They gazes locked, and Casey must have felt it too. He stared down into Rory’s face, and some strong emotion showed behind those incredible eyes. They stood locked in the moment and might have stood that way forever if a strong voice hadn’t called out behind them.

“Hey! What are you two doing? Break it up immediately!” Marco stood in the doorway, with Nicky just behind him. Nicky had a curious look on his pretty face, though Marco just looked angry. Marco came over to stand between them and put a hand on each man’s chest. “Were you two about to fight? We’ll have none of that in here. Is that understood?”

He nodded to the other uneasy wolves standing around. “Go on and be back here tomorrow at seven.” Marco turned his head toward Casey, indicating a chair by the fireplace. “Sit over there and don’t move till I come back. Nicky, stay with him.” He took Rory by the arm and pulled him, stunned and unresisting, into the kitchen. “You come with me.”

Rory’s brain whirled. How could that big wolf be his mate? The smell was unmistakable and so was the message his brain still screamed at him. He actually felt physical pain being pulled away from him. Rory had no idea who he was or how in the hell his screwed-up supernatural blood could have picked another wolf to be his blood match. It didn’t make sense. Wolves didn’t mate wolves.

Marco shoved Rory down into a chair by the big, wooden kitchen table and stood looking down at him. “Care to tell me what that was all about?”

Rory put a shaky hand to his face. “I don’t know, Marco. I don’t understand.”

Marco sat down across from him. Marco, in addition to being the alpha of the pack was also his uncle. More than that, since Rory’s dad had died in a logging accident some ten years before, Marco had been the nearest thing to a father figure he had.

Marco looked at him with concern. “What’s going on, Rory? Tell me.”

Rory grabbed Marco’s hand, a move so unusual for him Marco raised his eyebrows in concern. “Marco, I-I think that man is my bloodmate. But how? How can that be? He’s a wolf!”

Marco narrowed his gaze. “What are you talking about? Your bloodmate? What are you feeling?”

“When I first walked in, I could smell him, all the way across the room over the smell of the fire. A cotton candy smell, strong and overpowering, but I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, you know? I looked all over and just saw the gammas by the fire. He challenged my authority right away, asking how old I was, and then he walked over to me, and, oh my God, the smell almost knocked me down. And his eyes! I couldn’t look away from them, and I think he felt it too. We both just stood there like in shock. That’s what you saw when you walked in. We weren’t about to fight at all. I think…I think he was about to kiss me! What am I going to do, Marco? I can’t be in love with another wolf!”

Before Marco could answer, Nicky spoke up from the doorway. “Well, you’d better figure something out quick, because Casey says he’s coming in there.”

“Coming in here? No!” Rory jumped to his feet and took a few steps backward. The idea of his bloodmate standing in front of him again made Rory’s heart pound, and he had trouble catching his breath.

“Calm down, I stopped him. He’s freaking out in there too, and yes, he felt the same thing you did. He wants to see you. Marco, I think you’d better talk to him. I can’t make him stay out there much longer.”

Marco got up immediately and walked toward the common room. Nicky took his place, taking Rory’s hand in his. “You okay, kid? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“It’s not supposed to be this way, Nicky. Two wolves can’t be mates. They’d wind up killing each other. One mate is always the dominant partner, and the other is the submissive. One has to be a pet. That’s the only way this works. Even if two wolves could mate, you can tell which role he’d play. Toppy bastard! I’m not a pet. I’m a wolf.”

Nicky patted his hand and kept quiet, but Rory shot him a furious look. “I guess you think this is funny, huh?”

“No, Rory, after all the problems Marco and I had, I don’t think there’s anything funny at all about this blood match thing. Are you sure he’s the one?”

“I think so. Hell, I don’t know. How does it feel, Nicky? You and Marco have the most intense blood match I’ve ever seen.”

“For me it was different, because when I first saw Marco, I was already in heat from your bite and just changed to werekin. It was pretty crazy all the way around even before Marco got there. I do remember the instant he walked in, I couldn’t get close enough. I loved him right away, and I don’t think it was just the magic. I think I would have loved him at first sight no matter what. And the scent of him! It drove me crazy.”

“That’s the way it is for me. What am I going to do, Nicky?”

Before Nicky could answer, Marco appeared in the doorway. “Rory, I’m going to bring him in. You two need to talk.”

“No!” Rory jumped to his feet. “I don’t want to see him!”

Casey’s deep voice came from behind Marco. “Yes, you do, and the alpha says we need to talk too. So let’s talk.” He stepped into the kitchen, and right away Rory’s heart beat kicked up. He was so handsome. How had he not noticed that sooner? The smell was strong, wafting around him, and Rory really wanted to pull him close and put his nose up into his throat. What was wrong with him?

Marco held out a hand to Nicky and the two of them left the kitchen, Nicky casting a sympathetic glance over at Rory as he left. Casey walked slowly up to Rory and took a deep breath. “Damn, you smell good. What is that anyway? Smells a little like…” He took another suspicious sniff. “Chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. Do I smell like that to you?”

“No,” Rory shook his head firmly.

Casey looked a little taken aback. “Oh, well, okay.”

“No.” Rory sighed in defeat. “You smell like cotton candy.”

Casey smiled, showing beautiful strong white teeth. “Really? And that’s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah, very good.” Rory could feel his face turning redder by the minute.

“I guess we should sit down.”

Rory nodded nervously and sank to a chair. He shifted nervously while Casey simply sat and gazed at him. He was so aware of the man his body temperature had gone up a few degrees since Casey walked into the room. Casey didn’t color in embarrassment, like Rory, or act nervous in any way. Rory sensed it in him—the ability to be a leader, maybe even more so than Rory.

“Settle down, honey, I’m not going to bite you.”

“Don’t call me that—I’m not your honey. Wolves don’t mate with wolves and you’re sure as hell not going to make me a sub here. I’m a wolf, just like you are.”

“Wolves mate whoever the blood tells them to mate, darlin’. Don’t get yourself all upset.”

“Don’t do that! I’m not your darlin’ either!” Rory jumped back to his feet and stood with clenched fists. “This is all some kind of crazy mix-up. I’m not even all that attracted to you!”

Casey smiled and looked pointedly down at a huge bulge in the crotch of Rory’s jeans. “Your hard cock tells me otherwise, darlin’.” He got up and walked around the table toward him. Rory found his feet backing up, almost before he knew it was happening. To stand his ground, to show Casey he was just as dominant was his intention, but as the big wolf stalked toward him, he couldn’t stand still. He backed up until he came up against the kitchen counter and could go no farther. Casey didn’t stop until his cock rubbed Rory’s. The sensation made Rory catch his breath.

“Get away from me, before I knock you down,” Rory said through gritted teeth.

Casey smiled and pushed even closer. “Now darlin’, you know you don’t want to do that.”

Rory shoved him as hard as he could, barely moving the larger man. Hands on Casey’s chest, Rory pushed again. Casey knocked Rory’s arms away and wrapped both arms around Rory, pinning his arms to his side. Rory struggled violently, but Casey clasped him in a bear hug, tighter and tighter until Rory’s knees began to buckle, and he couldn’t catch his breath. Only when he sagged did Casey relent, easing his grip, lowering his head to take Rory’s mouth with his own.

Casey kissed him, but the word kiss was too simple for what was happening to Rory. Casey shook him to his core and gave him feelings he’d never had before. He’d never really kissed too many girls. He’d never kissed a male at all, especially a man who seemed to know exactly how to kiss him to make him feel like he was spinning out of control. Already out of breath, Rory felt like he was drowning, but he didn’t care. He never wanted it to end. Casey did wild things with his tongue inside Rory’s mouth. Rory couldn’t get close enough to him, and he never wanted him to stop.

Casey lifted his head and gazed down at him. His voice was soft and sexy. “I’m sorry I asked you how old you were out there. When you walked in, I knew you were my mate right away, and when you didn’t acknowledge me or even glance my way, I didn’t like it much. I had to get you to notice me, darlin’. I didn’t mean to embarrass you, though, and I’m sorry if I did. But you’re wrong about not being my honey.” He kissed Rory softly. “And my darlin’.” He bent and kissed him again. “And my baby too.” He kissed him once again. “Cause you’re all those things, aren’t you?”

Rory still couldn’t catch his breath. He stared up at Casey like a rabbit charmed by a fox.

Casey gave him a little squeeze. “Aren’t you, baby? Just nod your head now.”

Rory flushed painfully but nodded his head. Casey smiled and brushed his lips over Rory’s one more time. “That’s right. I know you’re a wolf, and a very beautiful little wolf, I might add, but I am going to fuck you very soon, darlin’. I’m telling you, so you’ll have a chance to get used to the idea. I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do about it.”