Noll stood on the balcony outside Evan’s bedroom. He held the railing in a tense grip as rage caused the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck to stand on end. Downstairs, several of his men hung about the house, and more were in the surrounding area. They were all waiting for his signal to strike. What gave him pause was why the other alpha had allowed them in the territory in the first place without a confrontation.
Evan stepped out onto the balcony and leaned on the rail. He laid a hand over Noll’s, and Noll turned his head. He did, however, lace his fingers with Evan’s.
“Do you feel him?” Noll asked. “On the outskirts of town, that way.”
Evan glanced over his shoulder in the direction Noll indicated and looked back at Noll. “Yeah, I’m sure he knows we’re here too.”
“This is it.” Noll went to the balls of his feet in anticipation. He already imagined ripping Harrison apart. Then it would be over, the last of what tied him to the past and the pain.
Evan squeezed his hand. “Hey.”
“I’m fine,” Noll snapped. “I’m...angry, but you don’t have to... I’m fine.”
“I know we delayed this a long time.”
“Too long.”
“They’re still here.”
“With more shifters. I sense them all. He’s changed a lot of humans.”
“And we’ve recruited a few of his with fair treatment,” Evan countered.
Noll smirked. “And some encouragement.”
“I haven’t completely reformed you. Maybe your personality will always be a little dark.”
“Well, it wasn’t for lack of trying!”
Amusement brightened Evan’s eyes, stirring desire and a deeper emotion in Noll. He wanted to turn away from it, but he couldn’t. Evan was in his sights for good, and he knew that. It didn’t necessarily bother him, except for the sacrifice he had given up for the privilege to be Evan’s mate.
“Aw, baby, was I too hard on you?” Evan teased.
Noll flared his nostrils. “We had sex every day, several times a day, for three weeks.”
“I’m not seeing the punishment.”
“Don’t play dumb.” Noll yanked his hand free of Evan’s and thumped his chest. “You tied me up most of that time, and I couldn’t even take a piss without your permission.”
“That’s right, until you gave in. And now?”
“And now I know it doesn’t matter how much power I have, I’ll never rise above you.”
“No, now you know I love you.” He paused, Noll imagined to let the words sink in. “And you can trust me with your life. I will always be by your side, Noll. Always. I won’t leave you.”
Noll grumbled. “I don’t have any fear my mate is going to leave me! We’re stuck with each other.”
Evan laughed. “So grumpy and in so much denial. You know if you don’t feel like you’re ready, we can always go back into isolation, just you and me and the bed.”
Noll flipped him off. “Let’s go.”
Noll headed for the doorway into the bedroom but then stopped and turned around. He grabbed Evan’s shirtfront and drew him in for a tongue kiss. The truth was, Evan had been hard on him, showing almost as little mercy on Noll as Noll had shown on Orion, except without the beatings. Evan had worn his body out with rough treatment, and he hadn’t let up once until Noll had gritted his teeth and begged for every scrap of freedom.
In the end, Noll knew he wasn’t broken. Evan had acknowledged it, calling Noll an unfinished work. However, Noll did generally obey Evan. He accepted that he wasn’t first alpha, but Evan let him lead within reason. The biggest place they disagreed was in how to treat the prisoners. Noll had lost that battle.
I won’t lose this war. I will kill Harrison. Evan had promised not to stand in his way, and Noll, despite everything, trusted his mate.
Noll took his core group to a spot about two miles from Harrison’s cabin. He held up a hand, and everyone stopped moving. They waited, Noll scenting that his enemy was coming. The closer Harrison drew, the greater his anger simmered. His hands ached to rip into the man to the point that his claws grew out. Evan moved closer to him, and he sensed his mate’s power soothing him. Evan helped him to keep control, but he didn’t suppress Noll’s rage.
A sound reached him, and Noll spun to face the trees. Harrison appeared, along with his gigantic mate Orion. Noll recalled the many nights he spent pushing the man to his limits, trying to get him to reveal where Harrison had hidden himself. At the time, Noll had known nothing of suppressing his nature. With much practice he had learned. Meanwhile Evan had picked it up in a couple days.
Noll took a step forward. “Finally, I get to face you. You’re even less impressive than I recalled.”
“Fuck you too, Noll. Don’t worry. You won’t be alive long enough to suffer with looking at me.” Harrison narrowed his eyes on Evan. “No one could ever have convinced me my best friend would be on the opposing side, aligning himself with this monster.”
Evan snarled. “Watch what you say about Noll.”
“Because he’s your mate? That can’t be forced, which means you voluntarily bit him.”
Evan grinned but didn’t explain himself. From the corners of his eyes, Noll noted how his men positioned themselves and others on Harrison’s side strode from the trees.
“I’m assuming you don’t still love me?”
Noll started for Harrison because of that question, but Evan grabbed his arm.
“No,” Evan said, “you’ve become public enemy number one. You’ve attacked several people in my town—my town.”
“I didn’t change anyone who didn’t agree.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
Evan moved closer to Harrison, and Orion also nudged forward. Noll tensed at the lessening space between all of them. At any moment the fight could begin, and he poised for it.
“You knew what your first mate was doing,” Evan accused Harrison.
“That’s a lie!”
Evan scoffed. “There’s no way you wouldn’t know the darkness that was in your mate’s heart.”
Harrison’s gaze raked Noll. “You’re telling me you believe what Noll says? You’ve got the evidence right there. You’ve obviously been to his compound. You know what he’s done to my people.”
Evan nodded. “He’s mine to deal with, but I believe what he’s told me.”
Harrison drew his lips back from his teeth in a sneer. “You always were naive and too softhearted.”
Evan launched himself at Harrison, and Harrison did the same. They growled in each other’s faces, claws forming on their hands. Orion started for Evan, and Noll moved to protect his mate, but Harrison threw his arm out in front of Orion.
“No, baby,” Harrison said in a ragged tone, “wait.”
Orion pounded one big, meaty fist in the palm of the other and paced, but he obeyed Harrison.
Evan bristled with dislike as he stared into Harrison’s eyes, inches from his face. “I don’t believe you didn’t know what your partner was doing. Maybe you have amnesia about certain things that happened in the past.”
Harrison’s expression said this was more evidence of Evan’s naïveté, and Noll ached to crush his face. “I remember everything,” Harrison said. “I remember clearly what it felt like to know Noll had killed my mate and how it fractured my mind.”
“Well I know my mate,” Evan countered. “Yes, I see the darkness in him, the hatred, and the unforgiveness. He’s mine to deal with, but you will face the consequences of what you’ve done.”
Harrison drew back in confusion. “I haven’t done anything.”
“There’s darkness in all of the shifters.”
“You forget you’re one of us now?”
“No, I haven’t, but you forgot this is my town.”
Harrison straightened, pushing his chest out. “Well, I’m taking it, and when I’m done here, I’m coming to the compound, and I’m taking back my people.”
Evan hitched his shoulders and rolled his neck. Noll saw the green eyes change to golden brown. “You don’t have any people there.”
Orion was the first to attack, slashing Evan’s face. Noll snatched his lover out of the way and launched himself forward at his enemy. His fist hit a solid wall of steel, and Orion crouched low to raise Noll off his feet. The world spun around Noll as he worked to free himself of the hold. A crunch of bone sent pain rocketing through Noll’s entire body, but right behind it came healing. He willed it to do the job faster, and it did but not before Orion slammed him on the ground and pressed a crushing knee into his chest.
“Noll,” Evan shouted.
“Where are you going?” Harrison bit out. “Your fight is with me, and I’m going to prove to you who is right and who deserves to die.”
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The End
About the Author
Eden Cole is the author of several erotic works including male/male and ménage, and she has many more on the way. Please visit Risky Ink at riskyink.blogspot.com to find out more about her first time series, her wolf shifter series, and her cop series of male/male novellas.