Page 2 of Hidden Pain

“Are you ok, Kingsley?” Isobel reached out and lightly touched him on his bandaged hand.

“Yeah, I’m good.” He got to his feet and nudged his new brother-in-law out of the way, so he could kiss his sister on top of the head. “If you two are planning to return to the Glacial Blood mansion soon, then you need to enjoy the peace while you can.”

“Peace? With Morocco and Zahara around,” Zain laughed. Just at that moment, a frantic-looking Scott appeared, holding a crying Zahara out in front of him as a strew of sick emerged from the windy baby’s mouth all over his suit.

“Emma!” the male lion shifter roared for his girlfriend who was now standing right beside him holding their other baby cub and laughing. Emma handed Morocco over to Selene, the multi shifter, and scooped her daughter away from Scott.

“You were supposed to keep all that food in your tummy not share it with Daddy,” the doting mum teased Zahara whose soft giggles then filled the room.

“See what I mean!” Zain held his hands out in exasperation before pulling Isobel away and heading toward the exit.

Kingsley nodded goodbye to them and made his own way outside to get some fresh air. He knew smoking was bad for him, and prior to everything that’d happened, he’d been giving up, but the events of the last week had caused him to need the habit even more. Pulling a cigarette packet and lighter from his jacket, he popped a cigarette out. Then holding the cigarette as best he could in his injured hand, he lit the end and inhaled the first breath of smoke before laying the lighter and packet on the ground next to him. Smoking helped him deal with the fact that even this task was made so much harder because of a missing finger. When his mind settled, he’d try to quit again.

The wedding had started at dusk, which seemed to be a tradition for the shifters, and it was dark now. The air was warm, and the outside terrace of Hunter Windsor’s palatial home was a quiet, welcoming place to spend the evening. Hunter Windsor was the alpha of a wolf pack steeped in history. His family had been the heirs to the title for generations, and Hunter came into power, following his father’s unfortunate and untimely death. The wolf alpha had been married to a very unpleasant she-wolf from England until a few months ago. But he’d now divorced her and sent her back to her pack in disgrace. Kingsley wasn’t sure of all the facts, but he knew it involved her unfair treatment of a member of the Glacial Blood pack called Teagan. The wild dog shifter was as clumsy as they came, but she was a lovely person and worked hard within the shifter Council to encourage more amalgamation of breeds and to lessen prejudice. Kingsley guessed it wasn’t only the human world where people were quick to judge anyone or anything different. He took another couple of drags of his cigarette and settled onto a sun lounger. Laying his head back on the cushion-covered backrest, he opened his mouth and puffed out rings of smoke.

A howl from nearby drew his attention. Wolves, in his opinion, were very loud, but then again, he hadn’t really spent much time around shifters before, so maybe it was a common occurrence to make a din and let everyone know where you were. The leaves nearby rustled, and a group of four wolves appeared from the undergrowth. Kingsley suspected the wolf who led the way was Hunter while the other three dragged the dead body of a deer behind them.

The leader raised his head, and Kingsley could just make out in the dimness of the garden solar lights the wolf’s nose sniffing the air. The animal’s large head turned to face him, and its deep brown eyes held him in a penetrating gaze that almost had him running inside. It isn’t every day you encounter a wolf mere meters from where you’re sitting, and although he knew these were no ordinary wolves, human nature told him to run and hide. Kingsley composed himself with another drag on his cigarette. The lead wolf growled low, the corners of its mouth turning up at the edges. The other wolves then looked over at Kingsley before gathering up the freshly caught dinner and pulling it toward the kitchen.

Hunter remained in the garden, his eyes staying focused on Kingsley. The wolf stalked closer to him, his stride majestic as he prowled along the rose-lined borders of the garden. Kingsley could still hear the growl reverberating from him. When the wolf was almost at the patio area, it started to shift. Kingsley had been around shifters for a while, but he’d never seen a wolf change before. It was even more awe-inspiring than watching Zain do it: the way the fur receded and disappeared to leave human skin, the way the bones cracked and changed into a human body, and the way the face altered from animal to human. The eyes were the last things to shift, and Hunter’s deep brown eyes now in human form were staring intently at him.

“Put it out,” Hunter ordered. Kingsley looked at his cigarette, and then slowly he put it to his lips and took another long drag. He allowed the smoke to enter his lungs and numb the pain he felt. Hunter growled…even in human form, he was still intimidating. The wolf shifter then stomped forward, naked as the day he was born, and grabbing the cigarette from Kingsley, he stubbed it out himself.

“No smoking on my property.”

“You one of those health-kick people types who don’t allow anyone else to have fun? You going to go inside next and stop the wedding guests from drinking alcohol?” Kingsley inquired, responding to the destruction of his cigarette with sarcasm.

“It’s a bad habit, and it smells disgusting. Most of the people here have sensitive noses. Smoking doesn’t do any of us any good,” Hunter replied. He was now standing in front of Kingsley with his muscular arms folded across his chest. His shoulder-length brown hair framed his face and strong stubbled jawline. As Kingsley’s gaze lowered, he could see two piercings in each of the wolf’s nipples. How did that work with the whole shifting thing? Kingsley wasn’t bisexual, he was just curious. He’d experimented with a man in his younger days, but it hadn’t done anything for him. However, staring at the dominant male who was glaring murderously back at him was stirring things down below. He didn’t need that to happen, so he quickly turned away before he found himself daring to look any lower than Hunter’s chest.

The wolf sniffed again, his nostrils flaring. Kingsley picked up his cigarette packet and made to re-enter the house.

“They shift with me…as do the piercings in my cock.”

Kingsley froze to the spot and turned around slowly. He knew he shouldn’t look, but human nature being what it is immediately drew his eyes to Hunter’s groin area, and the Apadravya piercing situated there.

“Isn’t that going to look odd if you get spotted?” Kingsley asked.

“It’s no different to a she-wolf wearing a pair of hoops. Mine are hidden beneath my fur. They’re unlikely to be seen.”

Kingsley found he was still staring at the other man’s rather large cock. It wasn’t flaccid, and that scared him. He dragged his eyes up higher to meet Hunter’s.

“What about tattoos?” he inquired.

“Again, it depends on the thickness of the fur.” Hunter stroked his hand over the abs lining his muscular stomach. “The fur here is thinner, so they are more likely to be seen.” Hunter chuckled. “Unless you’re Kas, of course, and your skin turns black before you transform, hiding any tattoos. Mind you, polar bears tend to fill out as well, which would stretch the design out of shape.”

“I think that’s all the seal blubber, and nothing to do with the shifting.” Kingsley smirked.

“We must experiment with tattoos one day when your hand heals. I hear you’re one of the best.”

Kingsley looked down at his bandaged hand.

“I think my tattooing days are over.” He held the damaged hand up. ”This is my dominant hand. I won’t be able to hold the tattoo gun steady enough anymore.”

“You never know until you try,” Hunter replied as he leaned over and pulled a pair of jeans from a storage box on the patio. Kingsley watched as he put them on. There was a feeling of disappointment lingering in the air. ”Have you checked on Lily today?” Hunter asked.

Lily was a bear shifter who was being held prisoner in the dungeon of Hunter’s mansion. She’d been involved in trying to expose Selene’s shifting abilities to the human world, and Hunter was looking after her until someone decided on a suitable punishment for her crime.

Kingsley nodded “Yes, there’s still no change. She still thinks Nuka will come for her.”

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