Chapter One
Alphaholes
Kodi: Is this shit catching?
Kari: What shit would you be referring to?
Kodi: This romantic crap that seems to be spreading like shit on a stick.
Laken: Ever the romantic Kodi!
Kodi: How is it romantic to blubber all over the damn place? Silas… fucksake, when does he blubber like a baby? WHEN? In what universe does my big brother turn into a crybaby?
Silas: Popi was upset. I got upset. Simple as that, you asshole.
Kodi: Those tears had fuck all to do with Popi. So don’t go blamin’ him. You’re as bad as Taylin. Only you haven’t been daft enough to mate Ziggy, so there is that.
Dad: Are you saying I was daft to mate with your popi?
Silas: Sits back with the popcorn and pats the damn fucking seat in the peanut gallery!
Kodi: I wasn’t talkin’ ‘bout you and Popi, Dad. Jeez, I was just making a generalisation.
Laken: I’d stop digging now if I were you, Kodi.
Rue: Come on, Silas lost his shit and was cryin’ louder than Emmy. I mean doesn’t he deserve a little ribbing for that, Dad? We’re brothers, it’s our job to keep it real.
Dad: Just remember all this when the shoe is on the other foot. The kicking back will be your own fault.
Rue: Ain’t gonna happen.
Silas: I said the same, and so did Booker. Love is a sneaky fucker and captures you better than a lasso you didn’t see coming. Once it’s around your heart, there ain’t nothing that removes it.
Dad: I couldn’t have put it better myself, Silas.
Rue: Then I better get eyes in the back of my head, cause if it turns grown alphas into crybabies, I want no part in it!
Jupiter: Preaching to the converted.
Dad: There is nothing wrong with tears. They aren’t weakness. They show strength of character and your Popi has cried with all of you. For you. Think on this, do you believe him to be weak or strong?
Kodi: Ah fuck, Dad.
Silas: You’re cryin’ aren’t you…
Laken shook his head as he closed the alphahole group chat he had with his brothers, trudging back towards the cabins on the back of Silas’s ranch.
It was hard to ignore the aches and pains of manual labor and his run in with one of Ethan’s, the ranch manager, wild stallions.
Ethan had a side hustle on the ranch, taking in ill-treated horses.
Fear and instinct made them dangerous to be around—as Laken had found out.
It was an honorable thing that Ethan was doing, and he could handle the bad-tempered beasts.
Why he thought Laken had signed up for that shit was beyond him.
It wiped away any facsimile of amusement he might have had about how pissed Booker was that Silas, his eldest brother, had told him first about Ziggy being in a relationship.
Laken’s legs and back ached something fierce from the strenuous activity of chasing the stallion whilst avoiding being kicked.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t all that fast. He was lucky the kick to his shin was only a glancing blow, but it was definitely going to leave an impressive bruise.
Now all he wanted was a large enough tub to soak away the pains, but that wasn’t happening anytime soon.
“Fuck this shit,” he ground out between his teeth at the lack of tub.
He should have taken a leaf out of Jupiter’s book and gone up to the big house.
Problem with that was that he wasn’t in the mood to witness or hear Jupiter doing whatever it was he was doing with Ethan.
That meant he had to suck it up and tolerate the tiny shower cubicle, which he could barely turn around in, for one more day.
And the tiny devil.
Not thinking about that.
He searched the skyline for something to focus on that wasn’t going to cause him any more confusion.
Breathing in the warm, scented air was decidedly pleasant for the time of year.
The sun was setting over the pastures and highlighted the different shades of green as the breeze moved it.
The sky’s bold red and orange color blazoned over the distant mountains' majestic peaks. Despite this not being something he wanted for himself, Laken could appreciate the beauty surrounding him. The ranch was never quiet, regardless of them being in the middle of nowhere. He’d known nothing but city life, and being here he’d expected quiet.
Yes, there was a stillness that allowed his mind to settle but there was also the constant sound of animals serenading them in the background, even at night.
It was… reassuring that in this place, no one was ever alone.
Like most things in his life since he’d been adopted, Laken had done his best to get as much out of the experience as possible, even if it was all supposed to be about ‘team building’ or so Dad had said.
He supposed he was right to insist they do something to find some unity.
They’d done nothing but bicker and complain since they’d all ended up back in Hazardville, under the same roof.
They were all acting like teenagers, though it was galling to confess.
That being said, Laken suspected the status quo would change once more now Silas was engaged to Ziggy, Jupiter’s PA.
Christ, Kodi was right, this romantic shit was catching.
First Taylin, which wasn’t a shock since he’d had a hankering after Hollis since the day he started working at the company, though that was something Hollis hadn’t appeared to notice.
This seemed to put Taylin off his game as he’d gone at a snail's pace to catch what he wanted.
You don’t even move in any direction.
Ain’t about me.
It wasn’t.
Then didn’t Booker follow suit straight after?
And now Silas had toppled off the single perch.
Fuck, if Laken wasn’t convinced that Rue seemed to have been hit with romantic shit, too.
Laken wasn’t blind to his brother’s nightly disappearing act into town with Monty, his PA.
Rue wasn’t talking about it, so Laken didn’t push.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, he’d seen the way Kari was acting around Bowie.
He hadn’t figured out what was happening there, and Kari was the protective sort, making it hard to assess after Bowie’s ex being a real dick.
Not my business.
They’re our family, his animal reminded him, and not for the first time.
I know.
Laken pinched the bridge of his nose, his steps dragging at the sight of the lit up cabin he shared with Isley. He had more pressing things on his mind than having a pointless conversation with his animal side, who had an opinion on everything to do with that tiny devil these days.
It’s because you aren’t listening to reason.
Whatever.
His work boots dragged on the wooden stairs like he’d aged in the space of the last two minutes at thoughts of facing the tiny terror.
He whimpered under his breath as his thigh muscles protested the journey to the top step.
A scowl formed as he entered the minute cabin.
The stink of horses clung to his sweat stained clothes, his irritation level creeping up to an all-time high at the sound of water running in the shared bathroom.
He was glad that the week was almost done, he wasn’t sure how much more he could tolerate.
His mood plummeted further as he dragged his weary ass towards the beds that looked to have been pushed closer together. His gray eyes hardened as they measured the space between the single beds that hardly managed to hold his six-four frame.
“What did I do to deserve this?” The urge to kick the bed until it was against the wall was resisted when all that would do is block the door. Instead, he half stomped, half limped to the bathroom door to pound on it.
“Hurry up, I need a shower,” he ground out.
“I got here first!” Isley shouted back. “You’ll wait your turn.”
The snarl he aimed at the door was entirely pointless, but it made him feel marginally better.
It didn’t last when, on his next breath, he inhaled Isley’s citrus scent, which had an undertone of cinnamon.
It was everywhere, seeping into his pores until it drowned out every other scent.
Laken smelt it clinging to his skin. When Isley showered, it was so much worse.
Having that wet, naked skin within a few feet of him was fucking intoxicating.
It drove him nuts. Made his cock throb. He hated it.
It was maddening when it said he was also getting hit by some romantic shit he didn’t want or need in his life.
He also didn’t want to be like his brothers.
When was it going to end? When they were all mated to their PAs?
A shudder ran through him, but it wasn’t all fear, and that scared him more than anything when his past was never too far from his thoughts of late.
The press were digging into all of their lives.
Taylin had taken most of the flak, to an extent.
It wouldn’t last, and Laken had heard Isley talk about his ‘perfect parents’.
They wouldn’t want a throw away like him with their son, with more shade than a lamp in his past.
You did those things so we could survive.
He didn’t need reminding. It doesn’t make them any less seedy. You know there’s enough dirt out there on us to bury us in a big fucking hole. Those pictures they took when…
Laken had to swallow hard past the lump that formed in his throat while a thin layer of sweat coated his skin, sending chills through him despite the warmth in the cabin. It didn’t matter how respectable he was now, it didn’t change the fact he was once a prostitute.
Isley will understand—
Don’t. Just don’t.
He limped to the bed on the farthest side of the small room and plonked down on the too soft mattress. The frame squeaked and his knees knocked against Isley’s bed, his fragrance making it impossible for Laken to take an untainted breath. His nose filled with the scent, pissing him off even more.
He placed his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands, working on not breathing too deeply.
Only one more night.
Only one more night.
Only one more fucking night.
You can do this.
He wasn’t so fucking certain anymore, when his animal side was persistent in its demands that he didn’t want to be just work colleagues with Isley.
The more barricades he put up, the more Isley worked to remove them with his sweet nature.
A smile that could melt butter, a sunny disposition and an inquiring mind that challenged Laken in a good way.
Add in his stellar work ethic, and Laken was fucking doomed.
No, I’m not, he assured himself for the thousandth time since Isley had become his permanent PA. Laken laid the blame for this at Hollis’s feet. He had been fine with the way things were before Hollis had switched everything around.
“It had worked fine!” he groused quietly, aware of how good Isley’s hearing was.
In a moment of weakness, he could acknowledge his problem stemmed from his admiration of men who worked hard. He valued this trait far more than good looks and blow job lips. He wasn’t Jupiter! Only, Isley was also extremely attractive and had those gorgeous blow job lips.
Fucking hopeless!
The sound of the water shutting off didn’t fill him with joy but trepidation, despite his desperate need to get clean.
The thoughts in his head drifted off to the temptation of wet skin, flushed and smelling like a summer garden, all on their damned own, leaving him much too close to losing his grip on his control.
Working in the office fortified his ability to use and manage his professional boundaries, though manage might not be the correct choice of word. Surviving was more like it.
Being on the ranch, everything felt loose, like a piece of thread unravelling a beautiful garment. He felt out of control, and that wasn’t at all helped by the fact that the far too tempting sugar glider was about to appear wearing next to nothing.
Laken ran his hands over his face, tugging at his beard and willing himself to keep quiet when the door opened. A cloud of billowing, scented steam wafted into the room. His body responded, uncaring how tired his muscles were. One muscle was more than up for the challenge.
Laken gave Isley a wary, side-eyed look and released a relieved breath when he saw that he was dressed in black sweatpants and a white T-shirt.
The shirt clung to Isley’s damp skin and his wet hair was brushed back off his face, leaving it exposed to Laken’s attention.
His skin was a dewy pink, glowing with vitality.
Inky eyelashes framed the palest blue eyes that reminded Laken of the icy blue pools in New Zealand.
They were so clear it was as if Laken could drown in their depth and never lose sight of Isley.
“The shower is all yours,” Isley said tartly, breaking the spell after several seconds had passed and neither of them blinked.
Striding to the bed, coming to where Laken’s knees were still touching it, Isley glanced from the knees up.
“Excuse me, I need to get my face cream from the nightstand.”
Don’t take the bait.
Laken rose slowly, his back twinging and his knees creaking at the movement.
A groan caught in his throat as he attempted to swallow it, desperate not to show any sign of discomfort.
He side stepped Isley, working to keep from touching him.
That was impossible with such a small gap between them.
He felt Isley’s body tremble at the mere touch of chest against arm, but the other man’s head was down so he couldn’t see his expression.
Moving normally was a stretch with how his cock was pressed uncomfortably against his zipper, so he opted for slow, measured steps, keeping his hips at an angle to hide his body’s reaction.
“Old age catching up with you?” Isley’s cheerful tone set his teeth on edge.
“I’m fine.” If only he fucking knew! The hell he was fine. Sleeping on the streets was better than this torture.
You’re being a little dramatic.
Am I really? I stink worse than I did when I hadn’t washed in a month! he argued back with his animal, doing everything he could to miss the point completely, because right then he was in no mood for sarcasm or the truth.
One more day.