Chapter 1 #2
“You know how much of that shit you were brainwashed with isn’t true. Why would you think this was?”
He ground his teeth together, getting more upset the longer he talked to his friend. Which was the opposite of what he’d been looking for. He did know the hunting clan he’d grown up in had warped a lot of things to make sure they all hated parahumans, shifters especially.
But the idea of proving your worth as a mate through an impressive kill?
That had made sense to him.
There was nothing that demonstrated you could provide and care for your mate better than showing off your prowess at hunting.
He remembered hearing about the traditional courting ritual as a kid and a feeling of rightness stirring in his belly.
Somehow, he’d known even then he’d one day woo a shifter mate into accepting him despite his being human.
Over the years, the idea had lingered in the back of his mind, torturing him as he’d done horrible things to parahumans under the orders of the clan elders and the Shifter Council.
He’d convinced himself he’d exaggerated the memory of his reaction, and he was destined to die alone, hating himself for not being strong enough to defy the orders and accept the death sentence that would come.
And then he’d heard about a pack led by a powerful wolf that would grant sanctuary to hunters who pledged loyalty to him.
He’d risked everything to get there, wasting no time and dropping to one knee before the pack’s alpha the moment he crossed into the territory. Rick Kincaid had ordered him to his feet and promised he’d never have to kneel before anyone ever again.
The peace he’d found within Kincaid’s pack had been almost complete, but he’d told himself it was enough. He’d made friends and helped strengthen the pack’s defenses, training shifters to fight with their heads and their animal reflexes, and he’d been… almost happy.
And then, two and a half weeks ago, he’d spotted dark auburn hair and the most beautiful azure eyes he’d ever seen. His highly developed instincts had vibrated through his body.
Mine. Mine. MINE.
After three and a half decades alone on the planet, he’d finally found him. His other half. His destiny. His mate.
And now he might have just fucked everything up.
“He’s so small and sweet,” Theo said absently, gaze catching on a familiar-looking truck pulling up alongside Rowan’s building. “I thought he’d appreciate a mate who could give him what he needs.”
“Are you sure that was the reason? Or is that just the excuse—”
But he wasn’t listening anymore, his frozen muscles tensing painfully. He narrowed his eyes on the tall, long-haired hunter striding up to Rowan’s apartment, perceptive eyes locked on Theo’s hiding place like he could actually see him in the dark.
Fuck, maybe he could. Gabriel Morde was a renowned hunter with more magical tricks up his sleeves than recorded kills—and that was saying something.
“Theo?” Dean’s worried voice was too loud in the quiet night.
“I have to go,” he said, low enough that if Dean weren’t a shifter, he wouldn’t have been able to catch it.
He hung up before his friend could respond and slowly crouched, more fully hiding his bulky frame. Then he watched, a fiery rage igniting inside him and burning through his better judgment as Rowan opened the door and smiled.
Morde had better step the fuck away from his mate.
ROWAN
Rowan opened the door before Gabriel could knock, tension thrumming through him.
This was very bad if the beta who’d answered the phone thought Gabriel Morde needed to be involved. He’d never met the former hunter, but he’d heard about him even before he’d joined the pack. He was pretty sure everyone in the parahuman community knew about Rick Kincaid’s human Enforcer.
“Hi,” he chirped, forcing a smile. “I’m sorry you had to come and deal with this so late. And the night before the Solstice celebration. I’m sure you need your rest, but I just wasn’t sure what to do or what it meant. I don’t suppose this is a welcome-to-the-pack sort of—”
“No,” Gabriel interrupted, eyes on the buck. He squatted and grabbed one of the antlers to better examine it, then jerked his head to the side, eyes on the tree line not too far away.
“What is it?” Rowan glanced in the same direction, but the lighting on the apartment building didn’t penetrate the darkness well enough to reach that far.
His senses were only slightly better than a normal human’s, but the way Gabriel stared, shoulders tense, made it seem like he’d detected something Rowan couldn’t.
Releasing the buck slowly, Gabriel stood and glanced at Rowan, a furrow between his brows. “Are you dating anyone?”
He stepped back, hand to his chest. “Excuse me? Aren’t you…” He lowered his voice, as if one of his neighbors might be listening, but really, he was just scandalized at the man’s question. “I know you have not one but two mates, Enforcer Morde. I can’t believe—”
“Easy, kid. You can unclutch your pearls. I’m very satisfied with my mates.”
The lascivious way he said that had heat rising to Rowan’s cheeks. “Um, okay. Sorry. But then why did you ask me if I was seeing someone?”
He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, his fleece doing little to stop the coldness from seeping in. Unlike in his shifted form, he didn’t have a dense layer of fur to keep him warm. Gabriel noticed and frowned, glancing back at the trees before refocusing on him.
“I asked because I’m pretty sure this is a courting gift.”
Rowan stared at him, his brain buzzing and face going slack. “What?”
“A courting gift,” Gabriel repeated, sounding uncomfortable, but Rowan wasn’t sure why he would feel that way.
Rowan was the one getting gag gifts, poking fun at a tradition that should mean something profoundly intimate. He had to clear his throat twice before he could force out some words. “Why would someone joke about that?”
Gabriel peered at him, head tilting a little. “What do you mean?”
“What do you mean what do I mean?” he said, voice turning shrill. “I don’t understand who would be cruel enough to pretend to be courting me in the old ways!”
Holding up his hands, Gabriel said, “Take it easy, Rowan. I don’t think—”
“How can—who would—” Tears stung his eyes, and he swiped at them angrily. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. No one here has shown the slightest interest in me. Can you… Can you get rid of it?”
Gabriel ran his hand through his long blond hair. “I don’t know if that’s—”
He stopped and turned at the same time Rowan saw it: a dark figure sprinting toward them from out of the tree line.
With a gasp, he jerked back, arms flailing high in the air.
As they drew closer, Rowan started to make out details, like the fact that it was a huge man and that he had a look on his face that suggested someone was about to be murdered.
He knew he was right about his serial killer theory!
Gabriel fully turned, hands raised. “Stop, Theo. You’re just going to scare—”
But Theo didn’t wait to see what he was going to scare, making a low growly sound that was one hundred percent human and still impressive as he closed in on Gabriel.
Er. Terrifying, not impressive. Rowan definitely didn’t find the sound attractive at all.
“Fuck,” Gabriel snarled, and then Theo was on him, crashing into him like an enraged bull.
The two of them slammed against the side of the building and Rowan swore he felt it in his socked feet. Sucking in a breath, he couldn’t look away as the two traded a few blows. There was something vaguely familiar about the giant man…
Gabriel managed to spin them, pressing Theo’s back against the hard facade and pushing a forearm against his throat. “Stop, you psycho.”
“You made him cry!” Theo spit at him, struggling against the hold.
“No, I didn’t!” Gabriel pressed harder, resisting Theo’s hands on his arm trying to shove him off.
Theo made a choking sort of sound, and the side of his handsome face that Rowan could see was turning an alarming shade of red.
Something dark and angry sparked to life in Rowan’s chest, his eyes narrowing on the blond hunter. He stepped out onto his stoop, brushing against the deer. “Let him go.”
Gabriel ignored him, leaning in until his face was an inch from Theo’s. “I could have you expelled from the pack for this, asshole.”
“I said let him go!” Rowan cried, not aware he was moving until he landed on Gabriel’s back and grabbed at the first thing he saw.
“Ouch! Fuck!” Gabriel stumbled away from Theo, who bent forward and took harsh, gasping breaths.
As soon as he moved, Rowan released his grip on the hunter’s blond hair and dropped to his feet. He scurried around Gabriel and darted toward the stranger. He saw Rowan coming, sweeping him gently behind him with one arm and rubbing at his throat with his other hand.
“You two are fucking made for each other,” Gabriel muttered, glaring at them.
“Agreed,” Theo said, his voice scratchy from the abuse.
Rowan sucked in a breath, fingers curling around the thick material of Theo’s coat, and stepped closer. The heat from his enormous body seeped into him, combating the frigid cold he’d barely noticed when attacking Gabriel.
Oh goddess. He’d attacked a pack Enforcer!
“I’m sorry,” Rowan squeaked out, peeking around Theo’s bulk to see how pissed Gabriel was.
He shook his head and touched a growing bruise on his jaw. “My mates are going to be pissed, but I get it. I know better than to get between unbonded mates.”
Rowan swallowed, waiting for Theo to scoff at the idea. But the burly human just stood there, one arm still curled back around Rowan protectively.
“No more dead animals,” Gabriel said, scowling. “I’ll be back in a few days to make sure everything is settled.” He tipped his head and found Rowan’s eyes, his face softening a little. “Call if you need anything.”
The unspoken sentiment—that Rowan might need help when it came to Theo—didn’t go unnoticed… by either of them.
“Anything he needs, I’ll take care of,” Theo spat out, body tensing once more.
Letting his instincts guide him, Rowan fully pressed himself against Theo’s wide back and slipped his arms around him. His short arms couldn’t fit all the way, but he was still pleased when he felt Theo relax a little.
“Fucking hunters are worse than shifters,” Gabriel muttered, his voice barely loud enough to hear as he stalked away.
He and Theo didn’t move until an engine started and then faded.
And then he realized he was alone with a giant hunter, who’d left a dead deer outside his door, hadn’t balked at them being called mates, and had attacked a pack Enforcer when he’d thought Gabriel had made him cry.
He was freezing, confused, and… more than a little turned on.