Man in the Middle [Wolf Creek Pack 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove) by Stormy Glenn (elon musk reading list txt) 📗

man was clueless. “You’ll never understand what you gave up by denying Justin, and that makes me feel very sorry for you.”

Taylor started to walk out of the kitchen only to be stopped when he felt Chase’s hand on his arm. He stared down at it for a moment then raised his eyes up to meet Chase’s.

“You don’t understand, Taylor.”

“I don’t need to understand.” Taylor tried to push past Chase, but the man wasn’t budging. He also wouldn’t let go of Taylor’s arm. He was sick and tired of Chase telling him that he didn’t understand. If the man would just explain things, then Taylor would know why Chase denied them. But the wolf would never give them a reason. If he didn’t care enough about them to at least explain things, then Taylor wanted nothing to do with the man.

“Damn it, Taylor,” Chase snapped as he spun Taylor around, “would you fucking stop and listen to me for a moment?”

“No.”

“Taylor, so help me…”

“What?” Taylor stepped up to Chase as anger filled him. At least the man was able to chase his misery away, even if it was replaced with anger. “What are you going to do, big man? Hit me?”

Chase’s eyebrows shot up over his forehead and then suddenly took a dive as they scrunched together over his golden amber eyes. “I would never hit you,” the man snapped. “Never.”

Taylor couldn’t let Chase know how much he was affected by the man’s mere presence. He wanted to throw himself into Chase’s arms and wail at the world, to have Chase comfort him and tell him that everything would be okay. He wanted Chase to be the strong one so that he could fall apart.

But he knew he couldn’t. Giving in to the tumultuous emotions racing through him wasn’t an option that he had. Justin was still out there somewhere, and he needed rescuing. Taylor couldn’t rest until he found his lover and brought him home.

“I can’t claim you or Justin, Taylor. It’s too dangerous.”

Taylor didn’t know what to say to that. Chase had never shared anything about his life with either him or Justin. They knew nothing about the shifter except that he was their mate. And suddenly, Taylor wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“Fine, you can’t claim us.” Taylor yanked his arm out of Chase’s grasp and backed away. “Message received loud and clear.”

Taylor heard Chase’s loud sigh and tried not to let it affect him. He didn’t have the extra emotion to expend on Chase, not when Justin was missing. His entire world revolved around finding the man he loved.

Chase was on his own.

“We need to talk about this, Taylor.”

“No, we don’t.” Taylor had no intention of listening to anything that Chase had to say, not anymore. Yesterday, if Chase had started talking, Taylor would have been all ears. But that was yesterday, before Taylor’s world fell apart.

Now, he just didn’t care.

Taylor rubbed his hand over his face as he sniffled. Okay, he did care, but he didn’t want to care. Every time he looked at Chase, or even thought about him, he remembered the overwhelming fear he felt when Justin didn’t come home.

There were very few times in his life when he had been nearly paralyzed with fear. When the Teacher had discovered that he and Justin were lovers and made his demands. When the Teacher had confronted Nate and Taylor had stabbed the man in the back. And, when he sat on the bed all night long and waited for Justin to come home, only to realize that he wasn’t.

Taylor never wanted to experience that type of fear again. It was agonizing, like his entire world depended on one little man. Justin loved him. Taylor knew that. But he didn’t think Justin understood how much Taylor actually needed him. Taylor’s entire world was Justin. The emptiness inside his chest felt like a gaping hole had opened up. He wanted Justin back. Taylor felt like he couldn’t breathe without the small man at his side. He wanted his world back.

He had thought for a while that Chase might be brought into that world, but now he knew differently. Whatever hang-ups Chase had, it was enough to keep the man from claiming either Taylor and Justin.

Fine.

Chase didn’t need him.

Taylor would learn to live with that if he had to. He couldn't learn to live without his angel.

“Have you found anything?” Taylor asked as he walked into Joe’s office. The sheriff was on the phone, putting out an all-points bulletin on Justin and calling in favors from all over the state to try and locate Justin.

Nate’s eyes were filled with sadness when he turned to look at Taylor, slowly shaking his head. “No, I’m sorry, Taylor. There’s been no word.”

Taylor’s shoulder slumped. He was starting to think that he would never find Justin, and then what would happen to him? He had nothing without Justin—no purpose in life, no happiness, and no chance of ever touching heaven again.

“Thank you,” Taylor whispered.

He knew his friends were doing everything that they could to find Justin. Nate, at least, understood the things that Taylor had done to keep Justin alive, and he had forgiven Taylor. Not everyone had.

There were still people that avoided him or left the room when Taylor walked in. He tried not to let it show how much it hurt when people ignored him or pretended he wasn’t there, but Nate knew. Nate always knew. That was his ability.

“We’ll find him, Taylor.”

“And if we don’t?” Taylor asked softly. “What then?”

Taylor was pretty sure he would find the nearest cliff and gratefully throw himself right over the edge. Without Justin, he really did have nothing. No one to care for, no reason to go on living. He’d be an empty husk without Justin’s love to fill him up.

“I need to know exactly what happened,” Chase said, reminding Taylor that the man had followed him into the room.

Taylor turned toward the window, staring out into the dawning light. “Go away,