Garrett's Choice (10 page)

“Ditto,” Aaron said as he tried to hide his laughter. “I’ve partied with the twins on several occasions when we were younger, and I’ve actually seen…”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Garrett interrupted as he waved his hands wildly in the air. “I’d rather live under the false pretenses that my mate was celibate before he met me.”

Lachlan grabbed a bottle of water from the table behind him and took a sip. He looked around him as his mate and their friends talked a little more. Lachlan noticed immediately that Aaron’s little brother was absent from the festivities.

“Hey, Aaron.” Lachlan waited until he had his friend’s attention before he continued.

“Yeah.”

“Where’s Toby?”

“That’s a good question. I was curious about that myself,” Garrett said as he looked among the faces milling around the campsite.

“He’s still not feeling up to it.” Aaron released a heavy sigh then looked to the ground. “There are days I don’t think he’ll ever be the same kid he used to be before the attack.”

“Oh, come on, man.” Wes clasped a hand on Aarons’ shoulder and gave him a little shake. “The kid just needs some time, is all.”

“Wes is right, Aaron.” Garrett spoke up. “If Toby needs anything, and I mean anything, please let us know. He’s pack, and we take care of each other.”

“Thanks, you guys. It means a lot, it really does.” Lachlan watched as Aaron wiped away a small tear.

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“Also the offer to put Toby in contact with Astrid still stands as well. Astrid’s a good man. I know he’d help Toby if he can.” Lachlan put the offer out there again. The demons haunting Toby’s present were the same demons of Astrid’s past. Lachlan couldn’t help but think the young wolf would benefit from talking with the witch.

Aaron just nodded and headed off into the crowd of people walking around having a good time. Lachlan’s heart broke for his friend. Toby was suffering, but so was his brother.

“It’ll get better, Lachlan.” Garrett entwined his fingers with Lachlan’s. “We just need to give Toby time. All we can do is offer him the help and have it available when he’s ready to accept it.”

Lachlan nodded. It didn’t help him feel any less helpless though.

“Garrett, it’s about that time.” Wes tapped his finger on his watch face.

“Time for what?” Lachlan asked.

Garrett started walking forward, dragging Lachlan behind him, never letting go of his hand. “To address our pack before the run.”

Lachlan quickened his step to keep pace with Garrett. He pulled his shoulders back, doing his best to give off the appearance of confidence. He said he didn’t care if the wolves liked him or not, and that was only partly true. Part of him wanted them all to get along without any underlying currents of animosity.

As they neared the front of the crowd, silence fell upon them. The only noises were the crackling of the fire and crickets chirping in the distance. All eyes were on them. Lachlan held onto Garrett’s hand, and his mate gave a small squeeze as if to give him some of Garrett’s strength.

“Good evening,” Garrett said and was followed by several greetings from the crowd. “I’d like to thank everyone for coming out tonight for the moon run. To start things off I’d like to formally introduce everyone to my mate, Lachlan.”

Holy shit!
Lachlan stared out amongst the span of faces staring back at him. He lifted his hand and gave a stiff wave.

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“Lachlan is a member of the Warriors of the Light, and he is a lion shifter.” Garrett turned to smile down at Lachlan then turned his attention back to the pack. “He’s also co-alpha of this pack and should be treated as such. I know there have been some problems since Lachlan and I’ve met, and I hope those are no longer an issue.”

Garrett narrowed his eyes to stare out among the crowd, and Lachlan followed his gaze, looking for any naysayers.

“This is Lachlan’s first official moon run. The first of many more to come, so please let’s make him feel welcomed.” When Garrett finished, he stepped toward Lachlan and dropped his head forward to give Lachlan an innocent kiss for all to see. Hoots and hollers rang out from the crowd, and Lachlan could feel his face burn.

Garrett pulled back and mouthed
I love you
, and then looked back toward the pack. “Before I forget, remember to stay within the Carrington property lines.” Garrett’s gaze flickered to some of the younger wolves, and he pointed a finger in their direction. “I’m talkin’ to you wise asses over there.” The teenagers gave the “who me?” look then agreed to follow the rules.

As the crowd started to split up to prepare for the run, a few of the pack members came over to introduce themselves properly to Lachlan. Some apologized for being hesitant on getting to know him.

They admitted that their fear of the unknown clouded their judgment.

Lachlan totally understood that since he felt the same way toward them. It would take time, but Lachlan could see hope on the horizon for him and the Carrington Pack.

“Hi, Lachlan,” Clara said as she reached up to give him a hug.

“I’m really glad you came tonight.”

“Me, too, Clara. Me, too.” Lachlan hugged her back. “So you ready to run?”

“Yes, sir.” She started to head off toward the far end of the group.

“See you later, Lachlan,” Clara said over her shoulders.

“Clara, where are you going?” Lachlan asked as he jogged to catch up with her.

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“Oh, I’m sorry.” Clara stopped walking and turned to face Lachlan. “Me and some of the other unmated females like to run together.”

“I can understand that.” Unmated males could be quite frisky during and after a shift. Not all females were into having sex just for the sake of having it. They didn’t let their bodies rule their better judgment. “Well you be careful and howl if you need anything.”

Lachlan held his hand palm up for her to smack his. He smiled when she started to giggle as she slapped her hand against his and then took off toward where the other women were.

Lachlan watched for a moment to make sure Clara had reached the other wolves before he turned back to look for his mate. He saw Garrett talking with another wolf and headed in that direction. When he stood next to Garrett, Lachlan slipped his hand into the curl of his mate’s fingers.

Garrett turned to look at him, pride shining in his eyes. “Lachlan, this is Barney and his wife, Grace.”

“Hello.” Lachlan thought the couple looked familiar. Once he shook Barney’s hand, it dawned on him why. “I remember you two from the night at the warriors’ compound. You helped us find Astrid.”

A little over three weeks prior, before everything came to a head between him and Garrett, Astrid had been abducted. He and Garrett worked with the Warriors of the Light to get Astrid back. Ben’s mate, Miles, informed them that Astrid’s mate, Klaus, could wish them to Astrid and ultimately save him. And by god it worked. Lachlan couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed that night, magic used for the greater good.

Barney and Grace had willingly volunteered to help with the mission even though they’d never met Astrid or Klaus. They said that Lachlan was just as much their alpha as Garrett, and they could sense Lachlan’s need to help and get Astrid back. And they did without any questions or any type of reimbursement of any kind. Barney and Grace were selfless people who only ever wanted to help.

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“Yes, sir. That was us.” Barney gave Lachlan’s hand a hardy shake.

“I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you at first.” Lachlan’s eyes darted about him aimlessly. “It’s just been a crazy past few weeks.”

“Hell, don’t sweat it.” Barney gave him a knowing look. “You’ve had other things on your mind. Don’t feel bad about a thing.” Barney wrapped his arm around Grace’s shoulders and drew her close.

“We’re just happy to see you back with Garrett.”

“Thanks, that means a lot.”

“We mean it, too,” Grace said as she stared longingly up at her husband. “No one should be separated from the person they love more than their next breath.” Her eyes met Lachlan’s. “When you live forever, finding your soul mate is the only thing that can help keep you grounded. Hang on to it, darling, and never let go.”

Lachlan looked over to Garrett, and his mate stared right back at him. Just looking at his mate set his pulse racing. The love he had for Garrett was like no other, and that connection seemed to be attached with a tight iron fist to his dick.

Lachlan could feel an uncomfortable heat crawling up his neck to settle in his cheeks. The last thing he needed was to have to get undressed in front of all these other shifters with a hard-on so strong he could pound steel rods into the ground.

Just then Garrett rested his hand on the small of Lachlan’s back, just above where his ass rounded out. The heat smoldering in his mate’s eyes foretold of the need coursing through Garrett’s body. It appeared Lachlan and his mate were on the same page. First they’d run with their pack then head home to fuck like the beasts they were.

“I have no intentions of ever letting you go again,” Garrett said softly against Lachlan’s ear.

“Let’s do this, lovebirds,” Wes said as he hustled in their direction. “The moon is high, and we’re ready to run.”

Reluctantly Lachlan stepped away from Garrett and started to remove his clothes. Everyone else was either undressed or in the
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process of undressing. They were shifters, so modesty was wasted on them. Being naked in front of others was something a shifter grew up used to. If they weren’t then they’d go through a shit load of clothes every time they shifted and ripped the ones on their bodies to shreds.

A very costly endeavor.

With clothes off, the other shifters waited until Garrett shifted before doing so themselves.

Lachlan watched, transfixed on his mate’s glorious body as it shimmered in the firelight. Every muscle tensed and flexed as the change crept over him. Where once stood a man on two feet, now was a wolf with the blackest fur that shimmered in the moonlight. Garrett let out a howl and all the other wolves started to shift.

Catching up, Lachlan quickly allowed his body to grow and stretch to form his lion’s body. The usual dizzy and ticklish sensation ran through him as he fell to his knees and as his body transformed. It was over before he knew, and several other wolves stood gazing at him. Lachlan felt a little self-conscious at first, then with one sharp bark from Garrett, they took off. Lachlan rushed to catch up with Garrett and ran by his side.

The woods were dark, but the moon guided their way. Even without the luminescent light from above, their paranormal eyesight allowed them to see extraordinary well in the dark. A gift granted to them by their animal forms. Wolves and lions were predators. They had to have superb vision in order to protect themselves from any unseen threat that may be lying in wait, ready to attack at any moment they dropped their guard.

Lachlan raced alongside Garrett, letting the cool breeze whip across his face. He felt the freest when running in his lion form. The problems he had while in his human form didn’t seem so bad. The lion in him didn’t care if others liked him, or if his mate was a complete asshole. The lion only cared about running, hunting, and fucking. It was simple.

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Looking over to Garrett, Lachlan could see the relaxed demeanor of his mate. Running in wolf form must give Garrett that same feeling of rightness in the world if only for a short time.

They ran across the uneven, rough ground and pounced over fallen trees and low dips in the ground. The decaying leaves crushed to dust under his heavy paws as he ran with abandon with his mate.

The wolves had started to separate, but Garrett held close to Lachlan. Lachlan could faintly hear the sounds of Mother Nature over his and Garrett’s heavy breathing. They were racing and playing like they’d never done before. Lachlan felt like a teenager as he nudged and leapt over his mate. In return Garrett would barrel into his side and give a light nip to Lachlan’s flanks. They were having fun.

Lachlan was preparing to tackle Garrett to the ground when a loud, ear-piercing howl filled the air. He looked over to Garrett to see his mate had stopped dead in his tracks scenting the air. Garrett’s eyes landed in the direction facing east, and he took off running.

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Everything was going so perfect Garrett should have known something would come along and fuck it up.

He was traipsing through the woods with his mate having the time of his life. A lion and a wolf weren’t a common combination in a mating, but he and Lachlan were making it work. They were growing to trust one another like only mates could. It didn’t matter that they were from different species. They were enjoying a moonlit run together. Garrett was overflowing with happiness until the sound of a desperate howl wrenched through the woods.

It took Garrett only a moment to detect where the howls were coming from, and he took off. Behind him he could hear Lachlan rushing to keep up. Garrett wanted to shift and tell Lachlan not to follow, that it might be dangerous. But to shift now would only cost him precious time that whoever howled may not have.

As they reached the east side of the woods, a small creek ran through the narrow clearing. Garrett could scent the blood in the air and immediately shifted to his half-human form. He eased up on to his feet and took a cautious step toward the dark mass lying half in, half out of the creek. He wanted to be prepared just in case this was a trick by the witch trying to infiltrate his pack. Garrett couldn’t afford to be blindsided especially with his mate standing right behind him.

At all costs Garrett had to keep Lachlan safe.

In the distance Garrett could hear Wes howling, and it was getting nearer. Garrett should wait for Wes, but an overwhelming sense of doom had him walking forward to assess the situation.