Chapter 11
Boaz
He was back again.
Boaz stood at the edge of the barn, his gaze locked on the vampire as he moved easily through the space, talking and laughing with everyone, blending in like he belonged there. For two weeks now, Alexander had been showing up to see Lyla but somehow… he always ended up wherever Boaz was.
It didn’t matter if Boaz stayed in the meadows, hid out at the lake, or kept to himself, Alexander would find him. Like he couldn’t escape him no matter how hard he tried.
And no matter how many times Boaz told him to leave, he kept coming back.
Just like the dreams. Every night, without fail they came. Dragging him into a vortex he couldn’t escape. Pulling him into something he couldn’t fight, couldn’t outrun.
And the worst part?
Boaz wasn’t sure he wanted to escape anymore.
That thought unsettled him more than anything.
Some nights, he caught himself waiting for it. Anticipating it. His body heating as soon as he stepped into his cabin. Like his body already knew what was coming.
He’d started avoiding it, staying in the barn until the last pack members left, until there was nothing left to do but go back to the cabin.
“I fucking hate him,” Boaz muttered under his breath.
“What?” Hansel asked.
“Nothing,” Boaz said quickly.
Hansel glanced at him sideways, clearly not convinced, but didn’t push. He turned back to the table, striking up a conversation with Roland.
Boaz let out a quiet breath, his shoulders sagging. He wanted to leave, yearned to be alone.
He could already picture himself lying on the cool grass, staring up at the stars as the moonlight washed over him. But he didn’t go, because he knew Alexander would find him there.
“Fuck,” Boaz muttered, dragging a hand down his face. His gaze drifted back to the vampire without meaning to.
Alexander sat with Lyla and her friends. Lyla laughed at something he said, her hand brushing his arm, her attention fixed completely on him.
Then, suddenly, they all got to their feet. Lyla’s eyes swept the barn and found Boaz.
At the same moment, Alexander looked at him too.
Boaz’s stomach flipped, sending a strange flutter through his chest that made it hard to breathe.
He dropped his gaze to the table, unable to hold that look for even a second longer. When he finally looked up again, they were gone.
Relief washed over him.
He turned back to Hansel and Roland, forcing himself into their conversation, nodding along, adding a comment here and there, anything to keep his mind occupied.
They stayed in the barn until late, long after most of the others had left.
When they finally stepped outside, Boaz stretched his arms over his head, a yawn pulling his mouth wide.
“Goodnight, brother,” Hansel said, clapping him on the back before heading off.
“Night,” Boaz replied, already turning toward the path that led to his cabin. With every step, his heart beat a little faster. The closer he got, the stronger it became— anticipation building in his chest. He shook his head, trying to push the feeling away, but he couldn't.
It followed him inside. Lingered through his shower. Even as he slipped under the covers, it didn’t leave.
He felt… on edge. His body tense, sensitive. Every shift of the sheets was like a caress. Sleep didn’t come easily. He tossed and turned, staring into the dark as the minutes dragged.
But when it finally did, the dream came with it.
When he woke up, his cock was hard as steel. Boaz buried his face into his pillow as he fucked into the mattress, his hips moving all on their own. The pleasure was overwhelming, all-consuming, drowning out everything.
“Ahh… fuck,” he moaned into the pillow.
Alexander’s scent hit him, strong and potent. It filled his lungs, wrapping around him. He’d always dreamt of it — smelling the vampire long after the dream had faded. But this time… the scent was unmistakable.
The vampire had been there. There was no other explanation.
Boaz slowly sat up, his eyes scanning the cabin as if he might catch Alexander standing there in the shadows.
“Did that bastard come here and…?” Boaz trailed off, unable to even finish the thought. Still, the suspicion lingered.
And then something Hansel had said weeks ago came rushing back. He'd pushed it aside at the time because he'd had no intention of giving the vampire his blood. But now he couldn't ignore it.
“The vampire waited for two days in the monastery for your blood.”
Boaz’s jaw tightened.
Was he…?
Was the bastard sneaking in here and taking my blood?
There was only one way to find out.
The next day, after a long, exhausting shift in the fields, Boaz returned to his cabin his mind made up.
He shut the door behind him and stripped out of his clothes, already reaching for the other presence within him.
The shift came quickly, his bones twisting and muscles tightening as his body gave way to his wolf.
He shook himself out once the change took over his body, then padded over to the bed.
Climbing up, the wolf lay still, waiting.
Minutes passed.
Then, Alexander appeared.
The moment he did, Boaz lunged. He slammed into Alexander with full force, knocking into him viciously as he went straight for his throat.
Alexander grunted, grabbing onto his fur and shoving him back just enough to keep his teeth from sinking into his flesh.
He was strong. Boaz could feel it immediately. He knew he couldn’t overpower him.
But he didn’t care.
Anger drove him.
He snapped and snarled, teeth flashing as he went for whatever part of the vampire he could reach.
Alexander somehow managed to subdue him, forcing him back onto the bed with a strength Boaz couldn’t match.
Before he could lunge again, the vampire had him pinned.
“Turn,” Alexander growled. “Now.”
Boaz shifted back, the change coming over him as his body returned to human form. He turned his head away immediately, refusing to look at Alexander.
“Get off me,” he bit out.
Alexander didn’t move. He held him there for a few seconds longer, the air between them thrumming with tension. Boaz swallowed as a warm sensation licked its way down his body, heading straight for his slowly thickening cock. Before he could embarrass himself, Alexander let go.
The moment he was free, Boaz shoved himself off the bed and put some distance between them, turning his back on him.
“The dreams…” Boaz said as he stared ahead, fists clenched at his sides. “They weren’t dreams. You’ve been coming here, stealing my blood and making me dream… making me…” He trailed off unable to say the rest.
“Yes.”
“Fuck, why?” Boaz screamed. Every part of him burned to spin around and confront him, but he stayed where he was, knowing the moment he met Alexander’s eyes, there was a real chance the vampire would compel him.
“Because I needed it.”
“And you just took it? Without me knowing? You evil fucking bastard.” Boaz turned around without thinking. And only then did he realize how close Alexander was. His eyes burned red.
Boaz swallowed.