That’s okay, darlin’. You know I’m here, and it’s taking your appetite away, isn’t it? Good. Suffer, damn it. You need to suffer like my brother did. Like I’m suffering now seeing how fuckin’ gorgeous you are. Damn you!

Despite his harsh thoughts, every protective instinct in his body wanted to go to Rory and make sure he ate a good meal. He had to make himself stop being so protective, not think of him as his mate and fortify himself against him. He had to stop thinking of him, period. Only how in the hell was he going to do that?

After supper, he waited until he saw Rory go upstairs for the night. He went to his own room for a long, hot shower. Afterward, he slid into bed. Once there he tossed and turned, trying to sleep, trying to make his mind a blank. Instead, all he could think about was Rory. He wondered if Rory was in bed too, lying there, maybe thinking of him.

Giving up, he slipped out of bed and got into his clothes. He went to find Rory, unable to stay away, unable to stop thinking about him. He needed to see him. He needed to be alone with him to figure out if he was really the one. If he was, everything would have to be different, and he wouldn’t be able to complete his quest for revenge. At least not the way he’d originally planned. A wolf was unable to kill his mate—physically, emotionally unable without killing himself. It was unthinkable. In his heart, he already knew Rory was the one, and the real reason he left his room was he couldn’t stay away.

He knew where Rory’s room was, but he could have found it without prior knowledge. Right up until the moment he entered the hallway, Casey still had faint hopes he was mistaken about Rory being his mate. The overpowering smell of chocolate chip cookies, his favorite smell, drew him right to Rory’s room. The door was unlocked, and he eased it open, finding the room glowing as pale silver moonlight streamed through an open window. Rory must have gone right to bed after he ate dinner and was stretched out on his back under a single sheet.

His mate was naked, his T-shirt and underwear lying on the floor beside the bed as if he’d pulled them off while he slept. Had been dreaming and got too hot? Was it Casey he dreamed about? At the idea, a wolfish smile lit up his face. Everyone in the compound thought Nicky was the most beautiful male anyone had ever seen, and he truly was something to see, but looking down at his pretty mate, Casey thought Rory was gorgeous in his own right. His hair was a soft and silky brown, streaked with golden highlights. He had a handsome face, with high cheekbones and a cute little nose turned up ever so slightly on the end. Casey wanted to bend over and kiss the tip of his nose, but settled for brushing his finger over the tip. He smiled when Rory reached up to scratch at it. Stepping back, he dragged the sheet with him to admire Rory’s body, lean and perfect, with wide shoulders, tapering down to a small waist. His abs rippled with muscles, and Casey couldn’t stop himself from bending over to brush his lips across them. Rory sighed in his sleep and tried to turn over. A hand on his stomach kept him in place, but disturbed, Rory twisted his legs restlessly and moaned.

Sitting down on the side of the bed, Casey shook Rory gently. Coming awake slowly, he murmured something in his sleep, saying Casey’s name. He came wide awake as he realized who sat on the bed beside him.

“What…what are you doing here?” His voice was panicky and breathless. “Shhh. Don’t talk.” Rory sat up, scooting high up in the bed next to the headboard to get as far away as possible. He yanked the sheet back up to his chest. “Get out of here, Casey! We have nothing to talk about. Please. I-I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Casey shook his head. “No. It’s no good. You’re my mate, and I can’t fight it. I’m tired of fighting it. Now that I’ve found you, I can’t eat, sleep, or do anything but think about you. You know it will be that way until we mate. Maybe then I can get some peace.”

“No! You don’t understand. I’m not ready yet. I have to have some time.” “Time to talk yourself out of it? Time to run away? No, it has to be soon. I can’t wait much longer.”

He gripped Rory’s ankle and pulled him down from the headboard. Catching him under the arms, he lifted him onto his lap. Though Rory struggled a little, Casey took his mouth with his own and kissed him, grinding his mouth into his and battling his tongue for control until Rory kissed him back, arms wrapping tight around Casey’s neck. Casey licked gently at his mouth, teasing his bottom lip with his teeth.

He laid Rory’s unresisting body back on the covers and trailed kisses down his throat and onto his chest. He spent some time with each nipple, while Rory writhed under his tongue. When Rory’s hand gripped his own cock, Casey pushed his hand away and took Rory’s beautiful cock, rubbing the tip with his thumb while he finished his ministrations on Rory’s nipples with his mouth and tongue. Slowly he continued a trail of kisses to Rory’s groin where he engulfed the sweet weeping cock in his mouth, sucking it to the back of his throat when Rory’s hips surged up in welcome. Over the length of the shaft, licking at the underside, he moved slowly up and down.

Rory gripped the sheets on the mattress so hard his knuckles went white, and he groaned so loudly Casey was afraid someone would come in to check on him any minute. He brought his tongue up to the tip of Rory’s cock and made a rolling swirl. Rory couldn’t hang on any longer. His hips bucked, fucking Casey’s mouth hard, gasping out, “Casey, Casey,” over and over as he came explosively. Casey took every drop of his salty cum, sucking it down his throat and kept on sucking until Rory begged him to stop. Only then did he pull his mouth away with a soft plop. Rory trembled all over, limp when Casey pulled him into his arms and kissed him. Rory’s arms slipped around his waist, snuggling close to him.

“Tell me the truth, baby. Was that your first time?”

Rory dropped his long lashes over his eyes and nodded shyly. “Yes,” he said breathlessly.

Casey smiled, a thrill of ownership coursing through him. “Good. I’ll be your first and your last, darlin’. No one else will ever touch you like this except me.”

Rory nodded slowly, refusing to raise his gaze.

“That was your first lesson, Rory. We can’t deny our blood song. Do you understand?”

Rory nodded again.

“Say it.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good. Next time you’ll come to me. Come to my room tomorrow night, baby. Don’t make me come looking for you.”

Casey stood up and walked out of the room as silently as he’d come, leaving Rory sitting on the bed looking stunned.

Chapter Two

Casey trudged back to the compound wearily after a long day. They’d begun their combat training with hand to hand fighting, and shifting back and forth into their wolves. He was bruised all over. Rory never showed up, and Casey was dying to get his hands on him. He knew Rory was hiding from him.

When he passed the common room, he was surprised to see decorations adorning the walls and tables, with fresh flowers everywhere. He stopped one of the pretty young pets passing by with her arms full of streamers to ask the occasion.

“It’s the first anniversary party of our alpha and his mate, Nicky. We’re having a big party tonight, with dinner and dancing. Nicky said it would get our minds off all this war talk. It should be fun!” She batted her eyelashes at him. “Maybe you can save a dance for me, sir.”

Casey smiled and nodded, but his interests didn’t lie in pretty little dark-haired girls. The object of his desire happened to be a stubborn, beautiful, murdering little wolf. Maybe he’d make him dance with him tonight. He smiled at the thought of the look on Rory’s face if he approached him for a dance. He was so afraid of losing his status, of having to submit to another wolf. Submitting to your alpha was one thing—all the wolves in Marco’s pack had to yield to him. But to be submissive to another wolf, one who was his mate and would dominate him, was giving him terrible trouble. It was why he kept denying Casey, despite the evidence of his body and mind.

For Casey, it was a good thing, the one thing that might salvage this situation for him. It was painfully obvious he couldn’t kill him as he’d planned. Rory was his bloodmate, and he would rip out the throat of anyone else who dared even threaten him. He could, however, take him over and make him submit, make him, in effect, his prisoner. He could, and he would. Before another day went by, Rory would be his mate and his captive. Rory would be in his custody for life. For a wolf shapeshifter, being owned body and soul by another wolf would be torture. He would make it an exquisite torture for his beloved mate, but torture it would be. He’d pay for what he’d done, one way or the other.

Marco called to him from across the room, and he turned to face him with a respectful tilt of his head. The alpha walked over to him.

“Casey, I hope you’ve had a chance to talk things over with Rory.”

Casey was noncommittal, spreading his hands. “I’ve tried, Alpha, but he refuses to talk to me. I don’t think he’s interested in having a mate right now.”

Marco frowned. “We’ve never had a situation like this before. Unfortunately, you know as well as I do neither of you has much choice. Do I understand correctly you’re not opposed to so uncertain a mating if he changes his mind?”

“I am not.”

“I’ll speak with him again. Nothing good can come of his denial. He simply has to face whatever is going to come of this. Give him a little time to come around. Don’t try to force it on him. Maybe you can talk to him tonight at the party?”

“Oh, I plan to.”

Marco looked at him sharply.

Casey tried to look as non-threatening as he could, not wanting to arouse Marco’s suspicions. He wasn’t ready yet for them to know who he really was and his reason for being there.

“Good,” Marco said. “Thanks for being understanding about this. He’s a good boy, Casey. I wouldn’t want to see him hurt.”

“Neither would I,” Casey replied. It was true, he didn’t want to physically hurt him and would kill anyone who tried. He just wanted to own him, body and soul, stripping him of every ounce of pride.