~*~

  Cole paced his room. He’d been told he could leave at night. He’d been going stir crazy for the last two days. Alexander had sedated him for a whole day when he’d thrown a tantrum and tried to leave. He scowled, looking at the clock. He had to get out; these people were fucking crazy. The door to his room opened and he let out a sigh of relief.

  “Thank God! I was about to crawl out the window.” Cole turned to find Calvin staring at him. “Calvin?”

  “Dr. Romasko called me and told me it was okay to come see you. He said you were being treated for smoke inhalation.”

  Cole grabbed Calvin and held him.

  “How are you?” Calvin asked.

  “I’m fine. Are you?”

  “I’m fine. Mom and Dad called, I told them everything was fine. I’m sure you didn’t want them coming home early from their trip to the Bahamas. You know how Mom gets all blubbery.” Calvin looked around the room. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend anymore.” Cole walked across the room to the window.

  “Why? I liked him.”

  “It’s complicated, okay? Let’s just say he wasn’t who I thought he was.”

  Wow, what an understatement that was. Ross was a damn werewolf. If he was right, so was the damned doctor.

  “Did he cheat on you?”

  “No.”

  “Did he hit you?”

  Cole snorted. “No.”

  “Did he come to the hospital when you were hurt?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Then what did he do?”

  “I can’t talk about it right now, okay? Just know that it’s for the best.” Cole motioned his brother over. “Everything okay with you? You need anything?”

  “I’m fine. But you could come by? Maybe make dinner?”

  Cole narrowed his eyes. “I thought you wanted to live?”

  “I do, and I survived the chicken you made.” Calvin grinned.

  “Okay, Hobbes. I’ll come by very soon.”

  The door opened again, and Cole’s eyes widened as Preston and his fellow firefighters entered the room. Sean Knight shut the door, glaring at him.

  “Um, I’ll be by this week, okay?” Cole hugged Calvin tightly.

  “’K. Hi guys.” Calvin half waved at them as he left.

  The door shut and Cole stood face-to-face with his fellow firefighters — who didn’t seem very happy with him at the moment.

  “You were going to leave?” Sean growled.

  “Do you know what the hell is going on here?” Cole shouted. “These people are…well, they’re not normal!”

  “No, they’re not. They are extraordinary and you are damn lucky Ross exposed himself to save your life!” Sean shouted.

  “You know?” Cole’s mouth hung open.

  “Of course I know!” Sean bellowed, motioning to the men at his side. “You work with them day in and day out! Preston saved my life in a fire. They’re all like Ross!”

  Cole looked from Preston to Wyatt, and then at the rest of his team. “All of you?” he whispered.

  Preston nodded.

  “Yes, Cole.” Wyatt shot him a disgusted look. “All of us are freaks, just like Ross.”

  “How many times has Dalton saved your ass, Cole? Damn, he saved Austin’s life before he became a werewolf.”

  Austin nodded. “I chose to be a werewolf. Tucker is my mate and I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

  “You chose it?” Cole asked in astonishment. “You mean, you can become one?”

  “Yes, and I wouldn’t change it, not for anything,” Kurt spoke up.

  Cole collapsed on the bed in shock. All of them? They had asked to be changed into werewolves. Cole eyed Sean.

  “But not you?” he asked.

  “Not yet,” Sean grinned. “Maybe someday when I’m old and frail.”

  “Pfft.” Preston punched Sean playfully. “Who says I’ll want to bite your wrinkled ass?”

  “If he doesn’t, I will.” Wyatt waggled his brows.

  “You are surrounded by them on a daily basis, Cole, and you never knew,” Sean pointed out. “So tell me how it makes them different now?”

  Cole ran a hand through his hair. It was even thicker now than before. He stared at the floor and sighed loudly.

  “I fucked up, didn’t I?” he whispered.

  “Um, duh,” Wyatt deadpanned. “Look,” he paused, “I kind of get it. It was a huge shock and you’d already been through one major trauma; your whole body was shutting down to prepare for death. But dude — it’s Ross. Has he ever done anything at all to make you think he’s anything more than one of the most stand-up men on this planet?”

  “You hurt Ross so badly.” Austin shook his head in sadness.

  “I need some time.” Cole stood up. He caught the glares from his guys and tried to smile. “I’m not going to expose you. I promise.”

  “Good, because I’d hate to have to bite your ass.” Kurt raised his brows.

  “You’d bite me?” Cole regarded his team.

  “No, we’ll leave that to Ross. If you decide you want to be with him.” Preston turned to the door and opened it. “You can either accept us or not, Cole, but you remember one thing: You’d be dead right now if it wasn’t for Ross Collins.”

  The team left and Cole let out a huge breath. He’d been working side by side with werewolves for years. Somehow, he’d known something was different about Ross and Noah, though. Why hadn’t he seen it?

  “Well, fuck me.”

  Cole grabbed his bag and opened the door. Dr. Romasko stood in the hallway wearing a frown.

  “You said I could go at night,” Cole challenged.

  Alexander nodded. “I did. But someone is here who wishes to speak with you.”

  “With me?”

  “Yes, follow me, please.”

  Cole followed the doctor down the corridor. They stopped right outside the room of the young man he had rescued from the fire and looked through the window. A very large man stood by the kid’s bed, holding his hand.

  Cole glanced at the doctor.

  “Who is that?”

  “That is Wayne Maccon, alpha of the created ones.”

  “The alpha of the what?”

  “The created ones — the werewolf line created by a god and goddess, together with the fates. They are the first of their kind and rule all other werewolves. Wayne is very powerful.”

  Cole jumped as the man they were just talking about suddenly stood in front of him. He hadn’t even heard the door open.

  “Come inside.” Wayne motioned to the room.

  Cole walked in and stood against the far wall. Something about this man oozed power, from the way he held himself to the way he looked — which was almost exactly like Bradley Cooper.

  Cole kept his mouth shut as the man again picked up the kid’s hand.

  “Sad isn’t it?” Wayne sighed, placing the boy’s hand back on the bed. “I’m waiting to see how he does before I give him blood. His body is repairing itself — the coma is allowing that — but at some point, I will give him what he needs to fully recuperate. I would have done it before, but waking up and having absolutely no scars or pain can be confusing for someone who knows they’ve been brutalized.” Wayne cocked an eyebrow at Cole. “I hear you’d be dead if it wasn’t for Ross.”

  Cole nodded slowly.

  “Usually, I insist they ask me for permission before doing anything rash that could expose us, but Ross is in love. Even as the alpha, I can’t fight that.”

  “So, you’re one, too?”

  “I am the one, Cole. First of my kind, created by Gaea to rule over all other werewolves. What we do, why we’re here — it’s becoming all too clear. We are fighting a battle against pure evil, and we need all the help we can get. You took one of my soldiers out of the fight.”

  Cole opened his mouth, only to shut it when Wayne shook his head.

  “Ross took a big risk for you and from what I hear, you crushed him.” Wayne smiled down at the kid in the bed. “He’s been through so much already, but he’s a fighter this one. He survived when all the odds were stacked against him.”

  “I understand now,” Cole blurted out.

  Wayne narrowed his eyes. “Do you really? The world you live in — you have no idea what happens in it and do you know why?”

  Cole shook his head.

  “Because we take care of the nasty, that’s why. We protect the innocent people in the world. Every day our army is hard at work to keep people like you safe.” Wayne crossed his arms. “And you just decimated one of my best men.”

  “I didn’t understand, okay? My first instinct was fear.”

  “As it is for most,” Wayne acknowledged. “But I’ll tell you what, I’ve seen it happen over and over again where humans found out the one they love is different and the results were much different. Austin was a bit scared at first, but he truly loved Tucker. In the end, all he saw was the man, not the beast.”

  Cole slid to the floor and covered his face. “Jesus.”

  “Think about that, Mr. Ryker. I’ll be monitoring the child here. I believe he must be important to Ronnie Jenkins if the man went to such great lengths to shut him up.”

  Cole stood and pulled himself together. “I won’t reveal your secret. You have my word.”

  “Don’t let your fear keep you from someone wonderful, Cole. I almost lost the most important thing in the world to me because of stupidity. I wasn’t gay, and the thought of having a man as a mate — well, it freaked me out.”

  “What?” Cole’s head snapped up.

  Wayne grinned. “Oh yes, I was with a woman for a very long time. The fates chose a new mate for me, a very special mate, and I almost lost him. Don’t let fear keep you from something that could change your life.” Wayne sat down and smoothed the hair from the kid’s brow. “I wish we knew his name.”

  “Hopefully, he’ll wake up soon and tell us.” Cole stood on the other side of the bed. The kid still had major bruising along his jawline and neck, but he was adorable.

  “Yes, let’s hope he does. When it becomes necessary, I will give him blood to make sure he is fully functional. He didn’t deserve this fate. No one does.”

  “No they don’t,” Cole sighed and looked at the clock on the wall. “I’m going to go home and pack a small bag. I’ll lie low for a week or so.”

  “Thank you, Cole. Please reconsider Ross. He is a good man.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  Cole left the hospital and called a cab. The full moon was up in the sky and Cole laughed softly at all the movies about werewolves changing under the full moon. He had some serious thinking to do.

  ~*Chapter Eleven*~

  Chaz had spent an entire week waiting to talk to Ross Collins. He’d been warned Ross was not in a good place psychologically or emotionally. Cole had disappeared from the house and work. When he’d asked Preston what was going on, he was told Cole needed to lie low for a couple of weeks.

  Whatever that meant. He was too pissed off to talk to him anyway.

  He was tired of waiting and was now standing on the front steps of Ross’ house. He was going to find out exactly what had happened the night Cole had been injured.

  Hell, injured?

  He’d been on death’s door.

  Chaz pounded on the door until someone opened it. He was dumbfounded when Lev Chirkoff stared back.

  “What are you doing here?” Lev asked.

  Chaz shoved past him; he hadn’t played football for nothing. Lev stumbled back as Chaz walked into the living room.

  “Where are you, Ross?” he shouted.

  “Damn, Chaz, leave the guy alone! He’s been through enough.” Lev shut the door and walked into the living room. Chaz whirled around and pinned him with a look Lev knew well.

  “Don’t you dare talk to me about heartbreak!” Chaz pointed at him.

  “It’s okay, Lev.” Ross descended the stairs. “I think Chaz deserves to know.”

  “But, Ross —”

  “No, Lev. He needs to know.”

  “Yes I do. I watched every injury Cole had disappear right before my eyes. So yes, I do need to know. I also want to thank you, Ross.”

  “Thank me?” Ross stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Whatever you did, you had to be taking a risk in doing it, right?”

  “Yes.” Ross nodded. He crossed the room and sat down on the couch. Chaz surprised him by sitting down on the same couch. The front door opened and the Salvatore brothers came in with food. They all stopped talking as they noticed Chaz sitting in the living room.

  “Chaz?” Jaxon walked behind the couches. “What are you doing here?”

  “Thanking Ross for saving Cole’s life.”

  “Did you tell him?” Justice asked as he went into the kitchen.

  “Was just about to.” Ross tried to smile.

  “Tell me what? Are you some kind of mythical healer or something?” Chaz stared at Ross, trying to read his features.

  “No, but I am mythical.” Ross turned sideways on the couch to face Chaz head on.

  “What I tell you stays between these walls, do you understand? You cannot tell anyone about this.”

  “Well, we already know.” Justice walked back into the living room and handed Ross a glass of water. “Seeing as we are all the same.”

  “All of you?” Chaz regarded the men in the room.

  “Yes.” Ross sat forward. “Promise me, Chaz. Give me your word.”

  “You have it.” Chaz nodded. “I wouldn’t ever reveal what I know. What you did for Cole — I’ll be forever grateful.”

  Ross took a deep breath. “I’m a werewolf.”

  Ross closed his eyes and waited for the screaming, or the fainting, or…something. He lifted one lid and saw Chaz was smiling.

  “What?”

  “I knew something was different about you! At Skylar’s house, after it blew up, I saw you combing through the wreckage sniffing!”

  The front door slammed shut and Ross almost lifted off the couch. He scanned the room and noticed that Lev had left.

  Ross sighed.

  Lev had run away from Chaz years ago because of what he was and his fear of Chaz’s reaction. And now to see Chaz so accepting of it?

  Oh, the fucking irony.

  It didn’t change Ross’ situation though. The man he loved hated him. The man’s best friend was grateful. Peachie.

  Chaz looked over his shoulder at the front door. “Lev is…?”

  “A werewolf, just like we are,” Ross nodded. “Well, most of us. Jesse’s a white lion.

  “Oh God.” Chaz held his face in his hands. He looked up and eyed Jesse. “A white lion?”

  Jesse nodded, grinning.

  “I’m sure that’s why he left you. He didn’t want to see your face when you found out what he was. I can’t say I blame him,” Ross sighed.

  “I would have been shocked, I’m sure, but hate him?” Chaz shook his head. “No.” Chaz regarded the men gathered around.

  “So, werewolves, huh?”

  “Do you need proof?” Ross raised a brow.

  Chaz’s head sprang up and he grinned. “No, but I so want to see it anyway!”

  “Well,” Ross looked over at the brothers standing side by side, arms crossed. “Shall we?”

  “You’re about to see a lot of dick my friend.” Jesse winked.

  Chaz’s eyes widened as all four stripped down to nothing. Two seconds later, three wolves and a white lion were looking at him. Chaz stood up and rounded the couches, taking it all in. He ran his fingers through Ross’ coat and smiled.

  “Thank you, Ross. For everything you did for Cole.”

  Ross shifted back and covered his dick with his shirt. He grabbed the rest of his clothing and walked behind the couch. A low whistle accompanied him and he glanced over his shoulder at Chaz.

  “Nice ass, Collins,” Chaz leered playfully.

  “You aren’t freaked out at all?” Ross pulled his sweats back on.

  “I watched as Cole’s hair grew in right in front of my eyes. His face healed, his arms healed and he walked across the room. So no, Ross, I can’t say this is any weirder than that.”

  Ross slumped onto the couch and rubbed his face with his hands.

  “He called me a freak,” he whispered. “He told me to stay away from him. Do you know how much it hurt me? I love him.”

  Chaz sat down and took Ross’ hands.

  “I’ll talk to him; I’ll make him see what I see. You are a wonderful, caring person, Ross. What you did took guts. You exposed yourself, all of yourself, to Cole and he rejected you. I know he knows how that feels and he should be welcoming you into his life, not pushing you out of it.”

  “I miss him so much. I don’t know what to do.”

  “I’ll help,” Chaz assured him.

  Ross’ phone buzzed and he looked at the text on his phone. It was from Calvin. It read “911” with an ‘H’ — meaning home. Ross’ eyes widened.

  “Shit! Something’s going on with Calvin! He just sent me a 911 text!”

  “He’s by Point Defiance Park, right? Who’s closer than us to his house?” Justice asked, already grabbing his phone.

  “I don’t know, maybe Andrei and Devin?” Ross grabbed his shoes.

  “I’ll call them. Let’s go.”

  “I’m coming, too.” Chaz pulled his keys out.

  “This could be dangerous, Chaz.” Ross turned to face him. “You need to get a hold of Cole.”

  “He’s not answering his phone! If I don’t go, I’ll always feel guilty — it’s Calvin!”

  “Okay, but stay by me, okay?”

  Chaz nodded.

  “Saddle up boys.” Ross grabbed his helmet.

  ~*~

  The roar of the crowd fueled him and Cole let loose another damaging blow to his opponent. He felt like a fucking gladiator. His speed, agility, and instincts were ten times better than they used to be. His opponent hit the mat and Cole roared in triumph. The crowd was screaming his name and Cole left the cage amid applause, whistling and screaming.

  He went to the locker room and took a quick shower. Looking in the mirror, there wasn’t one scar on his body, not even from his childhood. Every ache he’d ever felt was gone.

 

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