Pack Initiation [City Wolves 2] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Read online

  They drove in silence while Paul tried to form some sort of coherent explanation for his problems that didn’t give anything away. Avani seemed content to let him think. After several turns and a few long streets, Paul sighed.

  “What I say can’t go any further, okay? Not until I’ve dealt with some stuff.”

  “Sure thing, stud.” She straightened in her seat then twisted to face him. “What’s up?”

  “I’ve got a problem with my ex-alpha.”

  She frowned. “What kind of problem?”

  “He…He wants me to do something for him. Something illegal.”

  “So tell him to fuck off.”

  “It’s not that easy. He says if I don’t do what he wants me to, he’ll tell Ethan some things about me.”

  “What sort of things?”

  “I can’t tell you.” Paul clenched his jaw. “Not yet, anyway.”

  Avani was silent for a long moment. “You know I’m Ethan’s second, Paul. I take it damn seriously, too. If you’ve done anything that might jeopardize the pack or its members…”

  Paul shook his head. “No, no, it’s nothing like that. It’s not like I’m a spy or anything. I just did things when I was young and stupid that Ethan wouldn’t want to hear, and if he did, there’s a good chance he’d kick me out. And if he didn’t, it could be even worse.”

  Avani sighed. “You’re not giving me much to go on, here.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry.” Paul glanced over at her before looking back at the road. “I’m just not sure how much I want to say just now.”

  “All right. Let’s leave your past where it is for now, and talk about your old alpha. What does he want you to do? Break into someplace?”

  “Murder.” Paul’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “Gabriel wants me to kill someone for him.”

  “Pull over.”

  “What?”

  “Pull over.” Avani gestured to a supermarket ahead. “We’re talking about serious stuff, here, and I don’t want you crashing because you’re thinking about things other than the road.”

  Paul did as he was told, then flipped off the ignition and turned to Avani. “As you can imagine, the stuff he’s got on me is pretty damning, if he expects to blackmail me into killing to keep it quiet.”

  She nodded, her face thoughtful. “Without knowing exactly what he’s holding over you, though, I can’t comment much. But I will say that Ethan is a good man. He’d hear you out before passing any sort of judgment.”

  “I know that, but the pack is important to me.” Paul nodded out of the windscreen. “This town is important to me. I was packless for a long time before coming to Ethan, and I don’t want to go back to that. You went straight into a pack, almost. Being alone can be hell.”

  The statement made him think about Darren, which only made matters worse. He may not have to tell Ethan, but he would certainly have to tell Darren if things became serious. Relationships built on lies didn’t last.

  Avani reached over and squeezed his knee. “Chill. We’ll figure something out. Bottom line. Gabriel wants you to kill someone. You’re not going to. That means you have two options. Find a way out of it that keeps your secrets intact, or tell Ethan everything so Gabriel has no power over you.” She smiled. “I recommend the latter.”

  “I know. But what if I tell him everything and he supports me, and tries to go after Gabriel for threatening one of his own? The last thing we want is a pack war.”

  Avani smiled. “You let Ethan worry about that. He’s not the type to fly off the handle, anyway. That’s why he’s the boss and we’re the ones in charge of making people bleed.”

  Paul laughed. “Not quite how I consider my role, but yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “Honey, I’m always right.” She thumped her feet up on the dashboard. “Now either fuck me or take me home.”

  “You trying to make me nauseous?”

  He got a punch on the arm for that, but it was followed by a laugh. He started up the truck and headed back to the road.

  * * * *

  Robby left some time around lunch, and Darren wasn’t sad to see him go. The man tired him out. Plus he fancied a run, and not the kind Robby could join him in.

  He locked the door behind him and took a deep breath through his nose. No scents nearby, other than the usual small animals and humans. He trod through the snow to the shed and let himself inside, then closed the door and quickly shifted into his wolf form and scurried through the tunnel, appearing under the nearby bush a moment later.

  He shivered in delight at the first scent of air through his wolf nose, and began sifting through the various smells. Again, he found nothing, so he bounded out into the trees to stretch out.

  How he’d managed to live before the change, he had no idea. Experiencing the sights and sounds through the senses of a wolf made his previous existence seem like it was spent in blinkers and ear plugs. Everything seemed so alive to him now, so three-dimensional.

  He paused by a tree and then chuffed a laugh as he realized he’d nearly marked the tree. He could see how Weres got the urge to spend more and more time in wolf form as they aged. Paul had mentioned that the oldest Weres sometimes chose to live that way. He couldn’t see himself going that far, but it was certainly a hell of an experience.

  For an hour he ran from tree to tree, chasing squirrels and foxes and letting them win, fighting the urge to tear one apart. His breath after a shift could be pretty bad without the hint of raw meat. After he tired of the chase, he darted into a thicker part of the wood where the snow had piled higher, and bounded into and out of drifts.

  So wrapped up was he in his fun that he didn’t notice the man until he was within ten feet. He yelped in surprise and came to a skidding halt. The man watched him, a smile on his face and no hint of shock. He was a Were, but not one Darren recognized. That sense of familiarity he’d had with the shifters in the bar tingled in the back of his mind. The man was leant against a tall oak, his arms folded over his dark jacket. He didn’t seem to notice the near half-meter of snow that reached the knees of his light slacks.

  “Good afternoon,” he said. “You must be new.”

  Darren stayed where he was, watching the man warily. Just because Paul was a good guy didn’t mean all Weres were. In fact, Paul had even said that some were assholes just like humans could be.

  “No need to shift back,” the man said with a smirk. “Nudity could give me the wrong idea.”

  Ugh. Whoever he was, he was a creep.

  “I was just in the area and caught your scent. Thought I’d offer you the chance to become part of something great.”

  So he was a pack recruiter? For Ethan’s pack? If that was the case, the idea of joining suddenly lost its appeal.

  “My name’s Gabriel Sacco, and I’m the alpha of my pack. We’re established, and we’re looking for new people.” He ferreted in a pocket and pulled out a card, then laughed and flicked it into the snow. “You can hardly carry that. My name’s in the phone book. Look me up and give me a call sometime if you’re interested. We’re always looking for new members.”

  With that, Gabriel nodded at Darren and walked away in the opposite direction. Darren watched him until he heard a car start up, then turned and headed home. Something about the guy really bothered him, so he sprinted most of the way back in a roundabout route, frequently checking over his shoulder to see if he was being followed.

  By the time he got home and dressed again, someone had left a message on his machine. He hit play and headed into the lounge to turn the thermostat up. Paul’s voice came from the speaker in the kitchen, and Darren smiled.

  “Hey, Darren, it’s Paul. That meeting I told you about is tomorrow night. I was thinking we could head out in the morning for a bike ride, then drive over to the club if you’re still interested. Call me back when you get this.”

  Darren headed back into the kitchen and picked up the phone, his worries about the strange guy in the woods mostly forgotten.
He dialed Paul’s number and waited for him to pick up. Maybe he could persuade him to try another kind of ride, too.

  Chapter Seven

  Darren woke the next morning with a grin on his face and a spring in his step. Today was the day of the bike ride, and judging from his conversation with Paul over the phone, there was definitely a promise of other things, too.

  His bike was in the hallway, leaning up against the stairs. He’d had it for a few years now, but it was still in great condition. More than able to cope with a trail in the hills. He bent to check the tires, then fumbled in his rucksack for his pump and topped off the pressure. As he replaced the pump, he dropped in a small bottle of lube and a couple of extra-large condoms from the box he’d picked up last night. He smirked as he remembered the expression of the checkout girl.

  After a quick inspection of the rest of the bike’s various nuts and bolts, he wheeled it outside and gave it a quick blast around the block. Everything worked how it should, so he brought it back inside and left it by the door. Paul was due in an hour or so, which gave him time to relax.

  There was nothing on the TV, but he wasn’t really in the mood for paying attention to it, anyway. He flipped it to the news for some background noise. The man in the woods had been on his mind last night. Darren had known there were other packs around, but weren’t they usually pretty territorial? Surely recruiting on someone else’s patch was a no-no, at least.

  “I’ll check with Paul,” he decided aloud. There was no point worrying over something that could turn out to be no big deal.

  The truck pulled into his drive half an hour later, and he jumped up to answer the door. Paul was just climbing out of the cab, and waved before heading to the back to check his own bike, which was strapped in place. He was in his trademark jeans and shirt, but Darren spotted a bag on the passenger seat that probably held other clothes for riding in.

  “Ready to go?” Paul said as he walked over.

  Darren greeted him with a kiss. “Sure. Just let me slip into my Lycra.”

  “Lycra in winter?” Paul growled softly. “You’re just trying to get me excited, aren’t you?”

  “The thought hadn’t crossed my mind,” Darren said with a grin. “Besides, the cold is no big deal once you get going.”

  “True. Still, I hope it’s tight Lycra.”

  “Oh, I’m very tight,” he said as he headed upstairs.

  “Tease!”

  Ten minutes later Paul had hauled the bike into the back of his truck and they headed out of town. The conversation on the trip was light and pleasant. Normally Darren would feel the need to fill the silent times with words, but with Paul he felt it wasn’t necessary. The quiet was as pleasant as the noise. His meeting with the man in the woods still nagged at him, but telling Paul now could ruin a fun day. I’ll tell him later.

  They pulled into a small dirt patch used for parking some thirty minutes later, and Darren jumped into the back of the truck to unload the bikes while Paul changed in the cab. The straps came away easily enough, and he was surprised to find how light the bikes felt. He put his arm through each frame and lifted them onto his shoulders before hopping back onto the ground.

  “Takes a while to get used to, doesn’t it,” Paul said as he locked the truck door. “The strength.”

  Darren put the bikes down, a grin on his face. “I’ve barely done any lifting since, and I’d not realized I’d got any stronger.”

  “It’s gradual, so you don’t notice it till you need it. Remember when you pushed that bouncer out of your way the first night we met?”

  Blood rushed to his cheeks. “Oh yeah. I’d forgotten. Happily.”

  Paul laughed. “Don’t worry about it. You can apologize to him tonight if you want. I already told him it was a misunderstanding, though. He’s not bearing a grudge.”

  “I’m glad. You look good, by the way.”

  Despite the chill, Paul had changed into a T-shirt and cargo shorts. The shorts weren’t tight like Darren’s—more’s the pity—but they still showed off Paul’s thick thighs and toned calves. Darren’s shorts suddenly felt tighter in the front, and he turned away and coughed.

  “So, the trail looks pretty good, considering.”

  “Yeah, it’s not too bad.” Paul’s hand slipped around to the front of Darren’s shorts, massaging the thickening contents. “You can hide it, but I can still smell your lust.”

  Darren gasped. “We can do that?”

  “It’ll come to you soon enough.”

  With his other hand, Paul pulled Darren’s shorts low, exposing his cock to anyone who happened to walk past. Suddenly Darren was glad it was the middle of winter and that they were in a deserted area.

  “Well, look at that,” Paul said. “Let’s get rid of this so your shorts fit again, hmm?”

  Paul wrapped one hand around Darren’s waist, and began to stroke his cock with the other. Slowly at first until he hardened, then faster, his thick fingers slipping back and forth over Darren’s cockhead.

  “Wonder what would happen if someone walked past,” he muttered into Darren’s ear as he worked. “Would they take offense, or would they want to join in?”

  He moved his free hand lower, onto Darren’s thigh, then across to cup his balls.

  “Maybe they’d get down on their knees and open wide,” he said, his fingers moving again. “What do you think?”

  Darren could only suck in air as Paul ran the tip of his finger around Darren’s asshole. As he circled, he matched the speed with the work on Darren’s cock. Getting used to that took a few moments, and as soon as he’d fought off the urge to come, Paul stepped it up further, sliding his finger into Darren’s tight hole.

  “Fuck…”

  “Just you wait till later.” Paul sped up further. “This is just for starters.”

  The telltale tightening of muscles in his stomach had Darren groaning. Paul was still behind him, his face by Darren’s ear. He twisted and kissed Paul hard on the lips, grunting as he came hard. Paul kept both the kiss and strokes going until Darren moved his head away to gasp a lungful of air. Paul stepped back, and Darren turned to face him as he pulled his pants up.

  Paul had an odd expression on his face, and for a moment Darren panicked. Didn’t he like the kiss? Was it too soon? Shit, what if I blew it?

  “That was incredible,” Darren said. “Uh, hope you didn’t mind the kiss.”

  Paul licked his lips. “Not at all. If you hadn’t done it, I would have.”

  “I’m glad.” Darren laughed in relief. “Time to ride?”

  “Bikes first,” Paul said with a smirk.

  * * * *

  The trail was frozen solid, but it was also clear of other bikers. A happy trade-off, Paul decided, as he cycled alongside Darren. The cold was barely noticeable, partly on account of his wolf genes, and partly down to the fact that they were keeping a fast pace.

  The scenery shot past as they sped along the tree-lined route, but the scents and sounds weren’t lost on Paul. While there were no other riders or walkers out and about, there were the usual locals. A couple of bears, a deer, and even a hint of lynx, though Paul would have had to have stopped to confirm that one. The wind muffled most sounds, but a few howls were to be heard in the distance.

  Paul’s mind wasn’t entirely on the ride, though. The kiss was bobbing about in his head, too. He had to admit that he’d been surprised at first. Kissing was nothing compared to what they had got up to already, but it conveyed more than lust. When it happened, though, it felt good. It felt right.

  They cycled the trail until they came to the first rest stop, where they hopped off their bikes and sat on a bench while they sipped from their water bottles. The bench was situated under an old oak, whose cover had kept the seat clear of snow. It was still damn cold, but it only served to cool Paul’s excitement down a little.

  God, he wanted nothing more than to bend Darren over the bench and fill him with his cock. To have him moan and cry out into the wind. It had to
wait, though. Paul wanted it to be perfect, and he had already picked out a spot, a few more miles down the track.

  “Holding up okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” Darren kicked at one of his pedals, causing it to shed its load of snow. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a good long ride.”

  Paul raised an eyebrow, but left the joke unsaid. If he got any more aroused he’d have to ride his bike standing up.

  “It’s great up here,” he said instead. “I used to walk up here back when it was just a dirt path between the trees.”

  Darren nodded. “I keep forgetting you’re about fifteen years older than you look.”

  “Does it bother you?”

  “Nah.” He grinned. “Older men are more experienced.”

  “I guess we are.” Paul stood and stamped the snow from his feet. “Time to get going again.”

  “Oh? In a hurry?”

  Paul smiled. “Got something to show you.”

  The trail narrowed as they headed farther into the hills and away from the more popular sections. The trees closed in on both sides, blotting out a great deal of the afternoon sun, but also keeping the trail clear of snow.

  Their banter slowed, then stopped altogether as they concentrated on staying upright on the slippery stones of a tricky climb that seemed to go on forever. Few cyclists came this far, and as such it was more suited to hiking than pedaling. Still, Paul managed to make the top of the hill just before Darren.

  “Can we take a break now?”

  “In a minute,” Paul said, trying to hide how out of breath he was. “We’re nearly at the spot.”

  “It better be awesome,” Darren said from behind. “I won’t accept anything less than ‘pretty damn good.’ I’m talking fireworks and puppy dogs here.”

  “Shut up and pedal,” Paul said with a chuckle.

  It took another twenty minutes, but the weather favored them. As they pulled off the trail, the clouds parted and the sun shone, brightening the small patch of grass beside the steep drop into further woodland. Paul jumped off his bike and walked the edge, sitting on the stump of a tree he’d cut down ten years ago.