, but something else.

  Ryan didn’t know whether he wanted to fuck Nathan’s brains out or argue with Nathan to death. It was a strange feeling, an affliction he knew the cure to, but couldn’t bring himself to admit it.

  The moment he saw Nathan, Ryan knew the submissive wolf was his mate.

  Too bad Ryan had no intentions of tying his soul and wolf to another man. His duty lay to his pack, and his first priority was finding his missing sister. Nathan was distraction, temptation and he couldn’t afford that.

  “I don’t want to pick another fight with you,” Ryan pointed out.

  This rented cabin had
been their temporary pack headquarters, but it was too damn small for his comfort. It didn’t help they had the entire house to themselves. Melody had taken Aaron to town, and Russ and Mal followed Melody and Aaron to keep a close watch on them.

  Moving into a different room didn’t seem to help because Nathan would eventually tag along.

  “Leave me alone.” Ryan knew he sounded like a sulky brat, but he didn’t care. They were wasting time. On one hand, he knew the Darkfall wolves had all the answers, but he was sick of waiting for something to happen.

  “She’s alive. Your sister’s strong.” Nathan’s soft voice made Ryan glare at him.

  “How are you certain?”

  “Your pack mates tell me stories about her. She won’t give up easily.”

  Ryan grunted. The last thing he needed was pity from a stranger. Snapping at Nathan was counterproductive. The submissive wolf didn’t deserve it. Nathan and his brother had survived Alpine Industries when the humans murdered their pack and took some of their pack mates as their new science projects. Nathan of all people knew exactly what those human scientists and their private army were capable of.

  “Want to go for a run?” Nathan asked, breaking the silence.

  Refusal was on the tip of his tongue, except Ryan said the exact opposite. “Sure.”

  Awhile back, Ryan was ticked off when Nathan followed him to the woods on all four paws instead of two feet for the first time. Soon enough, he grew accustomed to Nathan’s presence and besides, wolves didn’t bicker. They could waste plenty of hours, running alongside each other, their coats brushing. Play tackle or hide-and-seek.

  There was no danger in crossing that line between strangers to lovers.

  They headed outside the house. Ryan left a note on the kitchen table in case the others came back early. He couldn’t wait to get out of his clothes. Within seconds, he was naked, inhaling the cold forest breeze against his face and closing his eyes to inhale the scent of nature. The pack chose this cabin because it was close to the forest and not that far from the town proper. It also provided them plenty of privacy.

  When Ryan opened his eyes, he noticed Nathan staring at him. “You like what you see?”

  Shit. Was Ryan actually flirting? What was wrong with him? But he meant every word. Nathan had appreciation in his eyes, but the other man turned away.

  “No way in hell. You’re so full of yourself.”

  Grinning, Ryan reached for his wolf. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this, lighthearted and free. Besides, Noel did mention taking a breather now and then wasn’t so bad. Not waiting for Nathan to finish, Ryan sprinted toward the nearest line of trees. Nathan let out a whine behind him.

  This felt amazing—the wind on his fur and no one to disturb their run, especially humans. Ryan had never been good with people, even as a kid growing up. He’d always been more in touch with his animal half. Noel was the charismatic one, the guy who could put anyone at ease.

  That was why Noel was the undisputed Alpha despite the fact Ryan could challenge his brother for the position anytime he wanted. Hell, when he heard Noel claimed Kian, Ryan had been nearly tempted to. In the end, he saw how perfect Kian was for his brother.

  He could sense Nathan following swiftly behind him. Ryan was bigger and faster. He slowed down on purpose, even if he didn’t mean to, until Nathan caught up with him. The submissive wolf nipped his fur. Nathan was playful today, Ryan noticed. In response, he swatted Nathan’s muzzle.

  The submissive wolf glared. How cute. Ryan took off again. Nathan did an impressive job of catching up with him, despite Ryan knowing Nathan didn’t possess as much stamina as he did. As Beta of his small pack, Ryan always needed to be in top shape. It was part of his responsibilities to protect any member of the pack, to serve as a good soldier.

  Sometimes, he wondered what else was there for him. In the past, Noel used to work hard for the pack. With Kian in the picture, Noel now cared for his mate and pack. Seeing his brother and his brother’s mate sometimes made him look at Nathan differently.

  What would it be like, to take a strong-willed werewolf like Nathan?

  Oh, Ryan knew Nathan didn’t just possess a sharp tongue. Nathan might appear tough on the outside—the submissive wolf had to be strong for both himself and his younger brother—but Ryan saw glimpses of Nathan’s other side, a tender side Nathan only showed to him when he was feeling dangerous.

  Without realizing it, Ryan had taken the path leading to the old facility. He came to a sudden stop on the cliff overlooking Alpine Industries’ abandoned testing labs. This had been a place of nightmares, of misery.

  The humans set up the lab even before Ryan and his pack arrived in Blue Moon. This lab was the reason why Nathan’s old pack Alpha had decided to investigate and in the end, made the wrong decisions.

  Ryan wondered if Allie was in a facility, just like this one. Recalling the abandoned medical equipment, the cages, and the torture devices made him see red again. Ryan wanted nothing more than to sink his fangs into one of these humans. Better yet, he’d kill them all, except there was nothing here.

  God knew they scouted the facility for clues plenty of times. Nathan slid closer until their coats brushed against each other. Ryan lost some of his intensity and hatred. He was ashamed of himself for nearly losing control of his animal. It had been a long time since that happened.

  Not wanting to linger there any longer, Ryan broke into a run again. It gave him relief and comfort that Nathan tailed behind him, letting him take the lead. Ryan led them to an open clearing near a spring. He lay down, exhausted.

  Nathan joined him. The submissive wolf rolled on his stomach and shifted. Once he was human again, Nathan placed a hand over his eyes and looked upward, skyward.

  “Plenty of stars out tonight,” Nathan remarked.

  Ryan was on the fence. Should he shift back to human too?

  That wasn’t the best decision to make. Sitting so close to Nathan, Nathan’s tantalizing scents caressed his nostrils. Didn’t Nathan know how tempting he looked like this? A thin sheen of sweat covered Nathan’s lean body. Ryan wanted nothing more than to lick and explore every inch of his prize.

  Wait. Nathan wasn’t his prize or his anything really, just a guest of the pack. A respectable host didn’t think of dirty thoughts when it came to their guest. Still, Nathan didn’t need to turn back to human.

  “Ryan? Are you still awake?” Nathan gently raked his fingers through his fur.

  Ryan let out a warning snarl, but the submissive wolf didn’t get the message. Nathan kept stroking him. That was nice, Ryan decided. He placed his muzzle on Nathan’s chest, watching Nathan from the corner of his eye while Nathan continued looking at the sky.

  “I remember Kian being interested in astronomy. It was merely a fad, but we saved up to get him a decent telescope anyway. After he got sick of it, I started using it. I wonder where that telescope’s at.”

  Ryan paused. When Alpine Industries sent bounty hunters after Nathan and the survivors of Nathan’s former pack, Nathan and the rest had to leave everything behind to run.

  “You know,” Nathan drawled. “I feel like I’m talking to myself. Then again, you prefer being a wolf than a man, don’t you?”

  Ryan of course, couldn’t say anything.

  “That’s fine,” Nathan murmured.

  There was disappointment in the submissive wolf’s voice. Ryan was still close to losing control. It would be so easy to claim Nathan as his mate. God knew Ryan had fantasized about what he wanted to do to Nathan’s sweet and sexy body.

  You only live once. Those had been Noel’s parting words. Ryan had a feeling his brother was talking about Nathan. Every other member of the pack assumed they were an item, despite not doing anything. Ryan was a coward. Fuck, he’d never backed away from a challenge his entire life and yet here he was, afraid to start something with Nathan. Nathan was exactly that.

  After Nathan’s parents died when he was young, Nathan took over raising h
is brother. Since then, Nathan had been watching over Kian. However, it was Noel’s job to do that. Certain he was making a decision he would soon regret, Ryan shifted.

  He had enough of hiding and avoiding because a predator didn’t act like prey. Rolling on top of Nathan, he straddled the submissive wolf, pinning Nathan’s arms above his head. Ryan breathed hard. Fuck. He was doing this wrong, and he knew it, but he had trouble holding on to logic. Nathan simply smelled too good, and the feeling of their skin touching was incredible.

  “Finally,” Nathan said. The submissive wolf didn’t look scared or apprehensive like he should.

  “Stop baiting me, I’m not warning you again.” Hell. Those weren’t the words Ryan really wanted to say, but there was no taking them back now.

  “Baiting you? You agreed to go for a run, or did you forget?”

  This little wolf certainly had guts. It was time to remind Nathan who the dominant was in this arrangement.

  “You want me, little wolf? Here I am.”

  Chapter Two

  Nathan couldn’t believe those words just came out of Ryan’s mouth. For one, the Beta had been acting hot and cold with him during his time here. There was no reason for him to stay in Blue River. Nathan could have gone with Kian and Noel back to Darkfall. After all, Darkfall was no longer a temporary refuge, but a place Kian and he could possibly call home.

  However, could Kian and he still call Darkfall home?

  For the longest time, it had only been his brother and him. Of course, there were other members of their old pack, but Kian was blood and his only remaining family member. When Kian mated Noel, Nathan felt like he’d been severed from his tether to reality.