Taken By The Pack (6 page)

She cried harder.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“They’ll get him,” she said.

Danny heard the howl again. He’d tuned it out before, but those were wolves he knew.

He’d heard that howling just this morning.

Closing his eyes, Danny focused on the sound.

“This way!” he shouted and headed in the direction of the wolves, into the woods.

“They’ve got him. He’s being torn to bits right now,” she cried. “What will I tell the

kids?”

“He’s fine. Come on.” Danny hopped on a snowmobile police vehicle.

Not quite a mile back, the howling stopped and Danny glimpsed fur darting into the

brush. The shed was all anyone else saw. Police and paramedics moved in as Danny held up his sister-in-law.

“There’s wolf fur on the blanket,” she said.

“He’s alive. Frostbite. Broken leg. Exhaustion. Let’s get him out so we can chopper him

in. He needs warming blankets and fluids now.” The paramedics worked, and relief flowed as Danny knew his brother would live.

The men balanced Frank on the ATV and drove him out carefully. Everyone moved to

follow.

“I’ll make sure the fire is out, and Frank didn’t leave anything,” Danny called. He knew everyone would have to drive up to the hospital. There was no room in the helicopter for extras.

Rushing only put everyone in danger.

The wolf fur, the paw prints, the howling… Danny knew who had come to his brother’s

rescue. The police search dogs had been busy on a missing child case up north. There was nothing like a canine nose to save the day.

Danny put out the fire fully and picked up the busted cell phone. He also found Frank’s

watch. The door was busted, Danny noticed. And wolf fur clung to the boards left. Frank was smart, he’d locked himself in against predator attacks, but that meant Justin and Brandon had to break their way in.

Itching to talk to them, Danny pulled out his cell phone. That was impersonal. In this

circumstance, he owed them a thank you in person. He’d run home first to see if they went there, but Frank…

Danny had to go to the hospital and hear the news with the family. Torn again. Now, it

wasn’t even the gay thing. This shifter stuff was hard to handle.

Hiking back to the road, Danny climbed into his truck and drove home.

No one.

No sign of them.

Even with the heat full blast, he felt cold inside. Alone and lost, even with his family safe, Danny wanted the answer. He needed to feel normal.

* * * *

Frank looked as happy as anyone with scary frostbite patches could. The huge cast on his leg already had the kids’ drawings on it.

“The hero!” Frank’s voice was raspy and raw.

Overwhelmed by the hugs and pats on the back, Danny felt loved and appreciated. This

was what he’d lose if he told them the truth. He couldn’t save the day anymore. Could he? “I didn’t do anything.”

“You followed the wolf howls,” his sister-in-law jumped in. “Frank would’ve been wolf

dinner.”

The kids shrieked.

Frank waved it off. “I locked the door.”

“It was open when we got there,” his wife contradicted him.

“Wolves probably tried to get to me. There’s too many, Danny. We need to start that

business and thin out the wolves.” Frank shifted in the bed and grimaced.

“No, Frank. I can’t. I’m not the hunting type. People don’t eat wolf meat. It’s not sporting to shoot from the air. The whole thing isn’t for me.” Danny felt a sense of self-confidence he hadn’t before. With Frank in a cast, Danny no longer felt like the baby brother.

“People couldn’t be in better hands than yours,” Frank replied.

“I know. You should do wilderness experiences, not hunting from the air. Sorry, I like

my job, and I don’t need a second one.” Danny stood his ground.

“For the best,” Frank huffed.

“What?” His wife glared. “That’s the big money. You’re a good hunter.”

“But the helicopter made me dizzy and motion sick. Found that out today.” Frank held

his head.

“You’re injured,” Frank’s mom countered.

“I’m staying on the ground. I’ll find the right business. Should’ve gone to college like the genius there.” Frank nodded to Danny.

That had gone smoother than Danny imagined. “Well, you can use my property for the

experience if you want. Just don’t shoot the wolves. I’ve got a couple of them that hang around and keep the bears and other pests away.”

His mom shook her head. “Wolves aren’t pets. My baby is too nice.”

Danny’s sister-in-law frowned. “I wouldn’t say he’s too nice. He doesn’t like any of the women I set him up with. Six great girls and he’s not interested. They got snapped up by other men looking to keep warm this long winter. Don’t you want to share the northern lights with someone? I’ve got one more.”

Danny couldn’t contain himself. “I’m gay. So no, Christy, no more women. Please.”

Silence and stillness was the last thing Danny expected to hear when he dropped the

bomb.

Had he really blurted it out? Here? With his family and little niece and nephews sitting around?

“What’s wrong?” The five-year-old asked his mom. “No one is talking.”

Christy smiled. “Nothing is wrong, sweetie. Daddy owes me a fancy dinner in town.

That’s all.”

“Damn,” Frank groaned.

Danny looked around. His mom was busy with her knitting, and no one looked shocked.

“You knew?”

Mom cleared her throat. “Christy suspected and asked me. We all denied it, but since

you’ve been back, she’s thrown all these women at you. Nice, pretty, smart women…”

The shock of not being judged and not stunning them hit Danny. “Does Dad know?”

“No, like Frank’s incident here, we didn’t want to alarm your father until we’re sure how bad it is,” Mom said firmly. “Not that being gay is bad. But it’s surprising, and if we weren’t sure your situation was absolutely true, no one wanted to raise his blood pressure.”

Danny nodded. He’d dodged a bullet or a car crash. A twinge of guilt shivered through

him as if he’d gotten off too easy. “Okay, well, good. Glad it’s not a problem.”

“Do you have a boyfriend? Because the guy who cuts my hair is so sweet.” Christy

wouldn’t change her stripes because Danny was gay.

Danny grinned and then laughed. “No, but I’m not looking right now. I’ll let you know.”

Frank squinted. “I’m getting really tired now. The adrenaline rush is wearing off. I’ll

catch up on Danny’s love life later but still with morphine.”

Chuckling, Danny knew without the drugs Frank would react a little more like himself.

Clearly, it wouldn’t be a shock but more grossed out or grumpy. “We should all get some sleep after such a stressful day.”

He walked out of the hospital in the fog of relief. On the drive home, he watched the

road, not wanting to be caught by the black ice like his brother. It helped Danny to not think about going to the Pipeline or letting Brandon and Justin set him up. He didn’t need anything just then. The weight was lifted. After last night, it felt too real. And yet like a dream at the same time.

When his cell phone vibrated, Danny ignored it. No distractions on the slick roads. But as soon as he pulled into his driveway, he parked and read the text.

Hope your brother is okay, J&B.

Danny’s finger itched to reply but what to say? How to thank them?

Suddenly, Danny was out. His family knew. His brother was safe. And Danny had gay

shifter friends in Alaska. He hoped they could be friends.

His eyelids drooped, and he knew he needed to sleep on it. Driving up to the house, he

parked and got out of the truck. Once inside, he took a hot shower and crawled into bed for a nap. Work and life seemed miles away.

Three days had passed and not a text or a word from Danny. Justin had worked non-stop

on the natural experience proposal and even sent a copy to Frank.

The gossip network informed Justin that Frank was now home and recovering. Why

Danny hadn’t called or texted to say anything rubbed Justin raw. But Brandon seemed the same as ever. Relaxed and happy.

Tired of dwelling on the issues alone on a late Saturday morning, he drove over to the

tattoo shop and found Brandon getting ready to open.

“Hey, I thought you were all about the garage cleaning today.” Brandon kissed him.

“You’re alone?” Justin asked.

“No one scheduled until tonight, and my sister is home sick. I’m just opening and setting up. Too dark to get walk-ins now.” Brandon sat on an old sofa behind the front counter. “What’s wrong?”

Justin shrugged. “I can’t get it out of my mind.”

“It being Danny. That’s a he not an it.” Brandon slouched. “You want more.”

“Shut up. He never even texted back. Not a thank you. Nothing.” Justin flopped next to

Brandon.

“We’ll write Ms. Manners.” Brandon jabbed Justin in the ribs. “Cut the guy a break. He’s dealing with his family, which clearly is non-stop drama. His sexuality. His lack of a lifestyle here. And now, he knows about shifters.”

“I know. It’s petty of me, but I feel like he’s cut off all communication and we’re out in the cold.” Justin eyed his lover. “You don’t want more of him?”

Brandon grinned. “Of course, I do. Chemistry like that doesn’t happen every day. We can

still be friends. Give him some space for now. He’ll come around.”

Justin frowned. “He deserves what he gets. He’ll be some frustrated old closet case the

neighborhood kids are afraid of.”

“You’ve got it bad,” Brandon said.

Looking away, Justin knew there was no point in denying it. They read each other like no one else. “I didn’t mean to fall for him. High school crushes are supposed to stay in the past.

Acting out on the sex is one thing but falling for a total human? We can’t. We shouldn’t. He doesn’t deserve it.” Justin’s pulse pounded with contradictions.

Brandon nuzzled Justin’s neck and bit playfully. “Stop. All of it is pointless because the guy is in the closet. Okay? If he comes out, then it’s a conversation to have. Three-ways are no big deal. He might want a guy all for himself, okay? So we enjoy him until he finds that guy. We keep shifters around so it might be someone we want.”

“Pick up a third?” Justin couldn’t believe how far Brandon had thought out the plan.

“A pack of two wolf shifters isn’t much. You want to be our own pack. So we bring in

one more shifter, and Danny is our human lover.”

“Humans like monogamy,” Justin protested.

“Straight humans, maybe. We’ve had plenty of group activity with human men. Anything

is possible.” Brandon kissed down Justin’s chest and tugged his shirt up.

“But with his family? If he came out, they’d still want him paired up. Like my mom, she

loves you. If she knew we were screwing other guys…” Justin shook his head as his hips lifted to Brandon’s teasing.

“Of course. Privacy is necessary. But it could work if Danny were out. Quit stressing

over what might happen. You can’t change it. You’d never out him.” Brandon opened Justin’s fly.

Justin threaded his fingers into Brandon’s hair. Brandon could seduce any man with little effort. Already, Justin was hard and ready.

“No, I’d never out him. But he needs something. Some push.” Justin thrust up into

Brandon’s hot mouth.

Brandon worked the length of Justin’s cock and let it spring up on its own. “We pushed

him. You have no patience. And that sister-in-law of his is a pusher, too.”

Fisting a hand into Brandon’s hair, Justin pulled Brandon back down to suck his sac. “I

want it all now. I don’t want to lose him.”

Brandon chuckled and tugged on Justin’s balls.

Then it hit Justin. “Don’t you want Danny?”

With wolf reflexes, Brandon climbed Justin’s body and kissed his mouth. “You’re selfish

and impatient and a little crazy at times, but I love you.”

“Thanks. Not what I asked.” Justin held Brandon as though he’d run away.

Brandon kissed Justin’s forehead. “I want Danny. I think we’re both messed up on it. We

didn’t expect to fall in love with the guy. But we should talk about it.”

Justin nodded. “Danny’s not out. He’s not at all available. I’m not sneaking around for a closet case no matter how good the sex is.”

Working his way back down again, Brandon nipped Justin’s sac. “If it was just the sex,

you wouldn’t be so moody.”

“And you’re working all the time.” Justin stopped complaining as Brandon sucked him to

the base.

They were both dealing with it alone, now they could sort it out together.

“I love you,” Justin groaned.

Brandon kept on sucking, pushing Justin to the brink and easing off to keep him from

coming. Normally, Justin loved the teasing, but now, he needed something else. “Harder!”

Bracing his hands on the sofa, Brandon fucked Justin forcefully with his mouth. He felt at home and safe. The familiar was soothing and sexy.

“I love you, too,” Brandon said when his mouth was free. “We can go for a run by

Danny’s place. Need a little shifting time anyway.”

“Tonight. We’ll screw and howl in the woods behind his house and see what happens.”

Justin tugged Brandon to stand up. “Until then we’ve got a little business to finish here.”

“I should lock the door.” Brandon tried to walk away.

Justin grabbed Brandon’s cock through the worn denim. “You didn’t lock it for me. Live

dangerously.”

“I work here.” Brandon protested but didn’t move.

Grinning, Justin unbuttoned Brandon’s fly. “Yes, we probably violated laws and codes,

but no one is here.” As Justin sucked Brandon’s long cock, he totally relaxed. All the tension and confusion was gone. Nothing was resolved, but it was all in Danny’s court.

Working Brandon’s member down then tormenting his balls gave Justin a sense of power