It had been easy enough to locate Tucker’s apartment and assign some of the gammas to follow him. It had been his turn to watch Tucker the night he went to the club, and it had been too much of temptation to resist following him inside. Something about the young man attracted him almost irresistibly. Gavinhad been oddly restless as he’d watched Tucker go about his workday earlier, and he felt an overpowering need to get closer to him. For some reason, the idea really seemed to compel him. Then, from the instant he’d been inside the same room that first night, he’d realized exactly who Tuckerwas, and why he’d found him so irresistible and seductivefrom the moment he’d seen his picture on the surveillance film. Incredibly, Tucker was his bloodmate. The vagaries of the bloodmatch were too well-known for Gavin to be truly surprised, but it had still been a bit of a shock. Gavin was simply unable to resist approaching and speaking to him.

Just before he got close to Tucker, he sniffed a hint of Tommy in the room and instantly went on alert. His eyes swept the area and found nothing out of the ordinary, yet his scent was still strong in the air. Thinking that he must have just missed the killer, he quickly sent a text to his gammas, alerting them Tommy may be nearby and giving them the address. He looked around uneasily, hating the idea that the killer had been in the same room as his mate.

Then as he slid onto the stool besideTucker, he’d been so taken with him, so entranced by his beauty, he’d almost forgotten about the smell inside the club, just for a few minutes, and taken his pleasure with his mate. His lapse had allowed Tommy to lure the poor young human out behind the club and slaughter him. His innocent blood was on Gavin’s hands, because he’d failed to keep the human policeman safe. They’d lost Tommy that night, his trail trampled on and overlaid by all the humans who had flocked to the scene once the body was found. It took more days of digging and investigation to track Tommy back to the Nightstick, trying to figure out just what was attracting him to come back to the club again.

Thank God they’d figured it out and he’d been able to save Tucker, though he sharply regretted not taking Tommy alive and questioning himas he’d originally planned. He wasn’t sure if he would have known who was behind his transformation, but he might have been able to offer some clues. Now he was dead and they were packaging his body to send home to his parents. At least he could do that much for them.

Gavin still had no ideawhy he’d practically forced Tucker to spend the night. It was dangerous to be so intimate with him. His wolf was raging inside him to claim his mate, but he wouldn’t take him without his consent. The idea of letting him out of his sight after coming so close to losing him just wasn’t an option, though.

Tucker was breathing softly through his open mouth, his long eyelashes shadowing his cheeks. He was wearing tight jersey boxers that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Gavin wondered how in the hell he was going to resist claiming him as his mate immediately. He’d come damn close to it earlier in the evening, getting carried away by his jealousy. It had taken every bit of his strength to force down his wolf and not give Tucker the mating bite then.

His mate was certainly gorgeous. No other word for him. He had a solid torso and deeply cut muscles rippling down his chest and abs. Not an ounce of fat on him. His skin was smooth and tanned, and he had an enticing blond treasure trail leading from his navel down to below the band of his briefs. Though Tucker’s hair was brown with blond highlights, what little body hair he had was blond. Gavin wanted to follow that little golden trail very badly, but made himself turn over on his back, his hands by his side.

Tucker sighed in his sleep and turned too, angling his body toward Gavin. He scooted over next to him and wrapped one arm around his waist, hooking a knee over his thigh. Gavin breathed out a heavy sigh beforepulling Tucker over closer to him, tucking Tucker’s head into the space between his neck and his shoulder, breathing in his delicious scent. Fuck, this was torture.

When Tucker made a soft little mewling sound and started to pull back, Gavin tightened his arm, holding him exactly where he was. Gavin instantly became so hard he thought might come at the slightest movement ofhis mate’s body. He seemed to be settled though, so gradually, Gavin relaxed,letting his mind roam back to the first time he’d seen Tucker’s picture.

It had been held out in front of him by Richard, Tucker’s father. Richard had the appearance of being in his early thirties, though he was much older. Wolf shifters aged almost like humans until they reached the age of about thirty, and then the aging process slowed way down. Wolves and other Werekinlived very long lives, though they weren’t immortal. Usually, even their human mateslived just as long, strengthened by the wolf’s blood they had to drink. Still vigorously good-looking though probably around seventy or seventy-five years old, Richard was trustworthy and solid. He didn’t deserve the bad breaks he’d had in his life.

Tucker made another sweet little sound in his sleep, and Gavin leaned over to kiss his forehead. He wondered what his mate would think when he learned who he really was—when he learned about his new home. Their lodge was a big one, off park land but still very close. It was beautiful country, mountainous and green. Gavincouldn’t imagine wanting to live anywhere else, butTucker’s relatives hadn’t given him any choice in the matter when they’d stolen him away from his home.

Restlessly, Gavin tried to get comfortable and go to sleep. His mate’s musky scent was still calling to him and his wolf was restless inside him, wanting to claim Tucker. Gavin was, by this time, almost too tired to go to sleep. After a while he managed, though, sinking down into a restless sleep and not waking until almost dawn, when he felt soft fingertips trailing up and down his chest.

Gavin’s eyes flew open and he was gazing into those beautiful eyes. He could feel Tucker’s hands roaming possessively over his body. Gavin cleared his throat, hardly trusting himself to speak. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think?” Tucker said and kissed him, devouring his mouth. He eased on top of Gavin, pinning him down.

Gavin kissed him back, his breath coming hard and his cock growing rigid with lust. Gavin slid his hands down Tucker’s body and around his back, cupping his ass, massaging the muscles. Tucker pulled back, breathing raggedly. “I’m sorry. I guess I shouldn’t have started this. Gavin, we need to talk.”

Before Tucker could continue his protests, Gavin flipped them, rolling over on top of him and putting his knee between Tucker’s thighs, pushing them apart. “Well, let’s talk, darlin’.” He bent down and nipped at his mouth. “I have a lot I need to say to you.”

Tucker lay back with his big blue eyes staring up at Gavin, a wary expression on his face. Gavin eased off him a bit, getting up to his knees to pull down Tucker’s briefs, while still keeping the sheets bunched in front of him. He slept naked, wanting to feel every inch of his mate’s firm body against him all night long. So far, Tucker had never gotten a good look at him, all their previous encounters having taken place in the dark of the back room at the bar. He needed to hide himself from his mate a bit longer, until he could claim him properly.

Like all the wolves, Gavin had a gland called the bulbus glandis, a kind of ring of flesh that sat right at the base of his penis. When he was fully aroused it became engorged with blood, like his penis, and was at this moment roughly the size of a small baseball. It was this gland that secreted fluids during mating sex, and then swelled up even more inside his mate, trapping them together, sometimes for an hour or more. During that time, the mate experienced multiple orgasms so intense they often made the mate lose consciousness. The wolves rarely inserted the gland except during mating or times when they were in need of intense bonding.

Tucker raised his legs obediently as Gavin pulled off the last of the clothing between them and tossed it to the foot of the bed. Gavinlooked back down at him and couldn’t resist going in for another kiss on his lips, his throat and down to his nipples. Keeping the sheet around him, hee pressed his cock against Tucker’s through the thin fabric, rubbing them together and eliciting a soft moan of pleasure from his mate.

Gavinrubbed his thumbs against Tucker’s nipples, working them gently with his fingertips, then lowered his head down to suck them while Tucker arched his back. Gavin reached over to the drawer on the bedside table and found a condom and the tube of lube. Condoms weren’t necessary for wolves, who were pretty much immune to human diseases, but he knew it would alarm and concern his petif he didn’t wear one, so he would put one on until he could explain things to him. He slid over to the side of the bed, angling his body away from Tucker as he rolled on the condom and squeezed a generous amount of lube onto his fingers and cock. He’d bought the supplies at a drug store once they’d arrived in Florida. Even before he’d actually met Tucker, he’d been strongly drawn to him, already hoping for a chance at an intimate encounter. He moved back to his matequickly, keeping his hand down over his gland so Tucker couldn’t see it. He hoped it would look like he was just keeping his hand at the base of his cock. Anyway, the room was still dim, the only strong light coming from the bathroom, so he was pretty sure Tucker wouldn’t notice anything too odd. When he got back in position, he lifted Tucker’s leg onto his shoulder, spreading the lube over his tight, puckered hole. He then kept one hand busy stroking Tucker’s cock while he slipped one finger up inside him, just the tip, teasing it in and out in a gentle motion.

“Gavin,” Tucker said softly, not looking up at him, but keeping his eyes fixed on the wall next to the bed. “I don’t usually do this. I don’t usually bottom for anyone. I-I always top, you know?”

Gavin almost smiled, but caught himself just in time. The look on his mate’s face was so sweet and sincere. He was telling the truth, and for a moment, Gavin was concerned. He thought he knew what would best satisfy his mate, but he wanted this to be good for him in every way. Tucker was a pet—his pet—and the son of a wolf and his human mate. All pets were submissive to the wolves. It was just in their nature. They might be bratty and fight it a little. They might tease and pout and vigorously assert their independence from time to time, but underneath it all, they were controlled and taken care of by the wolves, and they liked it that way. No wolf would ever force his beloved pet to do anything sexuallyhe didn’t really want to do. It would be unthinkable to hurt a pet, and most especially a mate.