

Unwanted Appeal

### Hidden Wolves 2.5

Kaje Harper

Dedication: For Ren Brennan, my cover artist, who created the perfect image for my story. Yes, I will eventually write summer and fall stories, just to get the complete set of your covers.

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_Content warning_ _: contains strong language and explicit sexual situations between two men_

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition - Copyright 2013 by Kaje Harper

http://kajeharper.wordpress.com/

Cover art by Ren Brennan

_Smashwords License Note:_ Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author. It must remain in its complete and unaltered form, and may not be reproduced, copied or distributed for commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy. Thank you for your support.

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_**The Hidden Wolves series:**  
Unacceptable Risk – book 1_ (MLR Press) _  
Unsettled Interlude - short story 1.15_ (free on Goodreads & Smashwords) _  
Unexpected Demands – book 2_ (MLR Press) _  
Unwanted Appeal – short story 2.5_ (free on Goodreads and Smashwords) _  
book 3_ (in progress)

**Other free stories by Kaje Harper:**  
Like the Taste of Summer  
Into Deep Waters  
Lies and Consequences  
Show Me Yours  
Within Reach

**This story follows after, and contains spoilers for,** **Unexpected Demands** **-** **Hidden Wolves Book 2** **.**

_Blurb:_ Werewolf packs traditionally stay aloof from one another, but gossip still spreads like wildfire. Whispers and rumors about Simon and his mate-bonded male lover, and the pack's experiences with human were-hunters, are still making the rounds. Aaron, the Alpha of Minneapolis West, would love to see his pack's fame fade into the past. But the arrival of two strange wolves makes it clear that for some outsiders, his pack is still considered a pariah, or a threat. For others, it has unwanted appeal.

Chapter 1

Aaron, Alpha of the Minneapolis West pack, stood at the upper window of the farmhouse and surveyed his domain. He laughed silently at himself for thinking of it that way, but that didn't change the feeling. Out there was a stretch of wooded land in his name, and a group of men who bowed their heads at his command. Maybe a touch ironically on Lucas and Simon's parts, but still. His pack, his place.

He'd never imagined this, in his childhood under the skies of Wyoming. Or in his tiny room in San Francisco. Or even when he was running silent and controlled, keeping his head down as Sixth in Gordon's pack. And yet here he was, and, he felt in his bones, here he belonged. After so many fresh starts, this was the life they'd have to pry out of his cold, dead hands.

The slightly uneven footsteps behind him were part of that. He didn't turn as Zach came up behind him and stood close at his shoulder. If they'd been really alone, instead of silhouetted in a window, Zach might have stretched enough to put his chin on Aaron's shoulder, but downstairs the rest of the pack was gathering. There were voices in the room below, and another SUV pulled up into the space in front of the farmhouse.

Aaron narrowed his eyes. The ground was really getting churned to mud out there. He'd have to order another load of gravel, and decide who needed to be put to work spreading it.

Zach said by his ear, on a faint breath that wouldn't carry, "Pumping up your boss-man ego?"

With his left hand, that would be completely hidden from the window, Aaron reached back and grabbed Zach through his jeans, in a grip just hard enough to make him yip. "You think I need to?"

"No, Alpha. Never. You're the ultimate boss-man at all times." Zach's voice, still a whisper, was shaking just a little. Probably with amusement, but over their Alpha bond, Aaron could feel a spark of desire in Zach too.

"And don't forget it." He let go, with a little pat of promise for later.

"Seriously, doesn't it chuff you a bit to have eleven grown men show up at your beck and call?"

"Chuff? Are you reading that British Doctor Who fiction online again?"

"And who showed me where to find it?" Zach sobered. "So the Alphas finally finished voting, huh?" He hesitated. "They didn't somehow choose you for the Council after all, did they?"

Aaron laughed. "When pigs fly. Can you imagine it? Alphas actually voting for the leader of the heretical gay pack as one of their policy-makers? Hah." For once, that was almost a good thing. He had no desire whatsoever to be on the Council. "I'm amazed they got enough of a consensus to elect anyone at all."

"Did some of them refuse to vote?"

"A few. Not many. The only thing worse than voting for someone who might command them, would be letting the other Alphas make the decision without them."

Zach muttered, "I can imagine."

The packs had traditionally all been equals, each with its own territory. Choosing representation for the entire North American wolf community had been a _very_ contentious decision. And the practical side had been almost worse. They'd ended up with an open ballot, just so every Alpha could see for himself that his vote was recorded and counted correctly. "Now the question will be how much weight the Council's recommendations will carry."

"Recommendations? Not orders?"

"Well, with us, there's definitely kind of an overlap. But no Alpha will admit he's back to taking orders. So the Council will call them recommendations, and we'll find out how it works as we go along."

"Rick Brown from Chicago is on it, right?"

"Yes. Top slot." It was typical of werewolves that even the Council of Five would have a rank order. And typical of the powerful Chicago Alpha to have come out on top.

"That's good, I guess."

Another car pulled into the drive. Aaron hadn't actively been counting arrivals, but he knew when the last of his pack passed under his window and into the farmhouse. He didn't move, though. The view was beautiful, with green leaves coming out on the trees, and the soft light of a Spring evening on the land. They hadn't owned this place long, and yet already he loved it. He let his eyes track up the nearest little hill. There was a spot on top there that he was particularly fond of.

Zach shifted restlessly. "I'll just go down and join the rest."

Aaron nodded, and heard him leave the room and start down the stairs. It would be smart to drag this out a little, to play the dance of indifference and dominance. It wouldn't hurt the men to wait a minute, and it was also better not to act as if Zach was glued to his hip. He let his eyes linger on the hillside.

Change was coming. Not just outside the window, where the short Minnesota spring was already coming on fast, but within the packs. This new Council was the packs' first concession to the truth that their days of hiding from humans were numbered. There would have to be new plans, adjustments, a loosening of old rigid rules to adapt to a new world.

It was a tricky process. And could be short-circuited at any moment, if some wolf, somewhere, anywhere in the developed world really, made a bad enough mistake. He was glad to let the Council carry the main burden, even if there was a text on his cellphone from Rick Brown saying, " _You owe me, and I'm collecting by making you an advisor, not just to the Council but to me personally. Expect a lot of work."_

Cool air blew over Aaron's back, where Zach had been warm, moments before. Aaron realized he'd have to watch himself, and make sure that his own personal needs didn't influence the advice he gave Rick. Gay tolerance would have to take a back seat to species preservation. Avoiding visible violence, planning for a good public image, security - those would be the watchwords.

He'd control his envy of his gay wolf Simon, out and proud with his lover Paul, and bide his time. And keep an eye on young Peter, almost unaware of what he was, but in the tolerance of this pack not hiding it well. Keeping them safe was everything, and coming out himself would not further that goal. There were higher priorities than letting the world know how he felt about Zach.

The voices below got louder, as his wolves hid their impatience with chatter and roughhousing. Time to go down and let them know about the latest changes. Already the Council had sent out a recommendation for vastly increased computer security. Luckily he'd already had Zach take care of all of theirs, but there would be other orders, er, _recommendations_ , coming from on high, no doubt. Well, his wolves were good at taking orders. Mostly.

He walked down the stairs as silently as he could, gradually opening his Alpha bonds to all his men now. He felt their curiosity and apprehension over being so abruptly summoned. He countered it with his own serene confidence. After what they'd already been through, he understood the worry, but this was nothing. A good step. They just needed to know the chain of command had gained another level.

They were quiet by the time he entered the front room, totally fixed on his approach, with all eyes turned to him. The human writer in him might have wanted to put in a little plug for democracy, but the Alpha wolf was buoyed up on the wave of obedient greeting and confidence that they gave him. He walked to the front of the room and they found their places, dropping to sit on the floor in a semicircle, from Mark on his right down to Peter on his left. Their eyes glittered in the bright overhead track-lights, and the world outside, behind the black-out drapes, receded from his mind. His pack waited for his word.

He gave them a grave nod, feeling the bonds between them tighten, like elastic bands contracting, thicker and stronger, pulling them toward him. He said, "West pack. We are met."

***

In the dimness of the curtained bedroom, Zach came so hard he saw stars. Maybe comets. Hell, just call it the Fourth of July happening behind his closed eyelids.

He braced his hands and knees on the bed, trying to stay upright as his vision sparkled and the electric rush of pleasure surged through him. His cock jerked in helpless, spurting response. He heard Aaron chuckle behind him, almost managing to sound coolly amused. Maybe an onlooker would have been fooled, but in that corner of Zach's mind where their pack-bond lay open for him, Zach could feel how close Aaron was to climax. All that glowing strength that was Aaron, piled up and up, like a wall of water behind a fragile dam, waiting to explode. Zach groaned hoarsely.

Aaron thrust deep in him again, and then drew out slowly. It was just like the bastard to hold on, to not let Zach's orgasm trigger his own. Holding out those few seconds, or minutes, that proved he was in full control. Zach tried to push back, but upright was the best he could do. He let his pleasure spill over the bond, and felt that blue-hot wall of Aaron get higher, heavier. Aaron drove forward once more, striking Zach's overstimulated nerves. He hit Zach's prostate and Zach lost it in a blind whiteout of _so good, too much, oh my fucking god!_

Zach's arms went limp, and he collapsed on the bed in a twitching, shuddering heap. For once, Aaron hadn't anticipated his fall soon enough to go down with him. Zach's abrupt movement pulled them apart. Zach tried to spread his thighs and cant his ass back up, but his muscles did no more than shiver. Instead of dropping over Zach and pushing back inside, Aaron reared up. Zach heard the snap of latex as Aaron yanked off the condom, then two rough strokes of palm on skin, and Aaron came, hot and silent, all over Zach's back and hair and down his cheek.

Zach breathed in the moment - the feel of his ass still clenching from taking Aaron deep, the molten heat of climax that suffused his cock and balls, the pressure of Aaron's hand on his hip, the smell of Aaron's semen on his face. For just a moment he let it be his world, and over their private pack-bond let Aaron feel just how right that was. How perfect. Then he grunted and rolled his head sideways to open one eye and peer back at his Alpha.

"The whole point of the fucking condom was for me not to have to scrub my skin raw getting the fucking smell of your cum off me."

Aaron cuffed the back of his head lightly, and pinned him to the bed with a strong hand between his shoulder blades. "Language, pup."

Zach hid a grin against the pillow. God, he loved this. Loved being the person Aaron could relax with, play with, fuck with. And yet, he also loved the way Aaron would jerk him up short sometimes, if he pushed the pack Alpha too far.

Aaron got off the bed and came to stand beside Zach, staring down at him. He reached out a long, elegant finger and swiped a drip of cum off Zach's ear. Zach watched through his one open eye. There was nothing more gorgeous in all the world than Aaron Tremaine, muscled and dark and supremely, confidently naked, looking down at him with the heat of possession in his eyes. Aaron raised his hand to his own mouth, slowly licked the droplet off his finger, and the salt-slick taste spread between them over the wide-open bond. Then he reached back down... and gave Zach's ear a sharp flick. "Rise and shine. No time to waste."

Zach jerked his head away and rolled over. A moment ago he'd have said he wouldn't be able to move for at least an hour, but Aaron's command and his own curiosity were working wonders. He waved a hand at Aaron. Aaron gave it a pro-forma glare, but then gripped his wrist and pulled him up to a sitting position. And instead of letting go, he raised Zach's wrist to his mouth and pressed lips and tongue to it. Zach shuddered in a wholly involuntary response.

Ignoring the ache in his well-fucked ass, he slid to the edge of the bed and swung his legs out. "So what do you think Michael wants?"

Aaron frowned, and Zach felt the bond between them thin slightly. "You know what I know."

"Which is sweet F- all."

"Pretty much." Aaron sighed. "We'll meet him in an hour, and find out. At least, I'll meet him. You only will if you get your cute ass into the shower and scrub well. Use the herbal soap."

"Yes, oh my lord and master," Zach quipped as he stood.

Aaron used the loose grip he still had on Zach's wrist to haul him in for a long, hard kiss. "And don't you forget it. Get clean."

Zach really wanted to linger under the water, enjoying the heat on abused muscles, and the way the shower brought the scents of Aaron's body to his nose. But he was a werewolf, which meant those muscles would be fine very soon on their own, and he'd been with Aaron long enough to know that the threat of being left behind was a real one. He scrubbed up quickly, wrinkling his nose at the eucalyptus and rosemary of the soap. By the time he was done, he smelled like a health-food store, and not like the guy the supposedly-straight pack Alpha was fucking. At least the condom had helped some - his skin and hair were easier to clean than the inside of his ass. Mission accomplished.

He toweled off fast, ran to his room for a T-shirt and jeans, and hurried down the stairs. Aaron was just tying his second shoe, keys to his Hummer in hand. Zach shoved his feet into his sneakers without bothering with laces and gave Aaron a bright grin. "Ready."

The April sunshine as they pulled out of the garage made him squint, so he turned his eyes toward Aaron instead. The Alpha drove the same way he did everything else, with a smooth easy confidence that looked almost ordinary, until it needed to become something else. The same way he fucked too. Zach squirmed in his seat, pressing down to enjoy the fading ache in his butt.

"Still sore?" Aaron asked without glancing his way.

"Not sore enough."

"Some other time." Aaron's mouth quirked in a tiny smile of anticipation. "Now quit fidgeting. You're being annoying."

"Sorry, Alpha."

They turned westward, heading out of the Twin Cities toward North Dakota. Not that they planned to hit the state line, but still the scenery was pretty much flat and boring already, suburban tract housing springing up between flat fields and clumps of oak and poplar. As they got further out, the houses became smaller and more weathered, spread apart and surrounded by outbuildings. The fields expanded, brown and bare with plowing, or fuzzed green with the early spring plantings.

Aaron's cell phone beeped, and he frowned. At the next dirt road he pulled over, checked a text message and pressed speed dial to make a call.

"Yes, Alpha?" The deference in Mark's voice was clear to Zach's acute hearing.

"Just a heads-up, Second. Here are the coordinates for this meeting." Aaron recited a GPS location.

"Do you want me to send back-up?"

"No. I still trust Michael. But you should know where we are, if anything blows up."

"I don't like it."

"I know. I'll call when we're done."

Mark said just a bit louder, knowing Zach would hear him, "Zach, you watch the Alpha's back, you hear me?"

Aaron snapped, "The day I need that, you can just go ahead and bury me."

"With due respect, Alpha," Mark ground out, "No one has eyes in the back of their head, not even you."

"I'm on it," Zach said, clearly enough to carry over Aaron's cell.

Aaron gave him a cool look, but just said, "Later, Mark," and hung up.

He pulled back onto the road. Zach let the silence between them defrost a bit and then muttered with only partly-assumed hurt, "Of course if you don't trust me to back you up..."

Sure enough, that sucked a bit of the anger out of Aaron. "No, of course I do. It's Mark questioning my judgment that I don't like."

"He's your Second." Zach said it as mildly as he could, and let the statement stand alone. As pack Second, it was Mark's job to be concerned about security, and even to question his Alpha's choices. Some Alphas didn't tolerate much of that, but Aaron was no dictator.

After two more silent miles, Aaron blew out a long breath. "Right."

Zach felt the tension in his own muscles ease off too. That was a downside to keeping open the pack bond that let his mind and his Alpha's touch. Aaron's moods could overwhelm Zach, and sometimes he wasn't even aware the emotions weren't his own until later. Aaron glanced at him, and then Zach felt his awareness of Aaron fade and disappear, as his Alpha closed their bond.

"You didn't have to do that," Zach protested.

"It's safer anyway. Simon tells me that when it's open, he can practically see the connection between us."

Zach nodded. That comment gave him a stomach-rolling combination of the warm fuzzies and cold fear. The thought that his bond to Aaron was so strong it was visible was sweet balm, a counter to those midnight fears when he woke up reaching for Aaron, certain that the pack leader had moved on to someone more worthy while Zach slept. But being visibly together, visibly gay, could still get one or both of them killed if the wrong wolf made the connection. Sometimes Zach got very tired of the tightrope they walked. Although never tired enough to leave Aaron. Still...

"Have you ever thought of maybe taking a trip to Tahiti and just not coming back? The two of us?"

Aaron chuckled. "Never."

No, of course not. Aaron was Zach's lover, but he was Alpha - father and leader and protector and supreme ruler - to a whole pack. Leaving would never even have crossed his mind.

Aaron glanced at the GPS on his dashboard, and took the next road left. For another ten minutes they drove, meandering on smaller and smaller roads, until they turned down a dirt lane bordered by open fields. At the end of the lane, a small dilapidated barn stood alone in the flat landscape. Aaron stopped the Hummer fifty feet from it.

In the sudden silence, Zach could hear the ping of the cooling metal. A flock of geese flew over, heading northward in a ragged V, their haunting cries floating down from the sky. He sharpened his attention, noting the rustle of some small creature in the foot-high weeds alongside the drive. And footsteps coming around the barn.

The man who appeared was tall, lanky, and moved with economical, easy strides. He was muscular, but the power of his body was downplayed by his calm demeanor. His tousled brown-blond hair fell over his forehead, and he wore faded jeans and a denim shirt. His boots hit the ground with just a hint of emphasis, showing that the audible footfalls were deliberate. When he glanced up at them, the sun caught green highlights in his eyes.

Aaron slid out of the car and took a dozen steps away from it. Zach scrambled to do the same, rounding the hood to stand within fighting range of Aaron. As Michael walked toward them, Zach knew he should have been watching the intruder to their domain, but he couldn't help watching Aaron instead.

Aaron's face might have seemed impassive, but Zach could see the tiny smile that pulled little arcs at the corners of his mouth. His eyes were open and wide as he waited for his cousin to reach them.

Michael stopped two feet from Aaron and dropped his gaze, bowing his head. "Alpha."

"Idiot." Aaron closed the gap, but hesitated. "Are we okay?"

Michael laughed. "Unless you've developed delusions of grandeur while I was gone, we're fine."

Aaron's rare grin lit his whole face, as he grabbed Michael in a hard hug. Zach swallowed down his unjustifiable jealousy. Really, he had no excuse. Michael was straight, mate-bonded to a woman, with a teenage son. He was no threat to Zach's position.

But there was no one else in the world that softened Aaron in quite that way, not even Zach. He gritted his teeth and looked away, surveying the surroundings like a good back-up should.

Michael and Aaron stepped apart after a moment. Michael said, "So, you look good. A hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you. I take it things are settling down?"

"Yeah. No one's tried to kill us in, what, almost three months now."

"You'll die of boredom, cuz."

"Not a chance."

"Seriously, you're... different. Growing into the role, I guess. That head bow wasn't just a joke. Alpha."

Aaron's voice softened for a moment. "Thank you." Then his tones got cooler. "So, why are we here? If you just wanted a reunion you could have come to my place."

"Yeah. It's a bit more than that."

There was a pause, and Zach couldn't avoid another glance at Michael. He found those green eyes fixed analytically on him. Michael said, "Why don't you introduce me first? I remember the face."

Zach jerked his chin up and straightened his shoulders involuntarily. The last time Michael had seen him, he was still recovering from detox and trying to convince himself that Aaron would never look at a scrawny twenty-year-old submissive wolf. A lot had changed since then. Sometimes that felt like a lifetime ago.

Aaron said, "This is Zach, my pack Ninth. And computer expert."

"This guy?" Michael raised an eyebrow, and then circled them, forcing Zach to turn to keep him in view. Zach did so, pivoting slowly on his heel as the Wyoming wolf prowled in slow strides behind Aaron. It was a measure of just how much Aaron trusted his cousin that he didn't turn, but watched Zach in amusement as Michael crossed behind him.

Michael stopped in front of them again and grinned. "I've heard of this guy. He's supposed to be the best. Makes the packs with secrets quake in their boots."

"He what?" Aaron lost his amused air. "What have you heard?"

"That you have a top notch hacker, a real computer ninja. That the directive about computer security that came down from the new Council of Five was your doing, or, more correctly, his. That he can get into locked files and make them dance."

Zach felt a warm rush of pride at the words, but Aaron swore harshly. "Damn! That's all we need."

"What?" Zach asked.

"For us to look like a real threat. And for it to be all about you. I want us to be as invisible as possible and that's not the way to do it."

Michael said, "If it's any help, no one's said online _which_ of your wolves is the hacker. So everyone's just wary of your whole pack, which may not be a bad thing. And the Council is hammering the message home about security right now. It might gain you some respect, if the packs think the top Alphas take your advice."

"Hm." Aaron didn't sound convinced, and he took one step closer to Zach.

"And you haven't introduced me properly to Zach."

Aaron's eyes narrowed. "In what sense?"

"Are you mate bonded? Or just fucking?"

In one fast movement, Aaron put himself between Michael and Zach. Michael raised his empty hands. "Relax, cuz. That was a real question. Whichever it is, he has you looking good, so that makes him okay in my book."

Aaron's tension ebbed but he stayed put in front of Zach. "What makes you think we're doing either?"

"When I threaten him in any way, you're there."

"I protect all my wolves."

"This is different. I've seen you with your wolves before, and yes, you'd take a bullet for any of them, but with this guy there's no limit. I can't explain it, but I can feel it."

"Damn," Aaron said, remarkably mildly in Zach's opinion. Of course Michael was one of the very few people who already knew Aaron was gay, which no doubt took him half way to that conclusion.

Still, Zach asked conversationally, "What do you say, boss? Do we have to kill him?"

Michael laughed. "I'd like to see you try, little Ninth." Aaron's face must have changed because Michael immediately added, "Or not. Cool the hell off, Aaron. I'm not here to make trouble for you. I'm glad if you've found someone. And if this guy is your hacker, then there's more to him than his low pack status shows. I hope you're excruciatingly happy with unicorns farting rainbows all over."

Aaron said, "Yeah. I am. Minus the rainbow farts. But if you didn't know in advance about Zach, then there's still another reason we're here."

"He's sitting in my car, behind the barn, with a set of headphones on playing Led Zeppelin."

Aaron growled. "You brought a stranger and didn't warn me?"

"Don't worry. He knows better than to move or listen in."

"You're sure?"

"Oh yeah."

"So why is he here?"

"Long story?"

"Make it shorter."

"He needs a pack," Michael said. "You need more muscle. Win-win."

Aaron's lip twitched. "Okay, make it longer again."

"His name is Cord. He's single, twenty-four, and was pack Tenth with us."

"Was?"

"He's out now. Samuel cut his pack bond off short."

Aaron didn't react, but Zach couldn't restrain a shiver at the thought. _Cut his pack bond off -_ this Cord had had that bond in his head, that held Alpha and pack and all that was wolf in him, taken away. God, Zach knew how that felt, to be alone in his head. To be packless. When their old Alpha, Gordon, died, the whole pack had moaned as one, an involuntary cry of loss as the connections that made them who they were had ripped away, leaving a hollow aching space behind. It had been worse than detox, more powerful than the craving for alcohol. When he'd sworn to Aaron and felt the new bond lock in, he'd almost collapsed with the relief. Poor Cord.

Although come to think of it, Aaron had survived being alone, for years.

"Why?" Aaron asked.

"Basically?" Michael gave a rueful shrug. "Because he's pretty. Because Samuel has fallen hook, line and sinker for a little blond airhead who can't stand the thought of anyone not being just bowled over by her beauty."

"What happened?"

"Depends on who you ask. If you believe Cord, and personally I do, he was in the ranch office and Dora asked him for some help steadying a stool while she climbed up to get a box. She wobbled, he grabbed her, she twisted so they ended up on the floor with him on top, and she started kissing him. At which point Samuel walked in on them."

"Shit."

"Yep. If you believe _her_ , Cord tackled her to the ground and forced his kisses on her."

"He's pack Tenth and she's his Alpha's girlfriend? He'd have to be suicidal."

"Right. But she's not bonded, so she has no real clue about the dynamics. She was probably trying to make Samuel jealous. Or maybe just boosting her own ego. And she is stunningly pretty, so it's not like it would be out of the question for Cord to want her enough to be stupid. She claims he'd been coming on to her for weeks, wouldn't take no for an answer. He's probably lucky Samuel just bond-ripped him and kicked him out instead of killing him."

"Why not just demand the truth from him?" Zach asked. "A Tenth couldn't lie to his Alpha."

"That assumes Samuel wanted to hear the truth," Michael said. "Once the bond was broken it became a moot point."

Aaron's lip curled. "He's that obsessed with her?"

"What some men won't do for a hot piece of tail, right? Like getting a blow-job in the Oval Office. Or kicking out the guy in the pack who's most likely to make a girl's panties fall off, just on her say-so." Michael shrugged. "Samuel thinks the sun rises between her double-D's. We're all hoping he comes to his senses before he marries her. Or God forbid, gets her pregnant. None of the other women like her either, so the whole pack is on edge. But Samuel's infatuated with the girl."

"How old is she?"

"Thirty. Not really a girl, but she's immature, and he's fifty years older. Maybe he's getting senile."

"I dare you to say that to his face."

"Not happening. He's still Alpha. He'd squash me flat."

"So where do I come in?"

Michael reached up as if to tug a hat down over his face, and then brushed his hair aside instead. "Well, I'm pack fixer. Not enforcer, that's still Nate. But when there's a problem that needs more finesse than force, it comes to me. Cord was that kind of problem. I was charged with finding a place for him far, far away from Dora. And for all that he's not very dominant, Cord can fight. That's a rare combination. So I thought of you."

"He's not gay, is he? Because I don't want..."

"No, of course not. Or..." Michael hesitated. "Hell, he could be for all I know. But my thought was that your pack is under-muscled for what might come along. Cord's actually an okay guy, even if he looks like a male model. A bit immature and not too bright, but he'll learn. Until now, he did fine with the women in the pack, more of a pet than a problem for them. He'd be willing to settle down in the middle of your pack somewhere, and then you'd have someone who can actually fight at your back in a pinch. And you're plenty far enough from Wyoming for Samuel's peace of mind."

"I have back-up. My Second would make a snack out of any twenty-four-year-old."

"I didn't mean any insult to Mark. But after him, you have at most a couple who look decent, and then your pack is full of lightweights. Like I said, this looked like a win-win."

"You did make sure he's okay with Simon and Paul?"

Michael looked slightly sheepish. "I tried. I think he's in shock. I drove straight through, twelve hours, and he hasn't said more than two words. I did tell him where we were going and he didn't object."

"So why the _hell_ didn't you just call me first?"

"Mostly I was trying to get far, far away from Samuel before he changed his mind and went for the easy, rip-his-throat-out solution. Then once we were underway I figured, what the hell. You'd never say yes or no without meeting the guy anyway, so why not keep it simple? And here we are."

Aaron glared at Michael, who looked impressively unconcerned. If Zach had been on the other end of that blazing look he'd probably have been on his knees. Of course Michael had his own Alpha, and decades more experience. He'd probably earned the right to answer Aaron with a grin.

Eventually Aaron sighed. "Sure, why not. Go get him."

Zach watched with a mix of curiosity and apprehension as Michael headed around the old barn. Things were pretty settled in the pack right now. Damian and Patrick occasionally squabbled over deference, but it wasn't serious. Richard still avoided getting too close to Simon, while doing a competent job at anything Aaron asked of him. They all basically got along. Adding a new guy to the mix didn't appeal very much.

Then Michael reappeared, and the appeal went right down into the negative numbers. Because the guy behind him took "pretty" and "male model" and made them both look like road kill. No wonder the Wyoming Alpha had banished this guy far, far away from his girlfriend. In fact, no wonder the girlfriend had tripped Cord. The only question was why the rest of the pack hadn't drowned this guy around age fourteen or whenever he'd sprung those high cheekbones, that elegant jaw and the perfect nose.

To make things worse, Cord had Zach's own brand of looks, only much, much better. Zach usually wasn't a jealous idiot. Hell, one of his best friends in the pack was Simon's mate, Paul, who was golden and gorgeous and too oblivious to even know how appealing he looked. But Cord had dark hair like Zach's, only sleeker; dark eyes like Zach's, only larger and brighter; olive skin like Zach's, but far smoother. He had a slim, graceful build, but was tall enough and had enough muscle to move really well, like a martial artist. He was stunning and completely unfair.

Zach was suddenly painfully aware of the cowlick where his own hair grew crooked, and of the little zit by his hairline that had appeared since his last shift. His left leg was still a fraction of an inch shorter than the right, and even when he'd had two perfect legs he'd never moved like that.

The only plus side was that Aaron was staring at this vision of perfection with a narrow glare, far less welcoming than any look he'd ever given Zach.

"So, Cord, why do you want to join my pack?"

The new guy looked at Aaron, slowly, squinting as if staring into the sun. "Um." His voice sounded rusty and he cleared his throat and tried again. "I need a pack. It's empty in there."

"What are you offering me?"

Cord looked startled, as if he hadn't realized that was a consideration. "My pledge?"

"Obviously." Aaron took two steps forward, with his own liquid grace that Zach realized was a lot like Cord's, except with somehow more weight behind it, even though Cord was slightly taller. Cord's eyes dropped under Aaron's gaze. "What benefit do you bring to my pack? Why should I shake up my men with a newcomer? What are you good for except unsettling things and making other wolves' women jump you?"

"She was the one who did that. I swear!" Cord's voice slipped to a higher register. "I wouldn't mess with my Alpha's girl. I'm really not that stupid. Or that hard up. I could have had anyone I wanted; I didn't need her."

Zach bit his lip at the ego in that. _Wonderful._ This guy was clearly _not_ oblivious to how he looked.

"I believe you," Aaron said. "Which doesn't mean I won't make you repeat that after you swear to me, _if_ you do. I'm not interested in what you didn't do, though, I want to know what you're worth."

"I don't... What do you want? Like my skills? I worked the farm and the ranch when I was younger. Bottle-raised and gentled some of the horses, to make them pack-safe. Now I keep the books, mostly."

"So you're good with money?"

"I have an accounting degree."

"Well, that's worth something."

Zach knew their pack's finances were still tangled up with Joshua's pack, although they were gradually making the split between them complete. Still, it was complicated, with generations of investments and dozens of incomes. Aaron hadn't slept for a couple of nights when he was making the decision to buy the farmhouse and running-space property. Zach had helped with back-rubs and distraction, but he'd been pretty useless with mortgage points and investment returns. Cord would have been more useful to him...

Cord raised his eyes more hopefully to Aaron's. "I can fight too. Wolf and man. I've studied Taekwondo since I was four. I have a black belt. If you bond me, I'll fight for my Alpha."

Aaron raised a hand, and Cord subsided to silence again. But his stare held blazing heat and entreaty in it now. Like an addict looking at that next hit, Zach thought sourly, not letting himself compare it to a man looking at his Dom and lover. There was nothing sexual in it. Definitely.

Aaron just looked steadily back. Zach knew that steel-cold gaze. Whatever was going on behind it, you wouldn't find out until Aaron was ready. Cord held it for maybe thirty seconds. Then he bowed his head and dropped gracefully to his knees. Very gracefully. Damn him.

Aaron said, "I'm not going to let anyone stampede me into this, not even you, Michael. I won't decide right here."

Michael said, "I was hoping to head back home."

"You just drove twelve hours. You need a break anyway."

Michael's voice was amused. "I was a Navy SEAL. We were up for days at a time on a mission. Twenty-four hours driving on homeland freeways is nothing. I'll just leave him with you and go..."

"No." Aaron's single syllable cut across Michael's words like a sword. Zach saw Michael's face go blank and expressionless. Aaron said, "Stay here with him for today. It's safe enough - no one can approach without you seeing them." He didn't bother to look at the flat fields stretching out around them, but for the first time Zach realized why they were meeting in a place that seemed so out in the open. Michael didn't bother to look around either, but then he'd chosen the spot. "At seven PM, we'll meet at the Sherburne Wildlife Refuge." He recited the location. Michael didn't write it down or even nod, just waited. "I'll have the whole pack there. He can run with us. I'll decide after that. Then I'll either bond him, or you can find somewhere else for him."

"I'd planned on getting back to Wyoming before..." This time just the look in Aaron's eyes was enough to cut Michael off. "Yes, Alpha." Although he clearly couldn't resist adding, "Can we drive into town and get some food, maybe? I'd hate to starve Cord before you test him."

Zach could almost _feel_ Aaron wanting to say no. The need to dominate Michael in front of the two lower wolves was clear in the lines of Aaron's body. But Aaron had always said that dominance included being smarter and more reasonable than your subordinates, and Zach saw him master the impulse. He eased off and waited, his head slightly cocked, until Michael said, "Please?" in an exaggerated voice.

Then he nodded, taking it for the win. "Yes. Eat, get rested, don't come closer to town than Monticello or you'll hit pack territory. And keep his pretty face out of trouble."

Cord was still on his knees, staring at the ground. But he said very softly. "Please. Do I have to wait? It hurts."

Aaron didn't even look at him. "I'll see you tonight Michael. It'll be fun, either way."

"Yep." Michael gave him a return nod and then glanced at Zach. "Good to meet you again, Zach. I'm glad he has you at his back. Or, you know, in front of him." His voice was completely free of innuendo, but his eyes, out of Cord's line of sight, weren't. Zach heard Aaron's teeth grate together.

Zach said cheerfully, in an inconsequential tone, "It'll be cool to run together. You left far too soon last time. I'm glad you're _having_ to stick around." He smiled as if that sentence hadn't had barbs in it.

Michael grinned back, showing his teeth. "We'll see you at seven."

Aaron stalked to the car, and Zach fell in behind him. They got in silently, and Aaron made a neat three-point turn and drove off. Zach saw Aaron's eyes flick to the rear-view mirror once. Curiosity made him keep his own eyes fixed on it. As long as they could see that gravel drive, Cord remained on his knees in the dirt and Michael just stood still and watched them go.

Chapter 2

_So that was...interesting._ Aaron was pleased to see Michael again, but damned if he knew whether he liked this gift Michael had dragged into town for him. He waited until trees finally screened them from Michael's sight and then reached out to smack Zach sharply on the chest. "What the hell were you doing baiting Michael about having to wait on my command?"

"He started it."

"He was trying to get to _me._ You're not worth his time. He could take you apart in seconds."

A small frown creased Zach's smooth forehead. He said slowly, "I think he was testing me a bit too. Seeing if I'd stand up to him."

Aaron gave that a moment's thought, then nodded. "Maybe. But he's still Fourth and fixer, in a pack more old-school than ours. You're playing with fire."

"He'd never really hurt something you cared about," Zach said confidently.

Aaron gritted his teeth. "What he counts as not-really-hurt could be plenty painful, boy."

"I've had pain before. No big."

Aaron wanted to say, yes, it was. Zach had endured a whole lot of hurt and abuse from his grandfather, and sometimes from Karl, before he'd become Aaron's. That past was hard enough for Aaron to think about. Someone hurting Zach now... just no. "If someone really takes you on, I might jump in to protect you and give us away." Because Michael was right - as protective as he was of all his wolves, Zach was his in a very different and more complete way, and no one else got to lay a finger on him.

"I trust your control," Zach said.

_Well, fuck._ There was no good answer to that. And it was just Zach, doing what he always did and making Aaron seem like more than he really was. A perfect Alpha would have that kind of control, to sit back and take the high road. But a perfect Alpha would have a woman for his mate, and not one single member of the pack would lay a finger on her. There were no gay Alphas. At least, none who were out. Aaron felt like he kept running up against extra reasons why.

Rather than go further down that road he pulled out his phone and tossed it to Zach. "Dial Mark."

When his Second answered, Zach clicked it to speaker. Not that wolves really needed the amplification. Aaron said, "I met with Michael. He brought us a possible recruit."

"Are we the man's only hope for a pack?"

"Not obviously," Aaron said, figuring that was an oblique version of _is he gay?_ "I'll ask him directly if we get that far."

"A close friend of Michael's?"

Aaron heard just a touch of apprehension in Mark's tone. Michael had been a SEAL, and friends of his were likely to be heavy hitters, and competition for his Second. "No. A low-ranker who got tossed out for something Michael thinks wasn't his fault. He's done martial arts, though, and Michael thought he'd add some muscle for us."

"Ah. That could work." Mark sounded relieved.

"I'm not sold on the idea, but I haven't ruled it out. We're going to run with him first. Sherburne, at seven. Spread the word, assign approaches. We meet in fur, on the edge of Durgin Slough."

"Yes, Alpha."

At Aaron's nod, Zach clicked off the phone and handed it back. Aaron drove on in silence.

Mark was competent. He'd find everyone, pass the information, and set things up so there wasn't a parade of cars into the wildlife refuge all at once. All concerns aside, Aaron was looking forward to a run. It'd been days since he'd taken the time to really stretch his legs. Running with Michael would be excellent. And running with Zach even better.

He let his eyes drift to the young man beside him. They'd had three months together, and he was still figuring out how he and Zach fit together. Other than one day at a time.

There were hidden depths to Zach. Tweaking Michael's tail took nerve, no matter how sure Zach was of Michael's restraint. He might pay for that little bit of insolence tonight, and he was right that Aaron would just have to let him. Of course, there was something to be said for the prospect of comforting him, after.

As long as it was just minor hurts. Aaron controlled a shudder at the memory of Zach, broken and bloody, as Aaron helped haul him out of a collapsed building. However oddly sweet it had been to care for his boy once the crisis had passed, he never wanted to go there again. But licking a bite wound or two? That he could do. Lick Zach anywhere. Despite the hard, hot sex they'd had just an hour ago, he was restless, and eager to top Zach again.

Part of that eagerness felt like a need to reclaim Zach, after seeing him with Michael and Cord. Damn, Cord was gorgeous. That was going to be a handicap in any pack, although maybe less so in his, since there was only one unbonded wife, and she was a timid woman who kept to herself. But girlfriends could make jealousy a problem. The key might be to get Cord mated, or at least hooked up with someone who could handle him ASAP. As long as he wasn't gay.

He felt a little growl rumble in his chest and controlled it with an effort. The odds were Cord was straight. The odds were even better that Zach wouldn't so much as look at the guy, no matter how perfect his face and body were. The question was, could Aaron manage to keep his own inner possessive freak under control if they took Cord in?

The answer had to be yes. If, by some miracle, he was going to keep Zach as his mate, then there would be other hot men around Zach over the years. Aaron couldn't go around glaring and growling without making it dangerous for both of them.

He felt his coolness revive at that thought. Yes. Zach's safety depended on never reacting the wrong way where others could see them. So Cord would be the perfect test. Nothing mattered more than keeping Zach alive, so if that demanded that Aaron develop some serious acting chops and pretend not to see Zach's jaw hit the ground when Cord flexed and posed, Aaron would find the strength to do that.

_I am Alpha, hear me roar bullshit._ Well, he had tonight to test himself anyway, before being committed.

Zach asked eventually, "So what's on the agenda for today, other than meeting Mr. Abercrombie and Fitch? Any jobs for me? I'm actually free right now."

Aaron tried to wrench his mind back to ordinary pack business. Zach had been in high demand for the last two months, doing computer security first for the South pack and then for North, even before the Council directive came down. Hanson and Joshua hadn't needed the writing on the wall to see the sense of that. But Zach had finished the last North packmember's system on Friday. "That cabinet installation for the Hendersons is over schedule. If you don't mind risking your lethal keyboarding fingers, you could help out there."

"Me? And a hammer?"

"Stick to a screwdriver."

Zach snorted, and said with an exaggerated French accent, "I am zo good with ze screwing."

Aaron cuffed his head without looking over. "Behave, boy." But even that little innuendo had spiked the heat in his groin. After all those celibate, perfectly asexual years hiding within the pack, he still lost his control completely when he was alone with Zach. Not that he was complaining, except for form's sake. He'd just have to continue to take however many hot or cold showers were required to go back out in public afterward.

"Seriously, Aaron, are you thinking about letting that guy into our pack?"

"Maybe. Michael's right when he says we're small, and short on security."

"You don't think he'll be trouble?"

Aaron tried for a very bland tone. "Why on Earth would I think that?"

He heard the hitch of Zach's breath. He eased their bond back open, and felt Zach's puzzlement and caution, as he presumably tried to work out if Aaron really hadn't paid attention to Cord's looks, and then whether he should say something.

Aaron drawled smoothly, "Just because the man is sex on a stick."

Zach laughed, but Aaron felt a little twinge of something uncertain in it. "He's pretty fucking hot, isn't he?"

"And he knows it," Aaron said in a deliberately analytical voice. It was one thing to jerk Zach's chain, but he didn't really want to worry him. "Too smooth by half, even with his thoughts fixed on the pain of being bond-stripped. It's a good thing we don't have a lot of wives for him to make trouble with, or vice versa. But yes, I'm definitely weighing the risks and benefits."

"You don't think he's gay though?"

"No sign of it. But we both know he could hide it. I will ask him outright, if it comes to that."

"It freaked me a bit, that Michael could tell about us right away."

It had bothered Aaron more than a bit, but he said calmly, "He knows me better than anyone on Earth, except you. He's sharp, and trained as a spy of sorts." Michael said SEAL missions sometimes took them into hostile territory undercover. "And, of course, he knows I'm gay. I don't think anyone else would have put it together that fast."

"I hope not." Zach eyed him sideways from under his dark bangs. "Maybe one day we can come out and not have to worry about it."

"Maybe," Aaron said forbiddingly. He was _not_ opening that line of conversation, it was both too risky and too damned appealing.

They hit more traffic as they got into the suburbs. Aaron paid attention to his driving. The Hummer was really a bit of overkill, and other drivers seemed to underestimate its size, but with Zach on the other seat Aaron was still glad he'd bought the safest car for survival. He turned in the drive and slotted it through the garage door with nonchalant ease. Zach hopped out the moment the engine stopped. "If I'm going to go work, I need to change."

Aaron followed, watching him bound into the house and up the stairs. A human man with the leg injuries Zach had suffered would have been barely out of his cast by now, if that. In some ways, it was easier loving a werewolf. He pulled out his phone.

Simon answered with a cheery, "Yes, boss?"

"Are you at the Henderson job yet?"

"Just heading over there."

"Would you swing by here and pick up Zach? He's going to help out."

"Don't you think the kid could use a Saturday off? He's worked hard the last few weeks."

"The _man_ can pull his weight. That job needs to get done." Aaron might call Zach "boy" for the pleasure of it, but he was trying very hard to not treat him as a child. The age gap between them bothered him sometimes. Although Zach was one hell of a mature twenty-one-year-old, Aaron was still twice his age. He hesitated, wondering if this assignment was him pushing Zach to be more grown up just for Aaron's comfort, and then decided no, this was him trying to keep pack finances afloat. "You all can quit at four though. Time to have a little break before the pack run."

"I don't suppose you want to share why we're suddenly booked to meet at Sherburne, boss?"

"Didn't Mark say?"

"You know Mark. Need to know and chain of command are still his watchwords."

Mark was a Minneapolis cop, and a pack Second, so that was natural, but Aaron was trying to move his pack into the twenty-first century. Not enough to make it a democracy, but a bit beyond blind obedience. "We have a potential recruit. My cousin Michael brought him. We're going to meet them and sound him out. It's no secret, so you can tell the others."

"Is he gay?"

Aaron sighed. That was clearly going to be the first question about any new wolf who joined them, and with this stunning man, a _no_ was going to be met with some disbelief. He hoped Cord was up for that. "Not as far as I know. We'll find out though."

"Okay, boss."

Aaron went into his study and pulled the secure laptop out of its locked storage. This one never got used on the Net at all. After entering three levels of passwords, he pulled up the directory of all the info Zach had managed to compile about other packs. Samuel was listed under _Wyoming Alpha_ with a cell phone, a home phone and an office. Aaron hesitated, then dug out a throwaway cell from several in his drawer and dialed Samuel's office number.

You had to judge things carefully when dealing with other Alphas. This office number was the easiest to find if someone wanted to make contact. Revealing that he knew the others might spook Samuel. The voice that answered was a woman's. "Wild River Ranch. May I help you?"

Aaron wondered if that was Dora. It was a good bet Samuel would be keeping her close for a while. He said, "I'd like to talk to Samuel. Tell him it's Aaron from Minnesota."

The complete lack of hesitation on the other end suggested the woman was not a pack mate, or at least not trusted with secrets. "Sure. Hold on please."

Aaron wondered if he'd be left on hold for a while, to put him in his place. He reached for his keyboard, but Samuel came on the line before he had time to even open a file. "Aaron?"

For just a moment, Aaron was thirteen again, and learning about pack from Samuel. Aaron's own father had been cold, demanding obedience without explanation. It had been this rich voice Aaron had listened to, as they worked side by side on a fence-line, finally explaining so many of the things his father wanted just taken on trust. Aaron had to work to keep his voice strong and not deferential. "Yes, it's me."

"It's been a long time, boy."

"And a long time since I was a boy," Aaron said, letting a little ice into his tone.

Samuel chuckled. "Fair enough. You know, I was the one who always said you'd go far. But it's been thirty years without a word from you. What do you want today?"

"Information." He'd debated whether to contact Cord's old Alpha, and decided the downside of not doing so was higher. Samuel would find out soon enough where his wayward wolf ended up. Giving him advance notice might buy Aaron some courtesy points. "I have a petitioner who says he knows you."

Samuel grunted. "I know who you mean."

"He hasn't signed any contracts yet," Aaron said, cryptic out of long force of habit. "Before I let him join the group, I wanted to run it by you and find out, now that tempers have cooled, just how much trouble this guy is likely to be. If it was all just a... personality clash, then maybe he'll fit better here. If he really roughed someone up, then I don't need that kind of problem."

Samuel said slowly, "There was no major damage done. If I really thought he was that bad, he wouldn't be out there with you now." _Because if Samuel had really thought Cord attacked a woman, especially his woman, Cord's body would be cooling in an old mineshaft somewhere._ That fit with what Michael had said.

"So if he hangs out with us, you won't feel the need to interact with him anymore?" _Translation - you're not planning to come after him?_

"No. Out of sight, out of mind."

Aaron figured it wasn't Samuel's mind that needed to stop thinking about Cord. He wondered just how infatuated Dora had been. With luck, it was mostly injured pride on her part, that would subside fast once Cord was gone. "Good to know. Your ambassador can let you know how it plays out."

"I bet he was glad to see you again."

"That was the one upside of this."

"Yes. His report back in January was... interesting. But I was pleased to hear you survived and prospered."

"Thank you." Aaron just managed to bite the word "sir" off the end of that. Damnable old habits. He had to match Samuel in stature, or at least make him think they were close, to keep his pack safe. "I'll make a decision tonight. You'll get word of it tomorrow."

"That I will, _yes_." The emphasis was no doubt a little reminder that Samuel commanded Michael and would get a full report.

Aaron said, "Be well. It was good to hear your voice." He hung up first, before Samuel responded. All this status play made his head ache. He'd never been good at games, but ninety percent of being Alpha was mind games, convincing other people you were in command. Make that ninety-five percent. Actually having to fight was the mark of a failure somewhere.

Zach came down the stairs, dressed in work clothes. Aaron had a sudden strong impulse to rip them off him, but managed not to let a hint of it show. Downstairs was work space, open to all of the pack, and here they were just Alpha and the Ninth who roomed with him. "Call me if you need a ride home."

"I'd planned hang out with Simon and Paul tonight, remember? It was all set. We can just go on to the meet from their house."

"Ah. Very well then. I'll see you later."

"Yes, Alpha." Zach's tones were perfect, but his eyes danced.

Damn it. Aaron waited until he heard the front door close to stand up, adjust himself, and put the laptop away.

***

Zach wrapped the power cord neatly, and set his screwdriver back into the tool chest. He stepped away to let the next guy at the storage, and rotated his hands, working the stiffness out of his wrists and fingers. Maybe his crack about _ze screwing_ had been an overstatement. But within a few seconds the soreness eased.

Simon closed the top of the rolling chest, snapped the lock, and pushed it into the corner of the almost-completed kitchen. A moment later Richard, their Fourth, appeared in the doorway. Richard said, "I've spoken with the homeowner. They're okay with us coming tomorrow too, even though it's Sunday. We'll start at nine, so they can sleep in a bit. That should get us back on track." His tone was more irritated than satisfied though.

Simon lowered his eyes and nodded.

Zach assumed Richard's irritation was with the homeowners, whose change of plans halfway through the installation was what derailed the timetable. But Richard topped Simon in the pack, and wasn't his biggest fan. It was always safest to show deference. As Richard strode toward the door, Simon glanced at Zach, his smile as warm and easy as ever. "Still coming to our place?"

"If that's okay?"

"Absolutely. You know you're always welcome, show up anytime. Although, if you don't call first, you might want to knock." Simon's grin widened.

Zach couldn't help returning it. "I'd hate to get Paul mad at me."

"That makes both of us. Come on, let's go see if he remembered to start cooking early."

The drive to Simon's small house was silent, but easy. Zach was used to being chauffeured around, after the last three months that included alcohol detox, and a threat to the pack that had them all sticking together, followed by a badly broken leg. But the threat was over, the leg was pretty much healed, and Aaron still hadn't given him back his car keys. Zach decided it was about time to tackle the subject again. At least with Simon, being a passenger felt like two guys hanging out together, and not some kind of babysitting chore imposed by the Alpha.

Simon parked the truck in his driveway and sat for several minutes looking around, before getting out. Simon's posture in those moments was tense, his scent touched with acrid apprehension. Every muscle in his toned body was tight and quivering. Zach looked around nervously too, wondering what new problem might be lurking.

Simon glanced over at him and then gave a small laugh. "Sorry. Just habit." He took a breath and swung out of the truck, his movements studied, calm and controlled.

And Zach remembered that just three months ago, after getting out of this truck on this spot, Simon had been Tasered, kidnapped and tortured. It was probably no wonder his spine was poker-stiff, despite his facade of ease, and he swiveled his head to look and listen as he headed for the door. Werewolf body-healing was excellent, so Simon no longer carried the scars of that experience on his skin. But if Zach still had nightmares from his own small part of it, it was really no surprise Simon wasn't his old self yet. Zach walked behind him, at his shoulder, alert and poised as if ready for action, knowing that Simon would feel him there.

On the front step Simon hesitated, keys in hand, and glanced back at Zach. His expression was rueful. "Maybe I should build a garage, huh? Don't say anything to Paul."

Zach figured that between Paul's smart and observant nature, and his mate-bond with Simon, there probably wasn't much he didn't know, but he said, "No problem."

Simon led the way back to the kitchen. If Paul was making an early meal, it was something pretty odorless. The only thing Zach smelled was... cats?

They found Paul sitting on the floor of the kitchen, a towel on his lap with two tiny kittens squirming under his fingers. Paul held two of the tiniest baby bottles Zach had ever seen, feeding both kittens simultaneously. The babies kneaded against his fingers with paws smaller than the end of a pencil, translucent claws too delicate to prick skin.

Simon stopped in the doorway, just looking at them. At his shoulder, Zach started to speak, and then was caught by the expression on Simon's face. Simon wasn't looking at the little cats, but straight at Paul. His eyes were steady and dark, but there was such warmth in them, such naked love and want, that Zach felt like he was intruding. Before he could back away with excuses, though, Paul glanced up and saw them.

"So," he said, in a voice both amused and slightly belligerent. "We have cats."

"Uh huh." Simon's voice deepened. "I thought they were going to be born two months ago. And I thought we decided to find other homes for them and _not_ take them in to live with us."

"We did. With those kittens. They're doing fine. The mother of _these_ was a stray. A Good Samaritan brought her into the clinic this morning, half-starved and badly injured. She died, and most of the litter with her. I saved these two."

"Of course you did."

"And I decided to bring them home because I'd used up all the kitten fosters I could find on the last litter, plus they're a tiny bit premature so I wanted to be sure they were all right."

"Of course you did."

Zach could tell Simon was trying to look stern, but the twitch of his lips betrayed him. Paul's expression relaxed. "Is that okay? Really? Because one of the things I hate is when people buy someone else a pet without finding out if they really want it. Cats live fifteen years. I can bottle feed them for six weeks and then find places for them."

"Right."

"I can. If you really don't want them, I will."

Simon went over and knelt smoothly beside Paul. With one finger he reached out to touch the stripey kitten on the head, and then moved his finger to brush the back of Paul's hand. Zach could nearly see the bond between them, arcing from finger to skin in a warmth that made Paul's blue eyes light up and smoothed the little frown from his forehead. Simon asked, "So what are we calling them?"

"Well, I was thinking about Nimbus for the fuzzy white one, and Fractal, to match the zig-zag tabby stripes. I wanted the names to be unique in the clinic data base. But if you have other suggestions we can start a list."

"I'm in favor of unique. Nimby and Frack it is."

Paul snorted and swayed toward Simon as if to kiss him. Then he caught himself, glanced back at Zach, and flushed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you. I'm glad you came. I just got caught up with the babies. I didn't start dinner either. Why so early tonight, Simon?"

Simon stood easily. "I'll do it. I'm a better cook anyway. You still burn water when you're not paying attention."

"If you think you're distracting me from the question of why with insults, think again." Paul set one of the little bottles on the floor empty. "You can get me a damp tea-towel and tell me what's going on."

"Nothing much." Simon ran a dishcloth under the tap and then dropped it beside Paul's knee. He took a quick look at Zach, his eyes conveying some kind of message Zach didn't understand, and added, "We're going to go for a pack run in Sherburne Wildlife Refuge tonight."

"And you're doing this on short notice, and away from the lovely property we just paid through the nose for, because...?"

"We'll have strangers running with us and we want to do it on neutral ground."

Paul huffed a breath through clenched teeth. "Zach, do you want to tell me about this in one sentence and save me the work of dragging it out of Simon?"

"Not really," Zach said honestly.

Paul bent over the sleepy kittens, rubbing and cleaning them with the dishcloth, and then tossed it toward the sink. Zach and Simon both watched as he scooped the drowsy furballs up in the towel and transferred them to a box set up with a heating pad in the corner. Paul took his time, making sure the pad wasn't too hot, wrapping the towel just right. But eventually he stood and turned to Simon. "You're freaking me out, not reassuring me, by being all secretive about this."

"I'm sorry." Simon went to him and kissed him deeply without hesitation or a glance at Zach. Paul blushed again, but returned the kiss. Simon put an arm around him. "Really, it's not a threat or crisis or anything. There's a wolf in town who was thrown out of his old Wyoming pack and Aaron's friend Michael - you remember Michael?"

"Vividly. And his gun. Go on."

"Well, Michael thought this guy might be a good addition to the pack, so we're going to meet him, run with him for a bit, and then Aaron will decide if we keep him."

"Will I get a vote on that too? Do I even get to meet him first?" Paul asked.

Simon blinked. "There is no vote. Alpha decides."

"Of course he does." Paul shrugged Simon's arm off and turned to the cabinets, reaching up for plates and glasses, clinking them together as he set the table with stiff motions.

Simon said, "What? It's not that big a deal."

"Some guy I've never met is going to get a hook-up in your head, and through you into mine, and I have no say in it."

"Yeah, but... It's like in-laws, kind of. Your brother marries some woman and suddenly you're family, and you don't get a say in it. This is like that. Aaron makes the choice and if he brings someone into the pack, then we all figure out how to get along with them."

"So if Aaron suddenly gets the hots for some new cowboy and decides to marry him, we all have to share a bond...?" Paul paused abruptly, staring at Zach.

Zach realized he'd made some kind of sound, because Simon was looking at him too. Paul said quickly, "Zach, I'm sorry, that was a bad example and completely hypothetical anyway. Sorry!"

At least with these two men Zach didn't have to lie his face off. He did aim for nonchalance when he said, "I think this guy is straight." He hoped to hell Cord was straight.

Simon said, "And it's not like Aaron looks at anyone but you. Adding a member is pack business, not personal."

Zach sure hoped so, but he and Aaron had both done some looking. With luck that was all Cord would be - eye candy - for both of them. "So what are you cooking?"

Simon immediately waved his hand and raised an eyebrow. "I thought I'd make you guys my famous _boeuf_ á _la_ flat roundness, with wheat-based layers and a _coulis_ of vinegared tomatoes."

Paul translated, "Hamburgers in buns with ketchup. I feel so special."

"It's all in the presentation, babe. I think it's warm enough to put out the grill. You haven't seen me grill yet. I have an advanced degree in bar-b-que-ology."

"You have an advanced degree in bullshit." Paul gripped Simon's arm. "You're sure this is no big deal tonight?"

"Pretty sure. Michael wouldn't bring someone who was going to be a threat to Aaron's safety, and Aaron has good judgment about people." Simon threw Zach a wry glance. "Make that _excellent_ judgment about people. Adding to a pack from outside doesn't happen a lot, but sometimes. People move, packs split. We're small, so adding one more guy makes sense."

"And this guy will be okay with you and me? He won't try to jump you when your back is turned or something?"

Zach said, "I can guarantee that Aaron will make sure the guy is gay-friendly, or at least neutral, before he ever takes his oath. After all, there's always a chance we could get outed too. Aaron's not going to take in anyone who wouldn't stand behind us if that happens."

Paul took a breath and then released Simon's arm. "Okay. Then get to work, Rover. I've been bottle feeding your children for hours and they'll want it again soon. You're my mate - you have to feed me."

Simon grinned at Zach, as he reached for the sink to wash his hands. "You see what I put up with? Are you sure you want to be out of the closet and bonded and all?"

Zach said nothing, but yeah, he was sure. He dropped into one of the chairs and watched Simon and Paul move around and past each other in their kitchen, unconsciously at ease, as they got dinner started and the kittens snoozed in their box in the corner.

Chapter 3

Aaron parked the Hummer as inconspicuously as he could under a tree and slid out, dressed only in sweatpants and a T-shirt. The night was getting chilly and he shivered. He was eager to get into fur.

And not just for the warmth. He was unsettled in his skin, although which parts of tonight were doing it, he wasn't sure. He wished Zach had come home after work. An hour of jumping each other's bones in their big bed might have gone a long way toward settling Aaron's mood. But it was good for Zach to have time alone with Simon and Paul. There were inevitably going to be questions about being wolf and gay that Simon could answer better than Aaron, and Zach probably also needed a safe place to bitch about his Alpha. He and Simon had planned the evening together a week ago, so Aaron had no reason to feel rejected. Especially since he was cutting their time short.

He found a sheltered hollow a dozen yards away, screened by rocks and brush, and stripped with the speed of long practice. Even before shifting, his senses began tuning to the space around him, awareness moving from the human sphere to the wolf. There was small life out there. Water flowed at a distance. He rolled his wallet and phone securely inside his sweatpants pockets, and tucked the clothes out of sight. The breeze whispered over his bare skin, cool but rich with promise. He dropped to the ground and shifted. As muscles bent, bones warped, skin flowed into fur, he remained silent. For him this was always a heady rush, despite the pain of the process. He stayed as alert as he possibly could to his surroundings, though there were moments when his senses inevitably blurred. Shifting was always a period of vulnerability.

Once in fur, he stood, shook himself vigorously, and headed back to where he'd parked. This was the spot Mark also assigned to Simon's truck, and Aaron slid into concealment behind the Hummer, waiting. He would guard Simon and Zach as they shifted, before heading for the slough.

When Simon's truck pulled up, he was mildly annoyed to smell Paul with the other two in the cab. All three got out, and Aaron rounded the Hummer to come sit in front of them, tail curled over his feet like a dog, but his eyes fixed on Simon. Simon colored slightly, _as well he should_ , and cast a glance at Paul before saying, "He asked to come along, Alpha. He knows we're going to run in fur and that he can't join us."

Occasionally the limitations of this form were annoying. But rather than shift back and argue, Aaron lifted one lip on a silent snarl at Simon, and looked back and forth between Paul and the truck. While the immediate danger to the pack had probably passed, he didn't like the idea of Paul wandering around the wildlife refuge on foot, or even sitting alone in a vehicle for hours. Especially when an untrusted wolf like Cord knew where they would be.

Paul said sharply, "Aaron, don't you get hissy at Simon. I made him bring me. He said you're considering a new packmember, and that's my business too. If you're going to invite someone to have a line into my head, I should have some kind of say in it. You should have set this up so Megan and I could meet him too."

Simon coughed, and added, "With all due respect, Alpha."

Aaron stood up, stretching tall on stiff legs to emphasize his size, double that of any natural wolf. He took a step toward Paul, eyes fixed on the human's wide blue ones. He gave Paul a lot of leeway, but there were lines that had to be maintained for an Alpha in front of packmembers, even the two who knew he was gay and guarded his secrets. That little speech had crossed some of them. This was _not_ a democracy.

For a moment he wondered if Paul would push him some more. Simon must have wondered the same, because he moved uneasily putting himself just slightly between his Alpha and his mate. Fortunately, Paul dropped his eyes first. "Sorry, Aaron. I have no clue how this normally works. You know that. I feel like I'm skiing downhill fast without much control, and I'm not happy about a new boulder cropping up. But if you think this guy is right for the pack, I guess it's your choice."

Aaron figured _"I guess"_ was as much as he was going to get from Paul, and decided to take it. He wagged his tail slowly, twice, and sat back down.

Simon said, "What are you going to do while we're running, babe? Do you still plan to just sit here? You know you could drive somewhere and relax, come back in a couple of hours."

"I brought a journal to read," Paul said. "I'll hang out here. I'm good."

Simon was clearly working up to argue about it some more, but Aaron decided changing Paul's mind would take more time than they had. He opened his bonds to Simon and Zach, tasting Simon's frustrated affection and Zach's fizzing curiosity and excitement. He gave each of them a little push toward wolf, not enough to shift them, just a nudge of impatience. They both grunted and turned to him. He swung his head in the direction of the convenient rocks.

Zach headed over there quickly, already pulling his sweatshirt over his head to show the lean lines of his bare back. Simon hesitated, then said to his mate, "Just be careful. Lock the truck and stay in it until we get back."

Paul sighed. "I am so freaking tired of careful. But yes, I will."

Simon followed Zach into the screening shadows. Aaron sat near Paul, senses alert. He narrowed down the two pack bonds, as the pain of shifting washed through him from both men. It wasn't a bad pain, more like stretching a sore muscle, achy and unsettled but with the promise of ease if you got through it. Still, it was distracting, especially coming from Zach.

Paul muttered, "I'm sorry. I was taught to question everything, test everything, as part of learning vet med. Assuming someone else has all the answers is a good way to make the same mistake over and over. I have a hard time with the hierarchy part of being pack."

_No kidding._ Still, Aaron went over and rubbed his head against Paul's hand once. For wolves, falling into the patterns of dominance and submission, of strict pack order and obedience, was ingrained and automatic. Until recently, pack mates had all been women, and rarely so strong-willed that they would challenge the status quo. But both Paul, and Mark's wife, Megan, were not the type to stand idly by. The foundation his authority stood on with them had some shifting sand under it, even though they had the best intentions.

After a couple of minutes, Simon and Zach came trotting out from behind the rocks, Zach's smaller dark form a half-length behind Simon as was proper. Watching them, Aaron felt a shiver of excitement that washed away some of his darkness. He was more than ready for a good run. Simon came over, winding against Paul's legs, knocking him gently toward the truck with the force of more weight and lower leverage than Paul commanded. Paul laughed, grabbed Simon's ruff for balance, and let himself be chivvied into the passenger seat. Simon reared up on the step to give Paul's face a wide wet lick, making him splutter, and then came back to take station at Aaron's shoulder. Aaron waited just long enough to hear Paul shut and lock the door, and then sprang away into the darkness.

This close to a major city, the sky was never fully dark, especially to wolf senses. And despite the night's heavy overcast there was still some light in the sky. In the grey-lit world of the park, the rocks, trees and bushes, and expanses of water small and large, broke the rolling terrain. Aaron leaped into a run, full out over uneven ground carpeted in the snow-flattened stalks of old weeds and the green shoots of new. Behind and beside him, Zach and Simon ran with him.

_This, this was being fully alive!_ This was the rush of air, laden with the scents of pine and crushed grass, with hints of the turned earth of a burrow, with a tantalizing whisper of hot flesh/soft fur/beating heart that meant rabbit. This was their feet hitting the ground almost in rhythm, as soft as the patter of rain on old bark. This was the even breaths of Simon at his shoulder, the still-audible hitch of Zach's lame foot, the smell of pack and feel of pack. Or part of pack. As much as he loved these two, Aaron yearned ahead for the rest of his men. He opened all his bonds wide, feeling patience and eagerness, hesitation, effort, worry, exhilaration, as his wolves gathered for this meet.

The slough was a modest body of water, green with algae at its edges and not deep, live with the sounds of insects among the reeds and the ripple and plop of fish feeding at the surface. The smell was dense and thick in Aaron's nose, but he easily unwound the threads of it, ignoring water and plants to find the scents of wolf and man.

They were gathering at the west end of the water. Aaron mentally called off the roll, running through the ranks. Mark, Lucas, Richard, Simon, slipping away from him to take his correct place, Damian, Patrick, Andy, Zach, David - the eighteen-year-old who came below Zach - then young Peter, still nervous and hanging close to Mark, and Vincent, lying sprawled a little distance away with his greying muzzle resting on one forepaw. Not quite one big happy family. He saw Zach nudge David down a few inches, noticed Damian jostle Simon accidentally-on-purpose and get a look that promised trouble back. But pack. _His._

In flesh they would have spoken the ritual; in fur and far enough from humans they would have sung it. Here they did neither, but still he felt that connection springing from mind to mind. _We are met!_

A dozen yards away, Michael stood, still clothed and human, his hand resting on the ruff of a mid-sized grey wolf seated beside him. The wolf's scent identified him as Cord. Michael glanced around the circle, and said formally, "Greetings to Minneapolis West pack and its Alpha. I bring a petitioner to join you."

Aaron felt the group's curiosity sharpen, and a little jolt of surprise from the couple of wolves who obviously hadn't gotten the full message. He paced forward to stare at Cord. Although Cord had perhaps ten pounds of muscle on Aaron, and was in the first flush of youth, he bowed his head immediately, eyes to the ground. Aaron studied him and decided Michael was right. This was no dominant hiding in submissive clothing.

Michael said, "Although it would be fun to run with you, I think you need to test Cord without me around. I figure I'll head back to the car and wait there."

Aaron eyed him, thinking, and then dropped and rolled into a shift. He was fast at this, and in a moment he stood up, naked and at ease. "You think that's necessary?"

"Cord's been below me in the home pack for years. If you want to know how he'll fit with your wolves, it will be clearer if I'm not around."

Aaron had been looking forward to running with Michael, but he was right. Michael's company would have been a distraction from the true business at hand. He said, "Would you mind going back that way then, and hanging out with Paul? Keep him company?" _Keep him safe._

"Sure. Can do."

Aaron felt Simon's tension fade as Michael headed off in Paul's direction, moving almost as silently as in wolf form. Once he was gone, the pack's attention sharpened on the newcomer. Cord stood slowly, moving with caution that was control and deference both. Aaron turned and ran his eyes over the ranks of his wolves. "We are met" he said softly, and felt that connection ripple through the pack again. "We're here to run with Cord, from Wyoming, who left his pack through no fault of his own." _Or not much fault. He should have been more observant and better at dodging, but those were minor flaws._ "As is tradition, we'll greet and test first the wolf and then the man."

As a twenty-first century civilized man, Aaron should have preferred the other order, learning about how Cord would fit among them in personality and mind, not deferring to instinct. But he'd told the truth when he cautioned Paul weeks ago that werewolves in fur were not men in wolf-suits. Generation after generation of instinct and ritual drove them, only tempered by the human side and not erased. They were not real wolves either, but a creature of that dim past, whether grown, bred, magicked or gene-spliced, none knew. But formed to be Wolf and Pack. And this was their way.

He dropped to the ground and shifted, fast and hard, pushing himself in front of Cord and the others, in his third shift in less than half an hour. Bones shifted, muscle rippled, black fur swarmed back over him. He held the pain at a distance, and kept his bonds open, so the pack could know how little it concerned him. In moments he rolled to his feet, stretched, and yawned in gesture of confidence and sharp teeth. Then he sprang away to the left.

At his shoulder, Mark's heavy grey body loped easily. Behind them, the pack strung out over the spring-wet ground. They sprinted, weaving swiftly over the broken terrain in silence. Aaron flicked an ear back, testing for the sound of Cord's feet and trying to place him in the pack. _There._ Aaron could hear him near the back, but ahead of Peter and David, who were running side by side in the rear, playing and jostling each other as they went. Also ahead of Vincent, who was following easily at the moment, but already breathing a little harder than the rest. Aaron made a mental note to stop the old wolf and redirect him if necessary.

The wildlife refuge wasn't huge - a good size for a park so near a city, but only half a dozen miles of space to really run unseen. Even though the park should be deserted at night, the last thing Aaron wanted was fervor about wild wolves being sighted. So he led them in a loop, well away from the road and trails. He took the roughest routes, the ones that plunged into small ravines, threaded through heavy undergrowth, or required dancing from hillock to tuft in a mire of swamp. His own wolves, Minnesota-bred, followed his lead, but in the wetland he heard Cord twice miss his footing and land with a splash in the mud.

When he finally drew them to a halt, he'd reached a small hill, surrounded by tall grasses already growing nearly to eye level. On top of the hill, the ground was dry and bare. He sat and watched his wolves emerge from the grass, slipping through the night like shadows to find places in a loose circle around him. Vincent was breathing faster than the rest, his steps heavier. Cord's back half was muddy from toes to hips but he still moved with a loose grace. During the run he'd fallen into place behind Patrick and ahead of Andy. Aaron hadn't heard any snapping or jostling, and Andy seemed at ease, so Aaron guessed it was an instinctive capitulation. Andy was pretty submissive as wolves went.

They sat for a while, panting softly, letting the strung-tight excitement of the run ebb. Eventually Aaron stood and went to Cord. Cord bowed his head, then dropped lower and rolled to one side, baring his throat. Aaron dipped his head to touch it with his nose. He opened his jaws and closed around that offered neck, feeling the pulse of the artery under the point of one tooth. It was silent on that hilltop. After a while, he let go. Cord still lay motionless.

Aaron leaped back, letting his shoulder come against Damian's, knocking him out of position. If there was going to be fighting, and when a new adult joined a pack there always was, then he wanted it to happen now. And Damien was the most likely to start something at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons. Better to get it out of the way. Damian staggered, caught himself and stepped forward.

Cord rolled to his feet in one fast movement, and shook himself, sending a spatter of mud flying. Circling wide, he moved to face Damien in the center of the group. Aaron watched with a critical eye as they met ritually, touching noses, and then leaped apart. Aaron gave a little chuffing bark of permission and encouragement. The two wolves dove forward.

In this kind of fight, there was no intent to do lethal damage. Most fights for pack position were only half-serious, a matter of opportunity and will. Cord faked a slash at Damien's shoulder, and caught him by the back leg instead, tumbling Damien over. There was a moment Cord could have taken a strike at Damien's vulnerable belly, and he refrained. Aaron saw it, and saw Damien realize it even as he rolled away. The next few exchanges were more tentative, a flurry of snapping and dodging that left Damien bleeding lightly from his neck and eyeing Cord with caution.

It was clear Michael had been right about Cord's skills. The next time Damien leaped at him, Cord met him with a duck and weave of his body, not away from Damien's jaws but coming up underneath him. He got a mouthful of Damien's neck, low over the jugular vein, and held it, wrestling Damien to the ground with his weight, not letting go, not biting down. Damien dropped like a stone and froze, his eyes rolled toward Cord until the whites showed.

For a long minute they held position, and then Damien slumped, deliberately letting his body go limp. Cord growled once through the fur in his teeth, and let go. Damien eventually got up and stalked back to his place in the circle, his gait stiff with tension. Cord looked around at the waiting wolves. Aaron debated whether to take control. Cord might not have realized that next up after Damien was Simon, and that fight would be a whole different ballgame. Before he had to decide, a wolf howl rang out in the distance.

Even as they all turned toward the sound, Aaron was interpreting. _Not quite right, missing some of the harmonics. A human mimicry then. But well done, and an alarm call of urgency but not panic._ Despite not having heard that call before, he was certain it was Michael.

Aaron threw open his bond to Simon and Paul as wide as possible, as he plunged off the hill down into the grassland. Simon's anxiety beat at Aaron's brain, but behind it Paul seemed more agitated and impatient than hurt or scared. Where before Aaron had run fast as a test, now he threw himself forward in earnest. Simon surged with him, matching Mark's strides at Aaron's other shoulder, but slowly Aaron pulled ahead of both of them. Speed had always been his gift, and whatever this threat was, he'd be first to meet it, no matter how much that would annoy his protective Second and Fifth.

Coming over a rise, he spotted Michael and Paul both standing by the truck, heads together as they discussed something. Aaron heard Simon snarl, the sound muted by the shortness of his breath. They flowed over the crest and down the other side, the pack fanning out behind him as they came, to cover more ground and provide less of a target. Aaron strained his senses forward and smelled no one but the two familiar men, heard nothing his wolf brain took to be a threat. He hit the ground a yard from their feet, driving himself through his shift as fast as he could.

The world disappeared in chaos, in the flash of lights and jumble of sounds, the pop and pain and pull of his body reworking itself. When he was human, he pushed to his feet without taking a breath. Michael put a hand under his elbow when he staggered, but he shook it off with a silent snarl, mouth and tongue working. _Use your words, stupid Alpha._

"Report!"

Michael simply handed him his own phone, which he'd left tucked in the pocket of his sweatpants.

There was a string of text messages, all from Joshua, North pack Alpha.

\- Answer your phone, Tremaine

\- Something got dropped off for you here. Bringing it to you.

\- This one is your problem. Heading for your house now.

\- If you don't meet me, I'll leave him on your doorstep.

Michael said, "Your phone rang three times and then the texts started pinging over and over. I figured I'd better let Paul look at it for you. Since he's your pack. He showed it to me."

Paul said impatiently, "What are we waiting for? There may not be much time."

Aaron swung to look at him. "For what?"

Paul grabbed the phone without asking, clicked to a message, and scrolled down on the phone to reveal to a picture Aaron hadn't noticed. "For him."

Below the " _Something got dropped off"_ was a picture of a man, huddled on the ground, face hidden. He was half-naked, wearing just pants and work boots, battered and bruised and bleeding. For a moment, Aaron had to drop back in his mind and run through his pack-bonds, take stock of his wolves, to confirm that he had everyone safe behind him. Then he saw the naked back of the man in the photo, blood dried in stripes on his skin below the big, oozing letters carved in his flesh: FAG.

_Hell._ And now Joshua was going to dump him on Aaron's doorstep, whoever the man was. So completely not what he needed to deal with right now. He turned to glance at his wolves. Simon stood close to Paul, his furry shoulder against Paul's hip, and the rest sat in a loose semi-circle, waiting.

Paul said, "He needs medical attention, clearly, whatever else you do."

"Maybe. Although we heal well." If the beating wasn't severe, all traces of the man's injuries would probably disappear within a week, sooner if the guy shifted a few times in the next few days. Even that harsh word carved in flesh would be memory soon, the scars fading.

"He could have fractures or internal bleeding though."

"Maybe." Aaron turned to the waiting wolves. "This is going to have to take precedence." He realized they didn't know enough to understand him. "Joshua had a battered, unfamiliar wolf dumped on him with my name on the address label." He didn't say the word, but he was sure all of them were thinking _gay - why else send him to Aaron._ "He's leaving the man at my house. So I have to meet him there and deal with this. But we aren't done with Cord, and this is another spanner in the works." He frowned. "I want Simon and Paul, Zach, Michael and Cord, Lucas, Richard and Mark at my place. Everyone else go home, but be ready to be called in. Andy, give Peter a ride home."

There was a moment's hesitation, as his wolves battled curiosity, or perhaps a desire to be in on the action. But then all but those he'd named faded into the night, heading off as bidden. He looked at the remaining few. "Zach, ride with me. Michael, do you need a lift to your car?"

"No, it's not far. And I remember where you live."

No doubt. He'd located it on his own the last time. Aaron nodded, and Michael jogged off down the road, Cord trotting at heel like a well-trained dog. Aaron gave the others a fierce glance and a mental push to get moving, and then stalked off through the weeds to find his shirt. He thinned his bonds down, keeping just enough to feel it if anyone got into trouble. More trouble. _Why the hell had he ever wanted to be Alpha anyway?_

***

Zach only realized he was jiggling his knee up and down when Aaron reached over and stilled it with a strong grip. He took a quick breath, and tried to settle. He felt revved up to the point of nausea, and yet suddenly exhausted. Like his body was battling to do several things at once, and failing at all of them. A sudden craving for a drink hit him, clear and strong. Just one glass, bitter amber sliding down his throat - that would smooth all the jagged edges.

Zach swallowed, and didn't look at Aaron. Tried not to even think of Aaron. This was Zach's burden to deal with. He'd drunk his way through almost six years with his old pack, easing the rough spots with the dulling effects of booze. It was no surprise the craving came back to him when things were unsettled. That didn't mean he was going to give in to it. Even if Aaron hadn't been beside him, even if their house wasn't dry of everything down to rubbing alcohol, he could control himself.

The throb of a headache gathering behind his eyes mocked his bold claim. He didn't control himself. Aaron still watched over him, or the others did. He still didn't drive, didn't carry his weight. Still wasn't fit to be a real mate for Aaron...

Zach winced as Aaron's hand closed harder on his knee. "Stop, boy."

"What?"

"Stop dragging yourself down into the dark."

"I'm not."

"I could feel that from a hundred miles away. What did we learn about depression?"

"It's the fucking withdrawal," Zach snarled.

"Watch the language and say it right."

Zach chanted, " _Fatigue, sleep disturbances and mood swings persist for months after detox is over._ "

"Right. It's not real, it's biochemical. So get your head together and back me up."

Zach managed not to snap at his Alpha. It felt fucking real, and when you were talking about emotions that was what counted, wasn't it? It was all very well for Aaron. He could wake in the night and know it was from a nightmare or a sound outside. Normal stuff. He didn't have to wonder with each restless night whether it was still his addiction lingering. He didn't lie still and wonder how bad detox would be if he slipped and had to do it again. He wasn't that weak, that stupid, that...

"Mine." Aaron suddenly glanced in the rear-view, pulled the Hummer over and slammed it into park.

"Huh?"

"You're mine. Whatever else you were thinking about yourself, behind that frown, you need to remember I chose you. No one else can do what you do for me. No one else gets this." Aaron held his chin steady and kissed him, fast and hard, over almost before it happened. "You're the one who keeps me sane. Keep it together for me, all right, because I need you."

"Really?" Zach could have bitten his tongue. Asking for reassurance like some middle-schooler with a first crush.

Aaron just smiled at him. "Absolutely." He put the truck back in gear.

"Right." Zach dropped into the meditative breathing Aaron was trying to teach him. He didn't bother to say, _"I need you too"_ , because it was painfully obvious. But he didn't have to be such a wimp. He rubbed at his forehead, and breathed rhythmically, trying to force back the headache and fatigue and doubts and darkness. By the time they pulled into the driveway, he felt more centered.

Aaron's house was dark. The only illumination was the porch light, casting a puddle of yellow onto the steps. There was a single figure there, half sitting, half lying, curled around himself. Simon pulled up at the curb, followed shortly by Mark, Richard, and Michael's rental car. Everyone sat still, waiting, scanning the scene. It was such an obvious set-up for something. The question was what.

Zach imagined it - Aaron getting out, all dark and gorgeous Alpha confidence, walking up to that guy. And then... bullets? An explosion? Fire? Wolves streaming in out of the darkness? Or just a wounded guy bleeding on their steps. The thought of seeing Aaron killed wasn't bearable. Better to die himself. Zach yanked his door open, ignoring Aaron's harsh "Zach!" He ran full tilt to the stairs, sheltering behind the wounded man as he reached him.

No fire. No bullets. Just a very angry Alpha standing over both of them a moment later, ringed by the other men.

Aaron unlocked the front door, while Zach and the newcomer were guarded by a forest of denim-clad legs. "Bring him in. Quickly."

Zach helped lift the stranger. The smell of werewolf blood was strong, even in his human nostrils, but that was almost eclipsed by the sharpness of whiskey which covered the man's back and soaked his pants and boots. The combination made Zach's stomach lurch with a nauseating combination of old desire and revulsion. The man's skin was clammy and cold, twitching in deep shudders under the alcohol-soaked cuts. His breath quickened jerkily as Zach and Paul eased him up and into the house, but his eyes didn't open. They laid him on the braided-rag rug in the living room. Paul snapped, "Heating pad, lots of warm water and towels, bandages. Simon, get the kit."

Zach backed away, letting Paul and Mark tend to the man. Another step backward brought him up against the hardness of Aaron's chest. In his ear, so faint it might have been imagination, he thought he heard Aaron say, "Don't ever do that again. My heart stopped."

Zach let himself sway closer just for an instant, savoring the steady bass thump against his shoulder. He didn't dare respond, unsure if he had Aaron's level of control in this room of wolf-eared men. He let that brush of shoulder on chest serve as apology, before deferentially stepping away and dropping into the arm chair.

They all waited as Paul worked. After a few minutes he straightened and rubbed his hands on a towel. "Broken ribs, broken nose, right arm fractured - radius and ulna - feels like clean breaks. A lot of bruising, cuts, we need to get those cleaned. I don't know if they meant the whiskey as disinfectant for some reason or torture, but it must hurt like hell. Someone beat the shit out of him, but if they meant to kill him they seriously underestimated how tough you guys are. He could have some internal bleeding, but his pulse is getting stronger, not weaker, and..."

Paul broke off as the wounded man suddenly opened his eyes, gasped, and tried to crab himself backward toward the door. When he moved his broken arm he whimpered and grabbed it with his other hand, losing his balance. Aaron bent and pinned his shoulder to the floor with a restraining grip. "Don't move until the Doc is done checking you out."

"Don't." The man's voice came out harsh and choked, congested from the damage to his nose.

"No one's going to hurt you. Right now, anyway." Aaron's voice was steady, but not warm. "What's your name and pack?"

The stranger coughed, cleared his throat. "Who the hell are you?"

Aaron leaned closer, staring into the man's eyes. It took only seconds before his gaze dropped.

"I'm the only Alpha in this room. One more time. Name and pack?"

"Jason Cantrell, Fargo, North Dakota."

"Who's your Alpha, Jason?"

"Erik. No." The man squeezed his eyes shut. "I have no Alpha. Not anymore."

"What did you do, to end up here with no Alpha?"

"Not a damned thing."

"Bullshit. An Alpha doesn't kick a wolf out of his pack for nothing." Over Aaron's shoulder, Zach saw Cord shift uneasily and then subside. "In fact, usually we either deal with it within the pack, or create a permanent solution. So why'd they dump you here?"

After a long pause, broken only by Jason's rough breathing, Aaron added, "Do you know what they carved into your back?"

Jason slumped, huddled in with his arm hugged against his ribs. "I'm not, I swear I'm not. I didn't."

"Not what? Not gay? Simon standing behind you is. Paul who's fixing your injuries is."

Zach thought Paul was probably bi, from some of the chats they'd had, but since he was mate-bonded to Simon, it was kind of a moot point. He watched Jason for a reaction, but the guy just hunched more, curled around his broken arm. His attention stayed on Aaron, not even flicking toward Simon. At least he didn't jump away from Paul. In fact, that lack of reaction meant Jason did know something about where he was. Zach saw Aaron's eyes narrow slightly. Jason bowed his head further but didn't look down, just stared fixedly at Aaron. Of course, Aaron was pretty mesmerizing. Especially if Jason was gay. Zach didn't realize he'd stepped closer until Aaron shot him a quelling glance and a little mental push. Zach didn't move back, but he did stop moving forward.

Aaron repeated, "So? Are you gay?"

Jason mumbled, "I don't want to say. I don't want to talk about it. Please, Alpha."

"What do you expect to happen now?"

"I don't know."

"Paul, what needs to happen next? Medically?"

"Clean the alcohol out of those cuts. He should probably have his nose straightened and the arm loosely wrapped, and then shift. Twice, I guess, if you want to be able to question him some more and he can manage it. Then splint his arm properly, suture or bandage the one cut on his left shoulder if it's still bleeding. Then rest and liquids, and watch for signs of internal damage. Bring him to the clinic for X-rays if things get worse."

Aaron nodded slowly. "Jason, what did your packmates say when they dumped you?"

Jason gritted his teeth, and then forced the words out one at a time, thick through blood and snot. "They said the Council told them not to kill fags anymore. I should be glad to be alive. If I ever came back Alpha would..." He stopped short. "They said I could hang out with the other fags and rejects here."

Aaron glanced around the room. "Charming." His tone was dry as dust.

"If even _you_ would have me," Jason added.

"No guarantees," Aaron said coldly. "Just because you're gay doesn't mean you're not a screw-up or a cold bastard, or a coward. Being gay doesn't automatically mean you fit in here."

Jason blinked as if the words didn't connect. Zach saw him start to shrug, and then turn pale with the pain. Paul picked up the bucket of water and a towel, and began sluicing the cuts on Jason's back. Jason jerked at his touch, making him fumble the towel, and Zach jumped forward to help. He held the towel steady against Jason's skin while Paul poured the water down in controlled streams. As the crusted blood and dried liquor dissolved, the sharp, deep edges of those letters stood out against shock-pale skin. Without hesitation, Paul dabbed at the fresh bleeding, pressing a clean towel to it. He put Zach's hand over it. "Hold that a minute."

Zach felt like he could breathe better with that word hidden under terrycloth. He tried to keep the pressure gentle, as Paul moved on to a shallow cut over Jason's ribs, and then another on his chest. Jason closed his eyes as Paul soaked a fresh towel and went on to clean his face. He began shivering, small tremors wracking him. A sound like a thin whimper leaked between his clenched teeth. Zach knew firsthand that shivering with broken ribs well and truly sucked. Paul snapped over his shoulder to Richard, "He's clean enough. Get that heating pad plugged in, now."

Richard paused for an instant, and Zach could almost feel his urge to put Paul in his place in front of strangers. Simon must have too, because his posture got tighter. The moment passed without Paul even seeing it, as Richard bent and plugged the cord of the pad into the wall.

Paul nodded at Zach to leave the towel draped in place, and wrapped the shivering man in the pad. He glanced at Aaron. "I can splint his arm, but I've never adjusted a human nasal fracture."

"I can do it." Lucas knelt in front of Jason. "Look straight at me, and clench your teeth so you don't bite your tongue." He put his hands on either side of Jason's face and jerked once.

Jason jolted and fresh blood ran over his upper lip, but he took a deeper breath. "Thanks."

"Not the first time. Nor the tenth probably. I've seen lots of fights. It always heals." Lucas stood, moving easily, and made way for Paul.

Aaron pushed their well-stocked first aid kit closer to Paul's knee. Paul reached in and hesitated. "Pain meds?" He spoke to the inside of the box, looking neither at Aaron nor at Jason.

Jason said quickly, "No drugs."

"Werewolves," Paul muttered under his breath. He pulled out supplies and placed a bulky wrap on Jason's arm. As Jason moved to give him access, Zach could see fresh blood soaking the towel from the first deep cut on Jason's back, the upright arm of the F. He could smell the copper-sour tang of old blood and new, with that whiskey undertone muted now. For a moment he was taken back to his old kitchen, the tile against his face, blood from a bitten tongue in his mouth, as his grandfather ranted and raged against Zach's weakness and failures. Not that the old man had ever actually used the F-word. But Zach's fellow-feeling with Jason almost swamped him.

Aaron said, "All right. No more questions for now. Jason, you need to get those pants and boots off and shift. Once you're wolf, don't come back right away. We'll feed you. You take your time. Since you have no Alpha, there's no one here to push you through if you get stuck mid-shift, so if you doubt your strength stay wolf for a while."

"Yes, sir."

They moved back to give him room. Awkwardly, with one hand, he fumbled at his boot laces. Zach knelt quickly to do it for him, unlacing and peeling the worn, blood and whiskey-spattered leather open. Jason moved the heavy boots aside into a corner, wincing stiffly, and managed to shove his khakis off. He stared at the floor, but didn't try to avoid being seen. Of course, getting naked in a room full of men was familiar for the straightest of wolves, even if they didn't usually do it in front of strangers.

Jason glanced at Aaron as if asking permission. Aaron said, "Shift now." Jason eased himself onto his side on the floor. When he began to change, the grating of broken bones made Zach wince in sympathy. He'd done that, when he was injured, forcing his body through a shift when all he really wanted was to stop even breathing because it hurt so much.

Zach didn't realize he was projecting the memory of pain, until he was bathed with a flood of warm reassurance. Startled, he glanced up to meet Aaron's eyes.

"Zach, see what meat we have thawed in the fridge," Aaron said firmly. "If there isn't much, defrost some."

"Yes, Alpha."

It was easier in the kitchen. Zach realized that part of his problem was still the damned headache, and he took a couple of ibuprofen, before opening the fridge. There was a tray of hamburger in there, and a pair of steaks Aaron was planning to grill for dinner tomorrow. Jason could have the burger. Zach pulled it out, realizing he was listening carefully to the sounds from the other room, the rustle and near-inaudible grunts of shifting. The sounds were more lupine now and Jason's scent had sharpened and changed. Still not done though. Not the fastest shift ever, although the injuries were probably slowing him down.

Zach had time to pull out another pound of frozen burger and cycle it through the microwave a couple of times before he heard a small yip from the front room that sounded fully wolf. When he brought the meat out in a bowl, Jason was sitting up, tan and grey fur matted over his back, looking around with his ears pricked. At the smell of the meat, he and everyone in the room turned toward Zach.

Paul followed their gaze, and repeated, "Werewolves."

Simon laughed. "I'll make you a nice, sweet snack when we get home. No hamburger involved."

Aaron said, "Bring that over here. Jason, eat slowly. Your nose still looks swollen."

Zach set down the bowl and Jason scarfed down the meat at a rate just short of inhalation. When the bowl was empty he licked it, and then ran his tongue around his mouth several times. Zach smiled, but turned to Aaron to ask, "More?"

"Not right now," Paul responded. "Make sure that stays down him first. If so, and he stays wolf, give him more in an hour."

Aaron eyed Jason. "How do you feel? Can you shift back?"

The grey wolf stood carefully, right foreleg draped in loose bandages, and then dropped to his haunches again. He shook his head carefully, yellow eyes dull.

Aaron didn't sigh, but across the bond Zach could feel that he wanted to. "Okay. Stay wolf for tonight. We'll get you more food in an hour or two. Paul, do you want to re-splint that leg?"

"Yes." Paul dragged the kit closer and reached for Jason's foreleg.

Suddenly Simon moved, whipping out a short knife and placing the blade against Jason's furry neck under his ear. "Hold completely still, right?" Simon said, in a cheerful voice totally at odds with the knife. "Let my mate fix your bandage and then we'll all get some sleep. I just wouldn't want any misunderstandings."

It hit Zach again, the things that changed with having a male mate. He hadn't thought, hadn't even imagined a wolf would threaten a packmate. But although bonded, Paul wasn't a woman and that put him in this odd limbo where outsiders were concerned. Simon must always be worrying, wondering, calculating threats. Zach was very glad that the man _he_ had in his heart was more than able to protect himself.

Paul changed the wrap without comment, then parted the fur on Jason's back to look at the repositioned cuts. Zach had to keep himself from straining to look too. Skin moved around during the shift. As a wolf, the cuts would still be there over Jason's shoulders, but maybe not forming that word. Paul said, "That one could use a staple or something, or it's going to keep oozing."

"Do it," Aaron said.

Simon's knife was so steady against Jason's throat that the light on its edge flickered with the rhythm of Jason's pulse. Paul found the skin stapler, ran a little disinfectant over it, presumably from habit, and then snapped two staples across the cut. Jason didn't even twitch as the prongs bit in. Paul wiped the area, looked closely, and said, "Should be good. Someone remember to pull those later."

"Don't you want to stay and take care of him?" Aaron asked.

Zach was surprised too. Separating Paul from an injured packmember usually involved threats or bribes, often both. Paul flushed. "He seems pretty stable. He mostly needs rest and more food later, and he should be okay. You should call me right away if there are changes but I need to get home and feed..." He stopped there as Simon nudged him.

Zach couldn't help grinning. "I'll tell Aaron. You guys should head out."

Aaron gave him a puzzled glance, but was willing to follow his lead. "Yeah, get out of here. Come back in the morning. Eight o'clock."

When they were gone, the rest of the wolves looked at each other. Cord moved from one foot to the other uncomfortably. Zach realized Cord had gone into this evening hoping to swear to a new pack. No doubt he was feeling pretty off-balance. Michael on the other hand looked perfectly relaxed and amused. Amused enough that Aaron flashed him a glare, before saying, "So, now that our evening is thoroughly screwed..."

Jason whined painfully.

Aaron shook his head without looking at the wolf. "Not your doing. Shut up. Here's how things are going to work. Cord, come here."

Cord moved forward to stand at attention in front of Aaron.

"Michael speaks for you. You ran well, without complaints. You know when to keep your mouth shut. You beat Damien fairly, and without excessive force. But as you can see, joining us is more complicated than joining other packs. This isn't a decision either of us should make on the strength of one evening. You can stay here for a few days, and then choose."

Cord bowed his head deeply. "I don't need a few days. Alpha."

Zach could feel that Aaron was pleased, but he said, "Nonetheless, you'll take them. I know it's not easy to be packless, but I did it for years. It will get less painful. I'm not having this be a shotgun wedding for either of us. Michael, are you sticking around or going home?"

"If neither of you is likely to kill the other, I'll head back. There's family things I need to do."

"Spend the night first?"

"Nah. I'd like to, but I already have six texts from Bri on my phone. Our boy has a music recital tomorrow, and if I start back now I just might make it and save my marriage." His smile made it clear any threat was an empty one.

"Well, give her my regards. Come back soon when you can actually stay awhile."

"Will do." Michael reached for Aaron, gave him a quick back-thumping hug, and then looked around the room. "Good to see you all again. Cord, you have my number if this doesn't work out. Night, all." He gave them a casual salute, let his gaze slide over Zach with just the barest hint of intensity, and then let himself out into the night. The room felt more spacious with him gone.

"And he's just a Fourth," Richard muttered.

Cord said, "He could be Third, maybe even Second, any time. But he respects the elders, and there's no rush."

Aaron said, "Richard, Mark, you watch Cord and Jason until two a.m., get Jason food in a couple of hours. Lucas, sack out on the couch. You and I will take the second watch. Jason, you stay wolf until morning. You stay in this room unless you have to go out, in which case you point to the door and wait until someone goes with you and brings you back in. You don't move from here, don't touch anything, and keep quiet. And no thoughts about leaving. Hear me well - at this point, running isn't an option until I'm done with you."

The wolf nodded.

Aaron added, "Zach, break out the camping mats and blankets."

"Yes, Alpha."

After the first time they'd had the pack sleeping on floors and rugs, Aaron had invested in enough bedding for the whole crew, so they could be comfortable without shifting. They set up a mat for Jason, covered by an old sheet that could take the bloodstains. Lucas got the couch, the others set up bedding against the walls. When everything was arranged, Aaron nodded goodnight, and sent Zach up the stairs ahead of him. In silence, Zach turned into "his" room, which he seldom used for more than keeping his clothes. Aaron followed him in and shut the door. And opened his arms. Zach was stunned to find himself shaking as he returned the hug.

"Why does he bother you so much?" Aaron asked in a voice soft enough to be private, even from the wolf in fur downstairs.

"That could have been me. It felt like it was me."

"Well, not exactly like that. Gordon or Joshua wouldn't have cut you, and Karl would've just ripped your throat out. But yeah, I felt that too. Deja vu of something that never actually happened."

"We'll keep him?"

"Probably." Aaron sighed and rested his forehead against Zach's shoulder. Somehow it was Zach holding them up now. "I hate this, the way it gets complicated and every decision could screw us up. The pack was tricky enough to run, two wolves ago. And I refuse to be rushed into this. I meant it when I said being gay doesn't make him a good guy. In fact, being able to hide your orientation from a pack for ten years, or however long he's been adult, means he's able to live a lie, which makes him skilled at deception, sneaky even. Potentially untrustworthy."

"You and Simon did it."

"I didn't say he couldn't be a good guy. Just that we can't trust him yet."

Zach nodded, tipping his head so Aaron's thick hair slid against his cheek. "So am I taking a shift on watch too? You didn't say."

Aaron sighed against his neck. "Give your headache a break. You can get up early and make us all breakfast."

"Gee, thanks. I won't be responsible for the results." Zach hugged him hard, and they breathed each other's scent for a while, before separating to sleep alone, in deference to the sharp ears downstairs.

Chapter 4

A good breakfast went a long way to righting the wrongs of the world. And Aaron had one of the best under his belt, thanks to Simon showing up early and shooing Zach out of the kitchen. After Paul had checked Jason's healing, Simon had cooked.

Aaron loved Zach, too much for comfort sometimes, but he was going to have to apprentice him to Simon for a while if they wanted to eat well on Zach's cooking nights. He'd been fully healed for two months now, and they were still having takeout every other night. Aaron scraped a bite of ham-and-green-pepper frittata off his plate and sighed with pleasure.

Around the room, the other men cradled their own plates, digging into the food. He'd sent Mark home to his pregnant wife at two. Richard had stayed, and he, Lucas, and Zach had all hung out with Aaron through the early hours, while Cord lay curled up obediently in a corner of the room, and Jason dozed on his mat. It seemed like overkill, but having strangers inside his house gave Aaron a very edgy feeling, and he'd been glad of the company. Zach had claimed he couldn't sleep and had let Aaron beat him solidly at Scrabble. Three times.

Throughout the night, Jason had repeatedly woken, silent and stoic. They'd fed him most of the hamburger from the freezer. He'd stopped oozing blood eventually, although he'd snored through his swollen muzzle whenever he'd managed to sleep. Once Paul had arrived and pronounced him strong enough, he'd shifted back to human compliantly, but so far he hadn't said another word. He sat with his tall body hunched over, the covers tucked around him, his stomach apparently too full of meat to want eggs. Even these. _His loss._

Aaron chased the last bits of frittata around his plate, keeping his eyes on his fork. He heard Zach say something softly to Simon, heard Jason move restlessly, and take a short painful breath. Everyone was pretending it was just a casual Sunday morning, but he could almost taste the tension building. Even Simon had stopped cracking jokes. When Aaron opened his bond to Zach just a fraction wider, he could feel anxiety and compassion and tension and that restless, itchy need that said Zach was really on edge, possibly even thinking about booze. Aaron centered himself, and opened the bond completely, to let Zach feel his calmness in return.

Zach had spent some time, careful and solicitous, taking care of Jason once he was back to human. He'd helping him get clean and dressed over the broken bones. It had grated on Aaron that Zach volunteered to get close to Jason, rather than let Paul do it, but had probably been good for Jason's confidence in their goodwill. Aaron had taken it as a good test of his resolution not to be a possessive ass, and not even watched.

Jason was now washed, his hair combed, and Zach had loaned him some of Aaron's own clothes. His half-hidden face was still heavily bruised, both eyes sporting shiners just beginning to fade from purple into yellow and green. He breathed nasally, his mouth slightly open.

Time to move things along. Regretfully, Aaron set his plate aside and said, "Paul. Do you need to do anything more for Jason right now?"

"He should have an X-ray of that arm in the next few hours. Make sure it's set right, if we're going to leave this splint on for a while. But otherwise he's healing okay. Nothing will really help the bruising, cuts, and ribs, except time."

Jason lifted his head at the sound of his name, and he sat up straighter, dropping the blanket and rubbing carefully at his eyes. Aaron watched him closely, but no emotions showed as Jason glanced around the room. His gaze came back to Aaron, and no one could fault the deference in the head-bow he received.

"Richard, where do we stand with the cabinets? Is today a work day?"

"Supposed to be, yes." Richard checked his watch. "About an hour from now."

Cord looked up from where he was putting ketchup on a second helping of eggs, or maybe a third, and said, "If you need unskilled labor, I'm your man. I'm good with my hands. _Shit!"_ He started laughing, looking down at the trail of ketchup he'd just squirted on his shirt. "I'm usually good with my hands, Alpha, I swear." Cord set the bottle and plate aside, and pulled off his shirt.

Aaron wasn't looking. Really not. But Cord's body was as stunning as his face, sleek and tanned, hard with lean muscle, tight pecs with just a scattering of hair... Aaron pulled his gaze away and glanced at Zach, only to find himself getting a slightly sheepish look in return. Aaron cleared his throat. "We might take you up on that. It depends what needs to be done. I'm actually more inclined to put you to work on an investment proposal, show me what you've got for math skills."

"Either way," Cord said easily. He scrubbed at his chest with the wadded shirt, and then muttered, "Excuse me," and ducked into the hall. Water ran in the downstairs bathroom. After a moment he reappeared, still bare-chested. "Sorry Alpha, I set that to soak. I'm a little short on clothes and I might need it again soon."

"No problem." Aaron cleared his throat. "Zach, you could run up to my room and find a T-shirt for Cord."

"Sure."

As Zach hurried upstairs, Aaron turned to his other newcomer. "Jason. Are you up to answering questions this morning?"

"I guess." But he huddled deeper in his blanket, his body language defensive and apprehensive.

"You know where you are?"

"Minneapolis. Yeah."

"Your pack threw you out and dumped you here?"

That got a tiny, stiff nod. Jason swallowed, as if nauseous.

"Who beat you?"

For a moment, Aaron wondered if he'd get an answer. But then Jason whispered, "Alpha. Second."

Paul grunted painfully, and Simon put an arm around him. For a moment Jason stared at them, and then he dropped his gaze again.

"What rank were you in the pack?"

This time Jason shook his head, blond hair falling in his eyes. He shuddered once, but didn't raise his eyes from the floor or speak. Aaron cleared his throat, but all he got was another headshake.

He could force Jason to speak up, one way or another, but he didn't want to push too hard. Yet. Maybe if he asked something easier.

"How old are you?"

"Thirty-three."

"What did you do for work back in North Dakota?"

"Electrical contracting. My pack does residential construction, like I guess you guys do."

"How very handy." Aaron hadn't noticed the sharp sarcasm in his own tone until Zach gave him a glare, as he brought a T-shirt over to Cord. If Aaron hadn't been Alpha he might even have felt a touch of shame - Jason was in pain, traumatized, beaten for being gay, and for some reason Aaron was irritated by him. By him specifically, and not just by the extra complexity he represented. Aaron wasn't sure why. Surely he wasn't insecure enough to worry about adding another gay man into the pack with Zach, but he couldn't deny that Zach's empathy and solicitous care of Jason had been rubbing him wrong from the moment this thing started. Which was hardly Jason's fault.

Aaron relaxed his jaw and breathed from his center, working for his Alpha state. Two new wolves, and both of them potential problems. He was still more conscious than he wanted to be of the muscular flex and curve of Cord's bare back, as he pulled on the clinging T-shirt. Aaron felt very off balance. The key to leading the pack, of course, was to never let that discomfort show.

Orders. Give some orders now.

Right. "Paul, you and Simon take Jason to the clinic as soon as the Sunday kennel staff will be gone."

"Around nine-thirty then."

"Okay. Get his arm checked out. Richard, you can have Cord, find out if he's better with a hammer than a ketchup bottle. Lucas - what about you?"

"Work to do at home. Unless you really need me?"

"No. That's fine, stick around until we're all ready to go, though. Zach, you're with Richard on the cabinets too. Go be useful."

Richard said diffidently, "Can I swap someone for Simon? We have a tricky bit of the installation scheduled and Simon has the touch. I need him."

"Um, sure." Anything that had Richard praising the gay guy was to be encouraged. "Zach, swap with Simon."

He found himself getting a dark look from Simon and ran that back through his mind. _Oops, that puts Paul alone at the clinic with a stranger, with only Zach for back-up. No wonder Simon was unhappy._ Jason wasn't in good shape, and Zach was fighting better since he'd recovered enough to train, but still... Before Simon was forced to criticize his orders in front of non-pack, Aaron added, "I'll go along with Paul and Jason too. See how he's doing."

"Sounds good, boss," Simon agreed, his posture relaxing.

"Everyone who has a home, go there, clean up, head out. In fact, Paul, we'll meet you at the clinic. I'll bring Jason. No need to hang out here waiting for an hour and a half."

"Great. I need to stop at home anyway, and..." There was that bright red flush spreading over Paul's pale skin again. _What the hell was that about?_ Jason had clearly noticed too - he gave Paul an odd look. But Simon smiled at Paul fondly as they went out. Not that there was anything new about _that_. Richard followed them out.

Aaron asked Lucas to stick around with Cord and Jason downstairs, and chivvied Zach upstairs, ostensibly to use the bathroom. "What's with Paul?" he whispered, as they bent over the sink to brush their teeth. "Are they heading home to have kinky sex they don't want me to know about?"

"And why would they tell me about that either?" Zach snorted. "Sorry, I meant to tell you last night. They're heading home to bottle-feed the babies."

"Babies?"

Fortunately Zach didn't let Aaron's imagination stray too far before he added, "Kittens. Two newborn kittens."

"Oh." Aaron hesitated. Keeping pets tended to be a challenge for werewolves, so it wasn't common. But really, there was no reason why not. Most other animals didn't react well to having a wolf sharing their space, but if you raised them from babyhood to think of wolves as normal, you could get around that. In past centuries, every pack had raised horses that way, and sometimes dogs and cattle. No reason it couldn't work with cats. "That's nice."

"Paul named them Nimbus and Fractal."

"Of course he did." The soft, amused tone he'd heard in Zach's voice gave Aaron pause. "You don't want pets, do you?"

"Nah. Got myself a wolf."

Aaron dropped his voice even lower. "That you do." He gave Zach a swift, silent, minty kiss.

When they got downstairs, Cord and Jason were eyeing each other from opposite sides of the room. Lucas tapped away on his smart phone, but his body language said he was aware and wary of both of them. Aaron hesitated, realizing he'd miscalculated, leaving Lucas alone with two strangers. Well, fortunately no harm done. "Lucas, can you drop Cord off at the job site?" _Damn, he needed to bond one or both of these men soon. Having two loose wolves around the pack was a security headache._

"Sure. C'mon, Cord."

When they'd gone, Aaron checked his watch. Eight-thirty. No point in heading to the clinic for almost an hour then. "Jason, do you want some more sleep?"

"No, Alpha." Jason's voice was still hoarse and low. He glanced around the room, eyes flicking from the art on the walls to the bookshelves, to Zach's older desktop system near the windows. "I'd rather learn more about Minnesota and about the pack, if that's okay with you. Figure out where I've landed. It's all so strange..." His voice trailed off and his eyes looked lost. Aaron knew how that emptiness where _pack_ should have been would hurt and echo and disorient you.

The _Minnesota_ part of that couldn't do any harm, and there was nothing on that computer he shouldn't see. "Okay. Zach, get powered up and show him some stuff about our fair city." He turned to Jason. "As for the pack, you'll meet all of us soon enough, and you can put names to faces then. Not now."

"Yes, Alpha."

Zach turned his system on, slipping into his usual chair at the big desk. "You'll like it here. Really, they're a bunch of good guys. You could see how they were with Paul and Simon. No one will give you a hard time for being gay here. You could even date, if you wanted to."

"Oh. Um. I hadn't even thought about it."

Zach grinned at him, clicking into his browser. "In fact, since the boss has told me to give you the virtual city tour, I can find you the websites of local gay bars."

_Crap!_ Aaron slammed open their bond and pushed as much of the anxiety he was feeling over it as he could. Zach startled and turned toward him.

Aaron said calmly, "Did Simon bookmark those?" He tried to stay expressionless while making Zach think about what he'd almost said. _Don't out yourself to this guy yet!_ It took just a moment, but then Zach paled slightly.

"Nope." The studied calm in Zach's voice almost felt natural. "But he told me about a couple. He said this is a good city to be gay, if your Alpha isn't trying to kill your ass for it." He paled again and gave Jason an apologetic look. "Sorry, I guess that's not funny to you."

"Not very. It's okay, I know you didn't mean anything. You're a good guy, Zach."

Aaron suggested in a deliberately cool tone, "Stay away from the gay stuff. Show him territory boundaries, local parks, attractions north-west of the pack lines, main roads."

"Yes, Alpha."

It probably should have pleased Aaron that, as Jason leaned on the desk, he rubbed Zach's arm in silent comfort for being chewed out by his Alpha. That meant the guy was sympathetic, right? It shouldn't have made Aaron want to break his other arm.

They peered at the screen, dark head and blond close together. Jason looked down to watch Zach's fingers dance over the keyboard.

Aaron needed to get out of the room before he outed _himself_ far more thoroughly. Hopefully Zach's slip had gone unnoticed. If they were really lucky, Jason would be pack soon and in any case, his own orientation should help keep him silent. Except if he wanted visible company, now that he was not just gay but out...

"I'm going to take a look at the garden. Yell if you need anything." He wasn't going far. Zach should be able to cope with an injured Jason, and Aaron would be a few strides away. Nonetheless, Aaron added, "If he gives you trouble, hit his broken arm. Hard."

They turned as one to stare at him, but he just shrugged and stepped out the patio door into the garden, leaving it slightly ajar. The morning was cool, but with the promise of warmth to come. His garden wasn't huge, but big enough to isolate the house from its neighbors a bit, with thick screening hedges along the sides and back. It was pretty Spartan, mostly lawn, although along the edges he had a few beds planted in low-maintenance perennials. Maybe this year, with Zach around to share the work, he might do more with it.

He headed down the side of the house, aware that most of his attention was focused on the two voices behind him. He made the effort to walk silently and easily, to be one with the world, as a former _sensei_ had put it. He hadn't been to a dojo in... way too long anyway. He might look for an Aikido instructor for Zach. With his size and attitude, Zach needed a good defense far more than an offense. Trying to train Zach by himself wasn't the best idea...

He paused by the flowerbed along the south wall. The tall stalks were tulips, and some of the short ones were crocuses. As far as he knew the little scraggly stuff around them was all weeds. He bent to pull a few strands. He could still catch most of the words of the conversation inside.

Once his hand was full of scraggly green weeds, he stopped even pretending not to listen and just leaned on the wall. His sensitive hearing had no trouble picking out the two young men's voices, floating on the cool spring air. The first tentative questions and answers about city layout and boundaries had paused.

After a minute, Jason said, "Is your Alpha really as tough as he acts?"

"Yep. But fair and smart. He's okay." If he himself hadn't told Zach to keep it cool, Aaron might have been insulted by that dismissive tone, but as it was he smiled. _Good boy._

"I heard he doesn't need to be. That you guys have a secret weapon. Like some kind of info-bomb of pack secrets that keeps the other packs from coming after you, because you know too much about them." Jason's voice had dropped, but his curiosity was clear.

Aaron frowned, wondering if he should go back to redirect the conversation. But it wasn't like Zach was going to tell Jason where the database they did have was kept. He decided to wait, and listen, and maybe learn something useful about those damned rumors.

"I wish," he heard Zach say easily. "If we do, I don't know about it. It sure can't hurt to have other packs thinking that way, though. It'll keep us safer."

"You don't know about that? Your Alpha keeps secrets, huh?"

"Don't they all?"

"I guess. I'm just... fuck, sounds dumb to admit it, but I'm really unfamiliar... I... hell, I'm scared of being out. I was hoping you could tell me your pack has security covered."

"So covered that we had a delegation in town three months ago to kill us all?" Zach gave a little laugh that actually sounded genuine. "We took care of that. But you have to realize... well, of course you obviously know firsthand that being the so-called gay pack is not ever going to make us popular. Even if it's just Simon and Paul and P... And now you."

Jason made a pained sound.

Zach said quickly, "Sorry. But this pack won't kick you out, I promise. How'd you get outed? Did anyone stand up for you?"

"Don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, sure. I get that. Here, look, this is the Mall of America, which is cool for having indoor roller coasters, but not cool for being in South Pack territory so we pretty much don't get to go there."

There was some indistinct sound from the computer speakers, and a couple of mutters of "That's indoors?" and "Not like I care about clothes." and "Can you get good fishing gear there?" It all sounded friendly and domestic and Aaron sat down on the grass, to avoid the temptation to stroll back in and break it up anyway. He set his pile of weeds on the grass and began adding to it, pulling coils from around tender flower shoots with careful precision.

After clicks and beeps that were obviously the computer wandering through some other sites, Zach said, "Oh, you have to see this. It's a landmark. Practically an icon. Spoon Bridge with Cherry."

Jason laughed and then whined, and took a couple of short sharp breaths.

"Oh God, I forgot about your ribs. I won't make you laugh any more. I know how that feels."

"You've had broken ribs?"

"Oh, yeah. Not fun. At least doing a few shifts makes them heal fast. You have to feel sorry for the poor humans who heal the slow way."

"I guess. So who beat you up? Pack fight?"

"Nah. Construction accident."

Aaron smiled to himself at Zach's description of having a building blown up around him. At least he wasn't over-sharing. Aaron relaxed a bit more.

Jason said, "So we - my old pack - got all those so-called recommendations from the damned new Council of Five. I can't believe there even is a Council now. My Alpha thinks it's a crazy idea. But he read the directives to the pack, last week Anyway, I don't know whether to curse the bastards or thank them, but I'm sure as fuck leaning toward cursing. Because the Alpha got all riled up about computer security, which is how he got me. Found a browser history. But then Chicago was also telling everyone not to kill any more fags, so that got me dumped instead of slaughtered."

"I saw those orders too. Aaron says change is coming, ready or not. He pretty much agreed with most of the recommendations."

Aaron had actually helped draft them. He'd mostly weighed in on security issues, with Zach's assistance, but " _Don't kill fags anymore"_ had been added in there, at Rick Brown's insistence, not just his own. They'd couched it in "bad for security and youth morale" terms. It was nice to see the Council was actually having some influence.

"Really? Your Alpha doesn't mind the Council sending out rules? My Alpha just about blew his top. He still doesn't think they have any authority. But he's playing along for now, because that was a pretty high-powered bunch who got elected."

"I've met Chicago. Rick Brown. You definitely don't want to cross him without a really good reason. I don't think even Aaron could take him."

"Huh. _Ouch!_ Damned ribs. _Even_ Aaron? So it's not just that stash of information you've got that's keeping your pack safe? You think your Alpha is that good too? Like, almost up to Chicago?"

"It takes more than blackmail material to run a pack. Aaron is plenty good, don't worry."

"What about your Second?"

"Mark? He's tough too."

Aaron stood up slowly. Zach had clearly been lulled into forgetting he wasn't supposed to talk about pack. Jason was naturally curious, but he needed to know his place. He was petitioning to join _their_ pack. Information only flowed one way right now. And Aaron didn't have all the information he wanted about Jason.

"Like fighting tough? Or is he your info guy?"

"Fighting tough. He's a cop."

Aaron turned the corner of the house, and saw a car pull up at the curb. It took him a moment to realize it was Lucas's. Cord got out and came hesitantly toward him. Aaron met Cord near the sidewalk.

Cord nodded. "Alpha. Sorry for coming back like this but I wanted to talk to you. This... thing has been nagging at me, and I made Lucas turn around and bring me back here."

"Talk."

"It may be nothing."

"What may?"

Cord glanced at Lucas, sitting easily in the driver's seat, and then said, "Can we, uh, speak privately."

Aaron raised an eyebrow, but said, "Lucas, wait here for a minute."

He led the way around the house and well down the garden, far enough for soft voices to be private. "What's this about?"

Cord shifted uncomfortably. "Jason. What he is. Adding him to your pack."

Aaron frowned. "The fact that he'll be another out and gay pack member?" He wasn't crazy about that either, but it wasn't like there was somewhere else to send him.

"Huh? No, nothing like that. If I wasn't okay with the gay part, Michael would never have brought me here. The fact is, I'm not convinced he _is_ gay."

"Go on."

"It's going to sound like I'm full of myself."

Aaron shifted sideways so he had a better view of the house. "He's in there alone with Zach. If you know something specific, spit it out."

"I don't _know_ anything. But, okay, I do know how I look. I mean, without sounding vain, I have girls throwing themselves at my feet often enough. And I get hit on by a lot of guys too. I have since I was fourteen. In fact, having human guys that I already liked turn out to be gay was kind of the way I realized gay doesn't mean bad."

"The point?"

"I've been around gay guys, ones I knew were out. So I know what that's like. What they're usually like around me. And how straight guys are. And how homophobic guys are, because I've been called a fag a time or two myself. Even in the pack, a few of the guys assume that if you look good, my kind of looks, it must mean there's something girly about you. I think it's the damned mouth. And the eyelashes. For a while I used to cut them."

Aaron drawled, "Poor you."

Cord flushed. "I'm just trying to explain. Why I pay attention. Why my radar is kind of tuned to that. Why Jason sets off the wrong kind of detectors for me."

"He got the shit beat out of him and he's been kicked out of his pack. He's not likely to be making passes at random strangers."

"No. I know he's hurting and alone, and I know how bad that feels, and I don't expect him to spring a boner. But..." Cord dropped suddenly to his knees. "Just listen and don't get mad, okay? I want to be part of your pack, and I appreciate you being maybe willing to take a chance on me. So just listen?"

"Okay."

"When I took my shirt off in there, everyone was sitting around casually. And they all looked at me. But there's a difference about how guys look if they're, you know, interested. Or disinterested. Or phobic. Most straight guys either don't care, or they look at my arms, shoulders, maybe my face. They're wondering how many girls they'd get with my looks or they're worried their girl might like me too much. Stuff like that. Most gay men look at my chest, my mouth. They drop their eyes to my abs and then either snap their gaze away or keep going. Even if they're not really interested they tend to look, and there's a little change in scent, in pulse. Simon did it. Paul did, even though a blind man could tell those two are matebonded and devoted. That doesn't mean blind, right? And okay, they're both out, and don't have to be careful. But..." He took a short breath. "You looked. And Zach did."

Aaron only realized he'd moved when he heard the harsh rattle of Cord's breath through Aaron's grip on his throat. For a long moment their eyes met. Cord's gaze was open and filled with appeal. He held perfectly still in Aaron's grasp. Aaron's mind beat in old rhythms of panic, of failure. _He'd always been so good at hiding it. Had being with Zach made him lose his mind, to get lax about that?_ The sharp senses of wolves, picking up on small mistakes like that, were what got most gay wolves slaughtered young. Aaron had avoided that kind of notice for thirty years. _Damn it!_

Cord's breath rasped between Aaron's fingers. But his expression held an odd kind of trust. Eventually Aaron forced his fingers to open and grated, "Go on."

Cord didn't try to offer reassurances or promises of secrecy. He just said with difficulty, "Jason didn't." He coughed.

"Didn't look?"

"Not like that. One glance. And it sounds vain to say that's enough to doubt that he's gay. Obviously, he'd have to hide it, to train himself out of it."

"Absolutely. You don't live to be out of your teens and gay in a pack without pretty perfect control."

"That makes sense. But it just felt wrong. There's a different quality of attention that says interested, or neutral, and then there's just that hint of _he's too pretty, he might be a fag_. I got that a lot from bigots, in pack and out. It's one of the reasons I dated a lot of girls, and flirted, maybe too much."

"With Dora?"

"No, but around her. I caught her eye, I guess."

Cord's own issues were a distraction. Aaron said, "Go back to Jason."

"It wasn't just that he didn't look at me with interest. He had this, um, distaste going. The kind that's usually followed by some variation of the f-word. Then he did look at Simon and his expression for just a second was almost revulsion. Like he saw Simon notice me - and from Simon it was just a " _hey, nice"_ kind of smile - but Jason saw him do it too and then," He sighed. "Damn. I'm explaining this badly."

"Keep trying." Aaron stepped back. Cord remained on his knees on the grass.

"I could be wrong. Maybe I'm just not his type. Maybe he doesn't like Simon's skin color. Maybe there's other things on his mind that are making him disdainful of Simon and Paul. But it just made me wonder. It felt wrong. The way he shut his expression down fast, uncurled his lip and dropped his eyes, like he realized he'd screwed up. I kept watching, and he just doesn't add up right. He acts beaten down, but he's calmer and alert, underneath. And he keeps his distance from Paul and Simon, as much as he can, while holding this... this mask of indifference. He should be relieved to be around someone else gay, and instead he's, um, flinching. It's been bugging me all morning. I had to say something."

Aaron looked at Cord, his perfect face and strong shoulders limned in light and shadow against the green of his lawn, and thought he was probably just about everyone's type. But of course not really. Not if you only liked short blonds, or bears, or red-headed body builders. "It's suspicion. It's not evidence."

"It's something I've spent the last ten years paying attention to, in my home pack. There are a couple of guys there who watch me like I might slip someday and let the gay out. I know how they look at me. But I guess I shouldn't have said anything without proof."

"No. I'm glad you did." Aaron hesitated and then decided sticking his head in the sand was bad leadership. So fucking tempting, but bad. "You think I'm gay."

"You're my Alpha. Or will be. It's not my business. But I wanted you to listen."

"And that seemed like a way to do it."

"I guess."

Aaron frowned. He could kill Cord and hide the body. Or tell him he was mistaken, while simultaneously listening to him about Jason, which was hypocritical and felt weak. Or tell him he was right, and insist he keep his mouth shut. Michael wouldn't have brought Cord if he didn't trust him. Which would be a different matter if he hadn't also mentioned Zach.

Aaron shifted his gaze back to the house. The faintest hint of two relaxed voices still could be heard. He was tuned to that, ready to change focus in a moment if the tenor of that sound changed. But as long as Jason and Zach were being friendly Aaron still had a minute to choose.

It came down to the fact that he believed Cord. He'd disliked Jason himself, instinctively, more and more with each hour. But he'd put it down to newfound irrational jealousy, to his own insecurity, reacting to seeing a gay wolf around Zach. _How stupid was that, that he'd messed up by assuming his own reactions were messed up?_ Maybe there was something to Zach's idea of a shack for two in Tahiti, where Aaron's brain could just rot in peace.

Unfortunately not an option. He should have given his instincts more credit. There was something wrong about Jason, and as soon as he was done with Cord, he was going to find out exactly what. But the separate issue of security with Cord, of a stranger knowing about him and Zach, was also too dangerous to ignore. He needed a lever, to keep Zach safe.

He stared down at Cord's impassive face and then held out his hands. "Swear to me. Now."

Cord put his hands between Aaron's unhesitatingly. "Yes, Alpha."

Cord's hands were cool and steady under his palms. Cord's gaze met his openly. The words of the ritual passed between them. " _I swear on life and breath, as wolf and man..."_ As Cord gave his oath, Aaron opened his bonds to the rest of the pack. He felt their curiosity, surprise, irritation, excitement, and worry. It rolled through him, blended and passed from wolf to wolf, and then he hooked Cord into it. Cord was suddenly there among them. Painful empty space in Cord's mind, that had been his alone, was suddenly theirs, and then filled, eased, like dropping a stopper into a drain. In that pack-space in Aaron's head where the bonds to his wolves lived, a new link settled among them with Cord at its end.

Slowly, Aaron closed things down, fading that almost-too-intimate sharing until all the walls were rebuilt. Cord swayed on his knees and then smiled. "Alpha"

Aaron's phone rang. Without even looking he answered, "Mark?"

"Was that what it felt like?"

"Yes. That was Cord. It was a sudden necessity."

"I didn't get any warning. Do you need me?"

"No. Call everyone though. You're not on duty tonight?"

"No."

"We meet at the farmhouse tonight then. Seven. No, make it six. We'll welcome Cord properly. Spread the word." He hesitated, debating whether to tell Mark his suspicions of Jason. Because confronting the supposedly gay wolf was next on his list. But Cord was now pack, and Aaron also had Zach, and Lucas out front. They could handle one broken-armed wolf. No need for Mark to give up his Sunday with Megan and little Nick yet. "Things are changing, but I'll call if I need you. Otherwise I'll give you all the details then."

"Yes, Alpha." Mark could get a wealth of disapproval into two obedient words. But in this case he'd have to live with it.

Aaron tucked away his phone and extended a hand to get Cord up off his knees. Over at the house, the patio doors opened and Zach came out, staring at Cord, with Jason trailing behind him. Aaron stood and waited, with Cord at his shoulder. Zach's eyes flicked to Aaron's for just a moment as they approached, but then he smiled. "Hey. Welcome. Sixth, ahead of Damian, I guess."

"For now," Cord said. His voice had a new lightness to it.

"For a while. Simon is Fifth."

"Ah. Yes, then. Sixth."

They clasped hands. Aaron looked at them - almost a matched pair. The same eyes, hair, and skin tones. To a stranger, Cord would look more poised, more fit, more classically gorgeous. But for Aaron there was no comparison. In fact, Cord had been holding Zach's hand a bit too long. Aaron stepped sideways, bumping Zach's elbow, which broke the handshake. Cord dropped back a pace smoothly.

Jason glanced at them, obviously thinking hard, and then said, "You just bonded him? Like that? I'm confused."

Aaron said, "Yes," over the top of Zach's attempt at an explanation. "Let's go back inside. I have some questions for you that you're now going to answer. One way or another. Whatever it takes." He could feel Zach's dismay over his arctic tones. But if Aaron was wrong he could apologize later.

Even if Jason wasn't actually gay, it could just mean his pack were _mistaken_ homophobic bigots. In fact, Jason had repeatedly claimed it wasn't true. Maybe he was wrongly kicked out, and still was just looking for refuge. But it could also be more sinister than that. So no more kid gloves.

Jason smiled back easily enough. He bent and swiped a pebble off the bottom of one bare foot. "I'm not dressed for wandering outdoors anyway. I'll wait for you inside. I know we need to talk." He turned to jog back toward the house.

It was all so calm and casual that Aaron stalked behind him slowly, unthinkingly, with Cord and Zach at his elbows. Then he realized the guy with broken bones was running. When he didn't have to.

" _Damn!"_ He leaped after Jason with a yell, slamming up against the patio door as Jason closed and locked it behind him. Through the glass, he could see Jason inexplicably bend over, reaching for his work-boots where they lay discarded in the corner. Aaron threw open his bond to Lucas out front as he smashed the glass, reached in for the lock, and wrenched the door wide. Jason glanced over his shoulder, glanced back down at the boots, then dashed for the front hallway with Aaron behind him. As Jason pulled the front door open, Lucas drawled, "Make my day." He stood on the step, a gun pointed at Jason's head. Being Lucas, he grinned and added, "Heh. Always wanted to say that."

They all froze. Jason's chest heaved, but he kept his eyes fixed on the barrel of the pistol. Aaron felt a tug at his wrist, and looked down to see Zach wrapping his T-shirt around Aaron's glass-lacerated hand. Some smart-ass comment came and went unspoken in Zach's eyes, but he just gave Aaron a tight smile.

"Thanks." Aaron cradled his hand to his chest, putting pressure over the cuts he was just beginning to feel. He stared at Jason, hard enough to pull his attention away from the weapon. And then glared some more until Jason slumped, put his good hand in the air and lowered his eyes. Aaron raised an eyebrow at Lucas. "A gun?"

"I keep it in my car. I'm out alone more than most of the pack. And Vietnam gave me a healthy respect for what a bullet can do to a skull, even one of our kind."

"Good thought." Aaron stepped back. His pulse still thudded, but at least he had hold of his usual calm facade. "Zach and Cord, back into the room first. Jason, you follow them, slowly, or Lucas will shoot you. Clear?"

Jason didn't move for a long minute. Then he said, "You won't shoot me on a suburban doorstep."

"Try me." Lucas did ice-cold just as well as Aaron. "I'm seventy-four years old, and I've seen a lot of men die. Lots of ways. And covered it up, often enough."

Aaron said, "The tall hedges are there for a reason."

Jason rolled his eyes left and right, noting the screening plants that blocked Aaron's porch from all but the house across the street, which sat silent, curtains drawn.

"They'll be at church," Aaron added.

For a moment longer, he thought Jason was going to call the bluff, and Aaron prepared himself to jump him. To hell with a gun, Aaron could stop this guy without one. Jason must have realized the same thing, because he slowly turned back inside the house. Aaron stood aside to let Lucas follow at a safe distance with the gun still out, and then shut the door and brought up the rear.

In the living room, Zach stood beside his desk, his face dark with anger. Cord knelt beside Jason's discarded boots. Aaron saw Jason glance at Cord and then try to seem unconcerned, but there was a tightness around his mouth and he went one shade paler. Aaron told Cord, "Be careful with those." He glared at Jason, "Kneel on the rug. Hands behind you."

Stiffly, Jason complied. He winced as he moved his splinted arm behind his back. Looking up at Aaron with a contrite expression, he said, "I'm sorry I ran. I just got freaked out. No one would tell me what was going on. I'm sorry. Please, give me another chance."

Aaron picked up the bed sheet folded on the mat and, without commenting, ripped off a strip and twisted it into a rope. He walked behind Jason, fastened the sheet around Jason's right ankle and then up and around his good wrist. He tugged the binding tight enough to be hobbling, but not enough to force him to arch backward. If Paul said Jason's ribs were broken then they were. Torture was unnecessary. Or at least premature.

"Let me explain. Please." Jason's voice was strained. "This is all just happening so fast. I can't catch my breath. I needed to get away."

Cord said, "There's something odd about these boots. With the whiskey and blood on them, I didn't notice before. I'm not sure what it is, but under that they smell like fresh glue and something else sort of familiar." He put his face close to one and sniffed harder. "I don't know. Damned whiskey is killing my nose. Should I shift to wolf and check them out better?"

"They were repaired recently. Old favorites. That's the glue," Jason said.

"Be silent unless I ask a question," Aaron told him. He nodded to Cord. "Do it."

They all watched as Cord stripped, gorgeous and unconcerned, his focus on the boots. His shift time was about average, but he kept his sounds of pain and stress almost inaudible. He rose a few minutes later in grey and tan fur, shook himself, and bent over the boots. For a while there was just the sound of his sniffing breaths. Then he backed up, sneezed, and gave Aaron a nod. Aaron said, "Shift back and report."

Aaron watched the naked man slowly re-form from wolf with a dispassionate gaze. _Old habits, old control._ He'd spent decades watching hard pecs and sculpted chests and dicks of all dimensions naked around him, and never turning a hair. Maybe he'd relaxed around Zach, around Simon and Paul, letting some of his inner appreciation finally escape. That didn't mean he couldn't rebuild those walls as solid as ever. Cord was just another guy.

When Cord was done Aaron said, "Well?"

"Definitely something wrong there. Odd, like a chemical. Not boot-smell."

"A poison? A weapon?"

"Maybe. The alcohol on them makes it hard to pick out. I don't think it's gunpowder, or not just that. Maybe plastic explosives? I'm not the expert some of the pack, my old pack, are, but I've seen them use a variety of things around the ranch, flattening trails and clearing boulders. Ex-SEALS. They love to blow shit up. This smells familiar. Enough to be very, very careful with them."

Zach gave him a startled look, and of course had to go and bend over and sniff, inches from the leather. Aaron resisted the impulse to grab him and yank him away. Zach wrinkled his nose and glanced at Aaron, "Yeah. Something weird. Not just the, um, whiskey." He swallowed, and then backed away, glaring at Jason.

Aaron suddenly grabbed Jason's hair, yanking his head back and making him gasp. "Is it true?"

He could see denial and resignation cross Jason's face, and then Jason muttered through his taut jaw, "Fuck you."

Aaron let go. "Those boots are ten feet away from you. If anything explodes, you'll go up with it."

"Good."

Aaron gritted his teeth. "What the hell was this for? This whole damned charade? To blow me up?"

Jason sneered. "Don't flatter yourself."

"My pack then? Someone else?" He remembered snatches of the conversation he'd overheard. "My oh-so-secret stash of blackmail secrets?" That got a flicker of Jason's eyes. _Bingo._ Although perhaps that wasn't all. Aaron said through stiff lips, without looking at Zach, "My computer expert?"

"Not saying anything."

"You just let your Alpha carve you up and hand you over to us? He must not value you much. Where are you really from?"

Jason was stubbornly silent.

Lucas said casually, "I learned a lot of other shit in 'Nam, too, Alpha. D'you want me to get some answers?"

"No. Not yet." _Not ever._ Aaron resisted the desire to sigh, to run his hand over his hair, to show any hint of indecision. All this mess, death and mayhem and torture and pack against pack, was precisely why he'd never wanted to be Alpha. Well, he was stuck with it now. And Mark's lovely family day was about to be ruined after all.

"Zach, you know where the rope is under the stairs. Go get some. Lucas, take Jason into the basement and then you can demonstrate your knot-tying skills. We'll keep your talents with knives and bamboo for later. I'll call Mark. We'll hold a meet downstairs, as soon as everyone can get here."

Zach frowned. "Not at the farmhouse?"

Aaron shook his head. No reason to give Jason access to another pack address. In case they decided to let him live. _Damn._ "Cord, you back up Lucas."

Cord walked away from the boots with exaggerated care, his eyes on Jason. Zach headed off toward the kitchen. And Aaron went into his newly-soundproofed office to call Mark. Leaving the door ajar, just in case there was more trouble. _Damn it._

Chapter 5

Zach felt stupid, hiding in the bathroom after retreating upstairs for a new shirt to replace the one around Aaron's bloody hand. But he needed just a minute somehow, after... after the one-eighty where the man he sympathized with, hell, identified with, turned out to be a liar and a threat. He splashed water on his face and toweled it dry, before pulling on the shirt. He ignored the stupid guy looking back at him from the mirror who was suggesting that a little drink would be reasonable, after the shock he'd had. He ran a comb through his hair, and hurried down the stairs.

As always, moving between the two floors felt a bit like stepping through a mirror. The Zach he was in their private space was not someone he could be downstairs. He hesitated at the foot of the steps, getting his public face on, so that when he went into the office and saw Aaron behind his desk with the database laptop, eyes dark and shadowed with tension, he was able to say lightly, "Hey, boss, what do you need?" And not hug him.

"Information. On Jason. He's convinced that we have some kind of blackmail file on all the packs. So if that's already the perception and we can't take it back, we want to reinforce the hell out of it. I want to surprise him with everything we can find."

"Okay."

Aaron glared at the laptop. "We don't have any listing for Jason Cantrell. No Jasons at all on the North Dakota pack list."

Zach was already opening the locked cabinet that housed his online search-and-destroy machine. He plugged in the display and keyboard, and smiled as her lights came on. She was the fastest thing he'd ever owned, by a good bit. He logged in and asked, "Do we have anything else to go on?"

"He didn't have ID, but I'm betting he is really Jason, or something close. He responded to it fast, even when he was pretty much out of it. I also have my suspicions about his pack. If they wanted him to pass for North Dakota, he'd have to be somewhat familiar with the area. That could be researched, but then why not pick an area that we wouldn't know so well ourselves? So I'm betting they didn't think they had time for research, and he's from South Dakota, or maybe Montana. But he's not in the data base for either. Maybe he just doesn't rank."

"I'll check South Dakota first. Who else would think North Dakota was a step up?" Zach quipped. South Dakota and Montana wolves had both been less than friendly the last time he met them, staring across a snowy lawn at Simon like he should be exterminated. He put some parameters into his own search, and then got up and bent over Aaron's shoulder to check the laptop database. He had several names for the Sioux Falls pack in there, and he went back to add them to his search.

Aaron hunched over close to his screen. Zach wanted to touch him, but settled for hovering nearby. He could feel the tension in Aaron's back, inches from his chest. Aaron would be hating this. No matter how it went down, he'd have to make some life and death choices. And if the idea of explosives in the other room freaked Zach out, which he was pretending it didn't, but yeah, it definitely did, then he had no doubt it was bothering Aaron too. They both had history with explosions. Aaron rarely talked about the nightmares they sometimes shared. But Zach knew that where he himself woke to the echo of pain and fear, Aaron's were filled with loss and anguish, mixed with the smell of powdered concrete and Zach's blood. It was no wonder Aaron's face was hard as stone.

Zach sat back down to his work. Time disappeared as he tracked down possibilities... "Got him!"

"Where?" Aaron came and stood behind him to look. Zach let himself lean back against that warmth for a moment, here in the secluded office.

"There. Second from the left on the Carver High School baseball team of nineteen ninety-six. Jason Ruoho, however that's pronounced. You think?"

Aaron bent down to peer at the screen. "I think it's damned close. How did you find him?"

"Links with three different Sioux Falls wolves that we do know. I think it's solid. Let me look at this guy some more, find a more recent picture."

"Write it down for me. Everything you find."

"Right."

They were close together, Aaron's face just inches from his. Aaron opened their bond, and let Zach feel his relief/gratitude/affection. Then he closed it again, without a look or a touch. But behind the gratitude, Zach had felt Aaron's anxiety and dismay, and nebulous gut-churning fear. Zach dug his fingernails into his palms so he wouldn't reach out to Aaron, here in the public part of the house.

Aaron straightened. "I'll send someone for you when the whole pack is here. Bring anything you can find on Jason by then." He went out, leaving Zach with the computers.

Zach had half a page written out by the time there was a knock on the office door. The sound-proofing they'd installed was clearly good. If the pack had been gathering, he hadn't heard them. Or maybe that was just due to the trance he got into when he was working. Zach turned off his machines, stowed them safely, and opened the door. David stood outside, shifting his weight uneasily from foot to foot. Zach relocked the door, pocketed his keys, and said, "Downstairs?"

"Yeah." David's voice squeaked, and he swallowed. "They're waiting for us."

Aaron's basement was unfurnished and mostly used for storage, but enough open space had been cleared to accommodate all of the pack. In the middle of the room, Jason sat tied to a straight chair, a pillowcase pulled over his head to blindfold him. That detail rocked Zach as he came down the stairs. It reminded him of torture videos or the Ku Klux Klan, or some other horror that didn't belong here in the basement of the house he lived in, ten feet from his box of summer shirts.

Back in the old lodge where the big pack had met before the split, decades of violence had imbued the space with an otherworldly feel. That room had been all wolf, a separate space where the ways of the pack fit, insulated from the modern human world. Here, the juxtaposition was startling and uncomfortable.

Aaron looked up, eyes inscrutable, and waited for him and David to take their places in the circle of wolves. They moved in side by side between Peter and Andy. Andy gave Zach a tiny smile and a bump of shoulders, and the friendliness felt welcome. Peter was tense and wild-eyed, on David's other side. A few places further around the circle, Cord stood next to Simon, looking solemn.

Aaron took one step forward from Mark's side and said, "We are met."

The response of all his wolves repeated back much more softly than usual, but tight with intensity.

Zach saw Jason turning his head, as if to listen to the different voices, and realized that he'd never met the whole pack. That was no doubt part of the reason for the blinding effect of the pillowcase - to keep him from learning more. And suddenly Zach felt a little better, because that precaution was only necessary if there was a chance Aaron would let him go free.

Aaron held out a hand to Zach. He was off-balance enough that it took a moment to realize Aaron wanted the page of notes. Hastily he passed it over. Aaron turned toward Jason. "Jason Ruoho of Sioux Falls Pack, I wish I could welcome you among us." They all saw Jason try to control the jolt of surprise as Aaron used his real name. Aaron gave Zach a nod and continued. "Unfortunately, you chose to come here as a spy and saboteur. You lied to gain our trust. You brought explosives into my house. Tell me I'm wrong."

Jason didn't respond, either with denials or defiance. Zach wondered what that felt like, sitting there blind in that chair, as a pack of unfamiliar wolves gathered around him. Surely Jason was afraid - his scent betrayed it. Aaron's cold voice coming out of the darkness would scare anyone. Zach tried not to care about this man who had preyed on his sympathy, but he could almost feel the rope around his wrists and the cold concrete under his bare feet. Zach shivered.

"So what do I do with you now, Jason? Care to tell me? You're a bright guy, on the honor roll in your graduating class at Carver High. Baseball star. Debate team. You like guns, won a local shooting competition. Too bad the time when wolves could safely join the military and not worry about DNA exposure was already past when you got out of school. You'd probably have enjoyed that."

Jason's growl was clearly involuntary, but Aaron smiled grimly. "We know a lot about you, from your line of work to your shoe size."

Zach thought for a second that he hadn't actually found Jason's shoe size... except it would be inside those boots. Right. His mind wanted to leave the room, wander off on tangents. He forced himself to concentrate on what Aaron was saying.

"We know who sent you, and what they sent you with. I had someone look at that bomb. Small but powerful enough to take out part of this house and all of us in this room. But I still wonder what your target was. Me? My whole pack? My information storage? My computer expert? My gay wolf?"

Jason twitched in his bonds but didn't answer.

"Who or what did your Alpha hate that much? Or, more likely, fear that much? This is way overkill for homophobia. So it had to be the information. Did he really think I wouldn't have back-ups and security? That the data isn't also stored elsewhere? That I wouldn't have a deadman switch in place, ready to download it to another pack if anything happened to us?"

"You wouldn't do that." Jason's voice was low. "That's safety and currency. You wouldn't share it with anyone."

"You forget," Aaron said, almost pleasantly. "I have ties with at least three other packs. Personal and family ties. If I die, they get everything I have."

Zach thought that was a really good idea. One they would have to get working on the minute they left this basement and the smell of mildew and fear. Although, despite Aaron's blithe talk of ties, Jason was also right. Zach wasn't sure who, besides Aaron, he would really trust with the information he was accumulating.

He held still and listened. Aaron circled behind Jason, obviously knowing how that would string him even tighter. "What if one of those gay wolves your Alpha had killed over the years could have contributed something similar to your pack? Ever wonder what you lost in your culling?"

"I never killed anyone."

"That's nice to hear. It would be more believable if you hadn't shown up here with the intention of blowing us up."

"That's different."

Aaron leaned in suddenly to speak right next to Jason's ear. "Didn't you even wonder what your Alpha is so afraid of?"

Jason jumped and tried to lean away but Aaron grabbed his hair through the pillowcase. "He sent you to kill and destroy. Why? None of the other packs were that afraid. None of them made this kind of desperate move. What do you think Axel is hiding?"

"He's not... I don't know any Axel."

Aaron let go and straightened. "That may be more true than you think. Maybe you don't know. So why does he waste a good wolf trying to get to my pack?"

"No questions," Jason muttered.

"He sent you out to die for him. With the word FAG carved into your skin. Hell, he broke your arm. That was a nice touch. I'd have been a lot more suspicious if you hadn't been half disabled. But it did leave you without defenses, didn't it? You don't owe him anything."

Jason didn't reply. Wolf and Alpha. It wasn't about what was owed, Zach thought. It was pure instinctive obedience. Of course, Aaron knew that too.

Aaron growled, "Aren't you curious though? What do you think Axel is worried about? Embezzling pack funds for girls and gambling?"

"Pack funds are his."

"True. That might make his pack unhappy, but nothing more. Something worse then. Snuff films? Have you had pack members go missing? Child porn? Any kids in your pack?"

"Fuck you! Axel's not like that."

"Uh huh. You go on thinking that." Aaron let that hang heavy for a minute.

Zach made a mental note to go looking for Axel online. A really deep search. Because even if Aaron was winding Jason up, there was truth underneath that. There had to be more than just general anxiety involved, to push the Sioux Falls Alpha this far.

Aaron leaned in again. "I'm curious. Did he tell you there was a delay in the triggering mechanism to let you get clear? Because there wasn't. If you'd actually set that off, BOOM!" Jason jumped at Aaron's shout.

Aaron grinned fiercely. "Oh yeah. Little bits of Jason all mixed in with the rest of us."

"Bullshit. He wouldn't. There had to be a hot fire afterward to destroy..." Jason stopped short.

"To destroy the DNA. I'm actually glad he was even thinking about that. Of all the stupid, bone-headed, vicious, most-likely-to-out-us-to-humans plans! Aaargh." Aaron whirled away. "Sweet Jesus, I can't believe you guys haven't screwed this up already. And people wonder why the Council thinks we're going to get outed any time now. DNA testing takes away the margin of safety for truly stupid moves like yours. We are all going to be out _soon._ "

Jason whined, a tiny involuntary sound.

"So what do I do with you?" Aaron asked. "What would Axel do?"

Jason shook his head.

"Yeah, don't answer that. Anything that moron would do is the wrong answer." Aaron paced another circle. "So. A fire and cleanup. If Axel was thinking ahead, he wouldn't have left that all up to you. Which suggests the guys who dropped you off are still around here somewhere, waiting for a call."

There was a subliminal growl from around the circle. The thought of other wolves lurking, waiting to make sure their bodies were fried to a crisp, didn't set well with anybody. Zach's own anger was rising, sharpening his senses and speeding his breath. He'd lived on anger once. On that plane of existence where furious heat and don't-care-what-happens let him run wild and get outside his own mind. It had a heady excitement to it. He could taste blood and whiskey. He shook his head hard, and focused on Aaron, in the flesh and through the bond. On cool and controlled, on the total opposite of that burn-it-to-the-ground feeling.

Aaron said, "Here's what will happen."

There was a sound from overhead. Zach identified it as the front door opening. The whole pack took a breath but Aaron immediately said, "No threat. Mark, Simon, go."

The two men ran up the stairs, making less noise than Zach would have thought possible, unbolted the cellar door, and disappeared through it. There ware footsteps above, and then voices, indistinct and strained, but not angry. Zach identified Paul's voice. _Ah. No threat except maybe to Simon's balls._ Paul was unpredictably outspoken about pack violence.

They waited, while Aaron prowled around Jason making just enough sound for the bound man to be constantly aware of him. After a few minutes, Mark and Simon returned. Both looked sheepish and frustrated. Simon came downstairs toward Aaron. Behind him first Paul and then a visibly-pregnant Megan made their way down the steps. Mark relocked the door and brought up the rear.

Aaron said, "Did I invite the two of you?"

Paul's head came up with a defiant jerk. "No. But you should have."

Simon's wince was almost audible, but he put himself between his mate and his Alpha. Aaron just sighed. "Go and stand by your mates. Watch. Listen. Don't speak until afterward. Am I clear?"

Megan nodded, but Paul said, "I didn't patch that man up for you to kill him. No matter what he's done."

"Am I clear?" Aaron's tone could have cut glass. After a moment even Paul couldn't stand against it. He bowed his head. Simon moved over further, screening him until Paul had to peer over his shoulder.

Aaron turned back to Jason. "Where was I? Oh yes, telling you what I've decided." He held a long, long pause. Jason sat frozen, unmoving. Zach wondered if he was breathing.

Zach could hear the rapid beat of his own heart. Any Alpha he'd ever heard of would kill this man. Protecting the pack meant you just didn't turn loose an active threat to try it again. You definitely didn't let another Alpha raise a hand to you like that and not pull back a bloody stump. Carl would have dropped Jason's flayed and still-bleeding body on Axel's own doorstep. Gordon would probably have just disappeared him down a mineshaft.

But Aaron was trying to help drag the packs kicking and screaming into a new century. And while Zach wanted to see Jason catch just a fraction of the hell he tried to cause, he didn't want him to die. Did that make Zach a bad werewolf? Was it a weakness that Aaron didn't share? He dropped his gaze, not wanting to catch Aaron's attention and either influence or read him. Times like this, Zach was infinitely glad he would never be an Alpha.

"Oh, don't piss your pants," Aaron sneered. "We're sending you back to Axel. Since he already took verisimilitude to the point of breaking your arm, I'm not even going to let the pack beat you. Although it's tempting." Another multi-voiced growl punctuated how much some of the pack agreed with that. But to his right, Zach could see that young Peter's face was a lot less green than it had been just minutes ago.

Aaron turned to the pack. "Richard, Lucas, Cord. We're going to package this guy up and drive him to the state line. When you get there, find a pay-phone somewhere, there must still be a few, and have him call his backup packmates here and tell them to get out of Dodge." He turned to Jason. "Jason, you can remind them that South Pack's Special Forces guys love to join in a hunt for intruders, especially ones who show up with bombs - they owe us, and they get bored without someone to chase. I won't even have to lift a finger. Your men don't have a hope of hiding."

Jason was trying to seem unaffected, but they could all hear his heart pounding. Aaron laughed. "I have way more resources than you know of. Tell your friends that if I catch hide or hair of them around here, I'll also release every scrap of information I have on Axel to the whole wolf community, and then I'll let him know they were responsible for the leak. They can deal with Axel after that. The same goes for you personally if I see you again. Ever. From now on, you don't come to any conferences, you don't go online anywhere, you _never_ show your face. You hunker down in your little hole and hope I never even hear your name again. Understand?"

Jason pulled several breaths through his nose. Zach could see the fabric of the pillowcase clinging to his face with the force of it. But finally he said through audibly clenched teeth, "Yes, Alpha."

Aaron nodded to Mark. "Get him out of my sight."

Lucas went to Jason and pulled out a knife. He played with it for a few moments, holding it against Jason's neck under the edge of the pillowcase, sliding it slowly down to the hollow of his collarbone, and then over his bare arm toward his bonds. He gave a little twist, and a drop of blood trickled out of a shallow cut above Jason's elbow. They all stood watching. No one spoke. Zach could feel the avidity with which they all responded to the scent of their enemy's blood. Instinct said to kill him and end the threat permanently. Damien growled under his breath.

Aaron said in bored tones, "Don't make a mess down here. You can play with him on the drive to South Dakota. Just deliver him alive."

"Yes, Alpha." Lucas cut Jason free and hauled him to his feet, the pillowcase still in place, torquing his good arm behind him. Jason whined, and Zach felt that familiar surge of broken-ribbed sympathy. He forced it down. Jason deserved worse, deserved to imagine he'd get much worse. Although Zach thought Lucas was bluffing. Mostly. Probably. Lucas's grin was feral. "Come with me, laddy-boy. Going for a nice long drive."

Richard led the way, Lucas propelled Jason up the stairs behind him. Cord brought up the rear. As Cord reached the bottom step, Aaron said, "Sixth." It took a second before Cord realized, and turned. "You did well. Get on back here, and tonight's meet will be very different - a celebration. I'm glad you're mine." Aaron met Cord's eyes and a smile slowly bloomed on Cord's gorgeous face. Zach realized Aaron must have their bond open, and bit his lip to hold back the jealously. _Mine_ didn't always mean the same thing coming from an Alpha. It meant all of their pack, sometimes. It was stupid, to want to rearrange Cord's pretty face for responding to Aaron like that. Even more stupid to want to go up to Aaron and insist he keep that word just for Zach. He forced himself to relax and take long, slow breaths.

Once Jason and his escort were gone, Aaron turned back to the rest of them. "So, that was fun." His tone was dry, but a moment later he added more easily, "It'll be interesting to see if we hear anything more from Axel. In the meantime, I did mean what I said to Cord. Tonight at six at the farmhouse, just like we planned. We'll welcome our new wolf."

Zach could feel the tension seeping out of the rest of them, matching the way his own shoulders dropped. He tried to subtly stretch and arch his back, feeling the pull of muscles that had been strung wire tight.

Aaron continued, "Watch your backs the next few days, keep in touch and if you see anything..." He peered harder at Peter and then David. " _Anything at all_ that doesn't seem right, tell someone. Don't dismiss it or call yourself stupid or chicken, or pretend you're just imagining it because you don't want to look dumb. Say something. Got it?"

Both young men nodded. "Okay. Everyone's dismissed except Mark and Simon, Paul and Megan, and Zach."

It took a few minutes to clear the room. Aaron said, "Zach, go on up and make sure we're clear, and then lock the door and come back down."

Zach nodded. He hurried, because he really wanted to hear what Aaron was going to say to Paul. Even if it was none of his business. He wondered if this little lock-the-door task was to get him out of the way for a minute, but when he bounded back down the stairs, they were all still standing silently in the same places.

"Done," Zach said.

Aaron sighed, and a little of the Alpha weight left his gaze. But he still looked angry as he turned to Paul. "What were you thinking, walking in on the meet like that?"

"I was thinking that Simon said Jason was going to be judged for trying to blow the damned pack up. I know how you guys usually deal with threats. If there was going to be another murder, I was going to be here."

"To stop it?"

"Not necessarily. I told Simon I've chosen all of you. My pack, right or wrong, because he's my mate and he's your wolf. But that doesn't mean I could stay away and not speak up. Or pretend my hands were clean if you went ahead anyway. I had to be here."

"Uh huh. Megan? You?"

Mark's bond mate laid a hand on her softly rounded stomach. "Pretty much the same thing. With the big pack I was willing to stay back with the other wives, because I didn't see an option. Gordon was a man of the last century. Hell, more like the one before it. For all he was a good Alpha, he'd never have given us a voice in the pack."

"But you're going to force me to?"

"Not force. I don't underestimate you, Alpha."

Aaron sighed and ran a hand over his mouth. Something in Zach eased, seeing that. This wasn't Aaron in his Alpha-can-do-no-wrong hat. This was more the Aaron he lived with, who could ask questions and discuss, and admit to weakness. This Aaron said, "But you think you should be included in meets?"

Paul said, "Not all of them. We can't run in fur, and don't need every detail of pack organization. But the big ones, yes. The ones that will change all of us. We're pack too. You live in our heads, even if only by proxy. We have that right."

"No, actually you don't. But I can see where you think you should." Aaron frowned. "The packs are changing. For many Alphas, who tend to be men in their sixties, or perhaps eighties, or even nineties, the modern world is accelerating too fast for their tastes. Even women's rights are a difficult stretch for some of them. Letting bond-mates participate in pack decisions is a huge step. Pack and humankind have always been two separate worlds, with separate laws. The two worlds connect in the bondmate's home life, but not elsewhere."

"Which is why a woman's son can be taken away from her on the Alpha's command without a second thought." Megan's hand was pressed hard to her abdomen.

"Never without a second thought. But yes. The boys always had to belong to the pack more than to their mothers, even the mothers who knew what they were. But that was nothing unusual in the centuries where women were never allowed in the seats of power, human or wolf. It wouldn't have even occurred to the men to suggest it, or the women to ask. Plus the only real limit to an Alpha's power, was the limits of the tolerance of his top wolves. Positions were held by force. Meets can get rough, with decisions made in blood on the fighting floor. No one wanted their mate around that."

"Will it still be like that in our pack?" Paul demanded. In front of him, Simon moved restlessly but said nothing.

Aaron locked gazes. "I'm not one of your tame kittens. Don't think it for a minute. I believe that to survive, we will have to adapt further to human society. And if... when we are outed, that change will be even more necessary. But we are werewolves. Not men. Not wolves. We are Pack, and if one of my pack pushes me too far, I will take him down as hard as necessary. This is not and never will be a democracy."

"So you won't even listen to reason."

"Did I say that? I'll listen. I'm listening now, and I'll take your petition under advisement. But hear me - it is a petition. I am Alpha here. Walk in again where you have not been invited, and I will take action."

Paul was clearly having difficulty meeting Aaron's eyes, but he managed to say, "What? Punch me?"

Aaron stilled Simon's growl with one glance. "No. I'll take it out on Simon. Who'll know I'm right, won't you, Fifth?"

Simon dropped his eyes smoothly. "Yes, Alpha."

Paul whirled away. "I don't get you. I'm trying but... I just don't."

Aaron said in a conversational tone to Simon, "Not one for unquestioning obedience, is he?"

"Nope."

"Questions are okay. But the obedience must follow. Paul, think of it like the military, if that helps. You can question and debate, but when the order comes, you go over the top, or your comrades die alone."

"But why?" Paul asked the concrete at his feet. "Why does it have to be all about death and dying and fighting and blood?"

"Because we're wolves. We're born of a simpler time when it was kill or be killed. And we were determined to be on the top of that equation. Hey, for the scientist in you, one of our medics figured out our testosterone levels are in the top one percent for humans. Which has both downsides and benefits. Multiple benefits."

Simon laughed, and bumped Paul's shoulder with his own.

"We are hierarchical, and the top beckons to most of us. Ask Mark if he ever has the urge to just shoulder me out of the way and run this pack like it should be run. Ask Simon."

"Not me, babe," Simon said quickly to Paul. "I'm happy playing second fiddle. Or fifth."

Mark said, "I'd never Challenge you, Aaron."

"Until I screw up enough that you feel you have to." Aaron stepped toward him and Mark bowed his head fast. "Yeah. We are what we are, Paul. We're adapting, but it won't be easy. I'll take your petition into consideration."

"I guess that's all I can ask. So, Cord is one of us now too?"

"Yes." Zach could feel Aaron's relief at the change of subject. "We'll welcome him tonight. You and Megan can come to that. As long as you bring food."

Paul managed a small smile. "Sounds good, although Simon had better do the cooking if you don't want to add poisoning the Alpha to my list of sins."

Aaron reached out and put a hand on his arm. "They're not sins, Paul. Challenges maybe, for you and for me. But the more I think about this stuff, the more opinions I get, the more likely we'll survive the next decade intact. You can make up for your intrusion by getting Simon to bake his triple chocolate chip brownies."

Paul's smile became easier.

Megan said with deliberate lightness, "So, is this guy Cord as pretty as Mark says? I was so distracted by the other guy I forgot to look. To get jumped by an Alpha's girlfriend, he has to have something."

"Oh yeah," Zach chimed in. "He has something. He's flat out gorgeous - face, body, everything." He felt safe to relax with just Simon, Paul, Megan and Mark here. He and Aaron had figured a month ago that they weren't fooling Mark any.

Although... maybe it wasn't safe to actually say that in front of them, because the glare Aaron turned on him was pretty powerful.

"Oops."

Zach felt a moment of panic. Maybe Aaron had changed his mind about not hiding from Mark. Maybe he wanted Zach not to lay his orientation on the line so unmistakably. That furious glare made him whimper. Desperately, Zach wished he'd had a drink before the meet. Just one. A hit of liquid courage.

Aaron took two steps toward him, gripped his jaw and stared into his eyes. The dark heat of Aaron's gaze made Zach's knees feel like rubber.

Mark said, "Go easy on the kid. It's not like Megan and I didn't guess about him long ago. He's not spilling any secrets."

Aaron ignored him. His other hand landed on Zach's shoulder, heavy as a boulder. Zach shook. Then Aaron's palm slid up from his shoulder to his neck to his cheek. "Cord is pretty," he said in a quiet deep voice, "But you are the one who's truly mine. Hear me?"

The relief was like a flood of warm water through Zach's body. He swayed, and managed to smile. But from somewhere, the snark he couldn't suppress came out with, "Yeah? You said that to Cord when he left too."

Aaron froze, his hands cupping Zach's face. Then he stepped away, and glanced around the group. "Well yes, I guess I did." His voice was clear and light. "But there's a difference." He turned away, heading for the stairs. At the bottom step he paused, and looked back, glancing across their faces, ending up with Zach's. That dark fire still blazed in his eyes. "The difference is, I'm also yours."

Even after his near silent footsteps up the stairs had faded, those words rang on in Zach's head.

***

Aaron's hands flew over the keys in practiced sequence. Upstairs, Zach was finally sleeping, but Aaron hadn't been able to relax enough yet, so he'd come downstairs to the office for awhile.

_Device Password:_ Hl4@wk$%n&

_User Password:_ **Sq1DLnk**

_CryptKey:_ @ZachDon'tP33KorEls3

_Doc Password:_ $rsly-1TsYrBallsBoy

He clicked on the filename.

Aaron's Journal

The Word document opened to a brand new page. That was fitting somehow. Aaron pondered, hesitated on the keys and typed for just a moment. Sometimes this helped, to get his mind in order. Written words had always been not just his workplace, but his solace, and the way he made sense of the world. Although now, upstairs, he had another place where he could lay the weight of his thoughts down and find comfort. He wrote:

Today, I almost killed another man. Not an innocent human this time, but it still would have been an execution in cold blood. I couldn't do it. I hope that decision doesn't cost us dearly.

Today, I said I love a man, out loud in front of straight witnesses. The look in Zach's eyes was worth the risk.

Tomorrow... who knows.

#####

Kaje Harper grew up in Montreal and spent her teen years writing, filling binders with stories about what guys like Starsky and Hutch really did on their days off. But as life got busy, the stories began to just live in her head. The characters grew, met, endured, loved, but rarely made it to paper. Serious authorship got sidetracked by ventures into psychology, teaching, and a biomedical career. And by the challenges of raising children.

When the kids were more independent, her husband gave her a computer she didn't have to share. She began putting words down in print, just for fun. Hours of fun. Lots of hours of fun. The stories began piling up, and her husband suggested it was time to try to publish one. MLR Press accepted her first book, Life Lessons, which was released in May 2011. Kaje now has several novels and short stories in print. She currently lives in Minnesota with a creative teenager, a crazy little omnivorous white dog, and a remarkably patient spouse.

Website: http://kajeharper.wordpress.com/

Goodreads Author Page:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4769304.Kaje_Harper

