“He’s
beautiful.”
“No,
Simon,” a slightly thicker, rougher version of his own voice hissed into his
ear. “Not again. You thought Alpha Kohl’s son was beautiful too and look where
that got us.”
Simon
Fiske dropped his eyes from the gorgeous man standing on the porch next to
their new alpha and stared down at the ground as he kicked at the dirt with
the tip of his boot. The last time seriously wasn’t his fault. The alpha’s son
had been cute.
He’d
also been a jerk.
“I
wasn’t going to do anything,” Simon mumbled under his breath. “I was just
saying that I thought he was pretty.”
“Stay
away from him, Simon.”
“But,
Adam,” Simon protested, his head popping up to look at his brother. “Alpha
Khenti said he’s the head of the enforcers.”
Adam’s dark-green eyes narrowed in warning. “And that means there is
absolutely no reason for you to be around him.”
Simon’s shoulders slumped not just because his brother was ordering him away
from the beautiful head enforcer but because Adam didn’t think there would be
any reason for Simon to even be around the man.
He
was slow, not stupid. He could still fight. It didn’t take a genius to fight
and defend his pack. It took muscle, strength, a willingness to give his life
for a cause greater than him. Simon wasn’t the strongest wolf in the pack but
he wasn’t ready to roll over and show his belly to everyone either.
“I
mean it, Simon,” Adam snapped, reaching over to grip Simon’s chin between his
fingers. Simon hated it when Adam did that. Big brother or not, Adam didn’t
need to treat him like a child. He got enough of that from everyone else.
“We’ve barely been here a week. Don’t fuck this up for us.”
Simon
felt his eyes water as he shoved his fisted hands into his pockets and dropped
his eyes from Adam’s angry gaze. “Okay, Adam,” he said in a voice that was
filled with so much resignation that he winced. He hated when he sounded so
defeated but sometimes it was easier to give in to Adam than to fight with
him.
Just
as soon as Adam grunted and turned back to listen to what the alpha was saying
to the new pack members, Simon glanced up at the gorgeous enforcer again
through the fall of his bangs.
Something
tight
unfurled
inside
him
at the sight of the tall man.
Damn, he really was hot. He was a dark figure
of a man, big and powerful. Simon thought he probably could have been an alpha
if he wanted to be. But the air of danger that seemed to hover around him gave
credence to his role as an elite enforcer, his presence on the porch as
commanding as the alpha and beta of Aberdeen Pack.
The large man towered over most of the other
men on the platform by several inches. The thick muscles rippling under his
tight white shirt quickened Simon’s pulse and made his cock throb in his
pants. The enforcer had long sturdy legs encased in a tight black material,
emphasizing the thickness of his thighs. His wide shoulders seemed to stretch
endlessly, pulling at the seams of his white shirt.
Simon inhaled slowly, trying to beat back his
arousal, not wanting anyone to smell it. Scent was very powerful among
wolf-shifters. Anyone standing close to him—including his brother—would be
able to smell the subtle change in his scent.
Please don’t let me embarrass myself.
Simon just couldn’t seem to help it. Every
time he caught a glimpse of the handsome enforcer, his body just reacted,
going from cold to hot in the blink of an eye. It was like it happened whether
he wanted it to or not.
When the new alpha finished talking, he
introduced everyone. Simon finally heard the name of his dream man for the
very first time—Ares. It was a beautiful name for a beautiful man.
Simon knew his Greek mythology. Ares was named after the God of war,
violence and bloodshed. It suited the enforcer. In his line of work he
probably saw a lot of violence and carnage.
Simon stepped back behind the other new pack
members when Alpha Khenti and Ares, along with the rest of the Aberdeen Pack
inner circle, came down off the porch of the alpha house and started to move
throughout the throng of people.
Simon knew he would have to meet with Alpha
Khenti at some point, and probably Ares as well. He just didn’t want to do it
in a crowd of people. He knew if the enforcer got too close, there would be no
hiding his arousal from Ares or anyone else.
“Simon!” Adam’s jaw ticked as he glanced over
his shoulder at him. “What are you doing?”
Simon searched his brain for a good answer
that Adam would accept. His heart started beating with excitement when he
spotted the gunmetal black barbeque cookers and wooden tables piled high with
food.
“I’m hungry,” he said quickly as he edged back
even further. “I want to get something to eat.”
“You will wait here until our new alpha greets
you.”
Simon grimaced as he looked through the people
milling about and spotted Alpha Khenti moving slowly toward him and Adam.
Simon felt his face flush, his arousal deepening when he spotted a set of deep
bronze eyes staring back at him from just behind the alpha.
Oh.
|