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  “I think you had better go check on Draco,” Chadwick told his mate. “After seeing his mate with all those scars, there’s no telling what Draco will do, including tearing down this monstrosity of a house stone by stone to get to those responsible.”

  “No,” Ryland said as he surged to his knees. “Let me.” He had no idea what made him say that, but he also couldn’t seem to take it back as he got to his feet. It was the weirdest feeling, but something deep within Ryland needed to be near Draco, even if it meant facing all that rage again.

  Before being imprisoned by the Council, Ryland would have never cowered, no matter how scared he’d been. It was time for him to start getting back to who he was and that meant facing the man who claimed to be his mate.

  Saber eyed him skeptically for a moment. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “Do you think I’m really his mate?” Ryland still wasn’t sure it was possible. “I’m human.” It was an obvious statement, but an important one.

  As far as Ryland knew, humans didn’t have mates. It was why he’d been angry with his sister when she had naïvely believed Refugio. Just as he’d tried to tell Keira, the former Chief Council had been a liar and a bully. Hence, why Ryland had been chained up since arriving at the Council Manor to rescue his sister.

  Yet, for some reason, Ryland found himself in his sister’s shoes now, desperately wanting to believe Draco was his mate. The thing was, he wasn’t naïve like she was, so why did it feel as if every cell in his body was practically crying out for Saber to confirm humans could be mates?

  Ryland nearly screamed in frustration when Saber didn’t answer right away and instead said, “You need to understand what Draco is like before I answer that question.”

  But by some miracle, Chadwick rolled his eyes at Saber and said, “Yes. Humans can be mates.”

  Ryland did cry out in relief this time. His emotions were running too high to stop himself from making the sound. Without even thanking Chadwick, he raced from the room. He had no idea how he knew what direction to go, but Ryland ran anyway, trusting whatever instinct that directed him.

  ***

  “Now, why would did you do that?” Saber asked.

  Chadwick stepped up to his mate and wrapped his arms around his neck. There was no place on earth he would rather be than in Saber’s arms. He’d never thought it possible, especially when they’d first met, but it was Chadwick’s happy place. “Do what?” he asked innocently as he nibbled along Saber’s jaw.

  Saber’s hand came down hard on his ass, causing Chadwick to grin at the way his mate actually thought that could possibly make him behave. The slight sting, the fact that he had Saber’s undivided attention, all of it only made him want to cause more mischief. “You know Draco won’t be able to control himself if he sees Ryland now.”

  What Saber said was true. At least Chadwick hoped it was. He gave his mate a slight shrug as he continued to nibble along the column of his throat until he got to the mating mark Chadwick had made. He smiled when he felt Saber shiver as he licked the puckered scar.

  “True,” he admitted. “But I don’t think that would have mattered to Ryland.” Then he scraped his canines across the raised flesh and Saber moaned as his arms tightened around Chadwick. If he played his cards right, Ryland wouldn’t be the only one about to get fucked.

  “But he’s human,” Saber reminded him even as he slid one hand into the back of Chadwick’s pants and traced his crack with a finger. “Draco might hurt him.” Just as he said that, Saber found Chadwick’s hole and sank in to the first knuckle, causing Chadwick to groan and push back.

  It was getting hard to think, but Chadwick managed to say, “I don’t think he will. Fate put them together, after all. And as much as I might have fought her at first, I have to admit she is never wrong.”

  Strong lips sealed over his while Saber’s other hand wrapped around his waist and picked him up. His mate walked them to the nearest counter and pushed him against it. When they came up for air, Saber smiled down at him. “I love you too, my pretty kitty.”

  Chadwick gave him a mock scowl for the endearment even though he secretly loved it. If anyone would have told him as he and his friends ran from their former pack to create their own pack that he would find his mate and actually turn to goo whenever Saber called him kitty, or kitten, Chadwick would have killed the person who dared to utter those words with no regrets.

  “Then prove it,” he challenged his mate as Chadwick yanked his shirt over his head. “Fuck me until I’m screaming your name so everyone here knows exactly who I belong to.”

  Thankfully, fate had a way of giving a person whom they needed, for Saber did exactly what Chadwick asked.

  CHAPTER 7

  Forlorn, Draco left the manor, not having any idea where he was going, letting instinct guide him. When he came upon a small glen that overlooked the manor and the town below, he stopped and took in the beauty that surrounded him. Except, he barely saw it.

  Instead, he scented the one person he ached to hold and wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to – Ryland. His mate’s scent was faint, almost non-existent, but it was there, ingrained in the small glen as if Ryland spent time there. Draco wasn’t sure how with those chains he’d been forced to wear, but he was glad his mate had at least some time to enjoy the peacefulness this spot emanated.

  Just knowing Ryland had been there settled something within Draco. Like he was able to share it with his mate, even if Ryland didn’t want anything to do with him.

  The melancholy that had dissipated somewhat returned with enough force to bring him to his knees. What was wrong with him that he couldn’t keep control of his anger?

  He would have done anything to make his mate happy, yet it took less than a few minutes to destroy any future they may have had. His father was right and Draco was a loser.

  “No, you’re not.”

  Draco whipped his head to the sound of the voice, not daring to let the hope that was trying to flare to life inside of him actually come to life when he saw Ryland walk into the clearing. His gaze instantly landed on the scars that riddled Ryland’s body and the rage boiled up inside of him once more.

  Calloused fingers touched his arm, soothing the beast that was threatening to take over. “I’m sorry these scars repulse you, but I didn’t think to grab a shirt as I came out to find you.” Ryland crossed his other hand over his body as if trying to hide some of them. “I can go back and put one on if you prefer.”

  Draco growled at the thought of covering up that perfect body. He may hate to see the evidence of what others had done to his mate, but those scars spoke to Ryland’s courage and fortitude. “No,” he bit out harshly when Ryland started to turn away dejectedly. “Please, don’t go.”

  Uncertainty clouded Ryland’s amber orbs as he blinked up at Draco. He smiled down at his much shorter mate. At five-nine, he wasn’t exactly short, but Ryland still only came to Draco’s shoulder. “I don’t find the scars repulsive. In fact,” he reached over to a vicious one on Ryland’s chest and traced it with his finger. “I think they show just how amazing you are.”

  Ryland gasped, his mouth gaping open as he stared at Draco as if he were crazy. “Why? Because I let all those men do this to me? That I’m too weak to defend myself? That I’m nothing more than a pet to pass around when the guards have nothing better to do?”

  The anger in Ryland’s voice was completely justified and showed Draco, once more, just how unbelievably strong his mate really was. There weren’t too many people who could have survived what Ryland had been put through, much less still have the will to stand up for himself.

  “No, gràdh, because they show your courage, your strength, and your will to survive no matter what others think they can do to you.” Draco didn’t hold back. His mate needed to hear the truth instead of the doubts that had obviously been plaguing him.

  Ryland opened his mouth as if to refute something, but then closed it. When he opened it again without sayin
g anything, Draco took pity on him. His fingers continued to trace each and every one of those scars. “These scars are a testament to your character and, as much as I hate that you had to endure the pain and humiliation those guards put you through, you should never be ashamed.”

  A lone tear leaked from Ryland’s right eye. Before it made if halfway down his face, Draco leaned down and kissed it away. “You inspire me to want to be a better person. To be worthy of someone like you.” He gazed into those amber eyes, wanting to do nothing more than drown in their depths. “I pray you will give me the chance to prove myself to you, for I swear on my soul, I will do everything within my power to love you as you deserve.”

  Ryland moved closer and tilted his head up as if waiting for a kiss. Draco wasn’t about to deny the silent offer and sealed his lips over Ryland’s. Sparks ignited between them as electricity flowed through that point of contact, causing Draco’s body to harden with lust.

  He hoped the soft moan that escaped from Ryland meant he felt it, too. But as much as he desperately wanted to lay his mate out on the ground and worship his body, Draco wasn’t going to do that without Ryland fully understanding what that meant. Humans usually didn’t even realize shifters existed. Thankfully, he didn’t have to explain that to Ryland, but that didn’t mean he knew what it meant to be mated to a shifter.

  Plus, he would need to bite Ryland, and Draco absolutely refused to spring that on his mate. Ryland would need to agree to that before Draco added another scar to that sweet body.

  Reluctantly, he pulled back from the kiss and took a step back to give them some distance so they could talk. It was like ripping off a part of his body. His kind mated much more deeply than most shifters. Any time apart from his mate would cause them both heartache. Too much time and they would endure physical pain. It was one of the things he needed to explain to Ryland, along with the type of shifter he was. Draco’s kind had been hunted for centuries by shifters and humans alike. Mating with Draco would put a price tag on Ryland’s head.

  If he could walk away, Draco would to keep his mate safe. But it was the curse of his kind. Once a mate was found, there was no way to leave, even if that mate refused the mating. Draco would respect Ryland’s wishes to not be together, but he would remain close, protecting what was his.

  “We need to talk, gràdh,” he finally managed to say after he put another step between them and could once more think somewhat clearly.

  “What does gràdh mean?” Ryland asked.

  Draco had no idea he’d even said it. Not that he was surprised either. “It means love in my language.”

  It was so cute when Ryland tucked his lower lip between his teeth and cocked his head to one side. “English isn’t your language? But you don’t have an accent.”

  He couldn’t help it, Draco pulled Ryland back into his arms. He smiled down at him and said, “That’s because I left my home nearly a thousand years ago and have been speaking English as well as several other languages since then.”

  Ryland’s amber eyes were as large as saucers. “Exactly how old are you?”

  That was only one of the things he had to tell his mate, so Draco ripped off the bandage, so to speak. “One thousand four hundred and thirty-two.” Draco placed a kiss on the tip of a very stunned Ryland’s nose. “Thirty-three next month.”

  “Fuck,” Ryland breathed out.

  At least he didn’t pull away, so Draco would consider that a good thing, especially since he had so much more to tell him that would be much harder to deal with than how old he was.

  CHAPTER 8

  Admittedly, Ryland already knew a lot about shifters, even their matings. He and his sister had grown up next to a town of shifters. Ryland had always been a kid who loved the outdoors and spent most of his time exploring the woods.

  He was ten when he ran across a shifter changing into a wolf. It had scared the crap out of him. Thankfully, it was another kid close to Ryland’s age, or he most likely would have died. Shifters were notorious for trying to keep their race a secret from the humans, even if it meant killing to do so.

  He smiled at the memory of meeting Danny for the first time. They had become fast friends, keeping that friendship a secret from both of their families.

  When his sister had announced Refugio and she were mates, Ryland had gone to Danny, who told him all about what it meant to be a mate. So, when his sister had cried about all the other women Refugio fucked, Ryland knew the man had lied to Keira. He encouraged her to leave, but at first she’d been reluctant to do so.

  It had taken three years before she’d finally had enough, but by then Refugio had imprisoned Ryland in the manor by chaining him up. Ryland had begged Keira to run anyway, but Refugio told her if she did that, he would kill Ryland.

  Trapped, they had thought they would end up dying in that manor. Then a miracle had happened. Saber Thorsen challenged Refugio for his position on the Council. Miraculously, Saber not only won, but killed Refugio.

  Ryland and his sister still weren’t free, but they had a chance, which had been more than they’d had before. After all they had endured, never once had Ryland thought he’d meet Draco, or the shifter would claim they were mates. Maybe, if that had been all, Ryland wouldn’t feel as if his head were spinning. But what Draco had told him made everything Ryland had already known seem like child’s play.

  “Are you going to say something?” Draco asked after several minutes of Ryland staring at him with his mouth wide open as if he were some sort of alien, which wasn’t far off in Ryland’s mind.

  He shook his head, doing his best to clear it, but it just wasn’t working. If anything the motion caused his head to spin even more. “I…” but nothing more would come out.

  Ryland needed air. He looked around, realizing he was already outside. So he took several steps back from Draco, only to realize the man had been right. Moving away from Draco, so they were no longer touching, felt as if a part of his body had been ripped off. He ached to be back in Draco’s arms.

  If it were only that, Ryland would have stepped back into his arms, but this was all too much. Or was it? Really, nothing he’d found out was any more shocking than when he’d first learned about shifters and he’d gotten used to that. Right?

  Ryland didn’t know anymore. Hell, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to think when Draco admitted he was a…a…Shaking his head, he took another step back but cried out at the distance he was putting between then and quickly moved toward Draco once more.

  He didn’t stop until he was back in the man’s strong arms right where he belonged. Why did he think that? That wasn’t who Ryland was. He’d never before needed anyone. He wasn’t even sure any of this was real. Maybe it was that Draco had convinced him they were mates and he knew mates felt physical pain if one of them left. Which meant Ryland actually believed they were mates to the point of actually feeling it.

  NO!

  He knew instantly that wasn’t right and his brain refused to let him delude himself into thinking that. “What is happening to me?” he whispered.

  Draco held him tighter as if he needed to hold Ryland as much as Ryland needed to be held. “It’s okay, gràdh. It’s just the mating pull. Things will calm down somewhat after we mate, although it will still be uncomfortable to be away from each other, but we’ll be able to tolerate it better.”

  Ryland rested his head against Draco’s broad shoulder. “But matings are forever and I don’t know you well enough to do that. What if we aren’t right for each other? What if we end up not liking each other? What if my snoring drives you crazy? Or if I can’t stand the way you chew?”

  Draco chuckled. “You snore?” he asked.

  He hadn’t meant to admit that, but sometimes Ryland tended to say things when he was ranting and being faced with having a shifter mate, he was in full rant mode. “Yes, but that isn’t the point. How am I supposed to be comfortable agreeing to be your mate when I don’t even know you?”

  It was odd, but even as he sai
d the words, Ryland knew it was what he was meant to be. He may not know Draco, but there was still something within him that wanted nothing more than to be with this man forever.

  “I can’t answer that for you, gràdh. For a shifter it is instinctual. We know, without any doubts, who our mate is and that we were made for each other.” Then Draco gave a small sigh and forced himself to take a step back once more. “But, if it will make you feel better, we can take some time and learn more about each other.”

  Ryland nodded, already feeling better about mating with Draco. He just wished the need to continue touching him would stop, at least long enough for him to be able to think. “Maybe we should go back to the manor. I should get started on dinner.”

  Draco held out his hand and gratefully Ryland held it as they walked back down the hill. “You know you don’t have to keep cooking. Saber would never force you do anything you don’t want to do.”

  Suddenly things started to look up. “Really?” he asked hopefully. “Because I absolutely hate to cook.” Actually, he despised cooking. How he’d gotten stuck in the kitchens in the first place was still something he hadn’t quite understood. No one had explained it to him when they’d first thrown him in there but Ryland suspected it was the only place they could figure out a way to make him work while being chained up.

  Draco nodded and smiled back at him. “I will let Saber know. We’re planning on moving the Council to Oregon anyway, and knowing Saber, there won’t be this large mansion.” A chuckle burst from Draco. “It will probably be more like a fire pit everyone sits around.”

  “For the Council?” Ryland blurted out. That didn’t seem possible. Refugio had always demanded the absolute best of everything. Finest china, most expensive wine, and if the food wasn’t up to par, Ryland got beaten for his troubles. He learned to cook real fast that first month he was there.

  Draco’s grin increased, his emerald eyes dancing with humor. “Saber is a bit…well, unconventional is probably the nicest way to put it,” he said as led them back into the manor by way of the front door, a place Ryland had never been allowed through.