Mission Primal (Men of the Pack Book 1) Page 4

  “You know what? Forget it. I’ll see you later. I don’t want to be late for my next class,” Julie fumed and stalked out the door.

  Everywhere Ben went for the rest of the day after that, he felt like he was being watched. He stayed on edge, his wolf on high alert. He could practically feel his wolf pacing back and forth and worried it was seconds from breaking loose and creating a national incident. Several times he had to calm himself with deep breathing and visualization, exercises he hadn’t needed since he was a hormonal teenager and had had to see the pack doctor for his issues with control. His mom had gotten tired of replacing clothes every few weeks when he shredded through them all, shifting without warning. It had been years since he had felt his wolf riding this close to the surface, just waiting for the chance to erupt and tear someone’s throat out.

  Shortly before 7th period was to start, Ben was standing at his locker, focused on his schedule mentally planning the path to his next class. Some juggernaut bumped into him as he passed, pushing Ben bodily into the bay of lockers. He was positive he heard the guy mutter “faggot” under his breath as he cruised by.

  Ben’s wolf raised its head again and he was as close to losing it as he had ever been before. Ben turned and glared over his shoulder at the guy as he continued walking away. The guy was all shoulders and no neck, looking to be carrying more fat than muscle. He also wore a football letterman’s jacket and had Julie Perkins on one arm. Julie looked back over the brick’s shoulder and met Ben’s gaze directly, her face twisted up into an ugly imitation of a smile.

  Ben’s vision grayed as his wolf tried to surge forward again. He forced his eyes closed and practiced his relaxation techniques until the feeling passed. Damn it. He’d never had this much trouble with his wolf trying to take control before. Figuring he was risking too much by staying for the rest of the day, he decided to return to home base. He needed to have a come to Jesus meeting with his wolf before he saw Adam again this evening. Ben knew Adam’s trust was going to be almost impossible to earn already. A volatile wolf trying to take over every time the wind changed direction was not going to help any.

  Ben pulled up to his small rental home on the outskirts of town and coasted into the empty two car garage. He walked inside the dark house and tossed his keys on the kitchen counter. He opened the fridge and groaned at the lovely feeling of cold air ghosting across his heated skin. Fuck, but East Texas was humid, even worse than home. At least they had a constant breeze in Florida.

  Grabbing a glass of iced tea from the pitcher, Ben carried it back to the spare bedroom he was using for an office. Opening his laptop, he checked his email first, but other than spam from an online shopping service and a Florida-area dating service, he found nothing of importance. He laughed a little at the dating service solicitation. Wonder if they have a section just for shifters?

  While his Alpha had not directly asked for regular updates, Ben figured his leader would appreciate the information. Switching over to Skype, he waited for Alpha Liekos to answer.

  His screen flickered to life, showing his Alpha sitting behind his large desk in the pack office.

  “Ben, what news do you have for me?” Liekos asked, foregoing the unnecessary niceties of a social call.

  “Alpha, good to see you. I just wanted to give you an update on our target. I have made contact with Adam Harris as directed. I’ve infiltrated his high school masquerading as a transfer student.”

  “Excellent, Ben. When do you think we can expect you both back?”

  “Well, sir, it may take a little longer than I first expected. Adam’s a tough cookie and it may take a while to gain his trust enough to get him to voluntarily leave with me.”

  “Why does it need to be voluntary? Just pick him up and bring him back. I didn’t send you out there to play human for the next six months,” Alpha Liekos growled, frown lines appearing heavily on his brow. Ben fought the urge to cower in response to his alpha’s impatience.

  “With all due respect, sir, I think it would be in the best interest of the pack if he chooses to return with me voluntarily. Kidnapping is still a federal offense in the human world and if Adam just disappears, someone is going to notice and come looking,” Ben explained, keeping his face impassive.

  “Hmmm. Well, whatever. Just get it done, Ben. I know I gave you free-reign to run this mission on your own terms but I think you need to understand something. I am not a patient man. I won’t wait forever. If you can’t get it done and soon, I’ll send someone else who can.”

  Ben flinched at the reprimand. Before he could get a word out edgewise, the call disconnected.

  Well..that went well. More frustrated than before, Ben pushed back from the desk and ran his hands repeatedly through his hair. Formulating a plan for the evening, he grabbed his keys off the counter and headed out for supplies. He’d hoped to take things slow with Adam, but it seemed that option was now off the table as his Alpha had just moved up the deadline.

  Chapter 7

  Adam

  Adam reread the text from Ben several times before he could force his feet to move. He snuck back to his bedroom and quickly changed into a different boring t-shirt, blue jeans, and another dark grey hoodie. He wished he had time to shower since he figured he smelled like a mixture of bleach and sweat. Well, he had cleaned the house all afternoon so that was to be expected, but that wasn’t the point. He didn’t want to go out smelling like it. He snuck out to the hall bath and ran a damp washcloth over his face, the back of his neck, and through his pits. Better than nothing.

  He applied fresh deodorant and brushed his teeth. At least his breath would be fresh, he figured, though he wasn’t quite sure why that mattered when he was meeting another guy. Running his hand through his hair, he looked at himself in the mirror. He paled when he saw the expected bruises on the sides and back of his neck. ‘Better get a collared shirt, then,’ he thought, quickly exchanging his t-shirt for a heather grey polo.

  Adam put his hoodie back on over the polo and zipped it up to mid chest. It was still fairly warm for February in East Texas, but Adam knew the weather could turn on a dime. What was that old saying? If you don’t like the weather in Texas, just wait five minutes.

  Adam turned his radio on low, hoping it would convince Charles he was still in his room. He tried to make as little noise as possible, but Adam realized he hadn’t opened the window in his room since midsummer last year. He cringed when it gave a squeal of protest on the first push, but at least it moved a good two inches. Adam froze and waited for Charles to come investigating, but he heard no movement from the direction of the living room. After a few moments, Adam realized Charles either didn’t hear the noise or he was too blitzed now to care enough to investigate the cause.

  Adam slowly opened the window just far enough to remove the screen and wiggle through. He had to go out head first and ended up on his ass behind the holly bushes. Pulling his legs through behind him, he held back the spiky leaves with both hands praying he wasn’t about to put out an eye. Finally, his entire body was outside the window. Adam thought about closing the window behind him, but didn’t want to risk the added noise. Adam propped the screen back into the frame and extricated himself from the holly with only a few scratches to his hands and forearms.

  Pulling up his hood, Adam snuck around the side of the house and out to the front sidewalk. There he paused watching for movement behind the curtains in the living room, watching for any sign that Charles realized he was gone. Nothing moved. He could still hear the television blaring faintly through the single pane window, gunshots and screaming piercing through the night air.

  He smirked and internally high-fived himself for his undetected escape. Adam dearly hoped it stayed undetected. Most nights Charles would sit in his recliner until he was too drunk to drag himself to the master bedroom which was only a few feet across the hall from Adam’s room. Adam hoped tonight would be one of those nights. It was much less likely Charles would notice he was gone if he stayed passed ou
t in his recliner. He dreaded to think what would happen if Charles realized he had snuck out.

  Adam shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands in both pants pockets. He was committed now and no matter what, he was meeting up with Ben. It was too important to him for some reason to pass up the opportunity to see Ben again, whether he really had a motorcycle or not. Adam made it to the park first, choosing to sit on the one swing that wasn’t broken. The other was missing one of the chains, it's cracked green plastic seat dragging into the scuffed dirt underneath. Adam gently swung back and forth, hands resting in his lap. The chill in the air brought a flush to his cheeks and he hoped his nose wouldn’t start to run soon. Moths bumping the overhead street lamp caused monster-sized shadows to flash across the ground all around him, making the night feel even creepier than normal.

  The park brought back memories of playing here as a child with his mother. They had come here every Saturday for years. The last time had been just before she disappeared, close to six years ago. He remembered there had once been green grass all around the park. Everything in the park had been so sparklingly new then, he remembered like it was yesterday. He had loved to swing. The feeling of flying and being free had been like no other. His mother had often stood behind him pushing him higher and higher as he had thrown his whole body into the swinging. He remembered laughing so hard his chest might burst. His mom had smiled and laughed right along with him. He never laughed like that anymore, well until today, he guessed. After she was gone, the laughter had gone with her.

  He looked around at what was left of the park and sighed. The benches were old and dirty, covered in scars from lover’s initials. Sitting alongside the carvings were crude drawings of genitalia – both male and female with numbers and names to call for a good time. Adam noticed the slide was gone, too. He figured once it had rusted out too much, it became a tetanus hazard and the city had hauled it away. The grass was mostly gone too, only a few patches still hanging on stubbornly. The rest of the park was just reddish brown dirt and weeds.

  In the beginning, the city had planted a few trees, but only the scrubbiest of them all had made it to today. Adam thought it was actually a mesquite tree planted on accident. It made a perfect statement for this depressing little park he thought, as it was covered in long painful-looking thorns.

  Once upon a time, Adam’s neighborhood had been what they called “in transition”. It had been the dividing edge between the white trash area and the more civilized part of town. Adam realized now more than ever before how his neighborhood had never been able to fully climb out of the gutter. Over the years, it had gradually been swallowed up by the seedier aspects to the south. Adam honestly hadn’t noticed until now just how bad it had gotten. He was seeing his neighborhood with fresh eyes all of a sudden. He wondered if this epiphany had something to do with the fact that Ben was going to see it.

  Adam feared Ben would judge him for where he lived, even though he knew deep down there was nothing he could do about it. Adam didn’t know why Ben’s respect was so important to him. He’d known the guy less than 24 hours, but for some reason, having Ben look at him like he was worthy was important right then. Adam wasn’t even sure what he wanted to be worthy of, being a friend or something more, but he just needed to feel worthy of something. Adam sighed again at the futility of this desire and dragged his feet back and forth through the red dirt, waiting.

  Adam heard the motorcycle approaching long before he saw the headlight rounding the corner. Then Ben was there, pulling up to the curb on what was obviously a Harley Davidson of some type, Adam wasn’t sure what kind. He knew it instinctively, though; the grumbling engine could only be a Harley. The wide handlebars were a big hint, also. The bike was some shade of metallic blue, which looked almost black except where the light was shining on it.

  Ben pulled off his helmet and smiled, beckoning Adam with his free hand. Adam pushed himself off the swing and shoved his hands back in his pants’ pockets. He quirked his head to the side as he walked closer, whistling in awe of the sweet ride.

  “Well, you believe me now?” Ben asked. Adam just smiled wide in response, walking closer as he did so.

  Ben killed the engine and stood up, standing the bike up on its kickstand. He pulled another helmet, this one red, of one of the rear pegs. Ben offered the helmet to Adam, but Adam just stood there staring at it. He couldn’t seem to pull his hands free from his pockets. They felt frozen in place while Adam’s heart tried to run from his chest.

  Finally after it seemed he tired of waiting for Adam to make a move, Ben reached out and pushed the helmet onto Adam’s head. He pushed the auburn hair back from Adam’s brow and buckled the chin strap, adjusting it to fit. Adam was torn between irritation at the presumption and grateful for not having to make the decision.

  “Come on, get on. I know the perfect place to take you for your first ride,” Ben said, kicking up the stand and climbing back on. Adam continued to stand there silently looking back at Ben dumbfounded.

  “Well, are we going for a ride or are you just going to stand there catching flies?” Ben laughed.

  Adam slammed his mouth shut, unaware he’d been gaping. Way to look cool, idiot.

  “Where are we going?” Adam quietly asked.

  “It’s a surprise. Come on; get on the bike, Adam.”

  Adam still stood there, twisting his hands in each other. He looked back down the road toward home and debated turning around and going back. If Charles caught him, he was going to really get it.

  “Adam, something wrong?” Ben softly, asked, turning his head to meet his gaze. Ben’s golden eyes seemed to glow as they met his. Adam let out a faint gasp at the magical sight. He shook his head as if to clear it and looked again back toward his house. Ben got off, approaching Adam as carefully as if he was a wounded animal that might lash out at any moment. He slowly put his hands on Adam’s biceps and squeezed reassuringly.

  “Seriously, Adam, what’s wrong? You look scared to death by something…or someone. You can tell me. More importantly, you can trust me, Adam.”

  Adam’s pride reared its ugly head again and the stiffness to his posture returned. His eyes turned momentarily cold as they looked back into Ben’s. He shook off Ben’s hands and turned away, starting to unbuckle the chin strap as he turned.

  “It’s nothing, really. I don’t like surprises, that’s all,” Adam replied stonily, holding the helmet back out for Ben to take.

  “Ouch,” Ben laughed, putting one hand over his heart. “Come on, come with me, Adam. I promise it will be fun.” Ben followed this with a soft ‘please?’ when Adam still stood there looking skeptical. Adam huffed and crossed his arms over his chest protectively, still holding the helmet.

  “You won’t tell me where we are going?”

  “If it’s a deal breaker, I will. But I’d really like it to be a surprise, Adam.” With a brief shake of his head Adam finally moved, putting one leg over the bike and climbing on. He pulled the helmet back on while Ben remounted the bike.

  “You’re not going to regret this. Trust me,” Ben said, excitedly. Adam tried to sit far enough back so that there was still space between them. Adam looked around for something to hold onto in confusion. He was pretty sure two guys on a motorcycle didn’t ride like the couples he had seen in movies. There had to be a different etiquette here, but Adam wasn’t sure what it was. Ben, taking pity on him finally, reached back and grabbed Adam’s forearms, pulling them around his waist. The momentum pulled Adam’s entire body forward as well, until he was practically plastered along Ben’s back.

  Adam made a most unmanly squeaking noise in surprise. Adam was a big fan of personal space boundaries. Ben chuckled in response, patting Adam’s forearm where it now rested across his stomach. Adam was mortified to find himself noticing just how muscular and firm said stomach and back seemed to be. He clenched his hands tight together, to keep from touching Ben any more than absolutely necessary.

  “Just hang on, Sunshine,” said Be
n, kicking the motorcycle back to life. When the engine growled and vibrated under them, Adam squeezed Ben’s waist even tighter, the space between them now almost nonexistent. Ben accelerated, soon leaving Adam’s sad little neighborhood behind. Adam hung on for dear life, internally fantasizing this was the start of a journey from which he would never return.

  Chapter 8

  Ben

  Ben could feel through their connection how much Adam was enjoying the ride and it thrilled him to no end. All day he had felt his wolf was threatening to burst out unexpectedly. Once Adam had joined him on the bike, however, Ben’s wolf seemed to find peace and just sat under the surface cool as a cucumber.

  Ben would like to say it made no sense, but he was coming to a dawning realization that it made all the sense in the world. As a pup growing up, he had heard stories of the mystical bond between some people that could not be explained or ignored. He’d even heard of wolves waiting to mate for decades hoping to find their kindred spirit, but he’d never seen it happen in real life. The longer he was around Adam, the harder it was getting to deny the truth. Adam was his sufletul pereche, his soulmate. Or at least his wolf thought he was.