Chapter 17
Tyler
Useless, thy name is Tyler Hargraves. My whole world was suddenly coming together.
I was going to be free of a job I hated.
Hudson, Emery, and I had a completely mind-blowing fuck session.
We were living the best version of a life we’d all missed desperately, snuggled up in front of the fire together with an incredible view.
How does a guy go from having what was probably the best night of his life to feeling like absolute shit?
Oh, that’s right. Werewolves, out to kill the man I was in love with.
Em was a big ass werewolf. Hudson was apparently capable of holding his own.
Yeah, I’d seen him snap Harrison’s neck like a twig, but imagining him fighting all those wolves was a lot to wrap my head around.
Sure, he was only short in comparison to Em and me, but even with the bit of muscle he had put on since high school, he still maintained twink status.
If Hudson could take on a wolf, what did he need me for? Powerless, mortal-as-fuck me, standing there completely lost while Emery darted off into the woods at lightspeed.
I should’ve pushed the matter of being bitten when it came up after Harrison’s attack. Then at least I might have something to offer instead of just standing there in the dark with my heart racing and my ears on high alert.
“Ty…” Hudson said in a hushed tone, staring into the distance. I caught the silhouette of his outstretched hand as he flexed his fingers, asking for mine.
I went to his side, lacing our fingers together, feeling a slight tremble as we touched. He was shaking. “Hud, we’re gonna be okay.”
“You don’t know that,” he whispered hoarsely, sparing a glance at me over his shoulder. “I got cocky with Harrison. Figured I could take one wolf when I’d been up against multiple before.”
“How… How many?” I asked, not sure if his answer would make me feel better or worse, no matter what it was.
“Okay, two at most.” He blew out a tight breath, shaking out his other hand with a slight bounce of his feet. Like he was ready for a fight. “Dark alley after a serving shift. I managed an alteration spell on the concrete, turned it to quicksand and got them stuck, then took off their heads.”
A laugh bubbled out of my throat. I stared at him, completely dumbstruck.
“What?” He turned, giving me his full attention.
“You,” I said, beaming at him with a squeeze to his hand. “You’re a badass.”
“Shut up,” he scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“I mean it!”
“Yeah, well, I thought so too, and what did I get for it?” He looked back to the spot where Emery had vanished into the woods. “I told you both I didn’t need protecting, and then I went and proved myself wrong.”
“To be fair…” I bumped his shoulder with mine, trying to scan the areas Hudson wasn’t keeping an eye on. “...you probably would’ve been fine if your ancestors weren’t being bitches.”
“Don’t,” he said sharply, giving me a look. “They can hear you, you know? Shit talking dead witches doesn’t traditionally go over well.”
“What?” Suddenly, I wasn’t sure which scenario was more unsettling. Standing there waiting for Emery and hoping our intruders didn’t get the drop on us, or hanging out with the eavesdropping ghosts. “All the time? Even when Em and I were Eiffel Towering their progeny?”
Hudson shot me an uncomfortable smile, shrugging. “I choose to believe there’s a code of honor among the Garlands that would forbid being that fucking creepy, but who knows? Haven’t died yet.”
“Lovely.”
“Best not to think about it.” With a wink, he snapped his eyes back to the treeline, tightening his hold on my hand. I could almost feel his anxiety spike through his skin. “I need to go after him. He’s taking too long.”
“Yeah,” I said with a tense swallow, giving his hand a tug. “Let’s go.”
“Ah-ah-ah.” Hudson blocked my path, putting a hand on my chest. “I need you safe inside.”
“Hey, you're not the only one who's taken out a werewolf, hotshot,” I reminded him with a scowl.
“Okay, go grab Em’s keys from the foyer, and you can drive the Impala into the woods,” he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Meet you there.”
“Hud, come on,” I groaned. “I can be help—”
“No!” Hudson snapped, his voice echoing through the backyard. With a sigh, his face softened, and he shook his head. “Ty… if anything were to happen to you…”
I opened my mouth without a single argument to back up my case when a twig snapped in the distance. Hudson whirled around to the trees, taking a step back toward me as several voices drifted from the woods.
“All clear!” Emery’s light-hearted shout filled me with relief. His hulking shadow appeared in the moonlight, flanked by two others, nearly as large as him.
“What the hell?” I muttered under my breath, placing a hand on Hudson's shoulder as if I meant to protect him. Because I could. Somehow. If I needed to.
“They're friends!” Em called over, then immediately appeared in front of us, making me jump. He clapped me on the shoulder with a chuckle. As the others approached, he gripped the back of Hudson's neck, grinning wide. “Hud, Ty, this is Gage Lawson and his little brother Malik.”
The first man came into view, shorter than Emery, but built like a brick wall. His jet black hair was cropped and shaved tight on either side, and his dark eyes glistened in the dim light as he assessed us from a distance.
“Younger brother, thanks,” the second man grumbled, stepping forward to grab Hudson’s hand with a gentle shake. “So at long last, this is the Hudson we've heard oh-so-much about.”
Malik had Gage’s rugged features but stood an inch taller and had a lankier build than his brother. His hair was shaggy and curling over his ears, and a single shiny labret piercing glinted below his lip as he shot Emery a smirk.
“Um… yes? Maybe?” Hudson glanced repeatedly between Malik and Emery as the other man released his hand. “I… didn't know I was a topic of discussion.”
“Oh, wolves everywhere talk about you, of course.” Malik gave him a soft pat on the shoulder as he stepped back, meeting his brother’s eyes. “But we’ve known your name for years.”
“Only cuz Em never shut up about you,” Gage said with a short laugh.
“Thanks, guys,” Em growled, glaring at them both. “Been great catching up. Tell your dad I said hi. See ya.”
“Aww, don’t be like that, fire snout,” Malik said with a soft punch to Emery’s shoulder. “You called. We came.”
“Yeah, we made nearly a thousand-mile trek for your sorry ass in four days. We gotta embarrass you a bit,” Gage chuckled, stepping toward us. He stopped, sniffing the air as he looked me up and down. “And this… must be the eternal cockblock of a jock.”
“Gage,” Emery snarled in warning.
“I… don't think that’s the case anymore, bro,” Malik said, also taking a whiff of the surrounding space.
“Hudson, I’ve made a terrible mistake,” Em grumbled, running a hand over his face. “They're not friends. You can kill them now.”
“Nah,” Hudson shrugged, looking giddy. “I like them.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder with a grin. “Food’s kinda cold, but you guys are welcome to it.”
“Oh, hell yes,” Malik broke into a jog toward the fire. “We’re starving.”
Gage clapped Hudson on the shoulder, then turned to me with a single nod before trotting after his brother.
I gave Emery a shove as we turned to follow. “Alright, spill, fire snout.”
Emery growled in his throat as we walked our way back to the fire. “They're old pack mates of mine, back from when I took off after…” He cast Hudson a sideways glance.
After Hudson had left, I’d noticed Em hadn't been around for nearly six months. The garage had been closed most days, down to only two employees. “I stopped by your shop to ask where you’d went. The guy in the office just said you had to go out of town for family business.”
“Yeah,” Emery sighed. “Was sort of true, I guess. Never fancied pack life, but… I needed a change. Thought I’d give it a shot.”
“Pack life didn't fancy him either!” Malik shouted from the fireside, plopping down in the grass with a hot dog in each hand.
Hudson drifted to Emery's side, tucking a hand around the small of his back as we continued walking along the shoreline. He dropped a cheek to his shoulder, giving it a soft nuzzle. A sweet, wordless apology that made my chest ache.
Emery wrapped an arm around him, holding him close. “I missed the comforts of human life too much in the end. Made some… well… allies at least.”
“They're your friends,” Hudson chuckled. “They're just teasing.”
“Eternal cockblock?” I asked, drifting to his other side.
“Well, you were.” Em bumped me with his shoulder, grinning.
“Rude.”
Emery stopped just short of the couch, grabbing the back of my head. A soft grunt in surprise came out of me as he pulled me into a kiss. A brutal kiss. With tongue. A kiss far too dirty to be sharing in front of two guys I didn't know at all.
“Told ya,” Malik sang from the ground, reaching around to his side to slap Gage’s shoulder.
“Well, fuck me sideways,” Gage said, staring. “Guess that's one way to solve the problem.”
“Shut it,” Emery growled without breaking the kiss. He pulled away, whispering against my lips, “You’re more to me than just a way to be with Hudson, Ty. I hope you know that.”
In the few short weeks that Em and I had been intimate, I’d never gotten the impression that I was simply a means to an end for him.
I don't think the thought had entered my mind even once.
He was always just as attentive to me as he was to Hudson.
Always making me feel as much a part of everything, from sex to cuddling, and all that came in between.
“I know, Emery,” I whispered, staring into those sparkly blue eyes.
“Good.” Em then gave my ass a squeeze that made me jump. Too caught up in that kiss, I didn't even notice his hand make its way down there. Sneaky bastard.