Jacks, Marcy - The Hunter's Omega Mate [DeWitt's Pack 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (3 page)

With a start, Isaac knew that it wasn’t pity he was doing this for.  He just didn’t want to say goodbye to Tristan just yet.

He was the first normal guy he’d spoken to in a long while,  handsome, and, if Isaac had heard that right, also attracted to him, and  Isaac just wanted to stick around for a little longer.

“It’s not that. You saved my life. I have my wallet on me, and I  want to take you out to  breakfast for it.”

Tristan made another sound, suggesting he was torn between  accepting and  finding a suitable excuse to decline.

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It was always that kind of response that meant just a little more prodding was needed to get the response Isaac wanted. “Come on, meat lovers breakfast with me across the table, that’s not so bad.”

Tristan’s smile showed off his white, perfectly straight teeth.  “Okay. You had me at meat lovers.”

“All right.” The giddy butterflies in Isaac’s stomach were probably a little much, he couldn’t really be that excited, but he was definitely feeling good as he put his arm around Tristan’s firm shoulder and walked back toward town.

“You really shouldn’t be walking out here by yourself anyway,”  Isaac said, thinking of the werewolves he was hunting. “There’s wild  animals all over the place.”

“Yeah, I know.”

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Chapter Four

“Where would he go?” Corey asked, looking around the empty

room.

James had an idea, but he didn’t dare speak it out loud. For one, he could be wrong, and two, if he was right, the last thing he wanted was for his mate to have that information.

Better he not know so he wouldn’t have to lie if Deacon were to

send someone to ask.

“Wherever he went, he left for us.”

“What?” Corey was still new to being a werewolf. He didn’t  understand the thinking of some of his fellow wolves just yet.

James surveyed the room. It was not bare, by any stretch of the  imagination. The bed had been made, and most of what was in the  closet and drawers had been left behind, but the little radio Tristan

kept was gone, as were enough of his clothes and supplies for James

to notice they were missing.

Tristan was leaving with the intention of not coming back.

“Tristan left so that Deacon will have no reason to attack us

anymore. He didn’t say anything because he didn’t want us to talk  him out of it, and he didn’t stay because he doesn’t want to put  pressure on me to ask him to accept Deacon’s offer.”

“But you wouldn’t do that!” Corey said then looked twice up at  his mate. “Would you?”

That old insecurity again, brought on by his lack of knowledge in  the way a pack worked. “Of course not. Some pack alphas would,  though. Maybe he just didn’t want to risk it.”

“He knows how this works better than I do. He wouldn’t think

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you would make him go,” Corey insisted.

That’s what James loved about his mate. Corey always had his  back, even when James was needlessly putting angst on himself.

James sighed. Either way, this was not something he wanted to  happen, especially with the threat of hunters still looming in the air.

A couple of weeks ago, Corey’s ex-boyfriend, a hunter by the  name of Dean Lefroy, had tried to kill him, and when James killed the  insane man instead, Lefroy’s last act of revenge had been to  laughingly inform James that he had called other hunters to  tell them  of the location of James’s pack.

Everyone on the land James cared for was still on edge, waiting  for the attack to come.

So far, nothing, but James would keep vigilant. He would not risk that Lefroy had just been lying for the sake of making James lose some sleep at night.

No, he’d been telling the truth, but now everyone in the pack,  James included, was getting antsy, waiting for the attack to come. It was becoming a mild form of torture in of itself.

Then Deacon had to show up and start making his idiot claims to the land.

There were two other packs living within a twenty-mile radius of  James’ s pack. That wasn’t common, but James was on good terms with one. Visiting the alpha of that pack and his newborn son had even been the reason he had met Corey.

Deacon, however, was insisting on making a pain in the ass of himself.

Though James had signed papers to prove his ownership of the land his pack lived on, Deacon was attempting to lay claim to no less than twenty acres of it, including a nice-sized pond that the pups enjoyed playing in.

James wasn’t sure what exactly it was that was giving Deacon the impression that he owned the land, other than his sheer insistence on it, but one day, James had decided to break the ice and invite the guy

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and several  of his men over to talk like civilized werewolves.

That had been a mistake.

Deacon had taken one look at Tristan, and with a barked, “You,

come!” he summoned him over.

As an omega, Tristan had been nearly powerless against the

command and had done as he was told.

James could still remember the prickle of annoyance he felt climbing his spine when Deacon had put his hands on Tristan, feeling his neck, shoulders, and arms, as though testing his strength and health.

All the while Tristan had been looking at James, both men wondering what the hell the guy was doing.

Finally, after James cleared his throat and asked just that question, Deacon grunted, nodded, and made his proposal.

Tristan had stumbled away from the man like he was the scariest thing he’d ever laid eyes on, and James had immediately denied him the trade and told him to fuck off.

Deacon had sent wolves to attack three times since then, and with

the threat of hunters coming, injured fighters were the last thing

James needed.

Tristan had seen that and gone. James wished he wouldn’t feel so damn grateful for that, but he couldn’t help it.

“Mick?”

“Yes, sir?”

Mickey, James’s best friend and beta, was always nearby.

“Do you know where I keep my banking information?”

“Yes, sir,” Mick answered, his voice clearly conveying he didn’t

know why James would ask.

“Okay, good. Log in to my account and transfer five thousand into

Tristan’s account.”

“Whoa,” Corey said.

“Five—can we afford that, James?” Mick asked.

“We’ll be fine.” James took Corey’s hand and led them out of

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Tristan’s room. James would keep it the way it was for a few days, a week at the most, just in case he decided to come back, but after a time, they would need it so that their injured could have a bed to sleep in.

“James, what’s the money for?” Corey asked softly as they made

it outside.

Christ, James needed the air. That always helped him to think. He needed fresh air and a good run, and if Corey was up for it, a good fuck, too.

“Tristan has some money, but not a lot. The five grand will buy  him  some food and medicine when he needs them, transportation, and  if he watches it right, first and last month’s rent if he finds somewhere  inexpensive to live.”

“Will he be okay on his own? I mean, being a wolf and all,”  Corey said.

James was already stripping out of his shirt and pants. Seeing  what his mate was doing and knowing where he was going, Corey  began doing the same.

“Tristan’s an omega were. His wolf will be easier to manage on  his own so long as he stays away from crowded spaces and settles  down in a quiet place for himself.”

To James’s own ears, it sounded like they were never going to see  Tristan ever again. The thought put a heavy rock in his gut.

Corey touched his cheek, and as usual, that small contact pulled  James away from his grim thoughts. “Let’s go running,” he said then  shifted into his gray wolf, looked over his shoulder, and took off into  the trees.

James grinned and ran after him.

* * * *

Isaac nearly choked on his pancakes, he laughed so hard.

Tristan was wise enough to put his fork down while he told the

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story. “So me, being the cocky little asshole I am, I’m cutting off  people on the road, right? Going
 
way
 
past the speed limit, until finally  some guy I already cut off drives up like he’s about to pass me, but  then we both have to slow down because a stop light is coming up.”

Isaac could guess where this was going.

Tristan continued. “This guy is
 
mad.
 
I mean he was pissed, starts  waving his fist at me, and I start yelling back at him.
 
Oh yeah? Come  out here and say that.
 
So he gets out of his car, and he. Is.
 
Huge
.”

Isaac dropped his fork, still laughing. “Oh my God, what did you  do then?”

“I saw how big he was and was all like
 
oh shit.
 
So I’m spinning  the steering wheel as fast as I can, hitting the gas so I can turn around  and get the hell out of there.”

Tristan, Isaac noted, did a lot of talking with his hands, so the  spinning motion he made, replicating just how fast he spun the wheel,  only made Isaac laugh harder.

Luckily there weren’t that many people in the diner, otherwise the  two of them might have been kicked out already for all the noise they  were making.

Isaac was finally able to respond once he got his breathing under  control. “Yeah, I remember being a little shit when I got my first car.”

Tristan heaped an egg onto his toast and took a bite. “You sure  your friends won’t be wondering where you are? It’s been a couple of  hours.”

That was right. Despite their breakfast plates, it was nearly noon.

“Nah, besides, after the prank they pulled I’m thinking of just getting

a room at the motel here anyway.”

And here was where he needed to pull some more of that courage  he didn’t feel out of his ass. Tristan was handsome, funny, and good  to be around. Isaac liked being around him and wanted more of that.  “If you want, we can split the  cost of the room. Save some money for  the night, if you were hanging out here tonight, that is.”

Tristan did that silent thing again where he seemed to be inwardly

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weighing the pros and the cons of such an action.

More and more Isaac was beginning to think the kid was hiding  from someone, or something. It was the only thing he could think of  that would make him hesitate.

Isaac could tell perfectly well that Tristan was attracted to him, the same way he was attracted to Tristan. They were both adults, so if they did spend the night together, there could really be no harm in that.

The fact that Tristan was in hiding was the only thing he could think of. From family, perhaps? An ex-boyfriend, or maybe even the werewolves.

Isaac hoped it wasn’t that last one, but if it was, he would keep  Tristan safe. “I wouldn’t hurt you, you know.”

“I’m not worried about that,” Tristan said, gulping down the last of his orange juice. Their booth was at the window, and not for the first time, Tristan looked outside, his eyes carefully searching the few pedestrians who were out walking around in the middle of a workday.  Keeping an eye out for someone.

That told Isaac enough.

“Actually,” Tristan said, a bright smile suddenly lighting up his face. “Sure. I’d like that. Don’t think hanging out here an extra day

will hurt anything.”

Isaac’s cock twitched. The mission could definitely wait another  night, and if those assholes decided to go for the hunt without him,  well, Isaac would deal with the loss in profits later.

“I’d like that, too.”

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Chapter Five

Tristan had never been on a date before, and for his age, that was pathetic. So he rather found himself relaxing as he and Isaac strolled along the town, which, in a small place such as this, didn’t take them very long.

The main road with all the shops was a short one. There was a bookstore they browsed through for a good little while, where Tristan even used up the bit of cash he had to pick up something to read for his journey, a thrift store where he and Isaac looked at old VHS tapes and records, even though neither of them owned a record or tape player, another cafe, the post office, which they didn’t bother with, a liquor store, which they did, and, of all things, an old-style arcade with pinball machines and Donkey Kong.