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  “I think right now, your pack’s still rough around the edges, but it has the potential to be great someday.”

  It was Kris’s turn to smile now. “You’re with me now. That means you’re part of the Wild Manes as well.”

  “Even if I’m the only human here?”

  “You might be human, but in here you’re as fierce as a wolf.” Kris tapped two fingers right over Sam’s left pectoral, his heart.

  His human blushed, entire face turning red as a tomato. “Should we head back soon?”

  “Let’s stay here for a little bit,” Kris suggested.

  “Agreed. It’s quiet out here.”

  Kris touched Sam’s cheeks, forcing Sam to look at him. “No one will interrupt us here.”

  He could hear Sam’s accelerated heartbeats. Kris lowered his mouth to Sam’s and kissed him recklessly, passionately. Sam clutched at his shoulders and kissed him back. His bold little human reached for the button of his jeans, undoing it. Sam pulled out his cock, which began to thicken. The red tip leaked with pre-cum.

  Hunger to possess, to own his mate all over again overcame him. Kris recalled Sam looking longingly at the bite mark on Teddy’s neck earlier. He only held back from claiming Sam as his mate because he thought humans would be different, that Sam would’ve preferred to go slow. The last thing he wanted was to overwhelm Sam or push him, but Sam was no ordinary human. He was born to be Kris’s mate.

  Kris withdrew from the kiss. He had a feeling that under the moonlight, his eyes shone bright gold, but that didn’t seem to scare Sam. He chuckled. Brave mate.

  “Are you laughing at my clumsy attempt to seduce you?” Sam demanded.

  “I’d never do that, just marveling at the fact you’re not afraid of me even when my animal’s peeking out.”

  “You don’t scare me, wolf.” Sam grinned at him.

  A growl rumbled out of his chest. “Get on all fours.” Kris sounded more beast than human, but Sam only undid his pants and got on his hands and knees. Kris walked behind his mate, hooked his fingers into Sam’s belt loops, and jerked them down.

  Kris pulled out the lube from the back pocket of his jeans. He knew it would come in handy tonight. He lubricated Sam’s asshole, not wasting any moment. That done, Kris pulled out his fingers and replaced them with his cock. Locking his fingers into Sam’s tight ass, Kris nudged his cock inside Sam.

  Sam cried out underneath him as Kris burrowed his dick deep. Once balls deep in his mate, Kris fucked Sam slow and easy. The sound of flesh slapping on flesh filled the night. His beast surged up from inside of him. With each thrust, Kris connected with Sam in the most intimate way possible. He reached for Sam’s dick and began to stroke it back and forth, until Sam cried out and spilled his load into his waiting fingers.

  Kris fucked his mate harder, faster until his own climax hit and he deposited his cum into Sam’s waiting ass. A growl slipped from his lips. He slid to the ground next to Sam and brought his mate close to his chest. Sam slipped into his lap, gripped his shoulders. His human purred for him as Kris stroked his hair.

  Sam looked up at him, dazed smile on his lips. His human looked so inviting, so tempting, and Sam was his. Possession filled every single pore of his being. Kris didn’t think he’d be able to just leave another hickey. He wanted to take the plunge, the next step.

  Sam exposed his neck to him. An offering of his complete and utter surrender. His submission.

  “Are you sure?” Kris asked.

  “Positive. I’m yours, Kris. You said so yourself.”

  There was nothing more left to say.

  Kris unsheathed his fangs and finally claimed Sam as his mate.

  Chapter 9

  A tortured howl woke Sam abruptly from sleep. He sat up in bed, their bed, and rubbed at his eyes. The space next to him lay empty. Kris was nowhere in sight. He dragged himself out of bed. That horrid sound grew louder as he exited the bedroom. Not a cry for help, Sam realized, but one of challenge.

  It was still dark outside, but he could make out Kris’s silhouette. Kris stood, unmoving and staring at the front door, entire body tensed. All of Kris’s back muscles had bunched up, and he clenched his fists by his sides. Sam didn’t know how the mating bond worked yet, but he tried reaching out to Kris, to Kris’s wolf.

  The sudden flare of emotions from his mate staggered him, so much pent-up rage Sam didn’t know what to do with it. Kris hadn’t left the cabin though, which meant his wolf held himself back from going outside.

  “Kris?” Sam whispered. No answer from his mate. Sam tried again. “Is that Alec outside?”

  “He’s calling out my wolf,” Kris said through gritted teeth. “I need to answer him.”

  Sam ran to Kris and hugged him from behind. “You don’t need to do this. You guys are brothers.”

  “He needs this more than I do.”

  Kris’s words puzzled him for a moment. “Need?”

  “Alec’s counting on me to reel in his wolf.”

  “Why does it have to be you?” Sam demanded, suddenly angry. Alec and Kris’s old man did this, he realized, turned his sons against each other. To monsters. What kind of father would do such a thing?

  “Sam, I have better control of my animal thanks to you.” Kris placed his hand over his. “Let me go to Alec. If I don’t meet him outside, he’ll pick a fight with someone else. Ryder maybe.”

  Sam did as Kris asked with reluctance, trusting his mate would know what to do. Kris would rather get hurt than let his brother harm another pack mate. Sam pulled away from the embrace.

  “Be careful,” he whispered.

  “Stay inside. Don’t watch.” Kris opened the front door. He was already buck naked, so there was nothing left to do but change forms. Sam lingered by the doorway, watching his mate answer Alec’s call with a growl of his own. Alec was already in wolf form and stood by the dead campfire where they all sat around eating dinner the night before.

  “This is wrong,” he whispered.

  Kris ran down the porch steps. Alec charged at him. He grimaced as claws sunk against fur and blood flew. This was too painful to watch. Sam looked at the other cabins. No one was else was awake, he realized. Sam was a sitting duck, a useless one. He wasn’t powerful enough to stop Kris and Alec. He was only human.

  Kris and Alec might both have white fur, fur that was becoming crimson, but he could tell his mate apart right away. Kris was slightly bigger than Alec, but it seemed Alec moved a little faster. Watching the brothers rip each other apart broke his heart.

  Should Sam try to intervene? He’d only probably get in the way, and Kris had mated him. Their life forces were connected now, which meant if someone went for him and injured him seriously, that hurt would rebound back to his mate. Sam had been horrified after Kris told him that, but his wolf didn’t seem worried he’d mated a human.

  Alec closed his fangs at the back of Kris’s neck and threw him so violently that Kris hit a tree. His mate lay motionless on the ground. Sam cried out in alarm, about to run out to Kris, but the lights stopped him. Not lights, but yellow eyes. They were everywhere, in the bushes and up in the trees.

  Panthers. Shit. The enemy had invaded Wild Manes territory.

  Fear gripped his heart. He ran out of the cabin. It was hard not approaching Kris right away. He went to the cabin next to theirs and pounded his fists on the wood. Sweat tickled down his back as hisses and snarls broke out. Kris and Alec wouldn’t be able to take on that many werepanthers on their own.

  Seconds later, the door opened, revealing Dom’s pissed off face. “What the hell—”

  “The Black Claws are here,” he blurted.

  Dom peered over his shoulder, narrowed his eyes, and looked more alert now. The Beta grabbed his shoulder just as he was about to run back to Kris and pulled him inside. Sam noticed Dom’s gaze on the bite mark on his neck.

  “I need to go to Kris,” Sam said. “He’s hurt. Alec and he were in a fight when the cats arrived.”

  “Jesus,” sai
d a new voice. Teddy appeared in the living room, wearing nothing but boxers.

  “You’ll stay here with Teddy,” Dom said. Sam opened his mouth to protest, but the Beta cut him off. “That’s an order, Sam. Kris mated you. Through you, he’s vulnerable. Same goes for Teddy.”

  Dom’s words stung a little, but he knew it was the truth. Dom gave Teddy a kiss, before sprinting out of the cabin. Teddy locked the door behind Dom and turned to face him.

  “I hate this,” Sam declared. He peered out the windows to see Dom completing his shift. Kris and Alec stood back-to-back while four panthers circled them. Sam’s heart was in his throat.

  “Me too. Staying in the sidelines is awful, but believe in the power of the pack, Sam.”

  “Kris and Alec are outnumbered,” he blurted.

  “Don’t worry. They have each other’s backs.”

  Teddy’s words didn’t provide him with much assurance. He let out a cry as one werepanther pounced at Kris. Kris tackled the shifter only for a second werepanther to leap at his back. Dom lifted his head and let out a loud howl. He heard doors opening. Dom joined the fray and ripped the werepanther off Kris’s back.

  Two more giant wolves appeared. Max and Ryder, Sam was guessing. Teddy was right. Even if the Wild Manes were outnumbered, the werepanthers were no match for them. Kris and Alec might be splattered with each other’s blood, but they fought like demons.

  “We’re really going to be all right?” he asked. Sam wasn’t sure why he was whispering. It was just Teddy and him in here. A crash from the kitchen made both of them jump. Teddy and he looked at each other.

  “What was that?” he asked. “Is there someone else in here?”

  Teddy swore. “I forgot to lock the back door.”

  Sam swallowed, looking around for some kind of weapon. Seeing the rifle on the wall, he grabbed it.

  “I’m shifting. I’m not as fast as Dom and Kris, so if you see anything or anyone come at us, don’t hesitate. Shoot,” Teddy said quickly.

  The submissive werewolf started peeling off his clothes. Sam lifted the rifle with trembling fingers and took the safety off. He caught a flash of sandy-colored fur. The werepanther leapt on the dining table with deadly grace and flashed its teeth at them.

  His heart beat double-time. The werepanther took a step towards them. He fired a warning shot, making the werepanther pause.

  “Take another step and I’ll blow your head off,” he warned.

  Hatred was reflected in the werepanther’s eyes. It occurred to him this one seemed far bigger than the others outside. The werepanther let out a hair-raising growl. Certainty gripped him. Old fear rose up. Bile was in his throat. He remembered running for his life and leaving his father’s dead body behind as the werepanthers chased him through the woods.

  “Cyrus,” he whispered.

  The werepanther leapt right at him. His gun went off, but Cyrus easily flung it away with his claws. He went down, groaning as Cyrus sunk his claws deep into his chest. Memories of the night his father sold him out came back to him. This was exactly how Cyrus had him before, with Sam lying underneath him and unable to do anything. Prey.

  Terror rendered him mute. His bladder felt uncomfortably full. It was happening all over again except this time, no one was going to save him. Kris was outside, battling the other cats along with his pack mates.

  Pain flared but only for a second. A slender wolf knocked Cyrus away from him. Teddy. Teddy’s yellow eyes met his for a second.

  He knew his friend was telling him to run, but Sam couldn’t just abandon him. Teddy would be mincemeat in seconds. A submissive werewolf didn’t stand a chance against an Alpha. Sam broke away from his monetary paralysis and fumbled for the gun on the ground. He closed his hands over the handle and froze, seeing another werepanther padding towards him.

  Sam grabbed the gun, only for the werepanther to shove it aside with its paws. He gulped. Teddy whined behind him. He looked behind him, horrified to see Cyrus tackling Teddy to the ground. Cyrus opened his jaws, ready to sink those wicked fangs into his friend’s throat.

  Oh God. They were seriously done for.

  “Don’t you dare,” he yelled. He had no gun, but his voice momentarily distracted Cyrus from finishing the job. “He’s my friend, but he’s no one to you. Don’t you want me? I humiliated you. Remember?”

  Hearing a hiss, he turned his head. Sam had forgotten the other werepanther.

  A roar filled the space, making the werepanther in front of him turn his head. A monstrous wolf with blood-red fur was on the cat before Teddy could blink. Talon spat out a wad of furry flesh from his teeth and moved onto his next kill. He scrambled to the side, giving the wolf Alpha space.

  Talon rammed into Cyrus. Teddy quickly got to all four paws and went to his side. The fight didn’t last long. Cyrus might be an Alpha, but he was no match for Talon. Cyrus’s rakes and bites didn’t seem to do much to Talon. Talon pounced on Cyrus while the werepanther writhed under him. Cyrus left a long, wicked rake mark right over Talon’s belly, but Talon didn’t seem to feel the pain. Talon put his teeth to Cyrus’s throat and ripped it out.

  Sam slowly got to his feet. He bled from the claw marks on his chest, but he could handle the pain. He slowly walked to the windows. Talon let out what sounded like a triumphant howl that made the furniture in the cabin rattle.

  Outside, the werepanthers looked dazed, confused as they backed away from the other werewolves. He understood. Their leader, their Alpha, was dead and their pride was fractured. The werepanthers retreated. All of them. He silently counted. All the members of the Wild Manes pack were accounted for. Bloody but alive.

  Sam let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He ran out of Teddy and Dom’s cabin and towards his bloodied mate.

  Chapter 10

  “Do you know why I invited Alec over here?” Sam asked him. Kris glared at Alec, who sat across the dining room table. Sam set two beers in front of them. Kris grabbed one and took a huge gulp. Alec did the same. Neither of them spoke. Kris didn’t know what to say.

  Kris didn’t want his brother here at all. He didn’t understand why Sam felt like he needed to put them both in the same space. Hell, this was his den. Sam and his. Alec didn’t belong here. A shifter valued his living space, kept it private. Sam had every right as his mate to invite anyone to their home, but Sam should know staging some kind of intervention wasn’t going to help his brother one bit.

  It had been three days since the Black Claws’ attack. After Talon took Cyrus out, the panthers were in disarray. They weren’t gone for good. Once leadership was sorted out, the Black Claws would try to come after their necks again, but their pack would meet them head-on.

  “I realized the three of us haven’t had a chance to really, you know, talk,” Sam said, pulling a chair out and sitting between the two of them.

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” Alec grumbled. “You going to tell us to quit fighting? Like hell that would happen.”

  Kris glowered at his brother. He gripped his beer bottle and took another pull. Alec and he might have their differences, but he didn’t hate his brother. Not really. Maybe Sam was right. It was about time they had this talk. He considered his next words carefully. Three days ago, he knew something had changed inside of him.

  “You’re wrong,” he finally said. “When you called out to me to challenge me, I didn’t want to fight you anymore. Finding my mate has brought peace to my restless wolf.”

  Alec bared his teeth at him. “Well, good for you.”

  He clenched his jaw. Kris had the urge to punch Alec in the face, but that would only lead to another argument, to a fist fight, then one with claws and teeth. Alec wanted to get a rise out of him on purpose. His brother was addicted to violence. Kris knew, because he’d been like Alec not so long ago. Before he met Sam.

  “That’s why I’ve come to this decision. If you need to let out a little steam, I’ll continue fighting you,” Kris finally said quietly. He met Sam’s gaze and
nodded. Sam might not like it, but he understood that Kris wanted to help Alec fight his demons off.

  Alec looked baffled. His mouth hung open a few seconds. Kris felt guilty for their last fight. He’d never forget the fact that Alec and he had been still fighting when the Black Claws decided to attack. No doubt the werepanthers chose that moment carefully. It was no big secret their pack fought each other all the time.

  Alec turned to Sam. “You’re okay with this?”

  “It’s Kris’s decision,” Sam replied. “I don’t like it, but I understand fighting’s like an addiction to you. I’m trying to find a solution to end this.”

  “A solution? Are you kidding me? You can’t fix me or my brother,” Alec said, rising to his feet. “Thanks for the beer.”

  “Wait, Alec,” Sam blurted.

  Kris downed his own bottle. After this talk, he needed another one. Alec made an excellent point. Sam didn’t cure him overnight, but he knew having a mate steadied his wolf. Sam was vital to his life. Sam gave him purpose. Kris was a selfish bastard for binding his human to him permanently when Sam could have a normal life, but it didn’t seem Sam regretted being with him.

  “I’m not here to fix anyone,” Sam said. “I’m not so arrogant to think that. I’m here because I love and care about Kris. He’s my mate. I know your mate’s out there, too.”

  Alec laughed. “I doubt it.”

  Alec’s gaze turned serious, thoughtful almost. The next words out of his brother’s mouth surprised the hell out of Kris. “I can see you’re good for Kris, for this pack. You’re human but you have guts. Even Talon likes you.” Alec paused. “I’m jealous. Of Kris and you, and Dom and Teddy, but too bad a mate’s not for me.”

  With those parting words, Alec left the cabin, slamming the door shut behind him.

  “That went well. I think,” Sam said. His mate threw the empty beer bottles in the trash can. Kris walked up to him and pulled him to an embrace.