Page 22 of The Night Wolf
“And what is it about you that makes Ryker want you?”
No. No way could Sean tell Gareth—could tellanyonethat. It was the one secret that he could never share, because once it was out, his life was going to be over.
“I can’t say.”
Gareth rolled, placing his head on his arm. “Can’t or won’t?”
“Won’t. Can’t. Are they really different?”
“Good. Keep it close to your chest. Guard it with all your might. One day, if you feel safe here, you’ll tell me and know that I will protect you and your secret.” He smiled. “That is, if you want to be a member of Lydon.”
An ache in Sean’s chest answered for him. The town was everything Sean had ever hoped for. A thriving, sustained community. The people here depended on each other, worked together for the betterment of all. To Sean, who’d lost everything, this was like finding the missing piece of his life.
“Yes, I do.” His stomach knotted. “Please, Alpha. Let me stay.”
Chapter Seven
GARETH’S WOLFhowled its delight at the whispered plea.
“Of course you can stay.” Gareth wanted to touch Sean. He wanted to run his hands over the gentle curve of his hip, to dip his tongue into Sean’s belly button, to feel the skin of his ass, to taste him. He wanted to claim Sean, own him. He wanted—wait. Own him? No. Hell no.
He stared into violet eyes that were gazing at him with the beginning of trust. He would not—could not—betray the confidence he saw there. Others had tried, Sean said. He’d run from them. Well, Gareth would never give Sean a reason to fear him.
“I don’t know what I have to offer Lydon. I’ve been running since I was fourteen and never even finished school.”
“You don’t have to offer anything.”
“But you said—”
A gentle smile. “I said that was how things used to be. With your arrival, and a few words from Dani, my eyes were opened to the fact that we need to help out where we can. My project is to figure out the best way to allow more people into Lydon but still maintain our lands.” He reached out and touched Sean’s arm, doing his best to ignore the current that flowed between them. “If you have ideas, I would appreciate you sharing them.”
Between man and beast, Gareth’s wolf was obviously the more animalistic, but at the moment, it lay curled in the back of Gareth’s mind, content with being this close to Sean. Gareth realized that since he’d become Alpha, his wolf had always been on guard, ready for danger at every turn. Being this close to Sean, though? It simply felt at peace.
Gareth lay back again, arms folded behind his head. A cool breeze wafted over them, but he didn’t feel a chill. “Do you want to go home?”
Sean sighed. “Can we stay a little bit longer?”
“As long as you want.”
Though Sean probably hadn’t meant for Gareth to notice, he shifted ever so slightly closer. It was good that Gareth made him feel safe.
“Alpha?”
“You can call me Gareth, if you want.”
Where the hell hadthatcome from? Few wolves in the pack would dare address their Alpha with a familiar term. Dani and Lyram did it on occasion, but she was his advisor and Lyram his Beta, so Gareth overlooked it.
“Gareth.”
The word was soft but filled with awe. Gareth reached out and put his hand atop Sean’s, who inhaled sharply. Realizing what he’d done, he started to draw away, but when Sean gripped his fingers, Gareth stilled. They lay there, with the Milky Way above them, holding hands and simply… being.
“OH GOD,I can’t believe I held his hand.”
The moment they walked into the Alpha’s house, Sean rushed up to the room they were allowing him to stay in and slammed the door. It was bad enough that he’d touched Gareth, but then to hold his hand?
“They’re gonna kick you out,” he muttered as he stroked his fingers through his hair. “You’ll get comfortable, and then you’re going to find yourself on the run once more.”
But he couldn’t help himself. Being next to Gareth filled Sean with warmth and hope and… God, so many ands. He’d never in his life felt safe enough to let go, but with Gareth there, Sean couldn’t hold on to the fear that had been his constant companion. And now he was going to lose it all.
