He walked to the end of the dock, turning into the slight breeze that blew in his face. He smiled and searched the lake when he heard the tremolo call of the common loon. Shading his eyes with his hand, Wyatt spotted the bird way out in the water. It made the call again. Some people thought it sounded like insane laughter. It was actually a series of notes voiced rapidly in different degrees of frequency and intensity. The one Wyatt loved hearing the most was the wail of the loon. The bird only did it in the evenings and at night, and it could be heard for miles. Wyatt thought it sounded haunting.
While he watched, the loon suddenly dove under the water. It wouldn’t come back up for some time, and not in the same spot. They could hold their breath for eight and a half to sixty seconds, even longer if they were scared of something. Wyatt once watched one go under for three whole minutes before he saw it resurface.
“See anything interesting?” Draven asked as he came to stand beside him.
“There was a loon out there, but it just went for a dive.”
“I love listening to their calls. I’ve sat out here in the evenings doing just that.”
“To me, the call of the loon will always remind me of Muskoka.”
“I feel the same way. Come on, let’s go for that walk.”
Draven held out his hand. Wyatt slipped his into it, linking their fingers together. Hand in hand, they walked up the length of the dock and around the house until they reached the back. At the edge of the bush, Draven let go and went ahead, leading the way.
The other man set an easy pace that Wyatt had no trouble keeping up with. After a full minute had gone by in silence, he asked, “So what do you want to talk about, Draven?”
“Anything, everything. Why don’t we start off with you? You said you used to come up here with your parents when growing up. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Nope. It’s just me. My parents only wanted the one child. I don’t think my mom would have been able to handle any more than that. She’s what I would call a bit of a worrywart. Any time I hurt myself, skinned knees, you name it, she’d just about freak out, think it was a life-and-death situation. If she had to go through that with two kids, I think it would have made her a basket case.”
Draven laughed. “That must have been tough on you growing up, having a clingy mother.”
“It wasn’t so bad, really. It was harder on Mom to cut the cord, if you know what I mean. She didn’t want to accept the fact I grew into a man and didn’t need her to watch over me all the time. She’s a lot better now, though sometimes she can still hover, especially if I end up getting sick. What about you? Your parents still around? Do you have any siblings?”
“No to both of those. I lost my parents some years ago, and I had an older brother, but he died when I was a teenager.”
“That has to be rough, being all alone in the world.”
“Like I said, I lost them a long time ago. I’m not completely alone, though. There are others I can go to if I need to.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He paused, then added, “And you have me now.”
Draven stopped walking and turned to face Wyatt. He pulled him into his arms and brushed a kiss across his lips before he rested his forehead against Wyatt’s. “Yeah, I do have you.” He lifted his head and looked into Wyatt’s eyes. “I want you to know I have very strong feelings for you. I don’t want to freak you out, but I love you, Wyatt. I know it’s rushed, but you’re the one for me. And will always be. I want us to live together.”
Wyatt nodded as a thrill shot through his body at Draven’s words. “I love you too,” he said in a rush. “I was just waiting for the right time to tell you. I thought if I told you too soon, you’d want to run.”
Draven kissed him again before he dropped his arms and took a step back. “Speaking of running, there’s something else about me I have to tell you. And I’m not sure how well you’re going to take it.”
“You can tell me anything, Draven. I don’t think there is anything you can say that will cause me to leave you.”
Draven gave him a slight smile. “I hope that remains the case.” He took a couple of steps back again, putting more space between them.
Wyatt’s gaze jerked in the direction of something over Draven’s shoulder. At the same time, he yelled, “Holy shit, there’s a wolf.” Draven turned and growled, sounding like the animal that slowly stalked toward them.
He then felt the air become trapped in his lungs when Draven’s body blurred and shimmered, taking on the form of a wolf right before his eyes. The animal had brown fur that matched the color of Draven’s hair.
“Draven?” Wyatt finally managed to ask while his heart tried to pound out of his chest. Was what he’d seen actually real?
The wolf didn’t look his way, only curled its upper lip, hackles rising, as he watched the black one who continued toward them. Just as Draven looked as if he were about ready to go on the attack, a man who moved so fast Wyatt had a hard time tracking him, came out of nowhere and threw a rope net over the brown wolf. He jumped onto Draven’s back, pinning him to the ground.
Wyatt gave a shout and was about to go to his rescue when he was hit from behind and fell forward. Rough hands grabbed him, pulling his arms behind his back as a heavy weight sat on his legs. He struggled, but it didn’t stop his assailant from binding his wrists together.
“I’ve got him,” the man who’d taken down Wyatt yelled.
Wyatt was yanked to his feet and force marched over to the others. The black wolf’s body blurred and shimmered, and Rick took its place. He walked over to the man who pinned Draven down and held up a rope that had something inside it that reflected the sun. Wyatt’s heart was still trying to beat out of his chest, and he was more than a little freaked by what he’d just witnessed. But on the outside, he acted as if seeing men turn into wolves and vice versa was an everyday occurrence for him.
“Tie him up with this,” Rick said. “Make sure it’s tight enough.”
“What the fuck are you?” Wyatt yelled. Some of the stress he felt leaked into his voice.
Rick walked over to stand in front of him. “You don’t know, mortal? I would have thought your butt buddy over there would have told you.”
Wyatt barely stopped himself from flinching, not wanting the other man anywhere near him. “Told me what?”
“That he’s a werewolf. Just like we are.” Rick waved his hand to encompass the other men. He then leaned forward and took a deep breath. He smiled, one that didn’t reach his eyes. “From how ingrained Draven’s scent is in your skin, it leads me to only one thing—you’re his mate. I guess the queer finally found one. It only took him fifteen hundred years. That’s what happens when you want to fuck someone of the same sex.”
“Fifteen hundred years?” Wyatt asked, thinking Rick was talking shit again. Okay, the werewolf thing he couldn’t deny, since he’d seen Draven shift, but that many years? It couldn’t be possible. His gut clenched at the thought that it could be true.
“Why do you think I called you mortal, mortal? Werewolves can live to the age of three thousand. Your lover boy over there has been knocking around for fifteen hundred years. That’s also the reason why he has such antiquated standards of what is right and wrong. He believes in the whole his word is his bond sort of thing. It dates back to when he swung a sword, defending the honor of one and all. The stupid shit.”
“Then how old are you?”
“Me?” Rick asked with a laugh. “I’m nowhere near as old as that relic of the past over there. I’m three hundred.”
“So compared to Draven, you really are a pup,” Wyatt spat.
He’s head whipped to the side as Rick’s fist connected with his jaw. “Don’t ever call me that again. I’m no child. I’m more than capable of going wolf and using my teeth to rip your throat out.”