Chapter 2

Chapter

Two

F en woke up to a roaring headache, pain in his shoulder, and a huge rumbling in his belly. It had been…well, he had no idea how long it had been since that last rabbit.

And then someone had shot him.

He’d thought he was high enough on the mountain that there would be no pack. That he could find a place to rest. To stop running for a bit.

But then he’d been running for his life again.

He’d known right away that Rory wasn’t part of the pack who had tried to kill him. He’d been so scared but so kind.

So willing to help.

And then Fen had heard him in his head.

His mate.

He’d found his mate, and he was going to die. He’d been so aggravated.

Now, though, he thought he might live. If he could just get some water. His tongue felt like it could choke him.

“I have it right here. There’s a bottle and a bowl. What would you rather have?”

Bowl. The man inside him wanted to say bottle, but he knew it would never work when he couldn’t sit up.

“No problem.” He could smell the water, and Rory’s hands were gentle and kind as they helped him lap up a drink.

Thank you . He laid his head back down, the pain making him pant. Note to self, he thought. Don’t get shot.

“Can I do anything? I hate having you hurt.”

Sit with me. I need to feel you. I’m cold.

“Yeah. It’s cold up here at night, even in the summer.”

Where am I? He had no idea. He could be anywhere from Wyoming to Utah to Colorado.

Utah. Uinta mountains. We’re up there.

I did think I was high enough not to run into a pack.

Rory snorted. There were dragons. It was a thing.

Fen blinked, trying to make Rory come into focus. Dragons?

Yep. A bunch of them. I was one of their friends.

What happened to them? He was going to need to pee soon.

They went away. They just disappeared. Like poof.

That set him back on his heels . Is there some sort of portal here? Am I in danger of…poofing? He’d seen too many magical things to doubt Rory’s story, and his new…friend sounded sad that his dragons were gone.

No. All the wolves are fine. And me too. The dragons are the ones that left. That’s it.

Hmm. He took a deep breath, testing the wound to see how bad it hurt now that he was awake. Okay. Whoa.

“Hey. Hey, easy. No hurting you, okay? That’s not cool.” Those warm hands eased him back down.

His tail thumped, because Rory’s voice and touch made him happy. Calmed him.

“That’s right, sweet wolf. That’s so much better. Just relax.”

He went as boneless as he could, trying to let the herbs the healer had given him before do their job. He just needed to rest, and he would heal so much faster.

“How’s he doing?” someone asked, and Rory kept petting.

“He’s hurting, but he woke up and drank. That’s good, right?”

“That’s very good. Can you still hear him?”

“I can. He’s amazing. I’m very fond.”

“That’s wonderful, Rory!” Whoever Rory was talking to was a little…not condescending. Maybe more motherly.

She’s nice. She’s one of the healers.

Okay. You deserve respect, Rory.

She’s an elder to me. Very kind. Remember, I’m a guest here. I’m human, not a wolf. I just wanted to be with the pack.

Not a wolf? Huh. That was—well. He wasn’t going to disabuse Rory of his notion.

I’m sorry. I wish I was something…special.

You are. So stop that right now. The urge to shift so he could talk to Rory as a man was huge, but his body simply refused.

All right. I mean, we’re talking together, aren’t we? That’s special. He could totally live with that.

It is. You hear me . And it had been so long since his whole family had—Goddess. He needed to cut that right off.

I do. I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here.

Thank you. Rory was too good to be true, but he was going to try very hard to hang onto him. Fen knew that already.

Fen understood how important having a mate was. He knew it, bone-deep. His parents had been so happy, and so had his brother and Hailey…

Fen? Fen, are you all right? The soft petting happened again.

I am. Sorry. Sorry, I was hurting a moment. That was the truth, even if he wasn’t talking about the physical pain.

I’m sorry. That sucks. How can I help? Can I help?

Just stay here with me. I’ll be asleep again soon. More water? He was so thirsty.

Of course. There’s plenty . Rory offered him another drink. So gentle with him.

He drank, then leaned his head on Rory’s leg. The warmth and scent of Rory was like nothing else.

“Rest, sweet wolf. I’m going to stay right here for you, okay?”

Okay, Rory. I’ll be better soon. I swear . He wanted to be able to look Rory in the eye as a man.

I hope so. You deserve to feel better. No one wants to be hurting.

No. He’d been shot. Goddess, that was so strange. Someone had wanted to hurt him just for putting his paw on the ground. His family, their tiny pack, had been all about helping others.

This pack felt warm and welcoming as well. Like a true family. A safe space.

He would love to explore it, but he also needed to be able to shift to talk to the alphas. He’d been next in line in his pack to be alpha, and he didn’t want to step on toes.

He knew that someone with power had visited him, maybe more than one, but he’d only been vaguely aware.

Jameson has been checking on you.

That’ s the alpha?

One of them. They run the pack together. They’re brothers.

Two alphas? How odd. He liked the idea, actually. It kept one wolf from getting power hungry.

Yes, two alphas. Jameson and Keegan.

That’s amazing. It was. And for a pack to accept it? Even more amazing.

It is. They took over from a brutal alpha, and the pack is so much healthier now.

Good. His eyelids drooped, his body trying to force him to rest.

Yes. Sleep, sweet wolf. I’m keeping watch. I promise you.

You can sleep with me if you need to. He trusted that he would wake now if something happened. He was that much better.

Okay. If I have to, I’ll just settle here with you. Fair?

Totally fair. I love having you with me. He lay on something padded. Hopefully that would be enough for Rory.

Rory settled next to him, spooning him. His mate was solid, warm against his spine. He let his eyes close all the way, the heat relaxing him.