Page 21 of Unclaimed

Frost’s stomach muscles clenched.Why wouldn’t I want that?

He felt the way Gemini was scared to hope. “We’ll be there.”

Waylon’s smile proved Frost had made the right decision. “That’s good to hear. Maybe one of these days, you’ll convince Gemini to join my pack. We’re stronger together.”

What’s the deal with Waylon’s pack? He’s asking about convincing you to join.

A sexy chuckle swept across his brain, making Frost short of breath. He wanted to feel that against his skin.Waylon is the alpha of the northwest pack. It’s pretty ragtag but still more politics than I care to endure.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Liar.

Frost couldn’t stop smiling. He was so in love with the mate he had been given. This life was so much more than he dared to dream. Never in his life would he have thought he would be excited to run through the woods. Sometimes life was funny. Frost was so grateful for it.

Loud howls and other animal calls filled the air. Waylon paced the perimeter, keeping watch. He wouldn’t allow any harm to come to his pack while they enjoyed a well-deserved full moon. His mind kept drifting to Frost. He was glad the Healer had been sent their way. That move proved they weren’t invisible to the Gods. Sometimes, Waylon felt more than alone in his responsibilities. It was hard to be all duty and no softness. Frost’s earlier words spoke to Waylon way more than he wanted to admit. He was right. Unless someone had lived that life of emptiness, they couldn’t possibly understand what a soul would do and accept just to feel less alone. It was as terrifying and devastating.

“You’re not joining in the fun tonight.”

Waylon had smelled the vampire coming. Audor was old. They had crossed paths before, but it had been a long time. Waylon turned human. Audor didn’t eye his body. Waylon was an animal. He didn’t care about nudity. Other creatures could be uncomfortable at times. Audor didn’t seem to even notice.

“It’s hard to have fun knowing Lucifer is out there. I can’t let any harm come to my pups.”

“And theyarepups, which can’t be attractive to someone like you.”

Waylon laughed. It was true. Every member of his pack felt young as hell to him. Not only did that not interest Waylon, he didn’t want to give anyone false hope by chasing them on the run night. Young wolves could be volatile.

“Lucifer feels very free to chat with Frost.”

“Do you want to be the one to tell him to stop?” He wasn’t trying to be an asshole. Waylon knew Lucifer had already torn off Audor’s leg. Audor was an ancient Viking vamp who served the king. If he stood no chance against Lucifer, what could one wolf do?

“Frost shouldn’t encourage him.”

Despite the seriousness of the discussion, Waylon couldn’t stop a low chuckle. “Do you want to be the one to tell Frost to stop? He’s… different.”

“You like him.” Every word Audor said was true. But their conversation still bordered on uncomfortable. Audor had light blue eyes that saw too much. Waylon didn’t like himself for how he felt around Frost. Frost wasn’t one of them, but he was the only one unafraid of the most dangerous entity alive. Lucifer was the great deceiver. Evil incarnate. His kink was other people’s pain. Frost made the guy laugh. That was the bravest, dumbest, wildest, and hottest thing he had ever witnessed. He wasn’t proud of those thoughts. Life didn’t give a damn about fairness.

Another loud howl cut through the night. Waylon’s head turned toward the sound. An ache hit him in the chest. Being chosen as alpha was the most humbling and heartbreaking thing to happen to him. It was a responsibility handed to only the strongest and bravest. He was fucking lonely.

“We should fuck.”

Waylon’s head whipped around. Very Viking-like features stared back at him. He was the dirty blond warrior type with beautiful eyes. Waylon practically felt the honor and pride rolling off him in waves. He also saw the lust. It seemed Weres weren’t the only ones affected by the pull of the full moon.

“You’re in no fear of ending up mated to me,” Audor added, as if he felt Waylon’s hesitation.

That was true. There had never been a case of a Were being mated to a vampire, as far as Waylon knew. He didn’t know why. Soulmate 101 was above his pay grade. It had something to do with Odin not wanting his Were’s blood tainted by vampires. Hewould allow human pairings because their blood was weak. The Were blood would come out dominant. But a vampire wasn’t a welcome addition to his table in Valhalla.

Still, Waylon didn’t know how to let go of the weight of duty long enough to reach for what Audor offered. It had been too long and Audor’s suggestion felt a little too much like pity.

“Don’t worry, wolf. I’m not above taking what I want.” The space between them vanished. Waylon had to dip his chin, but once Audor’s body was against his, under the full moon, Waylon forgot everything except the man who stared up at him. The moment their lips met, it was as if the air crackled. It had been years since Waylon fought not to shift. He was always in control of both sides of himself. Waylon had been alive a long damn time, and he didn’t think he had ever been so aroused. Maybe it was because Audor was a vampire. It was possible it had just been so damn long since anyone touched him that Waylon’s body sang in delight.

A scary growl vibrated in the back of Audor’s throat, reminding Waylon he was a predator too. He wanted to feel that vibration around his cock. Those scary fangs needed to threaten his manhood.

“Don’t hold back, wolf. You can’t hurt me.”

It had been too long. Waylon was an alpha. It was his nature to dominate. He took Audor down. At the last second, he braced their fall, ensuring Audor didn’t get hurt. He didn’t goeasy either. His claws extended. Waylon ripped through Audor’s clothes.

A wicked, teasing laugh caressed his ears. “That’s it, wolf. I like it rough.”

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