0

Sheppard. I’m not about banning people, but I’m right on the edge of it.” “Okay. I’m on my way.”

I rushed downstairs and jumped in the extra-cab truck just in case I had to take a few pack members home. It took less than twenty minutes to reach the roadhouse, but every second dragged.

Toklo was foremost on my mind, despite my duties.

Yeah, my betas would have handled this. I could’ve asked them to go, but something inside me wanted to be his savior. Be his hero.

Besides, seeing the alpha come to straighten their asses out might send a good message that I was no longer putting up with any bullshit from them.

Never really had, but lately, they’d been flagrant about disobeying the rules. Enough was enough.

I threw the truck into park and barged into the bar, sending some of my alpha power out into the atmosphere around me. Every yell stopped. Every laugh ceased. Every face turned toward me.

That’s right, you jerks, look what you made Jagger do.

“There’s only one reason an alpha comes into a bar like this,” someone shouted. I didn’t recognize the voice.

Another one answered, “Yeah, and it’s not the fucking rum. Watch your omegas, men. Alpha’s on the prowl.”

I was not on the prowl. Well, kind of on the prowl for Toklo. Shit.

I let my growl carry to the far corners of the room. “Midnight Alder pack, out. That’s enough for tonight.”

There was a collective groaning, but they did as I said, paying up and then leaving one by one. I’d speak to them at home, in private. We did not air our dirty laundry in public. Not that they’d been the souls of discretion.

Jagger seemed pleased they had paid, and nodded at me once. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for the last of them to file out, each one baring their neck to me before walking out the door. The last out lifted a hand and pointed to his chest, letting me know he was the sober driver, although his lack of drinking probably hadn’t stopped him from being an ass. Shifters didn’t get drunk easily, but it was possible if they tried hard enough, and apparently, this was the first thing they’d worked hard at in a while.

“Any more?” I asked, and the bartender/owner’s eyes told me everything. I walked closer to the side of the bar where he met me. “Still in the bathroom?”

“Yep. Gary’s been watching that door like there’s a fucking steak in there.” First things first. I whirled and scanned the room for Gary. With beady eyes,

he bored holes into the bathroom door while he bounced his knee. I pushed some of my alpha power toward him, and his shoulders slumped as he ticked his gaze at me. I met his stare second for second until he had the good sense to drop his eyes and turn away.

I knocked on the door three times and heard a yelp from inside. Yep, it was him all right. His sweet scent still lingered on the doorknob and wafted under the

door.

“It’s just me…Sheppard.” Did he even know my name?

Shit. I was the cliché. I was the alpha who came into the bar for an omega. Not just any omega, it seemed.

Chapter Nine

Toklo

How long could I stay in the men’s room? And how long before that guy or one of the others who’d been ogling me tried to follow me in here. Or someone wanted in because everyone in the place was guzzling beer, and they weren’t all going outside to find a tree. In fact, most places preferred you didn’t do that at all.

I’d try go out the smallish window facing the back of the building, but where would that put me? I still wouldn’t have a way home and had already been in trouble for shifting and running alone. I had a feeling walking in human form alongside the highway for a couple of hours might be an issue, too.

But it must have been close to an hour before three sharp raps on the door pulled me from my miserable leaning against the wall, trying to decide what to do. Trying to fit in wasn’t going well at all. The couple of beers soured in my belly as I reached for the knob. I had my lips parted to ask who it was—as if that would matter since I didn’t even know the oglers name—when a warm scent hit my nose and I heard, “It’s just me…Sheppard.”

Holy hells. The alpha. What was he doing here?

I leaned my back against the door and eyed the window again. It looked smaller than ever, and the image of me stuck halfway out held very little appeal. No. I was probably already in trouble by association with the other guys who were if not outright damaging the furniture at least were spilling beer and knocking things over. I’d spotted a puddle on one of the pool tables, one of the cardinal bar sins.

Determined to face the music, I turned again and opened the door. “Hello, alpha. I apologize for the whole mess.”

He arched one brow, and while he was trying to seem severe, his eyes held a twinkle that confused the hell out of me. “You do, huh? And what exactly whole mess are you responsible for, omega?”

I shouldn’t get a chill at being called that. It was a generic term and not a sign of claiming me. “I-we all came here and made a mess, created a disturbance, bothered the other patrons, and probably ruined a pool table.”

With a short shake of his head, he beckoned me to follow him to the bar where Jagger stood, looking way too interested. “Toklo, have a seat and let’s discuss this with Jagger. See what he wants you to do to make up for all the things you did.”

Jagger placed glasses of soda water in front of each of us and stood back, arms crossed. “Your boys were really on it tonight, Sheppard.”

“Yeah, so I understand. That’s why I sent them home before talking with you.”

Home? I looked around and noticed that, while there were still a number of patrons enjoying their drinks and playing pool, even on the table that had the stain, the guys I came with had left. “Wait. You mean they ditched me?”

Jagger and Sheppard cracked up laughing, drawing more unwanted, by me at least, attention from the others in the bar. “It would seem so,” the bar owner said. “But I think Gary over there would be glad to give you a ride.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the guy who’d been hitting on me nursing a whiskey at a table in the corner. He lifted the glass to me and tossed back his drink. Looking from me to the alpha, he shrugged, stood, and tossed a few bucks on the table then disappeared into the night.

Relieved, I let out a long breath.

“No, looks like he ditched you, too.” Jagger was having way too much fun with this humiliating situation.

“All right, you’ve had your fun.” Sheppard pulled out his wallet. “I’m assuming my pack paid for their drinks and not their damages?”

“That’s about right.”

“So, what do we owe you?” There was no humor in the alpha’s voice. “I’ll pay it now and take it out of their hides at home.”

My hide itched at the thought.

“Hmm.” Jagger filled a half dozen steins while he considered. “Other than the pool table needing to be recovered, I think it’s just some mopping and wiping up. How about I have the pool table repair bill sent to you directly and we’ll call it good?”

“Fair enough.” Sheppard laid a twenty on the bar. “That should cover our waters. No change. I think I’ll have to take this omega with me, since his new friends ditched him.

“Thanks.” Jagger tucked the money away and cleared our glasses, which we’d barely touched. “I hated to call you, but we were heading toward trouble. You know how they get when they overdo.”

“I appreciated the notice. And I hate to take the business away from you, but those little bears are grounded for a week or so.”

He shrugged. “I can use the peace and quiet, although we are glad for the business of the pack. When they don’t act like out-of-control teenagers on a bender.”

“Understood. Sheppard waved and started for the door. “Come on, omega.

Let’s get you tucked in.”

I shouldn’t have been so turned-on by the idea.

When we were seated in the truck and headed down the road, he asked, “Did you do any of that damage? Cause a ruckus?”

“I…” How did I say it wasn’t me without throwing the others under the bus? “Not too much.”

“Or not any?” He glanced in my direction, eyes piercing the darkness. “Toklo, Jagger said you were in the bathroom, avoiding that asshole Gary while the carousing went on. Did he lie?”

So I was supposed to either tattle or call the alpha’s friend a liar? “He didn’t lie.” Seemed the lesser of evils.

“All right, but I am going to include you in the dressing down in the

morning before breakfast because if I don’t, they will hold it against you.” “Thank you, alpha.”

“It means you can’t come back to the roadhouse for a week either.” “Not a problem. I don’t drink a lot. Although I do like pool.”

He chuckled, turning off the main road and onto the long drive toward the pack lands. “Then you can come up to the house and play on my table sometime.”

Pool! He meant pool. Why did everything sound dirty to me when it came from his lips? Nobody should be that hot.

Chapter Ten

Sheppard

“Fuck!” I yelled into the darkness of my room. Sleep was something that never came for me. I did the no-blue-light shit an hour before I went to bed. The windows were open, ensuring the room was cold. I’d tracked down every light source and doused them.

Sleeping pills just made my legs jump.

I entangled my fingers behind my head, breathing out a long exhale.

My mind wouldn’t stop. It ran like a never-ending reel of information. The betas and I were still on shaky ground after this Male-Order app thing. The pack was lazy and yet restless. They’d fucked up Jagger’s bar, and I’d had to take time away from my work to settle them.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, the government had decided to up their price on the property we wanted so badly.

But why was I trying so hard to get land for people who gave less than two fucks about this pack?

Still, as the details of life rattled inside my head, so did another thing. And when I thought about him, it gave me somewhere to go.

A fantasy, yes, but a place to escape to.

A growl ripped from my bear and vibrated in my chest at the thought of another alpha paying him any attention, much less being perky with him. He should be able to go get a drink at a bar without the sleaze bags coming out to play.

If he needed a drink from then on, he could come into my office. No, damn it. I was probably the last thing he wanted or needed.

My cock hardened under the sheets as I thought about the way he’d looked when he realized it was me at the door.

He was glad to see me.

He wanted me there to save him.

Gods, I’d wanted to take him by the hand after we got out of the truck and drag him to my bed. I should have. I would’ve taken my time to strip him bare and make sure he was slicker than he’d ever been in his life before I plunged into him.

Fuck. I’d jerked off more times in the past day than in the past month. Not that it was many times.

Still, I had to get a grip on myself.

With only pajama pants on, I decided a walk outside in the cool, crisp air of fall would cure me. On bare feet, I padded through the lands, closing my eyes to breath in the air and let it wash over me and rid me of that constant concrete dick.

Just as it had started to work, a scent caught my nose, and my bear chuffed.

Mine. Find him. Mate.

Oh, god dammit.

My legs seemed to move of their own accord toward the scent, the sweetness that drifted along with the wind and permeated my senses.

Faster and faster I walked toward it, guided by my nose, my dick, and my bear. Compasses of the best kind.

I gasped but then slapped my hand over my mouth when I realized what was happening.

Toklo was using the outdoor shower, the one without a curtain. He probably figured he was alone in the middle of the night and no one would see. Either that or he just didn’t care. Many shifters didn’t.

He was bent over, washing his legs. He rubbed handfuls of suds along his skin as the moon shone down on his glistening back. He was all muscle, and each movement made them relax and then pull taut, giving me a moving show of his sexiness.

I tried to step forward to get behind a tree, but my bare foot slid on some dirt and leaves, and I almost went headfirst into the tree. I thought I’d gotten away with it when I heard him.

“Alpha? Sheppard?” he called out. My name on his lips did nothing to soothe the aching hardness between my legs. In fact, the damned thing bobbed like it was answering the call.

“Yeah. I was taking a walk and…good morning.”

Fuck me. It was still night. Or was it early morning? Who cared? I sounded like a grade-A asshat.

“Wait, you don’t have to…” he called out, but I was sprinting toward my house.

I slipped back in bed, but the tent in my sheets wouldn’t go away.

Closing my eyes, I thought about him naked. It wasn’t my right to stare, but I couldn’t look away if I wanted to.

“Can I join you?” I asked, and he looked up startled but nodded. “Of course, you can, Sheppard. I was waiting for you.”

He knelt and cupped my sac, kneading it before licking the precum from the tip of my cock, rolling his eyes. “Mmm, I knew you would taste good.”

He took me, as much as he could, using his other hand to move me up and down while he sucked since I was too large to take into his throat. He bobbed his head while I tangled my hands in his hair and guided him.

I hadn’t even lasted two seconds in the dream or in real life. Time for some clean sheets.

Again.

Chapter Eleven

Toklo

They were all going to hate me. I’d been here just over a day and already managed to get most of the lower-level bears grounded. Grounded! Like kids. Well, despite my apologies, I knew I hadn’t caused it. They’d made their own issues, drinking and getting out of control. But where my blame lay was in the alpha showing up. If not for me cowering in the bathroom, would Jagger have even called him? I had the impression the carousing wasn’t unusual for those guys. Maybe a bit more than usual, but they seemed very comfortable with their partying.

They wouldn’t be doing any for a week though. Way to fit in, Toklo. And when I was showering the night before and the alpha passed by on his way somewhere, he’d made it clear he couldn’t stand the sight of me.

Turned and left as quickly as possible.

Maybe this desire to be part of a pack was a mistake on my part. Although it wasn’t even fully light outside yet, I dressed and left the bunkhouse. I could get some work done before breakfast. It wouldn’t make up for all of the trouble I’d caused, but it would serve the dual purpose of helping me work off my general upset and showing the pack what an asset I could be even if only as a common laborer.

Later, maybe they’d be willing to allow me to use some of my other skills. General contractors could be good earners and contribute money to the pack coffers. Also, with so many wild lands around, guides for hunters and fishermen might be needed. I’d check into that.

For now, it was all about the wood. Today, I had my earbuds with me because tunes always made the work go smoother.

As the sun topped the horizon, I hefted the axe and set to chopping, singing along with my girl Halsey and welcoming the day. I split length after length, the dawn breeze cooling my skin as sweat collected and rolled down my arms. If nothing else, I could help provide warmth for the coming winter, a paramount plus.

But only two songs in, a hand grasped my biceps and stilled my

movements. Yanking a bud out of one ear, I turned to confront whoever was stopping me from doing my part for the pack.

“Alpha.” The word tumbled from my lips. “You’re up early.”

He said nothing, and I looked past him toward the bunkhouse, where a group of those I’d already pissed off were huddled, glaring at me. Turning in a circle, I saw the betas and other alphas in their upper-floor story windows in the house. Everyone was giving me an equal amount of disgust. The only one with a different expression was a cook standing in the kitchen doorway, and he wore a smirk that made me want to smack it off his face.

Back home, we rose with the dawn to work, but seeing the others lounging around and barely pretending to work should have given me a clue. Besides,

some of us had a late night. Including the alpha.

Hell, he’d been out walking, probably too mad to sleep.

Without another word, he turned and walked away, and I set the axe back in the stump and sat down with my back to it, waiting for a decent time to get back to it. Or someone to come tell me to get the hell off the property.

I could do nothing right.

Perhaps melting into anonymity in a city somewhere was the answer after all. I couldn’t go home. Didn’t seem like I could fit in here. Everything I did was wrong. Misstep after misstep.

I wanted to shift and run so badly I could taste it, but I’d already made that mistake. So I sat here. While the others from the bunkhouse passed me on their way to breakfast, ignoring me as if I didn’t enter their consciousness at all. It was worse than anger, and my heart ached at the fact I’d be alone soon for real. Would it be worse, though? I could rent a little house and get a job somewhere.

What choice would I have?

But I’d be more alone because I’d met my mate, my alpha. And he didn’t want me. I buried my head in my arms and waited to be thrown out on my ass. Finally, when nobody did, my growling stomach drove me to the dining room for breakfast.

The food here was very good. I’d miss that, but not as much as Sheppard.

Chapter Thirteen

Sheppard

I wasn’t up early. In fact, I usually rose with the sun, even after a late night, but no one else did. And that was an issue.

Except Toklo. Apparently, the omega also rose with the dawn, and all kinds of thoughts fluttered through my mind about the things we could do in the wee hours of the morning before the rest of the pack woke up.

I bet he looked sexy as hell first thing in the morning. Hair mussed. Sleepy eyes. Stretching out naked on my bed…aww, shit, there I went again.

I’d torn into the betas along with the lower-levels all new assholes this morning. Not only did they not finish their work the day before, but they’d made a mess of Jagger’s and cost us some of our reputation in town. They’d been a little rambunctious in the past, but not to the extent of the previous night.

A pack’s reputation was all it had sometimes.

And I was trying to get us more land and expand. The bad reputation might just cost us that. The government did not look kindly on out-of-control shifters.

At least it would likely cost us more, but only time would tell.

I wanted to spare Toklo the outrage and hostility from the other pack members, but there was just so much I could do to shield him.

His initiative and drive were a mark against him with the rest of them.

To me, it made him seem loyal as hell. He had gotten up early, and, by the time the rest of them wiped the sleep from their eyes, he was well into chopping a full cord of wood.

I realized in that moment, watching him draw his arm across his forehead, rubbing the sweat away, that what I liked about this omega was deeper than lust or raw attraction.

There was respect here. Admiration. Even something else that I wasn’t ready to admit yet.

Shit, no omega had ever gotten under my skin like this, not that I’d dated much, but when I had, no one meant anything to me like Toklo.

Fuck, we hadn’t even had a date and already I had it bad.

So badly that I wanted to invite him to lunch again, but everyone was staring at him, and it felt like they were seeing right through me as well. With the pack in disarray, my personal life had to come last.

Toklo caught my stare and held it for a few moments. It was all I could do not to demand he come with me, but that would only escalate the disdain his fellow pack members had for him.

Maybe I should just move him into the alpha house for protection. No, I bet he could handle himself and would insist on it.

This shouldn’t be so hard.

I whirled on him, even though neither I nor my beast wanted to, and marched toward my house and my office.

As I walked into the building, the betas were grumbling about the new

omega and how he was kissing ass. Odd, since they’d all had a hand in bringing him here.

“He’s not kissing ass,” I boomed, cringing at the echo. “He’s being loyal. He’s a hard worker. If every pack member worked as hard as him, we wouldn’t be in trouble like we are.”

“Alpha…we didn’t mean…” Ren swallowed hard.

“Yes, you did. But talking shit about someone who is working like that for this pack, a pack that doesn't even accept him as their own, I would add, is unacceptable. Everyone in this place should take note because, trust me, none of you deserve to be on the upper ground of that man. Now, why don’t you stop gossiping like a pack of old women and get back to ducking work?”

I stomped up to my office and let my anger subside while watching out the window. Toklo could be seen from here, and slowly, I watched the other pack members trickle out and get to work.

He was a fine example to all of them.

I just hoped his work ethic and my taking up for him didn’t get him in trouble.

Chapter Fourteen

Toklo

Breakfast service was bustling when I entered the dining room. A quick glance around showed everyone seemed to be at their same table from the night before, and the seat I’d occupied was empty and waiting. A buffet table, laden with eggs, bacon sausage, pancakes, toast, fruit, and a big pot of steaming hot cereal, occupied one wall, so I headed that way and filled a plate with enough scrambled eggs and bacon to keep me energized until lunchtime. After piling a couple of toast triangles on top, I moved toward the table where the guys were shoveling in food almost as loudly as they were grumbling about their punishment.

I wanted to take my breakfast outside to eat it, in fact took a couple of steps in that direction before my logical self—otherwise known as my bear—gave a growl that reminded me of an important fact. If I was going to stay here, I couldn’t hide forever. I’d have to give them a chance to express their displeasure.

Or give me a good punch.

But to my shock, when I joined them, they were deep in a discussion, and rather than treat me like a pariah, they were quick to include me.

“Sit down, Toklo. We’re making plans for tonight.” A blond, I thought his name was Grier, said, sweeping a pile of dirty plates away from my place.

“We don’t have to go to Jagger’s,” a youngish bear named Arnie was saying. “If we head in the other direction, there’s that dive on the highway outside of the next town.”

“Yeah,” another one, Greg, spoke up. “It’s called The No-Tell, isn’t it?”

Arnie snorted. “Something like that. And I don’t think a place like that would call our alpha to tattle on us.” He turned toward me. “Did the bar owners up where you come from ever do that?”

“Not that I recall.” Mainly because I hadn’t gone with the guys likely to act up that much, but I was too grateful they didn’t hate me to say so.

“Of course, they didn’t. We’re adults who don’t need a babysitter.” I knew now Arnie was the ringleader, but the others weren’t protesting the ideas. “And we don’t need permission to go out on the town.”

I pushed my food around on my plate, the savory aromas and flavors no longer appealing despite the calories I’d already burned. They made plans to go out well after dinner, maybe around ten or eleven when fewer of the alphas and betas would be around to notice.

Were they crazy? Weren’t they in enough trouble from the night before? Perhaps they’d done this often enough they knew the punishments would be light. Or maybe they just didn’t care, considered their fun worth any repercussions. I listened, forcing myself to eat, one bite after another shoveled in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed, while all the others at the table discussed what they had in mind.

There were some omegas there who could be had for a night. I couldn’t tell

if they were actually selling themselves or just letting anyone who bought them beer fuck them, but there was little difference in my mind. And it didn’t sound like fun to me at all.

I studied one face after another as they got more and more excited, and their voices were not low enough to keep those at neighboring tables from hearing them, but I saw only one or two heads even turn in our direction. Apparently, I had chosen the table of troublemakers yesterday. Were they determined to ruin the pack’s reputation in all directions of the compass?

“So, Toklo, you in?”

Holy hells, what to say. I wanted friends, but if it means defying the alpha and bringing shame on the pack, I’d have to accept that my stint here would be spent alone. If you had no respect for your alpha, why would you stay? I’d made the decision to leave my pack because I did not feel the new leadership had the group’s best interests at heart.

I did not believe that to be true of Sheppard. His reaction to the scene the night before was measured and intended to allow the miscreants to have time to consider their behavior, but was by no means cruel.

If these bears had met the alpha of my former pack, they’d understand. And appreciate Sheppard. It had wrenched my heart to leave, and I’d be damned before I betrayed Sheppard’s kindness. My welcome here could be withdrawn at any time, but it would not be because I behaved in a disloyal way.

No.

Never that.

“Toklo?” Arnie was watching me, a suspicious glint in his eye. “Are you coming with us?”

I forced a smile. “I appreciate the invite, but the alpha wants that huge pile of wood cut, and I am sure I won’t be able to move by sundown.” I stood and stretched. “Speaking of which, I’d better get back to it. I like it here, and if I don’t pull my weight, I’ll be out on my ass.”

Arnie grabbed my arm. “That’s fine, but you won’t mention this to anyone, will you?” He tipped his head toward the front of the hall where the alpha was speaking to a couple of betas.

“No.” I wasn’t going with them, but neither was I going to be the guy who finked on others who made bad choices. I was responsible for just myself. And that took up my whole day. “No, and I hope you have a nice evening. But I’ll see you all at lunch.”

With that, I left them, to work and hopefully prove myself worthy of staying here at least until I could find another home.

If leaving my last pack was hard, leaving Sheppard would tear me in half.

Chapter Fifteen

Sheppard

“They’re going over to Browntown, sir.”

One of the lower-level betas had come into my office right after breakfast, while the hustle and bustle of cleanup was still underway. When I was little, I would’ve called him a tattletale, but now that I was alpha, I considered him more of an informant of sorts. He did this in exchange for a place in one of the better cabins where the lower-level shifters stayed.