The KinKaid Wolf Pack Trilogy (2 page)

"Please... Jocelyn, slow down. Stop long enough to talk to me. Please," he repeated. "You deserve a relationship that's based on love, not power and money."

Jocelyn's head popped up, her gaze then locking with his, and the fucking Antarctic would have felt warmer than her frigid stare.

"Get out of my way, Evin. You
really
don't want me here another minute in your presence." The tone of Jocelyn's voice made it clear: there was no turning back. The edge of the cliff he'd been toeing for years had crumbled, and he was in a complete free fall. All he could do now was grab hold of his ass and hang on.

Evin stepped aside and allowed Jocelyn to pass. A second later, the door to his cabin slammed shut.

He whirled, bringing his fist up, and rammed it into his bedroom door. The hollow wood bounced off the doorstop and splintered around his hand in an explosion of sound. Evin jerked his arm free and shook off the throb that radiated through his knuckles and into his wrist. He moved to the foot of the bed and sank onto the edge of the mattress. Bracing his elbows on his thighs, Evin then dropped his head into his palms.

"What a fucked-up mess," he groaned to the empty room. He loved his family, but how the hell was he going to tell his father he would not be taking his intended and continuing the KinKaid bloodline? That in itself would have the alpha enraged, but add his coming out as gay male... It would destroy his father.

Literally.

Without a KinKaid male to assume the alpha role at age twenty-five, Evin would be leaving his father open to any family that wished to challenge him for the title. And by law, they would have the right to kill the current alpha and take control of the pack. God, how was he going to live with himself?

He'd tried. Shit, he'd tried so hard to live the life expected of him. And if it were possible to will oneself into being straight, he would have been fucking Jocelyn right now.

Jocelyn.
Evin sucked in a hard, deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. He had to go face his father. Better he learn the truth from him first.
"You'll pay for this, Evin KinKaid."
Jocelyn's threat raced through his head, jerking him to his feet.

"Ahh, fuck!" Evin's head fell back on his shoulders. "Jocelyn, you wouldn't."

* * *

T
en minutes later, Evin rolled his Ninja to a stop in front of his family's home—right beside Jocelyn's Hummer. A cloud of dust blew in behind his arrival as he killed the engine and removed his helmet. The boom of his father's voice traveled through the air and across the lawn. Evin's heart pounded. He pulled his leg over the seat of his bike, stood, and released a long, slow breath, attempting to calm the sick feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach.
Well, at least I don't have to wonder anymore how I'm going to break the news.

A few strides took him from the driveway to the double front doors of the two-story dwelling. He didn't bother knocking. Without hesitation, Evin gripped the large glass knob, twisted it, and let himself in. His family home had always been open to him even though he'd moved out four years ago, right after his twentieth birthday.

From his vantage point in the foyer, he couldn't miss the sound of Jocelyn's soft sobs punctuating his father's bellowed commands directed at his staff.

"Find him! I want Evin brought before me now. I don't care what his excuses are. Tell him I won't accept no for an answer. He's to get his ass here now."

Evin moved forward and braced himself in the center of the archway that opened to the great room.

"That won't be necessary," Evin announced, his voice deep and controlled.

All heads swung in his direction, and mouths snapped shut. Even Jocelyn stifled her dramatic display of tears. Tension filled the air so thick, it felt as if an electric charge lifting every hair along the back of his neck.

Evin glanced at Jocelyn once more, where she stood drying her eyes in the arms of his mother. His twin sister, Rosa, lingered near the doorway on the other side of the room. She looked like an angel with her long blonde hair shining in the sunlight that beamed through the window at her back. Like an anchor of light in the darkness that threatened to swallow the room. The look she gave him brimmed with compassion and love. Rosa had been the one and only person he'd trusted with his secret. The only person he could share his innermost thoughts with. But there had never been a need to reveal the truth to her; she'd always known. Maybe even before he'd admitted it to himself. Rosa possessed an uncanny knack of "seeing" things.

Pulling his gaze away from his sister and placing it on the impressive six-foot-six frame of his father, Evin curled his lip into a half smile and stepped into the room.

"Well, I see Jocelyn didn't waste any time in obtaining an audience with the KinKaid alpha."

Barron KinKaid stepped from behind the large, dark wood rectangle of his desk, which divided a section of the living space. Wearing a black turtleneck sweater and matching jeans, his straight dark hair pulled back and bound at his nape, his father was an intimidating presence. A fact the alpha was very aware of and used to his advantage.

He came to a halt, and the ice blue gaze he'd inherited locked with his father's.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Evin? Why would you make up such an outlandish lie?" His father's canines flashed from under his lip. "Do you
not
want to mate with her that bad?" he growled, and as if on cue, Jocelyn let out another sob.

"It's not a lie." Evin kept his hands at his sides, his fists clenched, and his chin lifted. He would not submit.

Not this time.

If he had to die by his father's hand, then fuck it, he'd die today. But he would not go on living a life hidden inside the closet anymore.

His father's head fell back, his jaw elongated, and a roar was unleashed, reverberating off the walls of the room. "No!" His head lolled forward as his muzzle receded. "No KinKaid male has ever claimed to be a homosexual"—Barron closed the distance between them—"and I refuse to have it start with
my
son."

Evin lifted his gaze the two inches that brought him eye to eye with his father. "It's not your call," he growled.

"The hell it isn't," Barron shouted. "You're the alpha prime, and you will accept your duty and carry on the bloodline of our family."

"I never said I wouldn't accept my role as alpha prime, but I cannot mate with Jocelyn or any other female."

A groan began low in the alpha's chest and then burst from this throat. The next thing Evin knew, his father's clawed hand was wrapped around his neck. Shrill screams belonging to his mother and sister rang in his ears.

"You're not my son," Barron snarled, his head shaking back and forth. Evin's feet left the floor. "An abomination to our bloodline."

He couldn't breathe, and the sharp points of Barron's claws dug into his flesh. His father drew his arm back, and then Evin's head snapped forward as he was hurled through the air. His back collided with the wooden coffee table in the center of the room. Pain sizzled up his spine and into his brain, blurring his vision. His back arched, and an agonized howl filled the open space. Evin sucked in a breath and realized the cry had to be his own.

Reflex rolled him over, off the wood, and onto all fours. Black fur erupted from his pores. Fingernails curled into claws. The sound of popping stitches and tearing cotton grew loud in his ears. Evin's head kicked back and a growl tore from this throat. He whipped around to find his father's half-human, half-wolf form in midair, his large paws aimed straight for Evin's head.

Evin dug his claws into the wool of the braided rug beneath his pads and launched himself to the left, barely dodging the alpha's pounce. But he hadn't moved fast enough. The other wolf's front paw had snagged his hind section, ripping open the soft tissue. Evin spun, blood from the wound splattering the floor as he turned and faced his challenger's snarl.

Head-on they clashed.

Jaws snapped.

Blood and saliva flew as they fought for dominance, each seeking the other's neck for that final, throat-crushing bite.

The taste of their combined blood coated Evin's tongue. His heart hammered in his chest, and his breath rushed from his lungs in rapid pants. There was no time to think about the repercussions of his actions. There was only act and react.

Dominate or submit.

Live or die.

At that moment, no longer did a father and son fight. The wolf had laid claim to whom or what would survive in the room tonight.

Searing pain clamped around Evin's throat, bringing him to a rapid halt and lifting his front legs off the floor. Evin howled and writhed against the restraint. He flung his head in his father's direction and found the source of his new enemy. The alpha's security detail had arrived and had ensnared them both with a silver halo: a silver-laced noose attached to a long steel pole.

Out of the corner of his eye, his mother and sister moved between them.

"You will stop this battle now," the queen commanded. "I will not tolerate father and son killing each other in my home—or anywhere, for that matter." Her gaze darted from Evin to his father. "Shift now so we can resolve this."

Evin breathed deep through his nostrils and stretched his limbs, bringing the image of his human form into focus. A tingling sensation began in his feet then raced across his body as his fur retracted. His bones shifted, sending a lingering ache through his joints as his extremities returned to their normal length.

"Get this damn thing off from around my neck."

Seconds after his father's command, a
click
sounded behind Evin. The strap loosened and was lifted over his head. His skin burned from the prolonged contact of the silver against his flesh.

One of the guard staff dropped Evin a robe. He glanced up and noticed his mother securing one around his father.

"There's nothing to resolve, Sable," his father said, then turned and faced Evin. "Evin determined the outcome of this night—and his future—the moment he decided he preferred to have sex with men instead of being the alpha his pack deserves."

Evin slid his robe on and stood, swallowing hard at the acid burning the back of his throat. He'd never get his father to understand this wasn't a choice. Barron sauntered toward him, slow and deliberate steps that spoke of his alpha status. He stopped inches from Evin's face.

"When you decide you're ready to be a real man—the alpha your pack expects and demands—you can return to my home. Until then, I want you out of my sight and out of this pack."

"Father, please!" Rosa darted across the room and gripped their father's arm. "Please don't hurt him like this. It's not a choice. It's who he is, and he's my brother." Her gaze swung between them, tears filling her large blue eyes.

"Do
not
condone his actions, Rosa," he said, shaking off her hold.

"He's my brother!"

"He's an abomination!"

Evin flinched. The repugnance in his father's voice struck like a blow to his gut.

"I refuse to accept what he's become in my home." Barron whirled, and with his back turned, announced, "You have two minutes to say your good-byes to your mother and sister." With his spine straight and shoulders rigid, his father stormed from the room. The alpha queen moved on hesitant feet in Evin's direction. She reached up, and with her palm, smoothed the long strands of his black hair out of his eyes and away from his face. Slowly she shook her head, turned her back, and walked away.

Evin's breath hitched.
Dammit.
He'd never wanted to hurt them.

From the corner of the room, Jocelyn sashayed toward him.

"So sorry you got kicked out of your pack and everything, Evin." She sighed. "But I told you I would make you pay for betraying me." Jocelyn reached out and stroked his cheek. Evin jerked his face away from her touch. She pulled her hand back and shrugged. "Now...we're even." Jocelyn pivoted, and without another word, left the room.

Evin closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, grasping for the remaining threads of his control. He felt for the ties to his robe at his waist, cinched them tighter, then opened his eyes and glanced over at his sister. She stood with her arms across her chest, as if she could hold in the emotion that appeared to be tearing her apart—and breaking his heart in two.

Rosa strode toward him, and Evin met her halfway. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. Exactly what he needed. Rosa always knew. Ever since they were little, Rosa had been there whenever he'd needed someone.

She sniffed, then pulled back. "You're going to be okay." She nodded with a failed attempt at a smile. "These tears are only because I'm going to miss you so damn much." Evin reached out and wiped the moisture from her cheeks.

"I'm going to miss you too." He swallowed. "You're my heart. You know that, right?"

Rosa nodded again. She lifted her hands to his face and cupped his jaw.

"You will be fine—and happy—Evin KinKaid. Believe me. It's out there waiting for you. You just have to trust in what you find."

Chapter Two

––––––––

D
over, Washington, USA

One year later

––––––––

"C
an I see some ID, please?"

Mason reached into his wallet, removed his driver's license, and handed it to the convenience store clerk. The older gentleman held the credit card next to Mason's license and lifted his reading glasses into place. He glanced at Mason, then back at the photo before comparing the names. "Mason Thorne II." His weathered blue gaze darted to Mason again, and a half smile turned up his lips. "Any relation to
the
Thorne Global?"

A groan formed at the back of Mason's throat, but he forced it back. In its place, he shaped his well-practiced, polite smile and nodded. "That's my father's pride and joy." The clerk released a low whistle and shook his head.

"I can't even imagine growing up around all that money, son," he said, sliding the card through the reader. Mason released a
humph
of acknowledgment. Yeah, the old man didn't know what he'd missed by not being the son of a shipping tycoon, whose world revolved around business first and his family second. The receipt rolled from the register, and after tearing it free, the clerk handed Mason a pen for his signature. "You planning on spending some time in Dover, or just passing through?"