Half-breed Wolf (2 page)

“
Stand up straight,”
Oliver ordered.

Immediately the stranger’s spine
snapped taut. Their eyes met. The heat in the colored man’s gaze
told Oliver all he needed to know. He preferred men.

Trying hard to hold back a
smile, Oliver circled the man, his footsteps measured, firm,
methodical. He’s inner wolf screamed
Mate
and his cock
stirred.

He concentrated on controlling his
breathing. He didn’t want the Omega wolf to scamper away. He might
not get another chance at a mate for years. Submissive males were a
rarity, and not all submissive males were sodomites. This chance
meeting could be his lucky night if he played his hand
right.

“
What’s your name, boy?”
Oliver whispered in his ear.

His closeness elicited a tiny shiver.
“Lance, sir.”

Lance’s buckskin breeches showed off
his tight ass. Despite his small stature, Oliver could tell he
would be delightfully toned underneath his clothes. He caught
Lance’s chin and the man closed his eyes.

“
I’m not going to hurt
you.” He spoke in a soothing tone. “I promise.”

Lance didn’t move. He looked poised to
absorb a blow.

Oliver took a step back, giving him
more space. He didn’t mean to be intimidating. He was powerfully
built yes, but he would never hurt his own kind unprovoked. “My
name’s Oliver. Oliver Sawyer.”

“
Pleased to meet you,
sir,” Lance said although he looked far from pleased, more like he
had a toothache.

Oliver didn’t know whether to sigh or
laugh. “Please open your eyes.”

Lance did as he was told. Oliver found
their slate gray coloring with flecks of amber very
mesmerizing.

Lance continued to look
wary, unsure. Raised by his father’s pack he probably didn’t trust
a white man, not that he could blame him. A trail of the
government’s broken promises was in itself a lot for him to
overcome. But he had to try. His inner wolf continued to
scream
mate
,
until it was hard for him to think.

Oliver turned Lance’s head from one
side to the other, carefully inspecting him. When he traced the S
brand with his finger, Lance’s muscles turned to stone. “It’s a
pity that brand marred your handsome face.”

Lance’s forehead creased. “You think
I’m handsome?”

Oliver chuckled. The Omega was fishing
for a compliment. Well, he didn’t mind. “Yes, Lance. I
do.”

Oliver dropped his hand. His watched
the rapid rise and fall of Lance’s chest. The man was terrified
although he did a good job of masking his fright. Maybe, just maybe
the man liked the heat in his touch, too. At least a
little.

“
Do you have a place to
stay, Lance?” Oliver asked trying to remain casual, but not quite
succeeding. Did the man realize he wanted him?

Lance’s teeth sank into his bottom
lip. “No, sir.”

“
You are welcome to stay
here if you want.”

Lance shifted his weight. He looked
very uncomfortable. Oliver knew he could order the man to stay here
and the submissive would comply. He didn’t want to use his Alpha
influence, though. It had to be his decision. He wanted a mate, not
a slave.

The young man didn’t have many
options. Thanks to his African mother he could be constantly
mistook for a runaway slave. The wolf inside him stirred and his
protective instincts soared. It was an Alpha’s job to protect the
Omega wolves in his pack, male and female.

He needed to try to offer Lance a
reason to stay for his own safety—even if the man refused to be his
mate.

“
Are you hungry?” Oliver
asked. “I can fix you a plate.”

Lance’s stomach grumbled, but he did
not seem pleased by the offer. “You?” he said, his eyes narrowing,
“Or your slaves?” The colored man spat the words with thick
barbs.

Oliver winced. Did he have to tackle
that issue on the first meeting? “Me, Lance. I might run the
plantation, but none of the slaves belong to me. I know you
probably don’t believe that, but it is the truth.”

Lance did not respond. He jutted out
his chin and looked to be in deep thought.

Oliver resisted the urge to pick him
up and whisk him into the house. Maybe being willing to let him go
would change his mind. “Well, it is getting late. I think I’ll go
for a run and then get some sleep.”

“
You’re going to shift?”
Lance spoke each word tentatively.

“
Of course.” Oliver began
slipping off his coat. Would Lance approve of his naked body?
Suddenly a thought struck Oliver like a bolt of lightning. He
pulled his coat back on. “Why didn’t you shift before the
patrollers found you?”

Lance chewed on his bottom lip and
looked away sheepishly. “I … I can’t shift.”

Chapter 3

Mr. Sawyer took Lance by the elbow and
gently guided him up the stairs and into the house. “If you are too
weak to shift, I definitely need to get you something to
eat.”

Lance’s insides trembled, but he let
the Alpha escort him into the foyer. He was hungry. If only that
really was what was keeping him from shifting. It was too
embarrassing to explain. He felt like he had a mouth full of
cotton. Swishing his tongue around his mouth, he tried to generate
saliva.

He didn’t want the Alpha to take pity
on him. Was it too much to ask to seek genuine acceptance? His
stomach turned. He would stay only if it felt right. Unless Mr.
Sawyer forced him to stay.

The Alpha could. They both knew
it.

Mr. Sawyer glanced behind
him.
Was he making sure I hadn’t run
off?

A slight smile lingered on the white
man’s lips. He tipped his head toward a hallway. “The kitchen is
this way.”

In the kitchen, Mr. Sawyer
pulled out a chair from the small table.
This must be where the house servants ate, and of course fit
for me being colored
.

Lance sank into the chair. Before he
could say anything, Mr. Sawyer set a plate of venison sandwiches
and a tall glass of milk in front of him. “Thank you.”

Mr. Sawyer nodded and sat across the
table from him.

Lance picked up the first sandwich and
finished it quickly. It took the edge of his hunger pains. Picking
up his second sandwich, he couldn’t ignore the heated gaze from Mr.
Sawyer. Flicking his attention to him and then back to his
sandwich, he noticed Mr. Sawyer was not eating. He seemed very
content just watching him take pleasure in the tangy
venison.

Suddenly the food became harder to
swallow. It was a strange sensation having his every move on
display. He hated it, and yet also found it arousing. The meat
became dry in his mouth. He washed it down with half the glass of
milk fearing it would stick in his throat.

Mr. Sawyer rose. “Would you like me to
get you some more milk?”

“
No, thank you,
sir.”

Mr. Sawyer resumed his
seat.

Lance rubbed the back of his neck.
He’d never been waited on before. Usually he was the one serving
others. He’d waited on his Alpha and his Beta all the
time.

After Lance finished his plate, Mr.
Sawyer picked up the dishes. “Do you feel up for a run
now?”

Lance shook his head. “No,
sir.”
A run would be nice if I could
shift.
He didn’t want to bring that up
though. He let out the yawn he’d been holding back. “I’m
tired.”

“
Of course,” Mr. Sawyer
said. “Would you like me to show you to one of the guest
rooms?”

Against his better judgment, Lance
followed the Alpha to a guest bedroom on the first floor. A bed
sounded much better than sleeping in a pile of hay in a
barn.

“
There is a lamp on the
bedside table,” Mr. Sawyer said. “There’s an extra blanket at the
foot of the bed if you get cold. Although I know shifters are hot
blooded.”

The man rambled on stating the
obvious.

Lance pulled back the covers and sat
on the bed, hoping he’d take the hint and leave.

He didn’t.

Mr. Sawyer watched him with a warm
gaze. Such a long stare should have made him uncomfortable,
frightened, but it actually put him at ease. His stiff spine
relaxed and he peeled off his red shirt, trying not to cringe as
the material brushed over his wounds.

Despite his best efforts to remain
stoic Mr. Sawyer sensed his pain.

The white man lit the lamp by the bed
and sat next to him. He took one look at Lance’s back and growled.
The throaty noise made the half-breed’s heart leap over several
beats.

“
Did the patrollers do
this to you?”

“
Yes, sir.”

Mr. Sawyer’s hand touched his bare
shoulder, the heat infusing into his skin. “You have many old
scars, too.”

“
Yes.” The Alpha had not
asked about them. He’d only stated fact. Lance did not feel
compelled to share or explain.

Silence engulfed the room. For a
moment all he heard was their breathing.

“
It is a shame you weren’t
able to shift to avoid the brutes.”

“
My back should be nothing
to you,” Lance responded with a biting tone. “I’m sure you see whip
scars all the time.”

“
Yes, but not on this
plantation. I don’t need whips to maintain order and
loyalty.”

Lance pressed his lips together.
Likely a lie. White men knew how to lie very well; could usually
lie with a straight face.

“
I will see to your
wounds.” That came out as an order.

Gooseflesh rose on his arms. Lance
braced himself for the sting of alcohol or the application of
oil.

Mr. Sawyer’s warm breath fanned his
back. His tongue licked across one of the deeper cuts.

Lance inhaled sharply, shock
overpowering his sense of pain.

“
I’m sorry if this hurts,”
Mr. Sawyer’s soothing voice relaxed him again. “It will only hurt
for a second. I promise.”

Slowly and carefully he licked all of
Lance’s fresh wounds. The moist softness of his tongue eased his
discomfort. “My saliva will speed the healing. I wish I could take
away all your pain.”

Lance’s Alpha could also heal wounds,
but he only nursed the warriors and their families. He hadn’t cared
if Lance suffered. He didn’t realize all Alpha’s had this special
ability. Mr. Sawyer’s large hands wrapped around his shoulders and
he pulled him gently onto the mattress. “Rest. Everything will look
better in the morning.”

I don’t believe
that
. Lance did not try to sit up. The
pillow felt too good under his head. He turned his neck and glanced
at Mr. Sawyer’s hooded eyes.

“
You need to rest, too,”
he mumbled.

“
Yes. I’m afraid healing
drains me of energy.”

Guilt slid through his insides. Mr.
Sawyer grew weak from taking care of his wounds. “You may lie here
with me if you like,” Lance said in a small voice. The Alpha did
not look like he’d be able to walk far without passing
out.

“
Thank you.” He shucked
his shirt and lay on the bed. The weight and heat of his body made
Lance’s heart thrum. The Alpha closed his eyes and soon his
breathing evened indicating he was asleep.

Despite his exhaustion, Lance stayed
awake, staring up at the ceiling. Desire and gratitude for the man
next to him warmed his chest. Mr. Sawyer murmured something
intelligible and rolled over on his side, draping his arm around
Lance’s middle.

His pulse raced and his cock swelled.
The man held him tight, and Lance relaxed in his embrace. Confined
but comfortable, he let his heavy lids finally close.

I shouldn’t feel this
attracted to a white man.
Damn it. The
Alpha held power over him, and he hadn’t even used his
influence.

What would happen to him when the sun
rose? Being a half-breed wolf shifter he didn’t belong anywhere.
Without any other options, if Mr. Sawyer wanted him to stay he
would. The man had made no move to dominate him or humiliate him.
Life here would be better than it had been in his pack even if
everyone thought he was Mr. Sawyer’s slave. He’d gotten used to
serving his Alpha. At least taking care of Mr. Sawyer would have
benefits.

Deep down Lance hoped the dominant
wolf would see to his needs—all of his needs.

Chapter 4

Rays of sun streaming through the
window yanked Oliver out of his sleep. He blinked momentarily
disoriented. He wasn’t sleeping in his bed upstairs and there was
another warm body next to him. A man. He smiled at Lance. The
shifter’s skin gleamed redder in the daylight reminding him of a
Texas dirt road in the shade.

“
Hey, how do you
feel?”

Lance’s gaze traveled across his bare
chest. “Much better. Thank you.” His husky voice stirred Oliver’s
longing. He wanted to lie next to him and hold him for another
hour, but he had things to attend to. He stood. “Stay here as long
as you want.” Bending down, he grabbed his shirt off the
floor.