As alpha to the coywolves, Lucas has done everything in his power to
keep his struggling bloodline from failing. His entire focus has always
been the betterment of his people, often putting them before himself.
When he finally achieves legitimacy and a place for the coywolves in the
senate, he also makes a demand for himself—the one and only male who’s
made him burn.
Duty has always been Jakob’s focus. He’s been captain of the king’s
guard for centuries. His oath is all, but the temptation that Lucas
presents makes him doubt everything. He refuses Lucas, unwilling to
break the pledge he made to his king.
When King Eirik grants Lucas’ claim on Jakob, a war begins between
the two. Without his duty and service, Jakob loses sight of who he is
and he refuses to surrender to the dominant alpha forcing him down a new
path.
Can the two find a way to have a future together, or will the human who enters their lives tear them apart?
BUY HERE
Amazon * All Romance * Smashwords * Bookstrand * iBooks
A month ago, Lucas had
agreed to lead the coywolves into battle for their would-be king. The senate
had refused their bloodline for many decades, calling it unclean because of the
mixing of coyote and wolf, yet who had Eirik turned to when he’d needed help
reclaiming his throne from the Hokkaido?
The king had needed an
army, and the coywolves had needed legitimacy.
And Lucas had needed
something more.
That something more stood
at the end of the castle’s hallway, the low light keeping much of his body in
shadow. That didn’t impede Lucas’ ability to see all he wanted to, light or no.
Like the others of his kind, his eyesight was beyond human.
Lucas let his gaze
wander from the top of Jakob’s short dark locks, down his strong chest, and
then down farther to the part of Jakob he wanted to learn most. The strong
captain of the king’s guard stood tall and proud. Jakob ordered his men about,
appearing to be unaware of Lucas’ attentions, so Lucas looked his fill.
After a few more
moments, Jakob’s head swung in Lucas’ direction.
He wouldn’t hide back
in the shadows any longer, stealing a glance here and there. It was time Jakob
faced the inevitable. Lucas strolled out of the doorway and leaned on the cool
stone wall and stared. He dared Jakob to look away.
Jakob didn’t.
Heat flooded Lucas’
body as he met that challenging stare.
Mine.
A swirl of light
circled in Jakob’s eyes, proving he felt… something. As the last of Jakob’s men
exited, Lucas approached his prey and almost willed the man to run.
A chase would be so much fun.
His coywolf howled
within, obviously agreeing.
“Lurking in the halls
for a reason?” Jakob asked as Lucas approached.
Lucas drew in a deep
breath, fighting for control. That breath didn’t help much as all he smelled
was Jakob’s scent. Lucas’ heart beat all the faster for it, his inner beast
demanding satisfaction. “I think you know the reason,” Lucas answered.
The swirl of light
returned, only to be hidden as Jakob looked away.
“Why have you been
avoiding me?” Lucas asked.
“I haven’t,” Jakob
lied, staring at the wall across from him.
The low light washed
half of Jakob’s handsome face. The other was bathed in shadow, but for the glow
of his eyes cast on his cheeks. No matter how Jakob tried to hide his emotions,
he couldn’t hide that illumination. Lucas stared at the sharp contours of
Jakob’s face, learning each one intimately.
He only wished it could
be his fingers… or his tongue… to glide over the lines and tempt that glow to
burn in Jakob’s eyes.
Lucas caught his
breath, trying to remember what they’d been discussing.
“You haven’t? It’s felt
as if you’ve done everything in your power to avoid me, Jakob.”
“I’ve been busy… with
the king back in power, we’ve had to improve our security measures. The
Hokkaido made a joke of us. We can’t let history repeat itself. Wolf’s Chance
won’t fall again.”
“It’s been a month. You
couldn’t give me a moment in all that time?”
Jakob’s head spun, the
light in his eyes telling. He met Lucas’ stare before he quickly looked away
again. “You’ve been busy as well, have you not? Forcing the senate to accept
the coywolves as equals must not be easy.”
It hadn’t been.
Centuries of bigotry and ignorance wouldn’t be changed in a matter of weeks.
They still had an uphill battle, but at least they had a place at the table.
And Lucas had the
opportunity to be more than a warm body in Jakob’s bed.
“Having someone close
at night might have made all the hard work easier,” Lucas drawled, trying to
hide his smile as Jakob’s jaw clenched.
Jakob glanced his way
for a moment, but kept it too brief. “I’m sure there are plenty of males
willing to find their way into your bed.”
“Yet the one I want
ignores me.”
“I am no courtesan,”
Jakob answered, his jaw tightening.
Lucas reached out and
brushed a few dark locks behind Jakob’s ear. Jakob stiffened and took a step
back, his eyes bright with illumination.
“Don’t,” Jakob
whispered.
Lucas frowned and
tilted his head. “Were we not growing close when you came to Sanctuary?”
Sanctuary was as close
to a kingdom as the coywolves had. Built as a wolf preserve to hide their
shifter nature to humans, the thousands of acres held a clinic where Lucas and
his team of doctors and techs offered medical treatment to the coywolf nation, as
well as any natural wolves humans occasionally brought his way. It gave them a
place to be free and run away from prying eyes, a place to heal from any
wounds. Wolf shifters regenerated quickly, but in severe cases, a shifter
needed help to survive. A broken bone could heal wrong if not reset properly. A
gunshot wound could heal around the bullet or fragments, potentially making it
painful or impossible to shift if they were not removed.
Eirik had needed him to
perform surgery on his blood mate—removing the technology the Hokkaido had
implanted inside the male. Jakob had come along to protect his king, and while
there, Lucas had felt a bond grow with the captain of the guard.
Or maybe… maybe Jakob
had been there to tempt Lucas into doing Eirik’s bidding. Now that the king no
longer had a need for Lucas, neither did Jakob.
Lucas couldn’t breathe
for a moment. Could that be true?
He stared along the
profile of Jakob’s face, his stare drawn to the glow. If Jakob felt nothing,
that glow wouldn’t be there, would it? Or perhaps it was shame—for having been
made to play the whore for the king.
Lucas pushed the
thought aside, refusing to think it. What he’d sensed had felt too real for it
not to be.
“I appreciate what you
did for my king,” Jakob said. “Perhaps I allowed you to become too familiar and
that was a mistake.”
A mistake?
Doubt filled Lucas for
another split second, but he refused for it to take hold.
This isn’t me. I know what I want. I simply need to take it.
Lucas grabbed Jakob and
forced him against the wall. Jakob stared up at him, his eyes widening for a
moment… until they quickly grew hooded. The look of lust on the man’s face only
fueled Lucas all the more. He lowered his head and captured Jakob’s lips,
intent on showing Jakob there was no mistake.
No mistake at all.
Jakob fought him at
first. Lucas could feel the man’s hands clawing at his chest, pushing him away,
but Lucas refused to give in. He would
have what he wanted. One way or another, he would have this male as his. Lucas
forced the kiss, seeking entry into Jakob’s mouth, sensing the need for Jakob
to give in swirling around them like a cloud.
After a few moments, he
won the battle. Jakob opened to him, and Lucas swept his tongue inside. His
body shook from the need that had built all these weeks.
The need to claim was
strong.
Jakob melting into him
only made the need stronger. As his lover yielded, Lucas felt his body harden
all the more. Rubbing his denim-covered cock against Jakob’s hip, he knew he
was close to coming from just that sensation alone. A kiss and a rub was enough
to do him in?
Jakob moaned, his hands
sliding up Lucas’ chest. Lucas lowered a hand and cupped Jakob’s cock,
approving of the hard flesh he found under the leather there. Jakob wanted him,
it was apparent.
So why had the male run
from him all these weeks?
Jakob suddenly pushed
him away, knocking him into the opposite wall. An instinctive growl came from
Lucas’ lips on impact, and he rushed back to his prey and pinned the male
against the wall.
“Why do you deny me?”
Jakob’s face contorted
in what looked like pain. “I can’t be what you want me to be.”
Lucas frowned. “And
what is it you think I want?”
“I have given my life
over to my king. It’s not mine to give to you,” Jakob whispered. “And I won’t
be just a warm body in your bed for a night or two.”
“And who said I wanted
more than that?”
Lucas regretted the
words as soon as they left his mouth.
The wounded look in
Jakob’s eyes twisted at Lucas’ gut. It also showed Lucas the male had felt
their bond. They both knew a handful of screws would never be enough.
An eternity would
scarcely suffice.
