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  “Kurt, oh shit, fuck .” Wesley’s eyes shifted and the room went black and white. “I’m shifting… oh shit, I can’t stop it!”

  Kurt pulled away and watched as Wesley’s body shuddered. If he had blinked , he would have missed it. A large mahogany-colored wolf sat on t he floor, p anting. Kurt smiled and got down on the floor with Wesley ; he had to look up at him.

  “Wow, ” Kurt grinned. “You look so beautiful in either form.”

  Wesley huffed, brushing up against Kurt.

  “Do you understand me like this?” Kurt said. He grinned when Wesley nodded. “This is so cool - can I take you for a walk?” Kurt laughed when Wesley snorted at him. “So that’d be a no?” Kurt touched Wesley’s muzzle, lifting his lip up to look at the long canines. “Are all mated werewolves given humans?”

  Wesley shook his head no.

  “How does that work? Shouldn’t they be?” Kurt laughed when Wesley let out a loud sigh. “Change back.”

  Wesley concentrated on shifting, the bones re-adjusted in seconds. He opened his eyes to see Kurt look ing at him.

  “You look beautiful,” Wesley said, reaching out to Kurt.

  “I want to be with you, in every way, ” Kurt said softly.

  “What do you mean?” Wesley took Kurt’s face in his hands. “What are you saying?”

  “I want to be like you.”

  Wesley backed away. “You don’t mean that.”

  “I do mean it.” Kurt moved closer. “I want us to be together, like we were meant to be, don’t you want that?”

  “Of course I want that, you have no idea what you’re saying, though! It’s no day at Disneyland when you shift, Kurt. It hurts like hell .”

  “How old are you?” Kurt asked.

  “I’m twenty four. Why?”

  “Is there a certain point where you just stop aging?”

  “What? We age, at thirty it slows down.”

  “So you are going to look like this, for how long?” Kurt asked.

  “I don’t know, I’ve never asked.”

  “So what happens when I die? You’ll be left without me, all alone.”

  “That’s not fair, what you’re asking me to do Kurt… ” Wesley shook his head. “I’d have to ask Wayne. You’d need to be in perfect health, and I mean perfect . I can’t risk losing you.”

  “Fine, we go see Wayne tomorrow.”

  “He’s in Alaska, ” Wesley raised a brow.

  “Are you trying to get out of this? Don’t you want me for life? I can’t see my life without you in it , Wesley.”

  “Of course I want you! I’ve wanted you from the moment I knew the fates had a mate for me. It was just a matter of us finding each other.” Wesley grabbed Kurt, looking in to his eyes. “Don’t do this for me.”

  “I’m doing it for us. It’s what I want, ” Kurt said stubbornly.

  Wesley pulled Kurt into his arms. “Jesus, you are fucking crazy.”

  “I’ve always thought there was more for me in this life, that som eday I would know what that was, ” Kurt palmed Wesley’s face. “It’s you.”

  Wesley kissed Kurt softly; Kurt crawled into his lap and they licked at each other’s mouths, moaning and gripping skin. “I’ll call Wayne in the morning.”

  “Thank you.” Kurt wrapped his arms around Wesley’s neck.

  Wesley picked Kurt up and they got into bed, facing each other. “There’s something you should know . Wayne is a created wolf. His line is stronger than you can imagine. That line runs in my blood, Kurt. When I bite you, it’s going to feel like you’re dying.”

  “But I won’t, and in the end I get to be with you forever .” Kurt moved closer to Wesley.

  Wesley wrapped Kurt in his arms. He didn’t know any circumstances when the human mate wanted to be changed ; it was confusing. “Night, Kurt.”

  “Night.”

  Chapter Eight

  Wesley looked at the snow covered tips of mountains, from the jet ’s window. It was nice to have rich friends. Caden had loaned them his jet and now Wesley sat with Kurt, Tucker and Austin headed for Alaska . He and Tucker had discussed how they were going to introduce Austin to the truth. Kurt agreed to help in explaining. Wayne hadn’t been shocked in the least when Wesley told him Kurt wanted to be bit; Wayne promised to explain when they got to the cabin. The plane landed without so much as a hiccup and Wesley took a deep breath of Alaska n air. He’d missed it, but he knew where his place was - it was in Washington, with Kurt.

  A limo met them in front of the airport and Wesley grinned at the old friend get ting out. “Conner!”

  Conner smiled, walking toward them. “Is he…?” Kurt whispered to Wesley. “Yes, he is,” Wesley said.

  “Damn,” Kurt whistled softly. The blond

  -haired man approached them, honey-brown eyes sparkling. “I know. He’s Wayne’s though.” Wesley nudged Kurt in the ribs.

  “He’s not better looking than you.” Kurt gripped Wesley’s hand.

  Conner reached them, putting his hand out to Wesley. “You look happy.”

  Wesley took Conner’s hand and pulled him into a hug. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing well.” Conner looked over at Tucker with a man at his side. He’d been briefed by Wesley over the phone and knew not to let anything slip until Austin could be told. “Tucker,” Conner nodded. “Who’s your friend?”

  “Conner, t his is Austi n .” Tucker drew Austin forward.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Austin looked into very kind eyes.

  “You, too. Are you all ready?” Conner asked.

  “Yes, thanks.” Wesley walked with Kurt to the limo, Tucker and Austin right behind them.

  The ride to Denali didn’t take long. Wesley looked out the limo’s window as the scenery flew by. Alaska always looked so beautiful . The clear blue sky hovered above greenery finally making an appearance after months of being hidden by snow.

  They pulled up to the cabin, where Wayne waited for them out front, a big grin on his lips. The pack had moved to Washington, with Conner being the only one to stay behind with Wayne. Wesley knew Wayne missed them; he’d taken quite a few trips out to Seattle to visit.

  “There are my boys!” Wayne laughed loudly. “Look at you!”

  Wesley ran to Wayne, almost bowling him over in a hug. “I missed you!”

  “It’s good to see you, son.” Wayne held Wesley tightly. He spotted Tucker with his mate. “Come here, boy!”

  Tucker grinned, running to Wayne. “I missed you , too!” Tucker gripped Wayne in a tight hug.

  “Looks like I need to make more trips to Seattle. You boys got taller , ” Wayne grinned, winking at Tucker and Wesley. “So, introduce to me to the men at your sides.”

  Wesley motioned for Kurt; h e couldn’t help the blush in his cheeks, he was so proud to have Kurt as a mate. “Wayne, t his is Kurt Maguire.”

  “It’s a pleasure, sir,” Kurt shook Wayne’s hand and vibrations shot up his arm. Kurt looked into Wayne’s eyes.

  “It’s normal, son,” Wayne winked. “You’ll see.”

  Tucker tugged Austin over. “This is Austin Jacobson, Wayne.”

  Austin didn’t know why, but he felt some kind of power coming from Wayne ; the air seemed charged and his hand tingled when he shook Wayne’s. It was an odd feeling.

  “Nice to meet you, sir.”

  Wayne frowned. “Both of you better call me Wayne.”

  “Yes, sir - I mean , Wayne , ” Kurt stammered.

  Wayne’s face broke out in a grin. “There ya go, I’m just plain Wayne. Come on inside!” Wayne waited for the men to go before him . As they moved ahead, he glanced at Conner.

  “Conner, w hy don’t you relax for a bit? I’ll make dinner tonight.”

  Conner stopped, putting his hands on his hips. “You didn’t like my stew?”

  Wayne chuckled, taking Conner’s hand. “I loved it, I love it when you make Irish food ; you know th at.” Wayne pulled Conner closer. Lately, his body was reacting every t
ime Conner was close to him. He’d get a woody from hell that wouldn’t go down for hours ; hell, he didn’t need Viagra, he had Conner. Conner’s eyes were searching his and Wayne had a sudden need to kiss those lips, taste Conner’s tongue. He palmed Conner’s face, looking in his eyes.

  “Wayne ?” Conner whispered. Conner swore he was seeing lust in Wayne’s eyes, but that couldn’t be. They hadn’t even kissed, not once and Wayne kept his distance at all times. It hurt to know the one man he wanted didn’t want him.

  “You know how I feel, don’t you?” Wayne looked at Conner’s lips, he couldn’t help himself.

  Conner shook his head. “No, I don’t…you don’t talk to me about anything but work and pack issues.”

  Wayne snapped out of his daze. Is that how he’d been? He had to admit that having feelings for a man - wanting a man - was new territory for him. Maybe he hadn’t been dealing with it the right way. He wasn’t ready just yet; he wanted to be ready and w ill ing to give Conner what he deserved. All of him.

  “Wayne!” Wesley called from the house.

  “Coming!” Wayne looked back at Conner. “We w ill talk.”

  Dinner was steaks off the grill and Wesley smiled at the bottle of A1 on the table. Wayne hadn’t forgotten. He seemed genuinely interested in whatever Kurt or Austin had to say but Wayne had always been like that, a very loving and caring man. Once dinner was done and dishes were cleaned, they all sat in the comfortable living room of the cabin. It hadn’t changed much. Pictures of the packs lined the walls, along with some very beautiful pictures of Denali.

  “So,” Wayne sat back in his chair, a glass of Irish whisky in his hand. “To the real reason you all came to visit.”

  Tucker nodded. “Yes, it’s very important to get the truth out now.”

  Austin looked from Tucker to Wayne. “What truth?”

  Tucker turned to face Austin on the couch; he took his hands in his. “I know you care about me, but there are things you need to know before we go any further.”

  “Al l right, ” Austin said. “Whatever it is, you can tell me, Tucker.”

  Tucker took a deep breath. “When I was eleven, Wesley, Preston and I attend ed a party at a college campus. We were pretty much on our own from the time we could walk and talk. Our parents didn’t really have much to do with us, so we went out a lot and drank. This party in particular was pretty rowdy, and Preston got more than a little tipsy. We all passed out for a bit and w hen I woke up a fight was going on. Seemed as if three guys decided they wanted to have some fun with us. We didn’t know what they really were until it was too late. When we started to fight back, they…changed.”

  Austin’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean changed?”

  “One minute they were men, the next, they were wolves.” Tucker waited for Austin’s reaction.

  “Is this some kind of a joke?” Austin looked around the room at all the other men.

  “No, it’s not. I was changed into a werewolf that night, and after that I was kicked out of my house and put on the street with Wesley and Preston. When we met Wayne, he took us in, put us through school and taught us how to control our lupine sides. When I met you at the barbeque, I knew the minute I saw you that you were mine. You’re my mate , Austin.”

  “You’re crazy…all of you,” Austin stood up , backing away.

  “I was there, when you went camping.” Tucker stood up quickly. “Wesley and I were there, we saw the bear in your tent and we attacked it . We stayed the whole night making sure you were safe.”

  “How…did you know that?” Austin looked at Kurt. “You told them.”

  “Actually, no. Wesley told me .” Kurt looked at Austin. “It’s true ; I saw Wesley change right in front of me.”

  Austin shook his head back and forth. “No, it’s not true. It can’t be.”

  “I was the wolf you petted, you said you liked me.” Tucker walked closer to Austin. “I’m not crazy , Austin, at least not about this. I am crazy about you , though. Please say you believe me. I would never lie to you, or try to hurt you ; you know me.”

  Austin searched Tucker’s eyes, he wasn’t lying. “Show me, ” Austin whispered.

  “Please promise me you won’t freak out.” Tucker took Austin’s hands. “I can’t lose you, I…won’t survive.”

  “Just…do it.” Austin backed away. “I need to see it with my own eyes.”

  Tucker removed his clothing and Austin’s eyes travelled the muscular body. Just the night before he’d had his hands on Tucker, had tasted him. His feelings for Tucker were strong , and he hoped he could deal with this as well as finally admitting to himself that he was gay. Tucker looked at him, then his body shook and Austin gasped as the wolf from the campsite looked up at him.

  “That just never gets boring,” Kurt chuckled, taking Wesley’s hand.

  Austin crouched down . He didn’t have far to go since Tucker in wolf form was massive. The eyes regarded him sadly; Austin reached out and touched Tucker’s fur.

  “Look at you,” Austin whispered. “You are so beautiful, Tucker.”

  Wayne chuckled from his chair. “The fates never cease to amaze me.” He looked over at Kurt and Wesley. “You’ve made up your mind, Kurt? You want Wesley to change you?”

  “What?” Austin stood up. “You can do that?”

  “Of course he can, just as Tucker can change you.” Wayne leaned forward in the chair. “But let me make this clear - the bite w ill be painful and the power that comes with it is hard to control. You w ill be able to see, hear and run farther than you can imagine, you w ill hear each other’s thoughts. The blood of a created werewolf gives you the ability to save a person’s life without changing them. It is the bite that changes a man into a werewolf .”

  Wayne regarded Austin. “You w ill live much longer than a mere human, you w ill watch as your friends die. Carefully consider your decision.”

  Austin looked at Tucker; a soft whine esc ap ed him as Austin ran his fingers through Tucker’s fur. “I can be with him?”

  Wayne nodded. “For a very long time.”

  “How much pain we talking about?” Austin smiled, looking at Tucker.

  “Oh hell, a lot , ” Conner sighed, and then grinned when all eyes fell on him. “What? Just being honest.”

  “So, I am Tucker’s mate? Like a wolf pack kind of thing?” Austin asked.

  Wayne nodded. “Every werewolf has a mate, one person picked out just for them. They w ill have a lot in common and the pull to be with each other is strong . I’ve only seen a few instances where the bond didn’t take for one and the other was left in misery. The fates, if you w ill , have insight into who gets whom and when a mistake is made, it is usually rectified within ten years. They are not cruel by any means. If the mate bond is not sealed, a new one is picked for the one left alone.”

  “That happens?” Wesley asked.

  “Every hundred years or so, a mate is chosen for one reason or another and the bond doesn’t take. They seem to have a pretty good track record with di shing out the right ones , though, ” Wayne grinned. “Most humans mated to wolves choose to be changed. It’s the thought of not being together for as long as they can that makes the choice easy.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Conner excused himself to the kitchen. He leaned against the counter, dr opping his head. If the fate s were never wrong but once in a hundred years, why didn’t Wayne want him? It was obvious by Wayne’s actions that something was going on with him and the fates had given him another mate. So why didn’t Wayne want him?

  “I do want you, Conner.”

  Conner spun around to find Wayne right in his face. “I’m…sorry…I thought I’d turned off my thoughts.”

  “You did.” Wayne looked at him. “I don’t need to hear you to know what you’re thinking.”

  “Why then?” Conner whispered. “It’s because I’m a man, isn’t it?”

  “That has something to do with it; I’m not ready to go there yet.”

  “When
w ill you be?” Conner reached out to touch Wayne’s face.

  Wayne closed his eyes as Conner’s hand caressed his cheek; he took Conner’s hand in his. “I don’t know, it’s not you—”

  “It’s me? Is that what you were going to say? Save it, I’ve heard it.” Conner wrenched his hand from Wayne ’s . “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to being rejected.”

  “Conner, wait.” Wayne followed Conner across the kitchen.

  “Just leave me alone!”

  Wayne stopped and flinched as the door slammed. He banged his head on the wall. “Dammit.”

  “Wayne…”

  Wayne turned to see Wesley and Tucker, both with sad faces.

  “If you change them, do it during mating. The adrenaline w ill be pumping from the sex, and it may make it a little less painful. Take time off work to stay with them during the first week.”

  “Wayne… talk to us, ” Wesley pleaded .

  Wayne tried to smile. “I’ll see you in the morning. You both are very lucky, the fates did you proud.”

  “Shit,” Tucker sighed as Wayne left the kitchen.

  “He’s got such great advice for us; you’d think he’d listen to himself, ” Wesley grimaced .

  “No shit.”

  ~~ Austin looked up at the sky; he was dating a gay werewolf. The thought had him chuckling. The thought of not being with Tucker hurt his heart. If he stayed human, he would eventually die and Tucker would be left alone. Austin took a deep breath of clean air, closing his eyes. He knew what he was going to do; it wasn’t ev en a real choice. He wanted Tucker for however long he could have him. Strong arms came around his waist and Austin leaned back into Tucker’s chest.

  “Hi,” Austin smiled as Tucker kissed his neck.

  “Hello, sexy, ” Tucker growled against Austin’s throat.