A Family with His Werewolf Mate

A Family with His Werewolf Mate

Lone Wolf Pack 4

Copyright 2014 Anya Byrne

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

All Romance Edition October 2014

All Romance Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This
ebook remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be re-sold or
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person, please forward them a link to buy their own copy, or use the gift
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hard work and livelihood of this author.

This book is a work of fiction, not to be confused with fact,
advice or suggestion. The characters are products of the author’s imagination.
Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons is purely coincidental.
Cover art is for illustration purposes only.

Blurb:

More than fifty years ago, Will and Dean were two strangers
brought together by the unlikeliest circumstances. They were two men in love in
a world that loathed their affection. They were mates who never got the chance
to fulfill their destiny.

Now, they have a second chance. But Will has been reluctant
to open his heart to Dean once more, and Dean's guilt over not fighting for
their mate bond keeps him from confessing the truth to Will.

But when Dean is captured by the Gathering, and forced to pay
a debt that should have never existed, it's up to Will to save his mate. Faced
with the risk of losing Dean again, he has to take matters into his own hands
and confront the entire werewolf world for a love that has been forbidden for
half a century.

Past and present come together—and Will and Dean will have to
fight it all if they want to have a future together, and the family they've
always dreamed of.

Warning: Gay erotic romance. The material in this
document contains explicit sexual content that is intended for mature audiences
only. All characters involved are adults capable of consent, are over the age
of twenty-one, and are willing participants.

37,552 words

Table of Contents

A Family with His Werewolf Mate

About the Author

Other titles by Anya Byrne

Coming Soon

A Family with His Werewolf Mate

Lone Wolf Pack 4

Anya Byrne

Copyright 2014

Chapter One

June 1960, Wisconsin

Will Mulligan read through the pages of the journal,
fervently taking in the information. It wasn't easy to acquire new books, and
even if Will had managed to coax the librarian in town to help him in his
quest, it was rare for him to actually receive something.

He leaned against the tree trunk, taking a few notes as he
made progress through the pages. Their small orchard wasn't the ideal place for
study, but Will didn't have too many choices, given that the house was taken
over by his family.

As if summoned by Will's thoughts, his brother Karl appeared
in his line of sight. Will didn't even hear him approach. If he had, he might
have found another hiding place, but it was too late now. Karl had already
spotted him and was making a beeline for Will.

"Will, come on," he shouted. "Why aren't you
ready? The dance is in two hours."

Will mentally sighed, but managed to suppress a grimace. He
knew by now that it was pointless to fight his brother when Karl set his mind
to something. Besides, their parents also prodded at Will to go out to the
dances, in the hope that he'd find a nice down-to-earth girl who would make him
forget about his dream of becoming a doctor.

Will gathered his papers and slid them into the book, which
he quickly shoved into his bag. He got up and shot his brother a sheepish look.
"I lost track of time."

Karl rolled his eyes in fond exasperation. "You always
do." He wrapped a heavy arm around Will's shoulders, shaking his head.
"What would you do without me?"

Will didn't acknowledge that question. Out of all his
brothers, Karl was Will's favorite, and if he wanted to be perfectly honest, he
wasn't averse to spending some time with his older sibling. He'd heard
unsettling rumors with regard to the Vietnam War, and he feared what would
happen if his country decided to get further involved.

But for tonight, Will didn't want to think about that.
"Why are you so excited anyway?" he asked instead. "It's not
like it's going to be anything special."

Karl leaned in closer, a wide grin splitting his face.
"I'm gonna ask her, Will. I'm gonna ask Peggy to marry me."

Will blinked in surprise, having not expected that. In truth,
he shouldn't have been shocked. Karl had been seeing Peggy for the past few
years, and they made a nice couple. Still, he hadn't thought his brother would
take the next step quite so soon.

"I'm sure she'll say yes," he replied, trying to
sound encouraging.

"I hope so." Karl took a deep breath, and Will
realized his brother was actually nervous. "Not sure what I'll do if she
doesn't want me after all."

Will shook his head in bemusement. "Well, come on then.
Time to find out."

Despite his lack of interest in dances, he went through with
everything that was expected of him. He put on his best clothes and struggled
to tame his wild brown mane with a moderate amount of success. Finally, once he
was ready, he met Karl, Louis and George in front of their small house. Their
parents had granted them the use of the new truck for the purpose of the dance,
so they obviously knew what Karl had in mind as well.

As Will climbed into the truck, Louis clapped him in the back
so hard Will almost fell forward. "Looking good, baby brother. Who knows,
maybe you'll find a gal of your own tonight."

Will half-wanted to tell him he had no interest in what Karl
suggested. He would just be happy with becoming a doctor. He didn't want a
family or a wife. But the thought brought on memories of what Will actually did
yearn for, and Will quickly banished the urges to the back of his mind. His
hands started to sweat, but he had years of experience pretending around his
brothers. "Maybe," he replied with a shrug.

Karl slid into the driver's seat, with George by his side and
Louis joining Will in the back. As they drove away, Will wished not for the
first time he could have just stayed home with his book.

The dance was actually the annual celebration of Willow
Cove's founding. The main town center glowed with lights, and a stage with
musicians had been set up. It reminded Will of the last Christmas they'd truly
celebrated, before the increasing threat of war had brought a new dark cloud
over their heads.

Karl parked the truck in front of Molly's diner. As they all
got out, he rubbed his hands together and straightened his back. "I'm
going to find Peggy. Have fun. And Will, make sure you ask a pretty gal to
dance."

Will nodded. "Good luck. Not that you need it."

With Karl disappearing in search of his lady love, Louis and
George dragged Will toward the stage. Will went along with it because he didn't
have much choice. He hoped his brothers would soon lose interest in him. They
usually did.

His guess was confirmed when a group of girls passed them by,
glanced at them and let out flirtatious, shy giggles. Louis and George shared a
look of their own, and then followed without waiting to see if Will was behind
them.

With a sigh of relief, Will took refuge under one of the
large willow trees that were the cause of their small town's name. The branches
bent so low they hid him from sight, and he could listen to the music and the
laughter without having to join in and force himself to be someone he was not.
His brothers would be distracted for a while now, so he could relax in his own
way.

He didn't know how much time passed when the willow branches
moved aside, revealing a distinctively male silhouette. At first, Will thought
he'd been discovered by his brothers, but he realized his mistake in instants.

"Oh... Hello," a husky, low voice greeted him.
"Do you mind if I sit down?"

Will's mouth went dry as he took in the sight of the
stranger. He was easily the handsomest man Will had ever seen in his life. Tall
and muscular—even more so than Will's large brothers—he emanated confidence,
masculinity and damn it, sexuality through every single pore. Will's body
responded to the man's presence with embarrassing swiftness and his cock
hardened in his pants.

At the same time, everything he'd tried to bury in his focus
on his future career came rushing back as his eyes met a stormy gray gaze that
seemed to delve deep into his soul. His brain started screaming in panic, but
he couldn't bring himself to deny the stranger's request. "Sure," he
choked out after a pause that was about ten seconds too long.

The stranger hesitated slightly, then ducked deeper under the
willow branches, until he made his way to Will's position. He sat down, leaning
against the bark like Will was. "You hiding too?" he asked.

Will nodded, playing with the blades of grass so that he
wouldn't wring his hands like a nervous girl on her first night out with her
beau. "I'm not much for dances."

"Me neither," the stranger admitted. "I
suppose there's a time and place for celebration, and it doesn't really feel
like now is one of those times."

The stranger's voice was heavy with a burden that settled
Will's original arousal into genuine interest. It wasn't the first time he was
attracted to a man, and he always removed himself from a situation before he
could reveal his secret. He'd been planning to do exactly that, but instead, he
turned toward his unexpected new acquaintance. "Sometimes, people need
happy things to forget about sad ones, and to give themselves hope to fight and
live on another day," he replied.

The stranger scanned his face with those surreally beautiful
gray eyes that seemed to glow gold in the light filtering through the willow
branches. "Perhaps you're right. But... I think I've been rude." He
extended his hand and shot Will a smile. "Dean Simmons."

Despite his apprehension, Will couldn't refuse the man's offer.
He squeezed Dean's palm and replied, "Will Mulligan. It's a
pleasure."

****

When Dean's father had announced this year's Gathering would
be held near a human town next to the Great Lakes, Dean hadn't quite known what
to believe. It wasn't the location itself that was surprising. Areas surrounded
by large bodies of water were unofficially common grounds for all shifters and
as such, the natural choice for Gatherings.

Usually, though, they attempted to keep their dealings as far
from human settlements as possible. Recent developments in the human world made
that difficult. The countless wars that had been plaguing society had made
humans wary and paranoid, and it had been decided that this time around, it
would be easier to hide in plain sight. Still, that didn't mean they could be
reckless about it. Even if the Gathering was held in a nearby national forest
and out of the way, they'd needed to make sure the humans in the area were
distracted somehow.

For this purpose, Dean had been dispatched to Willow Cove,
together with Elder Terrence and Maurice Adler's beta, Joseph. Other werewolves
were sent in similar settlements to watch the humans and make sure the Alphas
went through with the Gathering without being disturbed. Dean's father would
eventually join them once the first meeting was over.

Throughout all this, the last thing Dean had expected was to
find his mate here, hiding under a willow tree. Dean had scented him ten
minutes before, and had been tracking him through the crowd ever since. Of
course, he hadn't realized at the time that his mate was a man, on top of being
human. For the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do.

That slight uncertainty lasted until the moment their hands
first made contact. A current of electricity swept through Dean, and his doubts
disappeared like they'd never been.

This was his mate, this human with a bright, yet wary smile,
with eyes the color of green grass and a skin so fair it practically begged to
be touched. His hand was warm in Dean's, his heart was hammering, and his
breathing sped up. So whatever Dean felt, it was reciprocated—despite his
mate's human nature.

Dean wanted nothing more than to lean forward and mold his
lips to Will's, to bury his hands in that chocolate brown hair and see if it
was as soft as it seemed. But Will pulled away before Dean could do either of
these things.

He was trembling slightly and shot a nervous glance toward
the stage that could still be seen through the curtain of the willow branches.
"So... I haven't seen you around. Are you here in passing?"

"Somewhat," Dean replied. He couldn't explain the
details, not just yet, but he could give his mate at least a vague explanation.
"My father organized a family meeting of sorts nearby, and I decided to
visit Willow Cove as well."

It was as close to the truth as he could come up so quickly
without revealing it fully. Besides, his mate was only partially paying
attention. The attraction between them could be dangerous for Will. Humans were
just as prejudiced as werewolves when it came to same-sex relationships, and
Will didn't have the benefit of understanding a mate bond like Dean.

Dean's heart hurt for his mate, but he had no idea how to
help. He suspected that if he tried to reach out again, he would be rejected.
So, instead, he ignored his rasher urges and approached his mate tentatively,
like he would a spooked animal.

"So... Tell me about yourself. Why did you even come to
the dance if you don't like it?"

The simple question snapped Will out of his panic. He faced
Dean and answered, "My brothers dragged me here. To be honest, I would
have preferred to stay home and read, but it doesn't work like that."

Dean could empathize as his responsibilities often put him in
situations he'd have preferred to avoid. This time around, it wasn't the case.
"Look at it this way," he said with a smile. "If you hadn't
come, we wouldn't have met, and that would have been a shame. Right?"

When Will's gaze met his once more, the fear seemed to have
subsided altogether. "Quite." He paused and licked his lips in an
obviously nervous gesture. "Hey, do you want to get out of here to go
somewhere more... private?"

Dean's mouth went dry. "Sure."

Will got up and stole a discreet peek beyond the willow
branches. Dean could have told him there was no one nearby who could be
dangerous to them—Dean would have sensed the threat—but that would have
involved answering some questions he couldn't yet address, so he waited until
his mate decreed the coast clear. "Okay. Follow me."

His fingers twitched like he wanted to take Dean's hand, but
in the end, he didn't. He slid out of their hiding place and started to walk
away. Dean gave it a few more moments before he complied with Will's
instructions. Despite the crowd, he could easily track his mate, and he used a
winding path to make sure they weren't followed.

Finally, Dean made his way through a small alley between the
local barber shop and the hardware store. He found his mate waiting for him in
the shadows, hidden behind a storage shed. The moment Dean was within his view,
Will grabbed his arm and pulled him close. Dean gladly went with it, and he
ended up pinning his mate against the wall of the shed, bringing their bodies
as close as they could be. No longer able to contain himself, Dean crushed his
mouth to Will's. Will wrapped his arms around his neck, threading his fingers
through Dean's hair and moaning into their kiss.

As his mate parted his lips, Dean took advantage of the
occasion and thrust his tongue into Will's mouth, truly tasting Will for the
first time. He couldn't help a muffled groan of his own. Impossibly, Will was
more delicious than Dean had even imagined, spicy, yet sweet, with a unique
flavor Dean was already addicted to.