Page 58 of Nugget

Gavin peered around the property in front of him. “There was nothing but wilderness here. Axel had a connection to this land. He wasn’t an alpha yet, but he knew this was where he was meant to be.”

“That’s so cool! Tell me more. And I want all the gory details! Did Axel help?”

“Not at first,” Gavin said. “We shared a few meals while camping out in the forest. I didn’t realize at the time that I also felt a connection with the land here. I thought it was just being around another paranormal. One as old as I was.”

“So, you were on a solo mission?”

“I’d seen the devastation that the hunters left behind. They wiped out entire species,” Gavin said. “They needed to be stopped.”

“And you stopped them.”

“I played my part. I’d been living in the woods for so long that some of the other paranormal creatures had banded together. I missed the bloodiest of the battles but there were a few dozen groups that had scattered.”

“Like Mason and Jason’s family,” Stryker said.

“Yeah, their great- great-great-grandfather. Their family spent generations sharing the secret of paranormal creatures.Learning to hunt us. They were both smart and determined. The worst of the worst.”

Stryker snorted. “Humans have proven to be the cruelest of creatures.”

“Time and time again,” Gavin agreed. “I hated humans for a very long time.”

“I still hate humans,” Stryker told him.

Gavin grinned. “It didn’t matter if they were hunters or not. I never thought I would trust a human until I met up with Axel once again.”

“But wasn’t it just the paranormal of you at first?” Stryker asked.

“Axel never restricted his protection to just our kind. If a human needed help, he would help,” Gavin said.

“The ultimate alpha,” Stryker quipped.

“He really is,” Gavin agreed.

“I’m glad you found him.”

“I think the fates played a hand in it,” Gavin shared.

“Like they had a hand in us?” Stryker questioned.

“There was a reason that you were captured by the witches,” Gavin said. “That Dean and Noah were there to rescue you. It might have taken a long time, but the fates made sure we met. The rest is up to us.”

The smile fell from Stryker’s face.

“What is it?”

“Can I hate the fates a little even if I’m glad they put us together?”

“I do,” Gavin assured him. “I think it’s okay.”

Stryker closed his eyes before he nodded. He opened his eyes to look up at Gavin. “Okay.” He leaned forward to hover in front of Gavin. “Thank you for telling me.”

“It was easier than I thought,” Gavin told him. “You make me feel…”

“Feel?” Stryker asked when Gavin didn’t continue.

“Just feel. You make me feel when I haven’t in too long.”

Stryker nodded. “You make me want.”

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