might have a possible witness.”
“What are you going to do with this witness?” Joseph asked.
“Take him back to my place. I’ll explain everything when we reconvene there.”
There was a pause before they sent him their mental equivalents of assent and closed their link. Michael knew they had more questions for him, but those could wait until he had his mate safe and secure in his house.
He grimaced as he noted the damage he’d done to the smaller man’s clothes in his haste to get at his body. It would only take Dennis about ten minutes to meet them, and he needed to find something to wrap him in. Aside from the chill in the air, there was no way he would allow anyone else to see his mate naked.
Looking around the barn’s interior, he spotted a shelf with a few rough, cotton blankets and supposed that would have to do.
“I’ll be right back, okay?”
His mate remained unresponsive, which was starting to worry Michael, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. If the man was simply in shock, that would be the least of Michael’s worries. He crossed to the other side of the barn and grabbed one of the blankets from the shelf, keeping his eye on his mate the entire time. He shook out as much dust and hair as he could and draped it over the other’s crouched body, then scooped him up into his arms.
He caught a glimpse of the lost look on his mate’s face before it was pressed against his chest—in an effort to hide from him, no doubt. As Michael slipped through the sliding doors of the barn and began to jog around the main house to the road beyond it, he tried to focus on his emotions.
His mate had acknowledged that he could pick up on Michael’s feelings when they were touching, just as Michael could pick up on his, so he pushed aside all of the turmoil and excitement of the night and concentrated on emanating warmth and confidence. It was a lot easier said than done, but after a few minutes, he felt the slight frame in his arms begin to lose some of its tension. By the time Dennis met them at the side of the road, the younger man was fast asleep.
Michael placed him in the back seat, then dressed in the spare set of clothes Dennis kept in his trunk. He climbed into the back and pulled his mate back into his arms, making sure that the blanket covered as much skin as possible as he caught Dennis staring at them in confusion.
“I’ll explain it all as soon as everyone gets back to my place. Meanwhile, I need to get this pup into a warm bed. I think he might have gone into shock but he’s sleeping for now.”
Dennis nodded his head and didn’t waste any more time getting them back to Michael’s house. It took them almost twice as long to get home as it had taken him to reach Henry Connel’s farm. There were no roads that cut straight through the countryside, which was one of the many benefits of travelling in wolf form.
For the entire trip, Michael worked to keep his emotions at bay, getting better at focussing on feelings of peace and contentment, but it was a struggle to maintain. The extreme joy he felt at finally having found his mate was tempered by the knowledge that he had claimed him almost against his will.
The smell of his mate’s blood, combined with his mere presence after so many years of abstinence and longing, had robbed Michael of his better judgement. He’d very nearly lost all control, forgoing pleasantries and foreplay in his eagerness to possess him. Even though he knew the man had been aroused, that didn’t justify his actions.
He only hoped that his mate could eventually forgive him. For everything.
As Dennis pulled into his driveway, he saw his father’s pickup next to his own and assumed that Nick had related the news of Stephen’s death to him. Even though Michael had taken over as Alpha of their clan four years ago after his father had retired, Sam still showed his support and gave advice whenever he thought it was needed.
Dennis parked the car as close as
“What are you going to do with this witness?” Joseph asked.
“Take him back to my place. I’ll explain everything when we reconvene there.”
There was a pause before they sent him their mental equivalents of assent and closed their link. Michael knew they had more questions for him, but those could wait until he had his mate safe and secure in his house.
He grimaced as he noted the damage he’d done to the smaller man’s clothes in his haste to get at his body. It would only take Dennis about ten minutes to meet them, and he needed to find something to wrap him in. Aside from the chill in the air, there was no way he would allow anyone else to see his mate naked.
Looking around the barn’s interior, he spotted a shelf with a few rough, cotton blankets and supposed that would have to do.
“I’ll be right back, okay?”
His mate remained unresponsive, which was starting to worry Michael, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. If the man was simply in shock, that would be the least of Michael’s worries. He crossed to the other side of the barn and grabbed one of the blankets from the shelf, keeping his eye on his mate the entire time. He shook out as much dust and hair as he could and draped it over the other’s crouched body, then scooped him up into his arms.
He caught a glimpse of the lost look on his mate’s face before it was pressed against his chest—in an effort to hide from him, no doubt. As Michael slipped through the sliding doors of the barn and began to jog around the main house to the road beyond it, he tried to focus on his emotions.
His mate had acknowledged that he could pick up on Michael’s feelings when they were touching, just as Michael could pick up on his, so he pushed aside all of the turmoil and excitement of the night and concentrated on emanating warmth and confidence. It was a lot easier said than done, but after a few minutes, he felt the slight frame in his arms begin to lose some of its tension. By the time Dennis met them at the side of the road, the younger man was fast asleep.
Michael placed him in the back seat, then dressed in the spare set of clothes Dennis kept in his trunk. He climbed into the back and pulled his mate back into his arms, making sure that the blanket covered as much skin as possible as he caught Dennis staring at them in confusion.
“I’ll explain it all as soon as everyone gets back to my place. Meanwhile, I need to get this pup into a warm bed. I think he might have gone into shock but he’s sleeping for now.”
Dennis nodded his head and didn’t waste any more time getting them back to Michael’s house. It took them almost twice as long to get home as it had taken him to reach Henry Connel’s farm. There were no roads that cut straight through the countryside, which was one of the many benefits of travelling in wolf form.
For the entire trip, Michael worked to keep his emotions at bay, getting better at focussing on feelings of peace and contentment, but it was a struggle to maintain. The extreme joy he felt at finally having found his mate was tempered by the knowledge that he had claimed him almost against his will.
The smell of his mate’s blood, combined with his mere presence after so many years of abstinence and longing, had robbed Michael of his better judgement. He’d very nearly lost all control, forgoing pleasantries and foreplay in his eagerness to possess him. Even though he knew the man had been aroused, that didn’t justify his actions.
He only hoped that his mate could eventually forgive him. For everything.
As Dennis pulled into his driveway, he saw his father’s pickup next to his own and assumed that Nick had related the news of Stephen’s death to him. Even though Michael had taken over as Alpha of their clan four years ago after his father had retired, Sam still showed his support and gave advice whenever he thought it was needed.
Dennis parked the car as close as
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