The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg (3 page)

The situation in his pack had become toxic. With Brody’s mating, the families of the unmated wolves were pushing their children into arranged unions, out of fear that the men and women in question would find a mate outside their species and lower down on the food chain. The fact that the elder mysteriously decided to change their policy and not attack the sheep and other herbivores anymore didn’t help.

Liam’s Alpha—who, as luck would have it, was also Brody’s brother—had a difficult time in controlling the pack. The man had lost two betas in the past few years, both of them having tried to kill Brody and Carson, and finding good help proved to be very difficult.

Until now, Liam had served as Soren’s beta. However, after Brody’s reunion with his mate, Soren decided he needed Liam on the road and watching Brody. Even if Brody found happiness with his new family, sometimes every wolf needed one of his own.

Still, perhaps Liam should have called and not just dropped by unannounced. Brody would have been pissed at Liam and Soren for babysitting him, but just appearing like that would be rude, even if
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they were almost brothers. Brody had a mate now, and for all Liam knew, his friend could be getting it on with his mate. Then again, with two small children in the house, that was highly unlikely.

Either way, Liam would call, just in case. He was close enough to Brody’s house that his friend wouldn’t turn him away.

Liam pulled over the bike, retrieved his cell, and speed-dialed his friend. A few seconds later, Brody picked up. “Hey, Liam. How’ve you been, man?”

“Good. Well, sort of.” Liam paused, considering how to approach the issue. In the end, he decided to just plunge right in. “I was in the neighborhood and wondering if I could drop by.”

Brody laughed, seemingly in a good mood. “Drop by. Right. Sure, go ahead.” His tone changed, sounding a bit more cautious. “One thing, though. Remember Carson’s friend, Shiloh?”

Liam nodded, even if Brody couldn’t see him. “Sure. The swan.

Why?”

“He’s visiting, too,” Brody answered. “Just as a word of warning.

He’s still a bit leery of wolves. He’s gotten used to me, so there shouldn’t be too big of a problem.”

Liam hummed thoughtfully, not entirely pleased about this development. Sure, he knew Carson would also have friends over, and Liam least of all was entitled to decide who Brody could receive in his house. Even so, he couldn’t help but worry about the kids. Would Shiloh be able to treat them the same, with one of them being a carnivore and the other an herbivore?

During the years of Brody’s separation from his mate, it had been Liam’s task to keep his friend informed about Carson’s life. He’d hired a private investigator for this purpose, though, and he’d never seen or met the famous Shiloh Holden. He just knew the info he’d conveyed to Brody, that the swan was unusual, a bit of a slut, but, as far as anyone could tell, a good friend.

“Well, I’m sure it’s going to be fine,” Liam told his friend. “Are the kids okay with Shiloh being there?”

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“Of course,” Brody replied. Liam could almost see his friend frowning, and winced. “You know I would never push them into being in the presence of anyone who treats them poorly.”

“Sorry,” Liam apologized hastily. “I know it sounded bad.”

“Just don’t say it in front of Shiloh. He’s got quite a temper.

Anyway, come on over. The kids will be thrilled to see you.”

They said their good-byes and Liam climbed onto his bike once again, wondering how his meeting with Shiloh would go. He hoped Brody was right and there wouldn’t be any problems.

An hour or so later, Liam reached his destination. He would have some trouble getting the bike up the mountain—he always did—and for that reason, Brody came to help him out. Indeed, his friend was there, sitting against his truck, arms crossed.

Liam got off his bike and hugged Brody. “It’s great to see you again.” He looked the other man over. “You’re looking good.” Better than last time. Clark and Angel were sweet, but they were also difficult to take care of for parents with no experience, and more so for a couple who’d only just reunited.

Brody arched a brow then dissolved into laughter when Liam punched his shoulder. “Jesus. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know, I know.” Brody chuckled. “You know, Carson’s great with the kids, but I’m hopeless as a dad, and learning has been taking up all my time with my mate,” he said as he helped Liam put the bike in the back of the truck and secure it there. “With Shiloh here, I’ve actually managed to enjoy our kids, rather than fear what they’ll come up with next.”

Liam was pleasantly surprised by the comment. “Well, then, I’m looking forward to meeting him.”

The trip to Brody and Carson’s house passed quickly, with Liam bringing Brody up to speed with pack news and his friend recounting the children’s pranks and achievements. When they left the car, Brody suddenly said, “Oh, one more thing. Shiloh doesn’t know you’re
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coming. He was out flying when you called. We figured he’d come back before you got here, but he didn’t, at least not until I left.”

Liam shrugged. Well, that could get interesting. He knew swans were quite protective of their territory, and Shiloh might not take kindly to Liam’s sudden appearance. “Perhaps after I say ‘hi’ to the kids, I could go looking for him?” he suggested to his friend. That way, Shiloh would find out about his presence before getting to the house, and Liam could explain his presence here without children’s ears around.

“You know,” Brody said, “that might not be a bad idea. Just be careful. He can be quite a spitfire.”

Liam only smiled. His stay at Brody’s was already proving to be more interesting than he’d expected.

* * * *

Shiloh landed in the shadow of a pine tree and shifted into his human form. He took a deep breath, loving the fresh air. This was the life. Why had he left the forest again? Right, his eternal quest for a mate. Well, whatever. This break would do him good.

Naked, he lounged under the tree and closed his eyes. This land wouldn’t be trespassed on. He felt safe, and he could take a few moments to just relax. The kids were at home, safe with their parents, so they wouldn’t accidentally run into a naked Shiloh.

Shiloh smiled as he thought about the past few days. Angel and Clark had warmed up to him quickly. The kids and Shiloh were now the best of friends, much to Brody and Carson’s delight. Shiloh wished he could stay here for more time, but he’d have to go back in a few days. He had a job and a life waiting in LA, and once he recharged his batteries, he could continue with his quest of finding a singing teacher and a mate.

As he thought this, he realized that here, in the middle of nowhere, he could practice without people overhearing and laughing at him.

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Shiloh leaned against a tree and chose a song from the countless he knew by heart. It was a lullaby, something he’d overheard Carson singing to his kids.

Just as he finished the last line, Shiloh opened his eyes and gasped. He realized he’d been so lost in the song that he’d completely missed the predator approaching. And now, there, in front of him, stood a tall wolf who made no attempt to disguise his presence.

“Wow, that was something,” the man commented.

The wolf grinned, and Shiloh felt his face flame. He shot to his feet, glaring at the stranger. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?”

The man lifted his hands, as if to point out he was unarmed.

Despite himself, Shiloh couldn’t help noticing he was breathtakingly handsome. The wind played with the stranger’s black locks, making Shiloh want to do the same thing. The wolf’s broad shoulders could have rivaled the width of the trees around them, and his muscular legs seemed to go on for miles. The chiseled features of his face made Shiloh think of the Greek gods of old. And, damn it, the green eyes that twinkled at Shiloh in undisguised amusement threatened to melt him into a puddle of goo. “Whoa there, gorgeous. Don’t frown so much. You’ll get wrinkles, and we wouldn’t want that to happen, now, would we?”

Shiloh had never felt so embarrassed in his entire life. The man had overheard Shiloh’s horrible singing voice, and was making fun of him. He must have realized Shiloh felt attracted to him, too. Wolves could smell that sort of thing, couldn’t they? Shiloh didn’t know.

Shiloh bit the inside of his cheek and struggled to push back the humiliation. “Why would you care? And you still haven’t answered the question. Who are you?”

The wolf began to approach, and, on instinct, Shiloh took a step back. In the end, even if Brody was a good guy, it didn’t mean all the other wolves would be the same. Sure, Shiloh could just fly off, but he hated running away without a fight. Not to mention that he’d hate
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leaving without knowing the identity of the hunk.
Focus, Shiloh. This
guy spied on you and laughed, remember? He’s a jerk. Focus.

“I’m Brody’s friend, Liam Denning. And you must be Shiloh, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Shiloh wished for the ground to open and swallow him right then and there. This guy was Brody’s friend? Fuck. Shiloh would most likely be forced to share a house with him. It seemed his holiday would be over before he’d expected.

“Likewise.” He forced himself to take Liam’s hand when the man extended it, but pulled it back as soon as he could. His skin burned pleasantly well after the other man had touched him, and Shiloh cursed to himself. He must have gone too long without getting laid.

“Brody and Carson didn’t mention you were coming.”

“We just made arrangements today.” Liam shrugged. “I drop by all the time.”

That was hardly an explanation, and Shiloh wanted to throttle Liam for his arrogance. But that thought brought about another, the image of their naked, sweaty bodies sliding against each other, Liam’s hard cock thrusting inside Shiloh.

Shiloh turned away from the man and began to walk toward the house, knowing he’d just embarrass himself further if he stayed. “So you’re just going to strut back to Brody’s naked?” Liam asked.

Shiloh froze in his tracks. Fuck, he’d forgotten about that. He had his clothes at the bottom of the pine tree, since he didn’t want to startle the kids by suddenly appearing in front of them in shifted form.

Even if Angel and Clark liked petting “the pretty bird,” they were still getting used to him, and Shiloh didn’t want to overdo it.

Taking a deep breath, Shiloh retraced his steps and pulled his clothes on. “Of course, I myself would not mind at all if you stayed naked,” Liam commented. “You have an amazing body.”

This time, Shiloh couldn’t contain his irritation. He’d been told that a million times, by a million people. Nobody ever cared about what he was inside. They just saw a shell, a body to use for their
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pleasure. Liam undoubtedly knew all about Shiloh’s history and found a great opportunity to get his rocks off, perhaps experiment with someone outside his species. Maybe Brody’s luck had made him curious, and Shiloh, the slut who spread his legs for half the shifters in LA, would be naturally eager to comply.

Furious, Shiloh took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

What was the point of getting angry? He’d made his own bed and he needed to sleep in it. Perhaps he’d just give Liam what he wanted.

That way, they could forget all about this god-awful first meeting.

Liam might be able to just ignore him, and they could pretend to be civil to each other so they wouldn’t offend their hosts.

“You want to fuck me, Liam?” He arched a brow, offering the man a seductive smile. “Is that what you’re saying? Because if you do, I’m game.”

Liam’s eyes widened, and Shiloh couldn’t but feel satisfied at the wolf’s surprise. So, the man wanted to play? Shiloh would show him how it was done.

He made his way to the wolf, putting an extra sway in his hips.

Once he stood in front of Liam, he marveled at the man’s height.

Shiloh was by no means short, but he still had to look up to meet Liam’s eyes. It didn’t surprise him, since Brody seemed even bigger, but it did arouse him like hell.

He pressed his body against Liam’s and licked the wolf’s neck.

“What? No answer now. I thought you liked my body.”

Liam let out a choked sound and wrapped his arms around Shiloh.

The heat the wolf irradiated was incredible, and Shiloh inhaled, taking in the other man’s scent. For whatever reason, his nostrils seemed more sensitive to Liam than to anything else in the world. Liam’s hands slipped under his shirt, and Shiloh couldn’t contain a gasp when their skin made contact. He felt Liam’s hard-on against his hip and, all of a sudden, this stopped being about proving anything. Right then and there, Shiloh ached to taste Liam, to wrap his mouth around the wolf’s dick and suck him deep.

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Breaking away from Liam, he knelt at the wolf’s feet and began to unzip the man’s jeans. Liam’s cock sprang out of its confines, and, impossibly, Shiloh’s heart began to beat even faster.

He gripped the hard prick in his hand, experimentally massaging, testing to see what Liam liked, alternating between softer strokes to harder squeezes. Liam leaned against a tree and growled, “Don’t tease. Suck me.”

Shiloh trembled, and his body instinctively obeyed Liam’s command. He took the glans in his mouth, moaning when the flavor of Liam’s pre-cum hit his taste buds. At first, he took it slow, enjoying the novelty. He traced the thick vein on Liam’s prick with his tongue then returned to suck Liam inside once again. He bobbed his head up and down Liam’s cock, taking him deep, so deep his face reached Liam’s bush. Liam smelled exciting, spicy and erotic, and Shiloh couldn’t help another moan as all the scents assaulted him. It felt so very new, and more so since Shiloh’s sense of smell had never been stimulated during sex.