"How is everything going with the pack?"

Devon briefly glanced up at me before focusing back on the crossword puzzle on the table. "Good," he answered softly. "Some of the older members weren't happy that we changed the traditions to accommodate Val. They think that what my father did was fitting."

I growled. "He almost fucking killed her. How the hell is that fitting?"

He shrugged. "They think it is fair. Wrin is keeping an eye on some of them. They seem to be questioning his every word."

"Do you think our decision is going to cause problems?" I asked softly.

"It already is." Devon sat up and leaned back in his chair. He ran a hand down his face before glancing into the living room to make sure Val wasn't within earshot. "I thought that taking one woman as a mate would finally unite the packs as one. More of the younger generation is accepting of it. It's the elders and all the older ones that worry me."

"Why do you say that?"

"One of the elders suggested that we be evaluated because he thinks that Val has put a spell on us, or something like that. He wanted us to go before the council when I told them that we were planning on taking her as our mate."

My lips twitched. "They should have themselves evaluated if they think up those shit stories."

Devon and I shared a smile. He glanced back down at the crossword puzzle. I allowed myself the chance to study him. His hair was a mess and his cheeks slightly flushed with colour. Like me, he was wearing only a pair of sweats. There was no use in wearing more clothes since we spend most of our time naked with Val. His shoulders were hunched slightly, making it easy to tell that he was tensed.

Something had changed between us. I wasn't sure when it had happened, but it had. We used to joke around and talk freely to each other. But now it felt like he wanted to run in the other direction when he saw me coming. Maybe it had something to do with last night. I hadn't ordered him to do what he did. Devon licked my dick on his own accord. Was that it? Was he feeling as confused as I was?

I've never been attracted to another man. I'm definitely not gay, and the thought of touching another man's cock had always repulsed me. Until him. Until Val. Watching them together made me hard as fuck. I remembered their joined taste on my tongue when he had fucked her on the couch. The funny thing was that I wanted to do that again.

But I also wanted to try more. I had these sudden urges that some might find disgusting. What would he think? The colour drained from my face. What would Val think of me?

Even as that thought flashed through my mind, I couldn't stop myself from looking at him. I noticed the way his nipples had hardened. I noticed the way his muscles moved beneath his skin. I noticed the way the tip of his tongue snuck out to lick his bottom lip. Where they as soft as they looked?

Horror washed through me when I realized how hard I was. I could easily blame mating heat for it, but a part of me didn't want to. I wanted him to know that I got hard just looking at him.

What would Val, my mate, think?

"We need to leave again in three days," Devon suddenly broke the silence. "We can't stay here longer than that."

I nodded but kept my eyes focused on the table. "What have they found?"

"We have some enemies that would use any means possible to destroy us, but we already knew that. It's not the reason we need to leave."

Something in the tone of his voice made me look up at him. "What is it?"

He licked his lips again before glancing towards the hall. I followed his action when he leaned forward. Whatever it was, it was something he didn't want Val to hear.

"Someone has been asking about her."

"Her aunt?" But he was already shaking his head.

"A man. He claims to be her brother."

I frowned at him. "As far as I know, she was the only child."

"She is." His eyes darted down to my lips for a second. "I have someone looking into her family history."

I nodded. "She'll be safer at the pack house that she is here."

"Yes. We just have to make sure that no one sneaks upon us for the duration of our stay here."

My eyes dropped to his lips again. They looked inviting. I knew I was going to regret my actions later.

I pushed that little voice in the back of my head away and leaned forward to close the gap between our faces. I pressed my lips against his. It was barely a brush, but it was enough to make my skin tingle. Devon sucked in a sharp breath but he didn't pull away immediately. I parted my lips and used the tip of my tongue to trace his bottom lip. His big body shuddered. Then Devon suddenly jerked back.

The chair hit the wooden floor hard. My eyes snap up to his. Devon growled as he stumbled backward. I stood and reached out to steady him but he slapped my hand away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled.

And then he was gone.

The back door slammed shut behind him, making my body jerk. It was a stupid move. Should I go after him and try to fix it, or should I let him calm down first before I tried talking to him? What would I say anyway?

Hey, I was curious and wanted to know what your lips would feel like against mine. I'm not gay but I find myself strongly attracted to you. Yeah right. I scoffed and ran a hand through my hair. He'd send me to be evaluated.

I turned and instantly froze. Val hovered in the doorway. How much had she seen? Her face gave nothing away at all. I forced a smile onto my lips and turned towards the fridge.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." I cleared my throat. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"You."

His reply was instant. I closed the fridge and slowly turned back to face her. She had moved closer but still stayed out of reach. My eyes dropped to trail over her body. Val wore the see-through gown we had gotten her for Christmas, with nothing underneath.

"Where's the underwear that goes with that?"

"In the bedroom."

"Why aren't you wearing it?"

"I don't want you to tear it off."

"You might as well be walking around naked."

Her lips slowly pulled up onto a smile. "You're right."

My eyes dropped when she slowly started tugging the gown up to expose her sexy legs. I sucked air into my lung and tried to focus when she revealed her groomed pussy. I couldn't look away from the landing strip that led right to her pink folds.

"Do you like it?" she asked softly. "I wasn't sure. . ."

I moved towards her. Stopping directly in front of her, I reached out and traced the soft hair with my fingertips. Val sucked in a sharp breath and tilted her head back to look at me.

"I like it very much, doll."

"Good," she breathed.

I slipped my hand between her legs and teased her pussy lips. She spread her legs a little wider and reached out to grip my shoulders.

"David. . .c-can we use the butt plugs?"

I arched an eyebrow as I slipped my fingers past her folds. Her juices clung to my fingers. She was soaking wet. I gripped her wrist and raised her fingers to my nose to sniff at them. Her cheeks flooded with colour when I glanced down at her.

"Naughty girl," I muttered. "You played with yourself in bed, didn't you?"

She shook her head. Val licked her lips as her eyes darted away. She suddenly stepped closer and pressed her small body against mine. Her eyes had darkened and the heat in them made my beast rise. She wanted to mate and he was ready to give her what he wanted. She glanced away from me to the back door.

"I saw. . ." her voice trailed off.

She saw me kiss him. I closed my eyes as ice spread through my veins. She saw it all. Had she heard what Devon had said? Was she going to run once her heat was over? My eyes snapped open when she cupped my cheeks. Val gave me a small smile. I waited silently for the blow—for her to voice her disgust at what I had done—but what she said left me speechless.

"I liked it."

It took me a few seconds to comprehend what she had said. I blinked, once and then twice, before frowning down at her. Did she like it? Her hands slid down my neck to my shoulders and the lower towards my chest. I groaned when her fingernails dug into my skin. With our eyes still locked, she leaned forward to wrap her lips around my nipple. My hand buried in her hair. I growled, slipping my arm around her waist but Val pulled away.

"It will be so hot to watch the two of you together. Kissing and touching. Your powerful bodies moving together."

Why were her words making my cock ache? The backdoor was suddenly flung open and then slammed shut. My head snapped in that direction. I bit back the growl when I realized who it was. Devon spun around and locked the door. He slid the thick plank across it before turning towards us.

"Hunters," he growled.

It was enough to make my blood run cold. I pick Val up and hurried towards the bedroom. Dropping her on her feet away from the windows, I spun towards the wardrobe and pulled out clothes for her. Shoving them towards her, I ordered her to dress before walking over to the window. I carefully pulled the curtain aside and glanced out the window. I had to blink a few times to get used to the suddenly bright light from outside. Everything was silent.

Devon entered the room and slammed the door closed. He hesitated and then pushed the wardrobe in front of the door. It was a bad idea to lock ourselves into the bedroom. I opened my mouth to tell him that, but he turned and our eyes locked. One emotion stood out amongst all the others. He was scared. Not for himself but for Val.

"Help me move the bed."

"W-what's going on?" she asked with a quivering voice.

"A group of hunters is headed this way."

"So? There are lots of wild animals around here, right?"

If it was any other situation, I would have laughed at her, but laughing was out of the question. This was serious and not a laughing situation. I stepped towards her and grabbed her shoulders. Her eyes snapped up to mine in question.

"They aren't hunting for game, doll. They are hunting for us. For Lycan's."

I hated the fear that filled her eyes, but there was nothing I could do but protect her. I pushed her towards the bathroom and turned to help Devon. He had already pulled the sheets and pillows from the bed. I removed the mattress and leaned it against the wall before turning back to him. I groaned when we picked up the bed—a four-poster bed made out of thick wood. It was heavy and by the time we had managed to move it in front of the window, sweat was dripping down my skin. I glanced at Devon but he was already focused on something else.

"What can I do?" Val asked softly.

"Just stay in the bathroom," I ordered softly.

I walked over to Devon. He pulled open the hatched that covered the hidden compartment along the lower wall. Dropping to his knees, he reached inside and started pulling out the weapons. I loaded them and placed them aside. When he was done he picked up two handguns and stuffed them in the band of his sweats. I grabbed the knives. Two for me and one for Val, or should I give her a gun instead? She might end up shooting herself with it.

"How many?" I asked Devon softly.

"I came across their camp. At least twelve. They know exactly where we are, David. I heard them talking. They are heading right for us."

"Weapons?"

"None that I saw, but they will be prepared."

"We should head to a room where we have an escape route," I suggested.

He was already shaking his head before I had finished speaking. "If we move to a room with a window or a door then Val could get hurt. There are twelve of them and only two of us. One of us injured will allow them to grab or kill her. We need to have our backs covered."

"And what if they set fire to the cabin?"

He frowned. "I doubt they would want to kill us. They want something else."

"How could you be so sure?" I asked him.

"I'm not, but our priority is to make sure that Val is safe." I gave him a nod and stood.

Val glanced between us as she nibbled on her lip. I gave her a small smile even though I knew nothing would be able to set her mind at peace. Gripping the knife tightly, I hesitated before holding it out towards her. She stared down at it for a few seconds and then looked back up at me.

"For protection."

I gripped her hand and pressed the knife against her palm before curling her fingers around the cool metal. Devon stepped up to my side. His eyes darted around the bathroom before landing on the bathtub. The bathroom was the safest since it had no windows.

"Get in the bath and stay there unless either one of us tells you otherwise."

"You can get in with me."

He cupped her cheeks and leaned down to press a kiss against her forehead. "Don't fight us, please. Do as we say. We won't be able to fight if we have to worry about you the whole time."

"Okay."

We watched to make sure that she followed his orders. Once Val was curled on her side in the bathtub, Devon walked back out into the bedroom. I moved to the doorway of the bathroom to stand guard. He hesitated and then pulled the gun out. I frowned when he laid it down near my feet. Our eyes locked. With a shrug, he took two steps back.

"I was never good at using guns."

I smirked at him but it quickly faded. Devon turned and dropped down to crouch on the floor. Within seconds the sound of cracking bones filled the silent room. I watched as he shifted into his wolf. He shook out his fur and paced back and forth a few times before he took his place in front of me. It wasn't just about us anymore. We had a mate to protect now.