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Kevin had a nice body underneath the sheet that was covering him. His face actually did look a bit like Brad Pitt’s, as Tucker said, though softer, his face not so angular. Richard thought he was better looking too. His hand strayed to Kevin’s hair, and he pushed it off his forehead. It was too long for a policeman, really. He wondered if they gave him a hard time about it. He noticed Gavin staring at Kevin, and felt vaguely jealous and uneasy. He reached down to pull the sheet up higher on Kevin’s chest and saw his alpha give him a strange look.
“How are we going to proceed?” Richard asked, and Gavin shrugged.
“Hell if I know,” Gavin replied. “I’ve never been in a situation like this before. If no one knows where he is, we keep him in here for a few days to let him get used to us. Tucker’s already furious. He wanted one more try to convince him to leave and keep his mouth shut, but you made that decision easy for me. We’re pretty much committed now. I’ll have to consult with the other alphas, but I know they’ll agree assimilation is our best option. Tucker will have to come to terms with it, somehow. In the meantime, we’ll have time to convince him to let us select a mate for him. I don’t want to have to force him. The full moon is in another few days, so we’ll need to keep a close watch on him until afterward. There’ll be enough going on then without adding this to the mix. ” He stared down at him and frowned. “Perhaps in time, he’ll want to join us. Or we can persuade him. Are you sure you couldn’t tell about him from your talk in the hotel or on the way over here? Do you think he’ll be able to join the pack and follow orders? Pack hierarchy is usually the hardest thing for humans to adjust to. ”
Richard shook his head. “He was too resentful of me and too anxious to protect Tucker for me to get a good read on him. I couldn’t get a clear notion of how submissive he is. When I put him down on the bed, he did give in, but not right away. I think the right man could master him. ”
“The right man, huh? And who would that be?”
“No idea. It would have to be someone my age or older, probably. Someone’s who’s learned some patience. Someone who isn’t still trying to find a bloodmatch, yet attractive enough that he can seduce him. Tucker insists this can’t be a forced mating, and I’d really hate to resort to any kind of mind altering techniques with him. He’s been a good friend to Tucker. He came here out of concern for him. ”
“I know,” Gavin said thoughtfully. He regarded his beta speculatively. “Actually, this prospective wolf mate you’re describing sounds a little like you. ”
Richard shook his head firmly. “No. No way. My bloodmate died a long time ago, and I have no interest in a love match. No. We’ll find him someone, if not here, then at one of the other lodges. That is, if he’s suitable. We don’t want to pair him with someone who’ll make his life miserable…and vice versa. ”
A door closing behind Richard caused him to turn as Tucker came in the room. He walked up beside Gavin, hugging his arms to his chest, obviously still upset. “Not awake yet, huh? Damn, he’s going to be so angry. I wonder if he’ll ever speak to me again. ” He turned to his father. “I should have been given a chance to explain things to him first. You didn’t have to drug him. ”
“If you think he would willingly have let us strip search him and take his car, then you don’t know him as well as you think you do. ”
Gavin broke in. “Tucker, it’s not up to you, honey. This is a pack decision. ”
“I know you’re angry, Tucker, and I’m sorry,” Richard said. “I have to do what I think is best for all of us, and we had to make sure he didn’t have any tracking devices. From what I’ve seen of him so far, I knew he’d fight me. I didn’t hurt him…the doctor assured me the sedative was fairly mild, even though it was fast-acting. He’ll wake up soon. ”
“Are you still determined to be in here with him alone when he wakes up?” Tucker asked his father.
“I think it’s best. He’s familiar with me, and he already thinks of me as the bad guy. Let him cuss me for a while and calm down before I call you in,” Richard said.
“Oh, we’re doing the bad cop, good cop thing, hmm? Okay, but don’t get him too crazy, or I won’t be able to settle him down enough to get him to listen to me,” Tucker said. He pointed his finger at his father. “And don’t make him mad. You guys don’t always realize how overbearing you can be. ”
Richard smiled. “I make no promises. He’s got a short fuse. ”
Kevin groaned and raised his knee restlessly, trying to turn over. The cuff on one wrist attached to the headboard prevented it.
“Is cuffing him really necessary?” Tucker asked.
“I won’t keep it on him long. Just making a point with him, that’s all. ”
Tucker opened his mouth to say more, but a loud groan from the bed stopped him. Kevin thrashed his head on the pillow. “Better get out of here,” Richard said. “It looks like he’s waking up. I’ll call you after we talk. ”
Tucker left with reluctance, allowing Gavin to tug him away, and Richard was alone with the beautiful man on the bed. Giving into the temptation to touch him, he brushed his fingers over one flushed cheek. He thought about what Gavin had said about him taking this man for a mate.
It had been so long since he’d allowed himself to have someone to love. As the beta, he lived his life mostly for the good of his alpha and his pack. Only once had he allowed himself to love someone who belonged only to him, and for that brief span of time, he’d had a treasure in his hands, only to have it snatched cruelly away. Now this new treasure was here within reach. Was it possible to have it all again? Did he dare to even try? There had been cases—a few—where a wolf had managed to not only survive the death of his mate but to find love again. The beta of the North Carolina pack had managed it. It was very rare, but possible.
His wolf stirred inside him, restless and edgy. He dropped his hand and turned away. No, it was too risky, and there was too much to lose. This time, if he lost, he knew he wouldn’t survive. The pain would surely kill him. He wouldn’t risk it all again, no matter how much he wanted this man. He stood up and crossed to the window as Kevin moved his head on the pillow, trying to wake up. Richard stared out the window and hardened his heart. He wouldn’t be hurt like that again. A love like he’d had with his wife only came once in a blue moon, and never came again. Besides, this guy didn’t even like him. He glanced back over at him. If only he wasn’t so desirable.
* * * *
Kevin’s eyelids fluttered and then opened, as he tried to wake up. He lay on his back, one wrist bound above his head. Groggily, he took stock of his situation. His head ached and his stomach twisted with nausea when he tried to sit up. He was cuffed to a soft bed in a darkened room. His clothing had been removed, but he didn’t seem to have any injuries. Tucker must have prevented that. Tucker…it hurt to think he was part of this, but he knew he wasn’t really responsible for the betrayal. The bastards who brainwashed him were behind all of it.
He heard a slight noise to his left and saw the man who had attacked and drugged him standing by the window. He was silent, watching. It was a little scary to realize he could be so quiet and unmoving. It didn’t seem natural, somehow. Had he been watching Kevin as he slept? The idea caused a chill to run down Kevin’s spine. Richard’s gaze seemed to be measuring Kevin, though his posture was relaxed, and his face calm. His expression gave no indication of what he had planned for him.
The silence grew as they stared at each other. Richard let his unreadable gaze travel slowly over Kevin’s body and though Kevin was covered with a sheet, Richard’s eyes seemed to map every inch of him. Kevin was irritated to feel a hot blush starting on his cheeks. He had no doubt who had undressed him as he lay unconscious. He glanced up into the man’s eyes and saw the cool, steady regard. Once they arrived at the compound, Kevin had let his guard down, and now he would pay the price. This man was a predator, and he would do well to remember that.
His mouth felt as dry and dusty as a backcountry road as he cleared his throat to speak. “Well, I should have known you’d be here. Where’s Tucker? Why the fuck am I cuffed to this bed?”
Richard prowled closer to the bed, his eyes intent on Kevin’s face. “Tucker’s fine. He’ll be in to see you soon, but first you and I are going to have a little talk. ”
Kevin pulled viciously at the cuff on his wrist. “Get me out of this shit!”
