The Reluctant Wolf (Book 1 Cloverleah Pack) (16 page)

“Shawn, it is a good thing that you have waited to engage Xavier until after you had met Kane.
If you had engaged him before you would have had to use your magic and that would have exposed your power to others who might do you harm. Kane will find the strength to let you die in your wolf form, and then bring you back.  I know you don’t want this Kane,” the Shaman added as he saw the shocked look on Kane’s face, “but pack law has to be observed.  Shawn will have to allow himself to die as a wolf to prevent his becoming the Alpha of his home pack and you will have to let this play out Kane.”

“
I can’t watch him die. I can’t do that. I don’t know what to do. What if I fuck up?  What if I can’t find a way to bring him back?”  Panicking, Kane was begging the Shaman for answers.  This time it was Shawn that answered, quietly and firmly, breaking through Kane’s fear.

“Kane, this is the perfect solution.  It is the way it has to be done.”  Looking at the Shaman for confirmation, Shawn continued.  “All you have to do is make sure that Xavier doesn’t desecrate my body too much as I will need the power to shift once I am ‘back from the dead’.  Get my wolf away from him as quickly as possible after I am dead.  Then reach inside of yourself and find the love you have for me and convey it through your touch.  That is all you need to do.  That will work, won’t it?” Looking at Paulo, Shawn was reassured to see the man agreeing with him.
Kane was still in shock.

Paulo rose to his feet in a fluid motion.  “I think I have given you more than enough to think about.  I will be here for you when you fight, to ensure that it is fair and to help where I can.  I have been warned that Xavier plans to bring a Shaman of his own to bind your ‘evil’ as he calls it.  While we all know that won’t work, I can provide the buffer you need to ensure he doesn’t get too close to you and perhaps warn Xavier of your true identity.”  Reaching over he patted Kane on the head and smiling at Shawn, he headed back to the house.

Chapter Twenty One

Kane didn’t know what to think.  This morning when he had woken up he thought the biggest problem he had to contend with was his mother’s discrimination.  Now he had to face the fact that the day after tomorrow his mate would die, in wolf form, to adhere to pack law.  And then
he
was supposed to bring him back from the dead. What if he failed - what if he lost his lover forever?  He stared down at Shawn’s hand, still lodged in his, trying to find the strength to do what had to be done.

You know you don’t have to bring me back if you don’t want to, I would understand. 
Shawn’s quiet voice pierced through his thoughts. 
You don’t have to take this responsibility.  You can just let me die and go on with your own life.

“No, that’s not what I want.  Don’t even think that.”  If Kane’s voice was sharper than he intended, Shawn didn’t say anything.  He just tugged his hand
gently out of Kane’s and stood up, taking off his clothes. Stunned as always by Shawn’s lithe but muscular body, he managed to croak out, “What are you doing?”

“Going for a run.  Catch you later.
”  And with that Shawn shifted and the beautiful white wolf that Kane had only seen marred with bullets stood before him.  The wolf regarded him for a minute, letting Kane soak in his sheer size, the power of his muscles, the intensity of his blue/white eyes and the beauty of the silver in his fur.  Then turning deeper into the trees the wolf took off at a gentle lope.

Damn that man for knowing he needed his space and giving it to him.  Kane realized that was not the first time Shawn had
put his needs first, despite only being with him a few days.  It was Shawn that had understood Kane’s need to claim him first despite the fact that Shawn’s need was equally strong.  And he hadn’t even mentioned that he was a virgin because he didn’t want Kane to feel obligated to please him in any way.

It was Shawn who dithered about claiming him, knowing he had to fight Xavier and would probably die, simply so Kane would not feel quite as empty as he could have done.

Shawn, who had accepted Kane’s need to plunder his body when Kane was drowning in the fear caused by watching the destruction of Shawn’s house, never saying a word of complaint.  Shawn had allowed him to fight the hunters, when it went against his own instincts to protect himself.  And now, when Kane was confused and scared it was Shawn that recognized Kane needed space and in his simple quiet way had both given him an out of their relationship if he wanted to take it, and then left him to his thoughts so he could make up his own mind about what he would do with the situation they had been presented with.  A situation that was not Shawn’s fault and never had been.

Kane thought back to the first night he had Shawn in his bed
- When Shawn had offered his throat to Kane, placing his life in Kane’s hands.  Even without knowing all that he was, or what he could be, Shawn had been totally honest with Kane and had trusted him enough by dropping his magic and giving Kane then the power to end his life, because…Oh shit, because Shawn didn’t want to live in a world where he wasn’t wanted by his mate.

Groaning, Kane lay back on the grass, his arm over his face.  Shawn, with all of his good looks, his power
and his sheer uniqueness has given Kane absolute power over everything that he was.  He trusted Kane, and Kane had let him down, again.  Kane thought back to when Paulo was talking about Shawn’s power and the nature of his gifts.  Shawn hadn’t been thinking about himself at all, he was worried that Kane would feel bad about his position as a man, as an Alpha.  All along, in his quiet way, Shawn had put Kane’s needs before his own and for the second time in a week, had given Kane permission to kill him.

“Fuck that man has got to stop doing that.  I have got to get him to understand how badly I want him.  Shit
I want him in every way.  I love him damn it and he has to trust that.” Decision made, Kane got to his feet.  Within minutes he was naked and shifted.  His black and red wolf found his mate’s scent in milliseconds and he broke into a run. 

Moving swiftly and surely through the trees Kane found Shawn about twenty minutes later.  As he broke through the trees at the top of a
huge hill he could see Shawn lying quietly, with his big head on his paws, staring at Kane’s home below.  Sensing Kane’s presence, Shawn didn’t shift, but watched Kane’s own wolf approach. Kane realized that Shawn had never seen his wolf and in the back of his mind he hoped his mate would like what he saw.  Kane lay as close as he could to the other wolf and followed his gaze to the homestead below. No neighbors within five miles, the big house was set in over 1000 acres of woodland, perfect for Kane and his pack to run whenever they had the urge.

Kane loved his home.  He had bought it when he first came to Cloverleah.  It was a huge two-storey complex that had six bedrooms and bathrooms.  Made entirely of wooden logs it was the type of place that Kane had always felt comfortable in.  It was not that big that Kane minded being alone, on the odd occasion that he was, but it was big enough for the rest of the pack and visitors whenever they arrived.  Kane had never taken a man to his place, but he had a strong suspicion that his house was going to be a lot lonelier if Shawn wasn’t sharing it with him, regardless of who else might be there.

Feeling movement beside him Kane turned his head to see that Shawn had shifted this time choosing to remain naked.  He was still lying in the same position, on his stomach with his head resting on his hands.  Eyes closed Shawn seemed to be soaking up the sun, which could account for the man’s awesome tan. Shifting quickly, Kane took up the same position, thinking about what he had to say and how to say it.  The fact that Shawn was so quiet, and didn’t pressure  him in any way, made him feel calmer in that minute than he had almost all day.

“I love you,” he said softly.

Shawn opened his eyes and looked at Kane, giving him a small smile.

“I love you too.”  Then he closed his eyes again.

“I am really scared about you dying.”

“I know.”  This time Shawn didn’t open his eyes
. He seemed to be waiting for Kane as if he knew Kane had more to say.

“If I don’t get to your body in time then I may be too late to save you.  I could lose you forever and that is killing me inside.”

Opening his eyes, Shawn shifted onto his side.  His head supported by one hand he reached over and softly caressed Kane’s back with his other one.

“You heard what Shaman Paulo said.  It won’t be forever, just until the next life cycle.  We found each other once and we will do it again.”

“Aren’t you worried that I will fuck up?”

“Nope.”  Shawn’s voice was soft and confident.  “I know you will do everything you possibly can to bring me back if that is what you want to do.  I know you love me and I know you are capable of touching me.  You don’t need to do anything else.  The rest is just…magic.”

“I never even knew about magic until I met you.”

“Do you know what I thought the first time I saw you?”

Kane was surprised by Shawn’s question and turned to face him, both of them lying on their sides, mirror poses. Shawn’s hand now lay on his hip and Kane took a moment to savor the touch.  Then he shook his head at the question.

“I smelt your wolf the moment you came up to the counter.  After Trisha had come through to give me your order, I got a hard on so fast from the smell of you, I knew you were my mate. You smelled so good. So when she left I snuck a look at you through the kitchen door.
I could only see your back at that stage and I remember positively whimpering at the sight of your ass in those jeans.” Shawn grinned at the memory and he continued, “Physical perfection aside, what struck me about you was that you were a man who knew what he wanted and how to get it.  I was really impressed with that and still am.”

“I want
you
with everything that I am.  I want you more than my next breath.  I want you in every way, in every facet of my life, until I die.  And when I die I will still want you.”  Kane’s voice was deep and firm and he fixed Shawn with his own deep blue eyes as he willed his mate to understand. “In fact,” he went on, “I want you to join with me in the Alpha mating ritual, tomorrow if possible.”

“Can gay wolves even do that?”  Kane caught the tremor in his mate’s voice, and the hope that underlined it.

“Of course they can.  I am the Alpha of this pack.  We have a visiting Shaman and we have friends coming.  What better chance to celebrate what we mean to each other in front of the people that count.”

Shawn smiled and Kane felt the warmth of that smile through his whole body.

“Yes,” he said simply.  Then leaning slightly forward he brushed Kane’s lips with his own.

“You said yes?”  Kane couldn’t believe his luck.
He thought it would take a bit more persuasion on his part to get Shawn to agree.

“Yes.”  This time when Shawn leaned in to kiss him, Kane
was ready for him and quickly latched on to Shawn’s mouth, rolling forward to press his mate’s body beneath him.

“You know I never did say good morning to you properly this morning,” he growled against Shawn’s lips.  Shawn laughed, a joyous sound that touched Kane’s heart.  But before he could think more about it, Shawn had shifted his legs so Kane could feel the man’s growing erection pressed against his own.
  He reached his hand down and shafted them both and was pleased when he felt Shawn moan beneath him.  Gripping tighter he moved his hand up and down them both, using the moisture from the twin cock heads to slick his hand. Shawn moaned again and grabbed at Kane’s back with his hands, forcing their bodies closer together.

“I want to fuck you so badly, but I really wish we were in our bed doing it,” Kane’s voice was raspy with lust as he felt Shawn squirm and
thrust beneath him.  Shawn stopped for a moment and then with a quick grin flicked his fingers.  Kane felt a brief whoosh and then a split second later they were in their room, on the bed, Shawn still pinned beneath him and Kane’s hand still wrapped around their cocks.

God you have some amazing skills
was Kane’s last coherent thought to his mate as he got on with the business of pleasuring the man he wanted with every fiber of his being.

Chapter Twenty Two

If anyone thought it was strange that Kane and Shawn coming down from upstairs as they were about to sit down for their evening meal, no one said anything.  Claude had arrived and with his arm around a blushing Scott he introduced Kane to the six men he had with him.  Kane recognized them all as wolf shifters who were Doms at Claude’s club - two of them were obviously the men that Claude had mentioned on the phone, who had known Shawn back in Texas.  He left his mate chatting to them and sought out the Shaman for a quiet word.  Then he went looking for his mother.

Cheryl was in the kitchen helping Vincent, Dean and Troy with food preparations.  She looked up as Kane came
in; approving the smile he had on his face.  Cheryl had spent a lot of the afternoon watching and listening as the men in Kane’s pack talked about him with real affection.  They seemed equally taken with Shawn and this openness and honesty that the men shared wasn’t something she had seen in her own pack. She felt glad that Kane had so much support in his life and genuinely seemed to be happy.

“Hey Mum, can we go somewhere and talk for a minute?”  Her son was nervous and she wondered what was up.

“Griff, get in here and stir this will you?” She yelled over Kane to the big man standing behind him, swatting his arm as he muttered a “Yes ma’am in response.  Tucking her arm into Kane’s she allowed him to lead her out onto the back porch.

“What’s up Kane
- is this about this Xavier thing?”  Cheryl was concerned as she watched her normally confident son, pacing on the porch.  Gosh, when had he gotten so big?  When Kane had left the pack all those years ago he was still skinny and less than six foot tall.  The man in front of her now was strong and powerful, she could feel it in his body as he paced.

Suddenly her heart ached for the years she had lost because of her own blindness.  Kane was someone she could be so proud of if she could just let her self feel that way.  He was every bit the son she would have hoped he would become and now an Alpha in his own right.  As Kane moved past her she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out and pulling him into a hug.
Cheryl wasn’t normally a demonstrative woman, but darn it all if her son needed a hug it was now, in this moment.  She felt Kane resist for a moment before folding his body over hers, his big arms carefully cradling her back.

After a long moment, Kane pulled back searching her face.  His voice was low as he started to speak.  “Look Mom, I know you don’t agree with my choice of life partner and I am sorry I couldn’t be the man you wanted me to be.”  Cheryl went to say something, but Kane’s look stopped her.

“Please let me finish.  The thing is Mom I love that man more than my own life.  I know it is hard for you to accept that we are mates, but I will never want anyone in my life except Shawn.  He means that much to me.”

“So what’s the problem Kane?  Doesn’t he feel the same way?”

Kane grinned.  “Yeah, I am so lucky he really does feel the same way about me and we are bonded mates now and nothing can break that.”