Page 2 of Stealing His Human

The road split into three directions. The one to the right had an arrow indicating you could drive in that direction, as did the one straight ahead. The road to the left had an arrow pointing toward him, as well as a no-entrance sign.

Knowing the campgrounds were set up with one-way loops—and surely Rierdon couldn’t have gotten too far—Nedrick veered to the right. He immediately spotted his friend’s truck parked in a camp spot amidst the trees. Not only was Rierdon standing near the back bumper, but so was Wraith Urdman. The man was a fellow wolf shifter and in uniform, which told Nedrick that he was the one on duty.

Wraith had probably helped Rierdon park his truck, too. Even though Rierdon was a wolf shifter, he was on the smaller side, standing five-foot-ten with a lithe build. His black wolf was sleek and swift, but not very large.

On the other hand, the ranger had the more common buff-like build and stood at six-foot-two.

Nedrick knew that he was somewhere in the middle. While he topped six feet, standing six-foot-one, his build was leaner than the large forest ranger. He didn’t mind, though. With his muscular frame, Nedrick had never had any trouble finding companionship for the night on the rare occasion that he went looking.

Parking hisJeepoff to the side behind Rierdon’s truck so he didn’t block the flow of traffic, Nedrick greeted the other wolf shifters. “Hey, Rier, Wraith.” He eyed the way the left front tire of the truck veered toward the left. Shaking his head, he recalled how the truck’s other front tire had been positioned straight ahead. “That had to be a beast to park.”

Wraith chuckled, his smile rueful, while Nedrick ducked his head and blushed. “We made do,” Wraith told him, watching Nedrick as he jumped from his vehicle. “He said he called you for a lift or tow.” Eyeing Nedrick’s vehicle speculatively, he told him, “Not sure that’s going to do the job, though.”

“Gonna see if I can jury rig it first,” Nedrick explained as he pulled a jack from the back of hisJeep. As he crossed to the truck, he admitted, “Although, from seeing it now, I doubt I’ll be able to.” Nedrick lowered to his knees. “I’ll probably have to zip over to Kade’s garage and hook up the dolly.”

Wraith nodded, his attention straying to a vehicle that was turning into the entrance. “Good luck, Ned.” He patted him on the shoulder before striding swiftly back to the park’s small office. As Wraith hurried away, the black-haired shifter mumbled, “You’re gonna need it.”

“Thanks,” Nedrick quipped back with a chuckle.

“Thanks again, Ned,” Rierdon murmured, standing at his shoulder with his arms wrapped around his torso. He nibbled his bottom lip and stared at his cock-eyed wheel with an expression of impending doom. “I appreciate you comin’.”

Hating to see his normally happy-go-lucky buddy so down in the dumps, Nedrick patted him on the shin. “Like I said, Rierdon.” He grinned up at the smaller shifter. “That’s what friends are for.” After carefully peering around the tire, Nedrick confirmed his fear. “Yep. This ain’t goin’ nowhere without a tow.” Nedrick lowered the truck tire back to the ground and stood, giving Rierdon a warm smile. “Looks like we’re gonna have to make a trip to Kade’s garage.”

Rierdon sighed heavily. “Sorry for ruining your day.”

“You haven’t ruined my day,” Nedrick countered, resting his hand on the back of Rierdon’s neck and squeezing lightly in reassurance. “This is just a speedbump. We’ll—”

“Hey, guys,” a deep voice called, drawing Nedrick’s attention to the approaching man. “I hate to ask, but could I borrow your jack?” The stranger pointed at the jack Nedrick had left on the ground. The handsome guy appeared rueful as he continued toward them, rubbing the back of his neck in obvious discomfort. “My car’s got a flat, and damned if none of us have a jack on us.”

“Yeah, sure,” Nedrick replied, not minding lending a quick hand. “Where are you”—the man was finally close enough for the guy’s scent to reach him, and Nedrick drew in a sharp gasp as the human’s intoxicating aroma teased his senses, before he softly finished—”parked.”

The stranger’s masculine goodness filled Nedrick’s nostrils, making his mouth water. The hairs on his arms stood on end, and his belly suddenly felt as if it was filled with butterflies. His heart began racing in his chest as the human stopped before him.

Holy shit! My mate is standing in front of me. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!

Sweeping his gaze over the human, Nedrick admired his thick, slightly curly auburn hair. It had been cut in waves, giving him a boyish, windswept look that made Nedrick want to run his fingers through it. The human stood the same height as Nedrick, six-foot-one, and had wider shoulders that would be fantastic for holding onto while he ravished his mouth.

When Rierdon nudged him discreetly, Nedrick blinked, realizing that he’d been staring and hadn’t heard a thing his mate had been saying.

Great first impression, Ned.

Mentally chastising himself, Nedrick cleared his throat and smiled. “Uh, sorry.” He gave his mate another quick once-over, wishing he had time to really check out the man who was the other half of his soul, but the guy was already looking at him as if he were nuts. Nedrick didn’t want to make an even worse first impression. “Did you want to hop in myJeep? I can drive us to your campsite?”

Nedrick assumed the guy was there camping, since he was pretty darn certain the human wasn’t from the area.

“Oh, uh, sure,” the man replied, sounding a little uncertain. He seemed to rally quickly, a small smile curving his thin lips. “Sounds good.”

Grabbing his jack, Nedrick opened the back of hisJeepand placed it inside. He couldn’t help continuing to discreetly glance at the human every few seconds—my mate. After shutting the door, Nedrick indicated his vehicle. “Hop in.”

As Nedrick’s mate grabbed a roll bar and athletically hopped into the back, Rierdon grabbed Nedrick’s wrist, stopping him from climbing behind the wheel. “You all right?” he whispered, his brows furrowed in concern.

“I’mgreat,” Nedrick murmured back, grinning broadly at his friend. “Best damn day of my life.” Upon seeing the way Rierdon’s brows shot up and scenting his surprise, Nedrick jerked his chin in the human’s direction. “He’s my mate.”

Rierdon gaped for a few seconds before snapping his mouth shut again and hissing, “Brett’s your mate?”

“Brett?” Nedrick repeated softly, his gut warming at the knowledge. “His name is Brett? You know him?”

Rolling his eyes, Rierdon shook his head as he released him. “No, I don’t know him,” he mumbled as he took a step away from Nedrick. “He introduced himself as Brett Robinson.” As Rierdon moved farther away, rounding the hood of theJeep, only Nedrick’s shifter hearing allowed him to hear his friend’s mumbled, “Damn, you were really zoned out there.”

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