Jacks, Marcy - Eli's Reluctant Mate [DeWitt's Pack 5] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) by Marcy Jacks (best ereader under 100 .txt) 📗

One-on-one was one thing, but Chris didn’t know how Eli would  fare with two wolves jumping all over him, biting and  clawing at him  until he was dead like Buzz down there.

Chris found a heavy rock in the earth, picked it up, and ran up

behind the other half-transformed man.

He didn’t notice Chris coming until it was too late, and Chris smashed the rock down on the wolf-man’s hairy forehead.

There was a sickening crunch, and the moss growing on the rock made it difficult to grip, and he dropped it right after making impact.

The guy was definitely dead, his limp body in some strange in-between of man and wolf, a huge indent in the head.

Another dog whine sounded, and the body of the wolf that Eli had been fighting with dropped limply to the ground.

Chris stayed on his knees in front of his own kill, staring at the wolf in front of him.

Eli had blood all over his face, and he was panting heavily. He

didn’t pass out like the last time, though.

Maybe he spoke too soon. Eli stumbled and fell over, his body  shifting back into a naked man. It was strange how used to seeing his  body Chris was becoming.

Eli’s Reluctant Mate                       57

Though his legs were shaking like crazy, his entire body still pumping adrenaline, he managed to make it over to Eli’s side. He was careful not to touch him.

He was definitely awake this time. Probably just exhausted. His breathing said as much. “You all right?”

No. “Fine.”

Eli nodded  then bit his lower lip. His jaw trembled like he was about to start crying. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You were right. I shouldn’t be out here by myself.”

“Not for that.” He managed to laugh a little while fighting back tears. “James is gonna want to talk to you about that. I meant before.”

Chris inhaled deeply. “You didn't do anything wrong. It was…It was me. Let’s get you back home.”

“I would never hurt you,” Eli said.

“I believe you. Come on, try and get on your feet now. I don’t want to drag you all the way again like the last time.”

* * * *

They made it back safely enough, and the first thing Eli did was pull himself away from Chris and hobble back to his own house before anyone could come up to him and start asking questions.

Mostly he just wanted to be alone with his shame. Chris had said that Eli was forgiven, and for some reason had said he was the one to blame. He’d probably only said that it was okay because he felt grateful that Eli had come for him and fought off those weres.

Meanwhile, Eli had been the reason Chris was attacked again to begin with, and Eli doubted he would have been so lucky as to defeat all of them if Chris hadn’t snuck up on that other were with a rock in midtransformation.

Let Chris tell James what had happened. Eli wanted to be alone.

He slammed the door to his cabin and went straight for the kitchen

58                          Marcy Jacks

cupboard under the sink. He grabbed the first bottle he saw. It was a

little more than half full. It would have to do.

Just as he lifted the bottle to his mouth, he caught sight of one of the framed photos of himself and Eric, still propped up on the counter from when Eli had put it there the last time he’d been home.

His hand shook around the bottle as he looked into the smiling eyes of his brother. Eli smiled, too, and he and Eric were proudly showing off their fishing catches to the camera.

He reached out and flipped the photo down, not wanting Eric to watch him drink himself stupid. Even though it was only a picture.

He took a long swallow of the whiskey, letting it burn all the way down his throat and into his stomach.

You should have been his mate. Not me, he thought, putting his

head back and taking another long swallow.

He sat down in one of his kitchen chairs. Both the table and the

two chairs had seen better days.

Eric was always the most sensitive of the two of them. On the few  times when they went out, sometimes sharing the men, or women,  they picked up, Eli had always seen the gentlemanly way Eric had  treated his partners, even when he’d had his dick in their mouths.

He never would have misread the signs Chris was sending him as  badly as Eli had done. He never would have been that rough.

Don’t think about it. It’ll be okay soon. Don’t think about it.

“God, I wish I had some ice for this shit.”

Eli’s Reluctant Mate                       59

Chapter Seven

“Well, it’s not like you’re officially part of this pack yet, so I can’t  exactly punish you for running off like that when it was explained to  you the dangers that would be lurking out there,” James DeWitt, the  pack leader in charge of  this camp of werewolves, said. Words like  that were supposed to be comforting, but it was the way he said it, and  the tone he used, that made Chris feel a whole lot of shame for his

actions.

He was a grown man. He should have known better than to just

run  off like that, and he felt the need to apologize. “I’m sorry that one  of your friends was put in danger because of what I did.”

James looked at him, and that scarred face of his made it difficult  for Chris to tell whether or not he was being glared at. “Why did you  run off? No one here has threatened to hurt you, as far as I know, nor  would they. Intentionally,” he added, hastily.

Chris pressed his lips together, forcing himself to keep his eyes  locked onto the man in front of him. He was not weak or small  or

helpless, and he wouldn’t act like he was either.

“Corey tells me that he left you with Eli. What happened out

there?”

Chris almost took a step back in his