Ask the Oracle (28 page)
Authors: JJ Black
Tags: #Erotic Romance eBooks Totally Bound eBooks Books Romance
to become uncomfortably tight, he had a feeling that he wasn’t being completely honest with
himself. Unnerved by his unwanted arousal, Eli shivered, turning back to the bar and his
beer. Taking a long pull from the bottle, he spared a glance over at Jai. His friend, ever on the
prowl, was too busy taking in the buffet of naked flesh to notice.
Eli took advantage of Jai’s moment of distraction to observe him objectively. Jai had
always garnered a lot of attention, both male and female, when they went out. Despite
having been friends since infancy, he realised he had never taken the time to see what all the
fuss was about.
As teenagers, they had been nicknamed Day and Night, for their opposing looks. They
were nearly identical in height and build, reaching around six foot three and just over two
hundred pounds. That, however, was where the similarities ended. Jai embodied everything
that was light, with his golden hair, sun-kissed skin and eyes the colour of a cloudless
summer day. With his hard, muscled body encased in dark denim and a collared shirt the
colour of his eyes, he resembled a golden god. Eli had to admit, he could definitely
understand all the attention his friend was garnering at the club. The man practically glowed,
drawing people in like moths to a flame.
Eli, on the other hand, personified all that was night. His hair was black, so dark that
when the sun hit it just right there appeared to be blue highlights streaked throughout. He
wore it short in the back and sides, leaving the front just long enough to tease the arch of his
brows. His eyes were also blue but the blue-black of twilight. Dressed as he was in a pair of
threadbare jeans, a tight, grey T-shirt and scuffed motorcycle boots, Jai and Eli really did look
like opposite sides of the same coin.
A change in his friend’s demeanour brought back his focus. Looking closely, Eli
watched as his best friend’s eyes lit up like Christmas morning. A grin spread across his face
and he practically vibrated with happiness. Curious to see the cause of Jai’s excitement, Eli
followed the direction of his gaze towards the front entrance of the club.
Walking through the doorway was a group of some of the largest men Eli had ever seen
in his life. Eli was far from small, but in comparison to these men, he seemed almost dainty.
They were not just tall, but had thick, muscular bodies as well. With their wide shoulders
and powerful frames, they were built like defensive linemen. As they walked, muscles
bulged beneath tight T-shirts that looked as though they were moments away from complete
disintegration from the strain. Their whole demeanour screamed—
Back the fuck away
!
Noticing Eli’s perusal, the largest member of the group chose that moment to glance his
way. Eli was shocked by the sheer size of the man. He had to be at least six and a half feet tall
and close to three hundred pounds. His well-formed body was covered in finely honed
sinew. The man was built like a brick shithouse. His hair was a rich, chocolate brown and
long enough that it was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his neck. His black dress
shirt was untucked, with the sleeves pulled back to mid forearm, showcasing powerful arms
and prominent veins that, for a moment, Eli had a nearly overwhelming urge to trace with
his tongue. Power rolled off the big man in waves and crackled along Eli’s skin, making his
wolf perk up and take notice.
At a glance, he looked relaxed and ready for a night of drinking and dancing with
friends, but on closer inspection, Eli could sense his alertness. The predator within was
anything but idle. The dark Aviators he wore were probably meant to camouflage the way
his eyes scanned the room for any possible threat, but Eli recognised the subtle shifts of his
body and occasional tilt of his head as signs of his vigilance. The large man was ready to take
action at a moment’s notice. This was without a doubt the Alpha, Kellan Reeves. Although he
couldn’t see it, Eli could feel the heavy weight of the Alpha’s stare. The man’s gaze seemed to
burn right into him. His body heated and a shiver worked its way through his frame.
A smirk formed on the man’s lips, telling Eli that Alpha Reeves had noticed his
inspection, as well as his reaction to him. Eli’s cheeks flamed scarlet as embarrassment made
his heart speed to a gallop in his chest. He tried to break eye contact with the larger man but
felt frozen in place. The smile on the Alpha’s face only grew larger as Eli’s embarrassment
grew. Eli watched as Alpha Reeves slowly ran his tongue over his lips, leaving behind an
enticing sheen of moisture. He felt a familiar tightening in his balls, and his cock hardened to
the point of pain. He bit back a moan as confusion warred with his unwanted arousal.
What the hell?
While Eli knew many shifters who were attracted to both sexes and had no issue
switching between the two, he had never been even remotely attracted to another male, let
alone got hard from just an appraising look from one. Something about this man, however,
appealed to Eli on a level he had never experienced before. From his high cheekbones, strong
muscled body and rugged good looks, Kellan Reeves had him nearly panting like a dog in
heat.
Eli didn’t want to examine his attraction too closely. He had enough on his plate
without adding in an unexpected attraction to the local Alpha. Joining the pack had to be his
number one priority. He had already gone too long as a lone wolf. Much longer and he could
become a danger to himself or to others. Wolf shifters were not meant to be solitary
creatures. The longer they were without a pack, the closer they came to going feral and
attacking innocents. That wasn’t something he was willing to risk, no matter how startled he
was about the strange attraction he was feeling towards the Alpha.
The gorgeous man continued to hold his gaze until a club employee approached,
causing him to break eye contact and release Eli from his thrall. A few words were shared
between the two before the employee nodded and headed off in the direction of the bar.
Sparing a glance back in their direction, the Alpha motioned for Jai and Eli to follow, then
turned and made his way up the stairs, into the heart of Temptation. Eli could follow his
progress from his seat at the bar easily. The crowd parted before him, like Moses and the Red
Sea. A sigh escaped Eli’s lips before he could cut it off. Turning back to the bar, he found Jai
staring at him expectantly.
“Come on, man. Kellan’s waiting on us. Let’s go.” He nudged Eli’s arm with his elbow.
“The guys with him are some of his Betas. He looks like he’s in a good mood so this will be
the perfect time to talk to him about joining the Pack.”
Eli sighed. He knew what he had to do. It was just a matter of manning up and finding
the courage to do it. He needed a pack and he needed to be near his best friend. Ever since
their birth pack had forced Jai to leave after he’d announced he was gay, Eli had felt like a
huge part of himself had been missing. Now, with his own exit from their old pack and the
new separation from his brothers, Eli was more than grateful to have Jai back in his life. The
Grand Rapids Pack was his best option at starting over.
Rising from his seat, he dutifully followed Jai through the teeming masses. As they
worked their way through the crowd and up the stairs to Temptation, he could only hope
that this would be the fresh start he needed.
As they reached the landing, Eli took a deep breath and almost took off running back
down the stairs. If he had thought the pheromones were strong downstairs, this close they
were nearly unbearable. He shook his head, trying to clear it, and promised himself that he
would get laid before stepping into the club again. The scent of lust and sex in the building
was too much for even a straight man to take. Unbidden, a vision of the Alpha’s handsome
face filled his mind, mocking him as arousal coursed through his body once again.
Okay,
he
thought, chagrined,
maybe not completely straight.
Despite his reservations, Eli realised that he wasn’t completely against the idea of being
with a man. Especially if that man was Kellan Reeves. Perhaps his lack of fear stemmed from
his inherent easy-going personality. He’d never been one to stress about every little thing,
preferring to just go with the flow. While being with a man was not an option he had ever
considered before, it was something he was definitely thinking about now.
When they finally cleared the crowded dance floor, Eli saw that the entire back wall
was lined with large, private booths. As they approached, he noticed, much to his shock, that
most of them were filled with groups of people engaged in varying stages of intimacy. All of
the booths were equipped with long, thick curtains that could be pulled out to completely
enclose the booth, but most of the booths’ inhabitants had forgone their use. The farther back
they ventured, the more pornographic the acts became.
At one of the last tables, a thin, blond twink knelt on the floor as he swallowed the shaft
of a much larger, dark-haired man. The brunet had a strong grip on his hair and was
thrusting roughly into his mouth. As the smaller man devoured his thick, dripping cock,
growls rolled out of his partner’s mouth, as well as a graphic list of all the things he was
going to do to the blond as soon as he was done fucking his mouth. The slim man moaned
loudly, his eyes glazing over as the filthy words reached his ears. His cheeks hollowed as he
started to suck more voraciously. The larger man’s chest began to heave and just when Eli
was sure he was going to blow, he ripped the blond off his cock, threw him down face first
on the table, yanked down his pants and impaled him in one violent thrust. Eli winced at the
brutality of it, but the smaller man seemed to love it, if the volume of his cries were any
indication. Eli quickened his steps, desperate to ensure he did not lose Jai in the crowd. Not
accustomed to this kind of club, he was a little afraid of what else he might accidentally walk
in on if he got lost in this place.
He was starting to wonder how big the club actually was when Jai came to a stop in
front of a large lounge area in the back corner of the building. The entire area sat on an
elevated platform that allowed for a clear line of sight of the rest of the club. Another massive
booth was set against the back wall, and was flanked by a scattering of low sitting couches
and chairs, all filled to capacity with a variety of pack members and partygoers.
As they approached, Eli recognised many of the men from their earlier entrance,
although there were a number of new faces as well. Mixed in among the large Betas were a
few small, waif-thin young men. All of them had smooth complexions and baby soft skin. Eli
even noticed makeup on one or two. He mentally shook his head. He had never understood
the appeal twinks had for some gay men. He had always figured if a man was gay, he would
want to have sex with a man who was…well…manly. Eli could not grasp the appeal of the
effeminate faces and reed-thin bodies. It seemed too much like having sex with a woman
with a few extra parts. Then again, Eli had never considered the possibility that he would
ever find another man sexually attractive until about five minutes earlier, so what did he
really know about the mind of a gay man?
The small men giggled, girlishly fawning all over the larger men, and the guys seemed
to be eating it up. Reaching out with his wolf senses told him that five of the large men were
pack Betas, two of the twinks were low level pack members and the rest were all human.
Add to that the numerous other men and women congregating around the area, and they
had the makings of what could be a rowdy evening. The only thing that seemed to be
missing from the equation was the Alpha. Frowning, Eli wondered where the big man had
gone, until an extremely annoying peal of laughter drew his attention to the booth at the back
of the room.
At first, all Eli could see was the slim back and short red hair of yet another twink. God,
were they breeding them here or something? He had never seen so many in one place before.
As he started to turn away, the small-bodied man was forcibly relocated and before him, in
all his glory and pulsing power, sat a slightly annoyed-looking Alpha Kellan Reeves.
Moving to step up onto the dais, Jai and Eli were halted when a massive wall of muscle
stepped in their way, blocking their path. Looking up, Eli was barely able to take in the
image of a tall, dark-haired man with bulging muscles before Jai stepped in between them,