The night was thick with the heat of attraction. The man used his flashlight nervously and moved without thought, only fear. He would overtake him shortly, going at a pace meant to wear him out. Lev still moved on him fast. He was scared and confused, and panic was setting in fast. Lev stepped from the shadows and moved on him in a rush, effortless but forceful. His beast was ready.
He was a small man with dark hair and bright blue eyes. The eyes stayed on Lev for a moment when they locked onto him, and the fear in their depths knifed him, bringing him to a standstill. But it didn't stop the need or the craving to take what was his.
The beam of light landed on him, and he watched the man see him in his entirety. Uncertainty and alarm flooded his features; he didn't know what to think or what he was looking at. The blue eyes filled with shock, and something else, like dread-filled curiosity.
He stepped back, making stiff, awkward steps. Lev felt his wolf take over his face. He looked fierce as teeth dropped, fangs protruding, and his vision became monochrome. This man was his mate.
CHAPTER TWO
Kyle tried to back away carefully, keeping his eyes on whatever that thing was and trying not to get eaten. When it came out of the shadows, it had looked human in form at least, but the details were savage. Now it became more and more savage as it drew closer, and Kyle was about to pass out as his mind was unable to process what was happening.
He stood well over six feet and had a broad, muscled physique. His hair was black and thick, hanging nearly to his shoulders, and grew longer and thicker as the transformation continued. The eyes were black and filled with fire.
Kyle desperately wanted to run, but there would be no getting away. The beast moved swiftly and smoothly, stalking, watching, and waiting. He took the flashlight from Kyle's hand and tossed it aside. The light rolled back and forth for a few seconds and then came to rest with the beam shining across the forest floor.
The moon was full, and it illuminated well enough that Kyle could still see the creature that now stood before him. The shadows were thick, and his presence was overpowering, swallowing all the air, leaving Kyle breathless. He bent, and Kyle felt his breath fan the side of his face and felt the moisture clingto his throat when he sniffed just under his chin, so close but not yet touching.
This was maddening, and the fear that had initially captured him had started to vanish. The beast slowly raised his hand, and the claws threaded through Kyle's hair, raising it slightly and then letting it drop. He wanted to speak to try and reason with the man within, but Kyle found his voice was constricted, and breathing was barely possible.
The man stepped closer, and the moonlight cut across his face. The hard angles and rough features had softened a little, and the man seemed present, but there was still something very hard and intense in his eyes. Kyle felt his heart skip a beat and his stomach flutter as the man took another step, bringing them so close they were nearly touching.
Kyle did not step back, even though every part of him was screaming for him to do so. His instincts were telling him to stay still and wait. An aroma enveloped him it was fresh and clean like the early morning after a soft rain. It seemed like ages that they stood like that staring into each other's eyes, and then he bent and his lips, hard and searching, took Kyle’s.
The kiss was carnal and savage and incredible. He opened eagerly like some wanton harlot, but he couldn’t stop the desire that coursed through him. The touch was hypnotic, and the scent was stirring things deep in his soul.
How could this be happening? His body was trembling with the heat this man was building. The kiss was melting every part of his resistance. So many things were wrong with this situation, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
The claws were gone, but the roughness of his hands was sexy and raw. It made Kyle sweat with the need to have this man use those hands on his most intimate parts. Suddenly, hescooped him up into his arms, thick and strong, and carried him a few steps to a flat and grassy area under a thick leafy tree. The smells were making his mind go crazy with a fullness never experienced before.
Kyle didn't consider himself that small, and he'd never had anyone carry him before, but this man did it with ease, as if he weighed nothing at all. It was intoxicating on so many levels. He was still wrapped in his arms, and the kisses were raining down, trailing from his jaw to his throat to the opening of his collar. His jacket and shirt were getting in the way, and soon they were gone. He was bare to the waist, and so was this stranger.
It was an odd feeling to be so comfortable and connected. This man was unknown and a stranger, and yet everything in Kyle seemed to recognize him; somehow, there was a connection, an understanding that made everything okay. The initial fear had fled under the pressure of pure carnal lust and recognition.
Hands and lips were everywhere, touching him, sensual and searching. The process was feverish. This man wanted everything, and he wanted it immediately. That domination was the biggest turn on of Kyle's life. He let his hands touch and explore as his breath came out in excited, hurried pants. His body continued to tremble under the man’s control. His wild energy is invigorating. There was no going back. Kyle wanted this regardless of the price he may have to pay.
****
Lev was not prepared for the outcome of this encounter. The idea that he was following his Fated mate was not even a consideration. Mates were rare and came late in life, or at least that was the lore, and that was how it seemed to work out. He was barely eighty, which in supernatural terms was considered young.
He’d become Alpha of the Wilder Pack upon the death of his father, who had lived a long and varied life. His mate, Lev, and Mykel's mother had come into his life late in his life. They had but a few decades together before death had claimed them both, which was the way of true mates. He wasn't going to second-guess Fate; she sent him this lovely little human, and he was going to claim him and seal their bond before this little beauty had a chance to leave the forest and disappear into the night.
The young man didn’t try to run, which was fortunate since his wolf was more than prepared to give chase and bring the man to submission. The connection between them seemed to be recognized, and the young man looked confused but also intrigued. Lev wasn't going to be able to hold back for long his wolf had relaxed and relinquished control, but the beast was on the edge, and he knew that the young man could clearly see the wild aspect of his soul.
The kiss had been a necessary touch, something his beast thrived upon, and to deny him was playing with fire. This man did not recoil or reject but rather leaned into the embrace and quickly began to participate. His kiss was pure heaven, and his taste was like none other. It would seem that Fate was smoothing the way for their bond to take place this night.
Picking a soft tuft of grass, he placed his beautiful mate upon it beneath a leafy tree. The moon was lighting their way dreamily in softness and peace. This was perfect, and thethought of marking and claiming his mate this night was more than he could have ever imagined or hoped for. His mate had not spoken, but his eyes and his lips said everything Lev needed to hear.
He clearly wanted this as much as Lev did as he moved closer and held on tightly. Removing his jacket and shirt came first, and then he loosened the button on his jeans and eased down the zipper, all the while keeping the young man's head spinning with the constant, heated caresses and soft words of love and encouragement. His voice was rough and guttural, but it seemed to excite the young man.
“What is your name?” Lev needed a name and hoped he was of a mind to give it.
“Kyle.” The one word came out in a burst, but he could say no more as an erotic moan took over when Lev caressed his hardened cock. Kyle’s eyes squeezed shut on a lovely, explosive pant. Lev kissed him again, thoroughly pressing hard and going deep, tasting his mate's unique flavor and feeling it fill his mind.
"I am Lev, Alpha of the Wilder Pack. I am a wolf, and you are my mate.” He wasn’t sure if Kyle understood or even heard him, but it would be there in his mind waiting for him to remember.
He took him, then his hardness throbbing in his hand, and then trembling in his mouth. Lev took him down his throat to the base. Kyle rose up off the forest floor, a silent scream tight between his lips. He held his breath for several seconds before collapsing back to the ground under the weight of Lev’s intense ministrations.
Lev did things that had this young man turning himself inside out. This was his mate, and he was making an impression.Kyle would remember this night; it would be branded on his memory and branded on his tender flesh.
