“Fuck!” Staring at Sawyer’s face on the screen, Glenn thought about his next step. His tiger was now demanding to be let loose so he could find him. Add in his tiger’s need to bite and claim and Glenn knew only a limited amount of time remained before his beast would take matters into his own paws. And that was the last thing he needed to happen. Right now, his location was a carefully hidden secret from his enemies, but all bets were off if the news reported a white tiger on the loose. Drumming his fingers on the desk, the only solution that would buy him time with his tiger was if he could locate their mate.
“Give me his number,” Glenn told Ghost.
“You gonna call him?” asked Ghost, writing down Sawyer’s phone number.
“Nah…not yet. Riley can use it to find out where Sawyer is,” Glenn muttered while typing out a message, then sending it to Riley. Looking up at his friend, he asked, “What assets do you have near here?”
“Depends on what you need,” Ghost replied.
“Surveillance mainly…but also protection if needed,” said Glenn. “I can’t go near Sawyer until I know who the target was tonight. Knowing he’s guarded by security will satisfy my tiger…and me for now…until I can neutralize the threat.”
Nodding slowly, Ghost opened a file on his computer, looking for two names who’d be able to fulfill Glenn’s request. After finding them, he hit print and then handed the sheets of paper to his friend. “Here, I would trust my life with them. They’ll keep Sawyer safe.”
Leaning back in his chair, Glenn read about the two men Ghost spoke so highly of. The fact he trusted them was unusual because his friend rarely trusted anyone. After going over their resumes, he knew Ghost had come through for him yet again.
Chapter 3
Rolling over, Alex stretched, groaning as a sliver of early morning light hit his eye. Quickly covering his face with a pillow, he lay there for a while, dozing on and off until finally the memories from last night filled his mind.Oh shit!He needed to get going if he was going to escape the control of a mate. Sitting up quickly, he glanced at the time, biting his lower lip when he saw it was after eight in the morning. Moving the curtain aside a hair, he peered out, sighing in relief when he saw no one outside.Thank goodness for that, at least. Scooting out of bed, he headed to the small bathroom to get ready to meet the day.
After a shower, he dressed quickly and then, after securing everything inside the trailer, grabbed a protein bar and a bottle of juice for breakfast. Sitting down at the table, he studied the map of Southern California. There were only two other gay campgrounds, neither of which were close to the one he was presently at. That meant a day of travel. Something Alex wasn’t very happy about, but it was a far better alternative than finding himself again under someone’s thumb.
Taking another bite, he chewed slowly while considering the two options, head south to Palm Springs or north to San Francisco. According to his research both were meccas for men like him and both were on his list to visit. His goal was to pick the one he liked most, then buy a house, somewhere he’d be free from the restrictions others had always imposed on him for as long as he could remember.
If there were any doubts about taking off on his cross-country trip, they were gone as Alex began to experiencewhat he’d been robbed of in his youth. Vowing to never fall under another person’s control again, he was quite prepared to live the rest of his life alone, finding pleasure in random hook-ups instead of being crunched under the boot of a mate. Even though he’d heard talk at school about the pleasures guaranteed by finding a fated mate, Alex knew the price was too high, at least for him. His only regret—and it wasn’t a deal breaker—was that his choice would mean accepting a lifetime of loneliness.
Finishing his breakfast, he decided to head south, keeping to his original plan to check out Palm Springs first. Folding up his map, Alex stuffed it back into the folder before gathering up some water and snacks to take with him in the SUV. Glancing around the trailer once more to make sure everything was secured; he opened the door. Lifting his gaze, Alex stopped mid step as his eyes landed on the one person he was hoping to avoid.
Standing naked at the edge of the clearing after shifting, Sawyer stared at the slim man whose face he would never forget. His mate was even more beautiful in the daylight. When he saw Alex’s tongue tentatively licking his lower lip, his body flamed with desire, his now-hardened cock quivering against Sawyer’s stomach, demanding to be sheathed in his mate’s body. Never, in all the time he sought pleasure with strangers, did he ever feel the overpowering need to be one with another as he did now. There wasn’t any way he could deny what his body was telling him. Taking a step forward, Sawyer reached out his hand, wanting to touch his mate’s body…to bury his nose against his mate’s neck…to imprint his mate’s scent in his heart…to mark the man as his.
All of Alex’s plans to flee flew out of his mind as he gazed at the gorgeous, naked man in front of him. Shiversran up his spine, his cock hardened, his legs trembled. Intense desire ran through his body, overtaking his mind until all he could think of was that man taking him, easing his need, filling him up with cum. Nothing else mattered now…his preparations to leave were replaced by images of him surrendering as the man’s cock entered his body, making Alex his mate. His jeans were too tight, the flannel shirt was suddenly too hot, the urge to tear off his clothes had his fingers reaching for a button but when the man moved towards him it was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice-cold water over his body allowing him to remember his vow to remain free. Panicking now, he held up his hands. “No…don’t come closer. I don’t want you. Leave me alone!” Turning around, he retreated back into the trailer, slamming the door behind him.
Stunned, staring in disbelief at the closed door, Sawyer felt pain ricocheting through his chest.What the fuck?His mate’s words played in an endless loop in his mind as he tried to figure out what just happened. Rejection hurt more than Sawyer could ever imagine, but what was worse was not knowing why. Glancing down at himself, he cursed at his nakedness. Shifting just before Alex opened the trailer door, he’d had no time to dress before falling under the spell of his mate. That beautiful face, the lean muscular body and the heady scent his mate possessed bound him to his mate so quickly, all he could think of was the claiming his wolf was howling for.
Fighting that urge now, Sawyer stopped himself from smashing through the door. Instead, he forced his body to head to the tree where he’d hidden his clothes. While dressing, he sorted through his options, coming to the conclusion that his path forward would have to be a slow one. His mate was younger, smaller, and probablyinnocent, so it was no wonder he was frightened. At least Sawyer thought he saw fear in the young man’s face just before shouting the words that caused Sawyer’s wolf to react in despair. Once dressed, Sawyer approached the trailer, stopping in front of the door. Raising his hand, he knocked lightly.
Leaning against the door, Alex gulped at the sound, closing his eyes against the intrusion. Any hope of escaping now was gone; he needed to come up with a new plan. But as hard as he tried to figure a way out of his current mess, every possibility ended in failure because his clever fox refused to help him.Why now?
“My name is Sawyer…Sawyer Evans.” Pausing, he listened for a response but when none was forthcoming, continued, “My home is back east, but my brothers and I drove out to California to visit some cousins. We hadn’t seen them for a long time, and I wasn’t that eager to visit them, but Hunter…he’s the oldest…promised our mom we would go…so we went. Our cousins live up north…Jackson…my oldest cousin…has a pack and that’s where I was staying. We weren’t going to stay that long but Hunter discovered his mate there and well…now they are over in France with one of my cousins. I don’t know what’s going to happen when my brother comes home…”
The gentle and quiet voice found its way inside and wrapped around Alex like a warm blanket, soothing his agitation. But he still couldn’t bring himself to answer.
Placing his palm against the door in an effort to get closer to his mate, Sawyer pressed on. “I have a twin…his name is Mac…and he’s a doctor. A really good one…anyway, since the plans changed, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to learn how to surf, so I came down to LA. I canguess what you’re thinking…a wolf surfing? You aren’t alone…I think all of my brothers wondered the same thing except maybe Quin. He’s my youngest brother…he loves romance novels and he believes in love…not that I don’t…oh shit, I’m messing this up.”
A small chuckle escaped from Alex as more of his fear left him. Not that he was going to open the door but at least he was no longer afraid of Sawyer breaking down the door to grab him. He held his breath, suddenly wanting to know more about his mate. When he heard nothing, he wondered if his mate was gone, filling him with disappointment—which just confused him more. Frowning, he wished he’d paid more attention to the endless discussions of his classmates about mates. It would certainly have come in handy in this situation, but that was little consolation right now. Chewing on his bottom lip, Alex decided it wouldn’t hurt if he spoke to Sawyer, who seemed upset. “Please tell me more about your family,” he said, quietly.
Closing his eyes in relief, Sawyer offered quick thanks to the gods before continuing. “I have five brothers. I told you about Hunter, Mason comes next, Mac and I are in the middle, then there’s Robin, and of course Quin. Hunter is our unofficial Alpha, even though he tries not to act like it at times. Mason keeps everything in order…he just has that kind of mind. You know Mac’s a doctor, Robin’s a musician, and Quin…well, he’s the baby of the family.”
“What do you do?” asked Alex softly.
“Hmm, that’s a loaded question…what do I do? Right now, I’m trying to learn how to surf…”
“Why?”
“I don’t know…it’s just who I am…I love learning how to do different stuff. Surfing was high on my list ever since I saw a film about it. When I saw the size of the waves, I just knew it was for me…like I would be so free out there…just me against something way more powerful than me. Well, that was the plan, anyhow, but I may have to rethink it since I didn’t do so good yesterday. I spent the whole day with my instructor, but I just couldn’t get the hang of it. It was pissing me off to no end because that’s never happened to me before.
“Last night when you knocked on my car window, I was feeling pretty down, wondering if I’d ever figure out how to stand up on my board. But when I saw you, all the disappointment in myself disappeared because the only thing in my mind was how absolutely gorgeous you were. Then when I realized you were my mate…well, let’s just say I didn’t care if I ever went surfing again.” Sawyer fell silent, thinking about that moment, before going on. “You know, I never expected to find my mate, even after my brother found his. Mainly because I don’t have anything to offer a mate. My twin got all the brains, Robin got all the talent, Hunter is a born leader, Mason is a genius when it comes to numbers…so you see, all I have is my…my…”
“Your ability to learn quickly?” murmured Alex.
