Chapter Eight

One Week Later

 

Retreat felt wrong but was the best plan. Jude was struggling with the bond, with trusting Gale, and accepting what he craved. It was time to get help from a man who understood the struggle of a mate bond.

Leo’s group chat had revealed rumours of a man who lived in the forest, and they were due to take the long drive to his cabin. So before he had to spend hours alone with Jude in a confined metal box, Gale bit the bullet. He woke early and took two cups of coffee onto the back porch.

Drew sat on the porch every morning, letting his lynx connect to the world. Finding him wasn’t difficult, but he looked brighter than Gale expected. If rumours were to be believed, his nightmares and torment over a past trauma were lessening as his bond with Rylee grew.

“Morning,” Gale said, handing over a cup of coffee with a dash of honey, the way Drew liked it.

Drew shuffled across the swing chair to make room.

They sipped their coffee in silence, watching the day come alive, listening to birds chirping in the trees, the scent of morning dew a welcome refreshment after the storm.

Not sure if, or why, it mattered, Gale blurted, “Jude is gay.”

“I noticed.”

He nodded and took a breath. “I think we’re bonding. Do you know what that means?”

A frown formed on Drew’s brow, and he shook his head. “I was about to say yes. Now I’m thinking no.”

“M’weko bond to their mate. The scent and bond tell us who our true mate is.”

“Like the red eye flash I did with Rylee?”

“More complex but…sure.” The difference was a matter of species and wasn’t worth arguing. M’nuni varied amongst species in Vihaan and demanded different rites or values to see it completed. Kalou had the closest ritual, so Gale went with it. “The problem is I’ve never looked at another guy in my life. And it’s Jude. We’ve worked and fought side by side for years. We met in our version of the army when we were eighteen. We’ve spent countless days and nights of the last seven years in close proximity. That should have sparked the bond but it didn’t. Coming here sparked the bond.”

Drew hummed and sipped his coffee. “What are you saying?”

“In Vihaan, you either fuck men or women,” Gale explained, because it was that simple—and complicated for the same reason. “No one gives a shit about these labels you guys have. They don’t care what it means or what it makes you. The closest word we have, besides gay, is the foame word gaoj―man-lover―and it’s an insult. M’weko don’t use it.” He scratched a nail at the faded image on his cup and voiced his problem, “Why is it I’m the one accepting it and Jude is fighting me every step?”

Drew sipped at his coffee, brows raised. When he found the words, he shook his head. “No offence, but I’d have thought it would be the other way around.”

Despite being new and terrifying, Gale didn’t care. Jude was his mate. His true mate. That trumped self-doubt, confusion over sexual identity, or nerves over not being capable of pleasing his mate. None of it mattered.

“Is it possible he’s afraid it’s not real?” Drew took a breath, pulled a foot onto the seat, and hugged his knee. “Because I know from experience when something seems perfect, when you have the perfect man and everything is going great, you can’t let yourself hope, in case it comes crashing down. Sometimes, what seems too good to be true is, and you decide not to trust it from the start so you don’t get your heart broken.”

Gale sipped his coffee, figuring that made sense. “What if we’ve already started fucking?” he asked, not sure if that made a difference. When he caught Drew’s surprise, he explained, “I’m not a man who fights what’s inevitable. The moment I felt the bond, I acted on it—the best I can—without the official mating. Jude responds to me physically, but his scent flits between acceptance and indifference.

“One minute, I’m his world, the next, he’s ignoring or fighting me. He wants me physically, but I don’t think he wants…me.” It was hard to admit, especially to someone who had their true mate and got to live the happy life he wanted, but he wouldn’t lie. Drew couldn’t help if he didn’t know what was happening. Taking a final sip of coffee, Gale admitted what frightened him the most. “I think he’ll reject me.”

“Wow.” Drew put a hand on Gale’s back, a consoling, compassionate touch. “I can’t tell you what’s in Jude’s head, but I understand why you’re afraid to confront the issue. Being rejected as a human hurts, especially when you don’t understand what you’ve done wrong,” he said, with enough feeling to suggest he meant every word. “To be rejected as a mate on such a deep level? Rylee said that can destroy you.”

It wasn’t a question, so Gale didn’t treat it as one.

“I’m sorry.” Drew rubbed his back and spoke softly. “All I can say is…wouldn’t it be better to know than to keep torturing yourself? I mean, I’ve seen you and Jude argue. You guys push hard. Maybe it’s worth fighting until the air is cleared,” he reasoned, not saying anything Gale hadn’t already considered.

“Like after a storm,” he said, beginning to see the best way forward. To discover whether Jude was scared of the mate bond or clinging to a pleasure he didn’t want to keep or claim long-term.

“Right.”

“Okay.” He finished his coffee in one gulp and stood from the seat.

“Really?”

“What else is there?” Gale smiled at the sweet guy who tried to fix everyone’s problems. He ruffled Drew’s hair in gratitude and headed for the door to prepare for the day ahead. “Like I said, we do things differently in Vihaan.”

*

It took two hours to escape the city for the forest where their next potential exile lived. Gale hated every second of being trapped in the car. To give Drew his due, he’d asked Gale to sit in the passenger seat to discuss the case file they’d formed through their investigation.

Their talk about Tripp Honing’s limited social media files and the little information Drew had scrounged from his brother was bullshit. Though it sounded like a logical step in their mission, the reality was Drew was offering an excuse not to sit beside Jude for two hours in a cramped space which offered no escape.

By the time they arrived, Gale was on edge. His blood itched beneath his skin and there was no avoiding Jude—his scent filled the car, like no one else existed. Gale would lose his sanity on the journey back if he didn’t act fast.

As soon as the car stopped, he shot out and took a deep breath of fresh air.

Immediately, Drew was around the car with a hand to his arm. “Are you okay?”

Gale shook his head and swallowed. There was no crowded human presence to shelter his words from m’weko ears. “I need a chat with Jude,” he said and faced the team. “Isaac, Janet, scout the area for a scent. Drew, sit in the car and read the file from top to bottom,” he ordered and was relieved when Drew nodded and got into the car without question.

Janet and Isaac obeyed without pause as Jude sauntered over to lean against the car.

“And me?” he asked, digging hands into his jeans pockets.

Beyond words, Gale stalked to Jude and caught him by the back of the head, burying his face into his neck. Breathing in deep, Gale closed his eyes to the instant relief—his mate’s scent, proximity, the tickle of acceptance at the back of his throat.

When hands clutched his T-shirt, he was afraid to find out if it was to pull or push. Gale backed away and took a steadying breath. “You,” he said, managing words with a level tone, “need to save your strength. We don’t know what we’re getting into. Your job is to have my back.”

They’d deliberately parked several feet from the main house to give Tripp time to spot them, to scent them, and decide what he would do about their presence.

Prepared to shift, Gale stalled and spun at the scent of blood on the air.

Janet came running from the woods. “He’s on the run,” she called, removing her clothes to shove them into the car.

Reluctantly, the rest of the team, bar Drew, did the same: throwing their clothes into the back of the car to keep them intact for travelling home.

Before starting his transition, Gale gave his final orders. “Isaac, stay with Drew. Keep him safe and stop Tripp getting access to the car or running off.” Drew was top priority. Gale didn’t care if Tripp got away as long as everyone went home safely, and Drew wasn’t a warrior. “Janet, Jude, flank him. Draw Tripp to me.”

He shifted seamlessly from broad human male to hulking beast of a m’weko. Tall, wide, and ferocious, his fur was as dark as his human hair: midnight black. His feet were sturdy and reliable, his human mind logical and primed for the hunt.

Within the space of a step, he was fully immersed in m’weko senses and ready to run. He started slowly, letting his nose capture the unknown scent in the forest and trail it towards the hut Tripp called home. The scent circled around, fresh and clean. Tripp had recently washed, probably hoping to distract them and make it harder to find him.

Following the natural trail around the side of the house, Gale led the hunt, walking rather than running. Conserving his energy, he noted every shift in the wind, every deviation from the path, every possible clue.

He got halfway along the path through the woods when he heard rustling. With Janet and Jude flanking either side, and Isaac doing as he’d been told, no one should have been at his rear.

Gale played the game and paused. When he saw nothing, he resumed his walk, listening to the pad of footsteps in autumn leaves. This wasn’t the place to attack. From the maps he’d studied during the drive, he knew there was a clearing ahead. He’d continue toward it, hoping Tripp was smart enough to do the same.

Walking another half-dozen paces, Gale entered the clearing and paused at a snap to his left. The attack was imminent.

Three steps later, a growl erupted and a great black m’weko pounced from the right, knocking him over. Gale rolled with the attack, letting Tripp think he had the upper hand.

The game begins.

He rolled to his side, out from under the m’weko who was trying to rake his back with long, sharp claws. A kick pushed the m’weko off and put distance between them.

Tripp was a massive m’weko, bigger than any Gale had seen. He couldn’t dally. This m’weko was desperate for a fight, and he was in the mood to give it one. Gale seized his opponent, pinpointing Tripp’s stature and scent, to gain insight into strengths, weaknesses, or an advantage.

Before he could formulate an attack, a second m’weko, pepper grey and growling menacingly, emerged from the trees.

Jude.

A glance to his left showed Janet holding back, wise enough not to give away their advantage, safely hidden from view. She could spring a surprise attack or retreat to warn Isaac. Smart girl.

Without the ability to reason with Tripp with words, he had no choice but to fight, subdue him, and explain their presence. Even if he shifted, Tripp would never listen. The scent of m’weko had sent him running.

Gale wouldn’t take the risk. As an opportunity emerged, he circled to let Jude get into attack position and used his favourite trick. Feigning an attack, he darted in, and Tripp lunged, scoring Gale’s underbelly with his claws, teeth scraping his shoulder.

Though he growled, it was the opening Jude needed.

Snarling, he attacked Tripp and slipped under a swiped paw to grasp it in his jaw. He tugged, and the sound of a break reverberated through the forest. Jude growled a warning, and Tripp lowered to the ground, unprepared to fight against an unknown enemy.

The minutes after the fight were a blur. Janet gave a yip to call Isaac, who would bring Drew. As soon as they arrived, Gale left them to guard Tripp. He was injured and needed to wash and treat the wound to avoid infection.

Gale shifted to his human form to lessen the pain and aid the healing process. He’d reached the car when Jude shifted, emerging into a beautiful naked man.

He might have said something if Jude hadn’t grabbed his clothes, dressed, and pulled out the first aid kit from the glove compartment.

Gale shouldn’t be disappointed, shouldn’t be surprised.

“Does it hurt?” Jude placed the first aid kit onto the hood of the car, pressing hands to Gale’s hips to guide him back.

Gale perched against the bonnet and touched the shoulder wound. “It’s bearable,” he admitted, prepared to refuse painkillers if offered. He wanted to keep a clear head.

In silence, Jude cleaned the two wounds and smeared them with a gel to numb the pain, a relief he appreciated. While Gale sat, aware of Jude’s scent drifting closer to accepting and concerned, he wondered if this care and attention meant anything. Was it guilt over ignoring him? Genuine concern? Or a product of the mate bond Jude couldn’t fight?

In the clearing, Jude had appeared ready to rip Tripp to pieces, despite knowing the plan. That was the reaction of a mate who wanted to step in and scream “You hurt my mate, now I’ll kill you.”

Only…he didn’t.

Gale rolled his shoulder to test the give of the dressing Jude had placed over the bite, relieved it retained good motion. He didn’t expect the hands on his shoulders, or Jude pressing a kiss to the dressing.

Jude examined his abdomen, thoroughly cleaning and bandaging the wound. He sank to his knees, gaze drifting to Gale’s, to run a hand over the bandage and kiss it. “I’m sorry you got hurt,” he said though it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t be responsible for Tripp running or reacting as he did.

Still, it was nice to see this softer side for a change. His hand drifted through Jude’s hair automatically, and he was surprised when he stood and kissed Gale’s lips.

Maybe he hadn’t entirely fucked up.