Page 18 of Forbidden Moon
Thankfully, the action commenced as soon as Evan slipped through the bedroom door, locking it behind him. Ben stripped him, threw him on the bed, and began reaming out his back passage. Evan filled his mind with memories of previous couplings, overwhelming his mate. The barrage served a different purpose this time, as he sought to distract Ben from all things Jonah.
Pleasure skyrocketed until an incredible orgasm swept away every other concern, leaving them to drift slowly back down to earth. As soon as Evan could think clearly, he combined his True Elder power of influence and the wide-open link to settle Ben’s mind.
“Nothing is wrong.”
“I love you with all my heart.”
“Jonah is fine.”
“I’m not avoiding you.”
“All is well, mate.”
Evan gently withdrew the tendrils of his influence and closed down the link. Ben pulled him close, kissing the top of his head. His scent radiated peace, contentment, and joy without any hint of concern or angst. Evan relaxed in his arms, carding through Ben’s thick chest hair with his fingers—mission accomplished. He’d never wanted or needed to influence Ben’s mind before, but it became necessary when his mate began asking uncomfortable questions.
If his instincts were correct, Luna was about to introduce Jonah to his mate. They needed time to get acquainted before Ben put his oar in, and Evan could only stall for so long. As he and Ben settled down to sleep, he resolved to run interference in the morning and warn Jack that things were about to get interesting. Sometimes he wished Luna would leave Gladstone in peace and experiment on another pack for a change.
Chapter 8
WEDNESDAY MORNING,June 10th
Dark clouds and rain greeted Nolan as he hurried to the packhouse for an early breakfast. It was a longer trek now, with he and Garrett settled into their new Westside home. His mate wasn’t with him this morning, taking his turn near the southern border for the next few days. He’d be paired up with another man and would stay overnight in one of the small security cabins. Nolan wasn’t about to go without sex for that long and planned to visit Garrett this evening—even if it required a three-hour round trip in wolf form.
Inside the packhouse, cooler, less humid air washed over him, along with the mouth-watering scent of freshly baked cinnamon rolls from the kitchen. A quick sniff and scan told him who else was here. Erin and Micah sat in their usual spot, quietly conversing as they ate. As Foreman for off-site projects, Micah faced a wet, muddy day moving from one work site to another. Erin now split her days between class and working part-time at the clinic with Donna.
Scooter sat with Caleb discussing firearms training as the first phase of his schooling to become a Sheriff’s deputy. He remained a quiet, contemplative young man, no longer plagued by clumsy accidents and low self-esteem. Ben hoped Scooter might replace Ryan as another Second, and Nolan agreed he’d make a great choice with a bit more maturity.
Robert and Ash, who usually ate breakfast at home, sat close together feeding each other between kisses—unaware of anyone else in the room. Every Wednesday morning, they showed up together to enjoy Michelle’s cinnamon rolls—declared by Robert as “five-star gastronomic perfection” and insisted on sampling them hot from the oven, drenched with frosting.
Nolan did a double-take when he spotted Robyn eating by herself, Jonah nowhere in sight. After filling his tray, he joined her at the table.
“Where’s your sidekick this morning?”
Robyn shrugged, giving off a sour scent.
“Not sure. He acted being weird last night, and I haven’t seen him since. I noticed his car wasn’t in the lot, so he must have gone ahead to the office. I’m taking off at noon, so we would have driven separately anyway.”
Odd, especially for one of the most predictable people he knew.
“What happened last night?”
Robyn lowered her voice, leaning across the table.
“Nothing important. I teased him a little about a new DNR officer who came to see him after leaving for the day. The guy got worked up over Jonah’s scent, but that happens all the time. Jonah didn’t even smile! Actually, he looked more worried than I’ve ever seen him. The last few days, he’s been kind of twitchy and distracted—lost in his head. It’s not like him at all.”
