First Beast by Faye Avalon

inexperienced young panthers had been less than discreet. But the pack’s secret had been protected by rules and regulations, the biggest of which was that non-shifters be kept from infiltrating the community. Members of the pack were encouraged to befriend non-shifters, could even fuck them, but as for mating and marriage?
    â€œDid you hear me?”
    Caleb gave himself a mental shake. Here he was having illicit thoughts about a woman who was not only married, but married to his half-brother. While he and Joshua rarely saw eye to eye, Caleb didn’t consider it morally prudent to get a hard-on for another man’s mate.
    â€œYou need to get dressed.”
    Her head jerked back. “You think?”
    â€œGet dressed.” He placed the photo back on the unit. “Now.”
    â€œYou don’t get to give me orders in my—”
    â€œYeah, yeah. We’ve established it’s your home.” And the thought of Joshua setting up house with this woman anywhere, let alone in the McLeod family residence, almost ripped Caleb in two. Shit. He needed to get a fucking grip.
    â€œFinally.” Her shoulders went down, but her grip on the towel remained firm. “So now you’ve finally got that simple fact into your thick head, perhaps you’d like to remove yourself from my property?”
    Caleb picked up his glass. “Not going to happen, sweetheart.”
    â€œBut you said—”
    â€œI know what I said.”
    The porch door slammed and footsteps sounded on the wooden floor. Seconds later, Joshua appeared in the doorway. His gaze fell appreciatively on his wife, before tracking to Caleb. His eyes flared with recognition, but his expression didn’t change. Caleb had to give him his due. He displayed not one hint of shock or surprise at coming face-to-face with a man—a half-brother—who had been missing for the better part of a year.
    â€œWhat the fuck?”
    Caleb’s slow grin held no humor. “That was going to be my question.” He lowered himself into the nearest chair. “Seems you’ve got some explaining to do.”
    Keeping his eyes on Caleb, Joshua dropped his workbag to the floor. “Shit. We thought you were dead. When did you… What the hell is going on?”
    For months, Caleb had been asking himself the same question. “It appears I’m back, little brother.”
    â€œThat’s impossible.” Joshua’s face lost all color. “We were told you were kidnapped. Missing.”
    Caleb held out his arms. “And yet, here I am.”
    â€œHow did you…”
    â€œEscape?”
    Joshua’s throat contracted and he clasped Talia’s hand when she moved next to him. Caleb ignored the way his gut clenched. He was disoriented and mad as hell, which was the only explanation for his inappropriate response to a simple gesture of wifely support.
    â€œLet’s save that conversation for another day.” Caleb hiked his ankle onto his opposite knee. “Instead, why don’t you explain to me why you’ve put our community at risk by mating with a goddamn human?”
    Joshua slid his arm around Talia’s waist, and yanked her close. “Her name is Talia,” he snapped. “And she’s my wife.”
    â€œI know.” Caleb allowed himself a feral grin. “We’ve already met.”

Chapter Four
    â€œYou don’t trust him?”
    Caleb sat on a rock at the edge of the moor, and turned to his friend. “Right now I don’t trust anyone. Present company excepted.”
    It was true, Caleb thought with a smile. In the week since he’d returned to the community, Tynan Galloway was the only man he currently felt comfortable confiding in. The only man who knew the whole story about his kidnapping, the only person he could trust with his concerns.
    They’d known each other their whole lives and, as children, had been inseparable. Tynan would have