Philip Harrington vs. Troy 'Travis' Stanton

Pix: Troy's golden wolf

Video: Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna

Enjoy!

***

Troy opened his eyes, blinking his vision clear as he stretched. He groaned at the slight pain he felt as his joints cracked and popped. It felt as if he'd gone through some strenuous exercises or carried tons of bricks up and down a flight of stairs. He wondered what exactly he'd done the day before to...

"Oh, my god..." Troy gasped as he shot up into a sitting position. "I'm a wolf!" He sounded both surprised and awed. He could feel his beast inside him. And it felt surprisingly good. "Oh my god, I'm really a werewolf." He gasped, looking down at himself. His eyes widened in surprise when he lifted the covers and realized he was naked underneath. "What the hell..."

Troy finally shifted his gaze around the room and groaned. He remembered the room he was in. It belonged to Philip. Where was he anyway, Troy wondered. Was Philip the one who'd stripped him or he'd done it himself, he frowned. He did remember turning into a wolf but the rest was a bit hazy. He actually recalled feeling so angry he'd fought with Philip. He groaned when he remembered how Philip had thwarted all his efforts to get in a good bite.

"Twerp." Troy muttered but found himself smiling despite himself.

He moaned when he remembered how at some point, he'd begun to enjoy whatever it was Philip was making them do. It had almost felt as if the bigger wolf was playing with him. But of course, the bully had managed to pin him down at a point. Then he'd... Troy gasped as his hand shot up to his neck.

"The hell..." He could feel the mark on his neck.

Troy scrambled out of bed, drawing the covers with him, and went to stand in front of the mirror on one side of the wall. He growled when he saw the mark. Philip had bitten him. The mark, though not a fresh wound, looked red. Why the fuck had Philip bitten him, Troy wondered as he rubbed his hand over the mark.

"Oh, my god..." He shuddered as the most delicious feeling rocked through him, straight into his balls. He doubled over and panted. He'd never felt anything like that. Or had he?

Troy straightened up as his mind went back to when he'd felt Philip biting him. He couldn't stop the full-body blush that assailed him when he remembered what had happened to him during that bite. What he'd felt when Philip's long canines had sunk deep into his neck was definitely nothing like what he'd felt when he rubbed on the mark. Even though he'd been in his wolf form then, Troy knew exactly what was happening when he felt himself spilling onto the carpet. He'd read enough to know that that kind of intense, earth-shatteringly sweet feeling accompanied by all that had gushed out of his wolf-dick was none other than an orgasm. And what an orgasm it had been...

"Holy hell..." Troy shuddered when he recalled that sweet, painless hold and the heat, pleasure, and projection of ownership and dominance that had overtaken his senses.

At that moment when he was being bitten, he had no idea why Philip was doing that but it had felt so right he hadn't wanted Philip to stop. He'd never felt anything so exquisitely good. Just thinking about it was... Troy dropped the covers and stared at this pulsing erection.

"Wow..." Troy looked awed as he stared. He'd never had one that hard before. And even that only happened when he needed to pee in the mornings. He'd read about how hard it could get when a person got sexually excited. He'd just never felt excited enough to get one.

His eyes moved up the image in the mirror. Did he look a bit different, Troy wondered. He looked as if he'd filled out overnight. He could actually see some muscles. He looked...not so skinny anymore. His eyes fell back to his pulsing cock. He couldn't believe that his very first orgasm had actually occurred whilst he was a wolf. Troy reached down and took his leaking hardness into his hand. It was so warm and...

"Finally, he joins the living." Troy heard Philip's voice and turned to the door with a gasp.

"Ever heard of knocking?" He snapped as he quickly bent and picked up the covers to cover his cock.

"Err...it's my room." Philip drawled, fully entering the room. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

Troy heard the question but couldn't bring himself to come up with an appropriate answer. All he could do was stare at Philip. Had the guy gotten more gorgeous overnight, he asked himself silently. He was in a simple black polo shirt and faded blue jeans but he looked so sexy. Those grey eyes... Troy knew he could get lost in them if he looked too deep. And that body... The man was built like a Roman gladiator. Troy could have bet his last cent Philp was around six 'seven in height. His own height of five 'eleven looked dwarfish beside the man.

"Six 'four." Philip said with an amused look.

"Huh?" Troy didn't look like he knew what Philip was talking about. He was too engrossed in the sizzling hot hunk standing before him to dwell on any other thing. And that hair...so dark and silky. Troy wondered how it would feel like to run his finger through it. And that mouth...

"Dude..." Philip gave a breathless chuckle. The more he listened to Troy's thoughts, the tighter his jeans got. "Don't make it difficult for me, please." He dropped the sweatpants and t-shirt he was holding on the bed.

"Huh?" Troy looked dazed. "Make what difficult for what?"

Philip sighed as he looked at his mate. He really wasn't in the mood to go into all that mind-link talk with Troy. He could bet his last cent that Troy was going to go nuts if he explained to him that he could actually hear his thoughts. They were still linked. And until Troy learnt to shield his thoughts from him, he would be able to hear everything that his mate thought.

"Why did you bite me?" Troy asked.

"Oh, fuck...here we go..." Philip groaned as he combed his fingers through his hair. He really wasn't ready to go through that either. Seeing Troy standing right before him in a state of undress was doing crazy things to his system. And that, for him, trumped schooling his mate on the mate marking and mind-links. "How about you put something on, huh?" He gestured towards the clothes on the bed.

"How about answering my question?" Troy shot back. "I know you bit me so don't even try to..."

"I haven't said I didn't..." Philip said with a shrug.

"So why did you bite me?" Troy stared Philip down. "And no bullshitting..."

"Sure you're not hungry?" Philip stalled, his eyes dropping to where Troy clutched the covers against his erection. "For food I mean?" He raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Troy went red so fast he flopped onto the bed and drew the covers up to his neck. "I'm not hungry." He croaked.

"I'm not buying that." Philip chuckled as he went to draw the blinds.

"It's already past noon?" Troy muttered as he looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already past four p.m.

"Well..." Philip drawled. "It's past noon alright but... Not on the day you think."

"What do you mean?"

"You actually slept through an entire day." Philip explained as he folded his arms across his massive chest and stared at his mate.

"What?"

"Since you remember I bit you, I'm going to assume you remember everything." Philip said. "You were totally out by the time we left the Jungle Room. That was around eight a.m. And that was yesterday."

"Last I remembered, I was a wolf." Troy mumbled.

"No shit." Philip grinned, ignoring Troy's annoyed scowl. "Anyway, you did shift back before we left."

"How could I turn back into human and not remember?"

"Oh, you could barely keep your eyes open." Philip revealed. "I asked you to shift before you passed out. Then I cleaned you up and brought you here?"

Troy went quiet for a moment, surprised he'd even done as Philip had asked. "And why did you decide to bring me to your room?"

"You did come here to hide out, remember?" Philip drawled. "Care to tell me why?"

But that question was all it took to change Troy's demeanor. He suddenly fell back on the bed with a groan. "Oh god, shit, shit, shit... What did I do?" He moaned pitifully, confusing Philip. "I need to see Ryan." He got off the bed, not minding at all that he was exposing his full nakedness to Philip, and reached for the t-shirt Philip had brought.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Troy groaned. "I nearly killed the guy. I don't know how he managed not to get hurt but... I need to go and apologize. Oh god..." He looked so upset. "I don't even remember conjuring that fireball. I would never want to hurt him." He muttered as he pulled on the t-shirt. "You, I wouldn't think twice about hurting...because you deserve to be roasted alive on an open fire...but Ryan, oh god." He grabbed the sweatpants but Philip took it from him and drew him close.

"Hey..." Philip said softly. It didn't feel good to know his mate wanted him roasted alive but he could tell that Troy didn't really mean that so he wasn't too bothered. "Why don't you take a shower first just to calm yourself down?" Philip murmured. "Then you can go apologize."

"I need to apologize to him before I do anything." Ryan insisted. "My mother says he's pregnant. What if..."

"Hey, relax." Philip whispered as he leaned his forehead against Troy's. Troy's distress was affecting him and he hated the feeling. Unfortunately, that was one of the effects of marking one's mate. You got to feel whatever your mate was feeling. "Please relax. Nothing happened."

"That's not the point." Troy groaned. "What if it had?"

"And that's why you are going to apologize." Philip said calmly. "But I just need you to calm down first." Philip raised his head and looked into Troy's captivating blue eyes. "Please."

"I can't." Troy whimpered. "The guilt inside is..."

"I know." Philip started rubbing his fingers along the back of Troy's neck. The guy was clearly overwhelmed by the intensity of what he was feeling.

Shifting had predictably heightened Troy's senses and emotions. It was, therefore, only natural for him to feel intense guilt at what he'd done. It would take a while for him to be able to learn how to control his emotions.

Troy leaned into Philip's touch. He knew he had to move away from Philip and do what was necessary...go and find Ryan. But those fingers felt so good he couldn't bring himself to push Philip away. "I really need to go..."

"Shhh..." Philip simply wanted to calm his mate down. One couldn't tell what Troy would do if his emotions got the best of him. "I'll let you go." He whispered as his rubbing fingers moved to the sides of Troy's neck. "Just relax..."

"Ahh..." Troy moaned suddenly as a delicious shudder flashed through him. Philip was rubbing that mark with his fingers. Troy pressed himself against Philip. "What did you do to me?" He asked shakily as his eyes fluttered close. "That mark..."

"What about it?"

"When you touch... holy hell..." Troy moaned frenziedly and pressed even harder against Philip, his erection rubbing against Philip's denim-covered thigh. He was so hard. "Why am I feeling like this..." He whispered, rubbing himself against Philip. "Feels so good." His face was pressed against Philip's neck. "No, don't stop." He breathed when Philip stopped rubbing the mark. "Keep going, please." He pleaded. He was almost...

"Troy..." Philip groaned but he did as his mate had asked. "I shouldn't be doing..." He trailed off when Troy began to writhe against him in orgasmic bliss.

"Oh god..." Troy cried shakily as a shattering release swept through him, stealing his breath.

Perspiration broke out on Philip as he watched his mate. With his head thrown back, lips parted and eyes closed, Troy was a picture of male ecstasy. Through lowered lids, Philip's eyes lingered on Troy's face, utterly enthralled by him. And the luscious scent of his cum...

"Fuck..." Philip swore when his eyes turned amber. That didn't surprise the alpha at all. It was only natural for his wolf to pop up at such a time. It clearly wanted a piece of Troy.

Philip's hold on control was virtually nonexistent at that point. He was a breath away from giving in to the mad desire to take his mate right there and then. The only thing holding him back was that burning issue of total disclosure. He knew that he had to first tell Troy all about that mark and why he'd given it to him before he attempted anything intimate with the boy. He squeezed his eyes closed and tried to push his sexy mate from his mind. It was either that or lose control and fuck the living daylights out of him.

"Fuck, this is killing me." Philip groaned and stepped back from a still moaning Troy.

"I'm so...sorry..." Troy stuttered as his eyes fell on not only the evidence of his orgasm on Philip's jeans but the bulge of Philip's blatant arousal. "Sorry..."

"An apology?" Philip rasped. "I must be dreaming."

"I...'

"Go and take a shower, Troy." Philip pointed at the en-suite bathroom. "We will talk when you're done."

"How about Ryan..."

"You will shower, eat, listen to what I have to say, and then..."

"You can't force me to do what I don't want to do." Troy snapped.

"I can and I will." Philip growled.

"Who made you the boss of me?" Troy growled right back.

"You do this to me," Philip pointed at the cum on his jeans, "and then have the audacity to show me attitude immediately after?" Philip knew that was a low blow and totally uncalled for but he didn't really care. Troy brought out the nasty in him. He almost apologized when all the fire went out of Troy's eyes to be replaced by mortification.

"I apologized." Troy said quietly, his face turning red. "Please, I really need to do this."

"Alright." Philip sighed. "At least take a shower first."

Troy nodded and turned to go. Philip had to suppress his groan at the sight of his mate's bare arse. It was so fucking perfect. Admittedly, it was nothing like the usual curvy feminine ones he was used to. But the alpha didn't think he'd seen a sexier arse. The warm throbbing desire in his groin was a clear indication of just how sexy he found his mate. And that body... Troy looked as fit as fuck. As if he'd had a growth spurt. Philip couldn't wait to have that body beneath him. He wanted to...

"Fucking pull yourself together, Philip." He muttered to himself as his hand went to his zipper. At least he'd finally experienced the saying, 'rub to bliss'. It was a popular saying amongst mated werewolves. "Rub to bliss." Philip chuckled as he took off his jeans.

Mated couples saw that blissful caress as a form of foreplay, giving a mate a quick release, or a reminder of what was to come later in bed. Well, Philip planned on using that power in a totally different way. Anytime his sassy, smart-mouthed mate decided to open his mouth and spew trash, he planned on shutting him up with that erotic caress. He was going to enjoy watching Troy's eyes roll into his head in absolute bliss right in the middle of running his mouth. Philip couldn't stop grinning as he changed into clean jeans. Troy had no idea what he was in for.

***

"Bright side, there are going to be no attacks from all those jealous exes." Stan drawled, staring at the monitors. "He's been marked."

Receiving the mating mark was a sure guarantee of Troy's safety from anyone who wanted to harm him in any way. He'd been marked by an alpha. That mark would scare people with evil intentions away from Troy. No one in their right minds would dare attack an alpha's mate who bore the alpha's mark.

"Still doesn't make it right." Joel muttered. "The council is going to have Philip's head for this." He groaned. As a member of the council, he knew how seriously they took it when their rules were flouted.

"Aw y'all should shove your rules where the sun doesn't shine." Stan snorted, making Paige, George, and Pete erupt with laughter.

"You know, that smart mouth of yours is going to land you in trouble one of these days, Stanley." Joel snapped.

"I'm so ready for that day." Stan grinned.

"In as much as I'm happy about the fact that my son isn't going to be attacked by all those bitches, I hate that Philip didn't show him the needed respect and courtesy by first telling him what he is to him before marking him. Travis should have given his consent before he was claimed. That's the right thing to do. And for that, I have a bone to pick with Philip."

"That's what I said." Joel sighed. "Silly boy wouldn't listen to reason though."

"You feel as if they've eloped huh?" Paige asked Gloria softly.

"More like he's stolen my son from me actually." Gloria growled low in her throat. "If he'd done it with my son's consent, then we could have comfortably said they've eloped. But the poor boy doesn't know what's going on." Gloria looked pissed.

"Maybe the alpha wanted so much to spare those bitches from your wrath, he didn't think." Pete, the head assassin interjected, hoping to tone down Gloria's anger towards his alpha.

"I think so too, Pete." Stan said as he took his seat. "You should have seen the determination with which he dug into the neck of that golden wolf. And boy, did your son enjoy it, Mama G." He grinned, his eyes filled with a naughty glint. "The boy fucking drooled the entire time those fangs were buried in his neck."

"Do you blame him?" Joel chuckled. "Receiving the mating mark is the most pleasurable bite ever, you know. Especially if it's done during mating. The ultimate experience."

"Which my son couldn't experience thanks to your hot-headed son." Gloria fumed.

"Aw come on Gloria." Joel rasped. "You know Philip is not a hothead."

"Well, Troy still got his happy ending, Mama G." Stan laughed. "Those lustful whimpers and all that cum. Damn." He muttered as he reached out to adjust one of the monitors. Everyone burst into laughter.

"You're nuts, Stanley." Gloria chuckled despite herself. "I can't wait to see his wolf." She moaned. When she went to see her son the day before in Philip's suite, he'd been fast asleep. And he'd looked even more handsome and so fit.

"Oh, you'll see him in all his golden glory at the run tomorrow." Stan said. "Trust me, he's dope as fuck." He pushed a button on the console. "Kate, what's that black thing on the tree to your left?" He asked the head warrior.

"I'll check it out, boss." Came Kate's voice over the intercom.

The pack was to have their monthly run the next day. Stan, Joel, Gloria, Paige, George the head hunter, and Pete the head assassin, were in the Operations Control Room, watching as the warriors moved through the woods for a final check. Although Joel and Gloria were elders and not part of the monitoring team, they always made it a point to be present during a final check. As a former head warrior, Gloria always wanted to see for herself that the pack would be safe during their run. Like Gloria, Joel, who had acted as alpha of Stanwood Pack for years after the death of Sylvester Stanton, deemed it his duty to ensure that every detail had been covered. But for his mate, Philip would have been there too.

"It's Black Knot, boss." Kate's voice was heard again. "We'll prune and spray them next week."

"Cool. Just be sure to dot all your i's and cross all your t's, yeah?" Stan instructed.

"Will see to it, boss."

"He's up." Paige squealed. "Philip just told me. We can go and see him after we're done here."

"Good." Gloria nodded.

***

Troy pressed the doorbell and rubbed his clammy palms on his sweats as he waited. He'd had to convince Philip not to come with him. This was between him and Ryan and no one else.

"It's opened." He heard Ryan call from inside the suite.

Troy pushed open the door and entered a classically decorated living room. He froze immediately. Troy didn't know why but he felt so much energy and power in the room. His anxiety level shot up instantly. He didn't know whether to leave or stay. His eyes went to the couple sitting on the couch. Jeremy sat with his eyes closed and his head thrown back. And Ryan was straddling him with his face tucked against Jeremy's neck. Troy just stood and stared.

"Ryan?" Troy finally called softly.

"Troy?" Ryan immediately sat up and turned to look at Troy. "I'm so sorry, I assumed whoever it was, was after Jeremy." He got off Jeremy's lap. "You smell different." He smiled as he walked towards Troy. "Are you alright?" He gave Troy a hug when he got to him. Jeremy remained seated with his eyes closed.

"I'm alright, thanks for asking." Troy muttered.

"Have a seat." Ryan gestured towards the seats.

"That's not necessary." Troy said quickly. "I came to apologize for what I did the other day. I really didn't mean for that to happen."

"It's okay, Troy. Noth..."

"It's not okay." Jeremy said from where he sat, eyes still closed. "Allow him to apologize."

"Jeremy please..." Ryan growled low in his throat.

"No, he's right." Troy said, his eyes downcast. "I don't know how you survived that but I'm very happy you did. I am sincerely sorry for my behaviour. I hope you can forgive me. I promised not to do that again."

"Well, you can't, even if you try." Jeremy said in a voice that sent a chill down Troy's spine. "You lost that power when you used it against him." He finally opened his eyes and sat up.

Troy gasped when he saw Jeremy's eyes. They were blood red. "Oh, my god..." He whispered, remembering what his mother had told him about his brother.

"Give me a moment." Ryan whispered. Then he went to stand in front of his mate and hooked his hands on his hips in an angry posture. "Dude..."

"Shhh..." The Ojah shushed his mate as he got to his feet. Then he drew Ryan into his arms. But those red eyes stared into Troy's over Ryan's head. "I'll be watching you." In the next instant, Jeremy's eyes were no longer red but as blue as Troy's. "Troy?" Jeremy released his mate and started towards his brother. "Hey..."

But Troy took a step back. "I just came to apologize to Ryan." He whispered, eyes wary. "I mean him no harm."

"I know." Jeremy stopped walking. "I heard you. He...he was here but I heard everything. I'm sorry for how I reacted." Jeremy was clearly feeling guilty for his violence towards his brother.

"No, that's..." Troy's voice cracked. He recalled Jeremy's reaction on that fateful day and how terrified he'd been. That, coupled with the guilt inside and the Ojah's frosty attitude was too much. "I know you hate me for what I did to..."

"No, no, no I can never hate you, Troy." Jeremy started to walk again when he saw tears well up in Troy's eyes. "Hey, don't..."

Just when Jeremy got to him, Troy broke down, sobs wracking his body. Jeremy drew him into his arms and held him as he cried. "I'm so sorry." He kept saying.

"I know and I'm sorry too, kiddo." Jeremy buried his face in his brother's hair and held him tightly as he cried his heart out.

Troy tried to stop his tears but they just wouldn't stop. He honestly didn't know why he was even crying. It felt as if all the emotions he'd bottled up since he found himself on the streets had coalesced and finally erupted. Troy felt more than saw Philip in the suite with them. He felt him in his head, encouraging him to let it all out. And he did just that. It felt good too. When he eventually quieted down, Jeremy wiped his face with a tissue Ryan handed him and then leaned back to look at him. His own eyes didn't look so dry.

"Better?" Jeremy murmured. At Troy's nod, he grinned and asked; "Hungry?"

"Famished." Troy laughed softly. "But Philip is waiting for..."

"I'm here." Philip said from his perch on one of Jeremy's barstools where he was absentmindedly flipping through the channels.

"Oh, I didn't hear you come in." Troy croaked, hating that Philip had seen him crying. Philip heard his thoughts perfectly.

"That's because you were busy being a crybaby." Philip shrugged, succeeding in making Troy blush and scowl at the same time. "Your mum and the others will be joining us so I've asked Maria to serve all of us in the dining room. Want to go back and change the sweats?"

"I'll give him a pair of jeans to change into." Ryan said. "You two should take the lead. We'll be down soon."

"Alright, darling." Jeremy said as he fell into step beside Philip who had already started for the door. "See you soon, Troy."

But Troy didn't respond to his brother's words. He only stared at Philip's retreating back, willing him to stay. He didn't want Philip to leave him. The thought of Philip leaving strangely made him feel as if he was losing something. The feeling wasn't pleasant at all. 'What's wrong with me?' Troy asked himself silently, shocked at his weird feelings about Philip. His breath hitched in his throat when Philip suddenly stop at the door and slowly turned around to fix his gaze him.

'You cool?' Philip asked his mate on their mind-link. But Troy remained quiet. "I asked you a question." Philip said out loud.

"Err...yeah. I'm cool." Troy mumbled.

'Can I go?' Philip reverted to their mind-link. At Troy's nod, he turned to go. "Good. See you." With that, Philip closed the door behind him and Jeremy.

***

"What was that all about?" Jeremy asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"Nothing. Just wanted to know whether he was okay with coming later."

"Why would you think he wouldn't be okay?" Jeremy looked at his friend.

Philip turned his gaze on Jeremy. "'Cause your brother was wishing I wouldn't leave." Philip drawled.

"Doesn't know you can read his thoughts, does he?" Jeremy chuckled.

"Nope."

Both men burst into laughter.

"You sure he's okay to be amongst people?" Jeremy asked as they exited the elevator.

"He's fine."

"Did you compel him not to hurt anyone or destroy stuff?"

"No, but he'll be fine." Philip said confidently.

"Lip..." Jeremy groaned. "That mate of yours..."

"I've got this, Jer." Philip muttered.

"I hope you do."

*

In the huge dining room on the third floor, all the people who had been in the control room were seated, enjoying some chilled cocktails. Although they were hungry and would have loved to dig in the varieties of food laid out on the dining table, they had to wait for their alpha and the alpha of all alphas to serve themselves first before they took their turn. That was protocol. They laughed as they listened to Pete's story about how Troy had been a pain in the arse during the battle with the Wyatt clan.

"In fact, I almost shifted back to human when I saw the boy because I wanted to strangle him with my bare hands." Pete said.

"What did he do?" Gloria chuckled.

"Mama G, that son of yours has got a mean aim, I ain't gonna lie." Pete groaned. "He wounded Malik and Alex."

"Malik?" Joel looked shocked.

"Now you understand why I said he's got aim?" Pete chuckled.

"If Pete and I had gotten to him..." Stan shook his head as he recalled how both Pete and himself had charged at Troy on that day.

"Well, thank Luna you didn't." Philip growled as he entered the room with Jeremy. "'Cause I'd have whooped your asses." He drawled as he and Jeremy went around the table, greeting everyone.

As everyone laughed at what Philip had said, Paige looked at the door with a frown. "Where are Ryan and Troy?"

"They'll be here in a moment." Jeremy responded as he hugged his mother.

"Oh, great." Paige muttered as she grabbed her cell phone and began to dial. "Hope he hasn't left the suite yet." She muttered as she moved to a corner of the room. "Ryan, please bring me the assessment book when you're coming down." Paige said as soon as Ryan picked her call. As lecturers, Paige and Ryan were always talking about one book or the other. Paige listened to whatever Ryan was saying for a moment and went all persuasive suddenly. "Aw come on, go back and pick it up. I'll use it tonight. Pretty please with cherries on top." She purred, and then gave a huge smile, gushed her thanks, and then hung up.

Philip chose to go to Gloria last as he greeted the people in the room. He knew that his mate's mother was angry at him. Because he'd had to stay by his mate's side, he hadn't been able to go and talk to Gloria as he knew he should. When Gloria came to his suite the day before to see her son, she hadn't said a word to him. She'd clearly been briefed by Joel after Troy's premier-shift so she already knew her son had been marked. And it was obvious she wasn't happy.

When Philip got to Gloria, he didn't make any move to hug her as he ordinarily would have. Neither did Gloria acknowledge the alpha's presence beside her. Philip simply stood before her and looked at her. Everyone at the table went quiet.

"Mum..." Jeremy groaned.

"Shut up, Jeremy." Gloria snapped as she got to her feet. "Can we talk outside?" She finally addressed her alpha and son-in-law.

"Sure." Philip turned and preceded Gloria outside.

"I'm not going to beat about the bush, Philip." Gloria said as soon as they'd gotten away from the closed door. "I'm not happy with what you've done." Neither heard when the elevator pinged open for its lone occupant.

"I know." Philip murmured. "There's nothing fair about what I did and nothing I can say will make it okay...much as I wish it could. I should have exercised restraint, I know. I'm sor..."

"You know I already had an issue with the fact that he wasn't prepared enough." Gloria stated in a cold voice. "But you just had to throw this in. I feel so disrespected. And I know Travis is going to feel same when he gets to know. Marking a mate is a very sacred and important thing. Both of you need to be on the same page before that is done. And you know that. But you didn't even bother telling my son what you are to him or ask for his consent before marking him as your mate. Who does that?" Gloria asked heatedly. "You didn't give my son the respect he deserves and for that, I've very angry. The fact that he was taken away from us for years doesn't make him any less of a werewolf or a person for that matter."

"I'm sorry." Philip sighed. "Sorry doesn't make it better but."

"You're right. It doesn't make it any better." Gloria shook her head. "I'm so disappointed in you Philip." She turned to go.

"Mama G, come on..." Philip turned and reached out to hold Gloria back but froze when he saw Troy staring at both him and an equally frozen Gloria. "Troy..." He felt his heart drop into his stomach. That was definitely not how he'd planned on coming clean to his mate.

"Baby are you okay?" Gloria started towards her son but Troy's shocked, accusing eyes remained on Philip. "Hey, come here." Gloria drew Troy into her arms for a fierce hug.

Troy's eyes never once left Philip's throughout the hug. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. His mother had told him a lot about werewolves. And she had explained the concept of mating at length. She'd told him that mating was like the human marriage only more intense and compelling. Not only did werewolves mate for life, they were also emotionally and sexually connected to their mates for life. She'd also told him about the mating mark and what it meant. That was the ultimate establishment of eternal bond between two werewolves. A lot of things suddenly became clear to Troy.

"That's why you stopped the wolves from killing me, wasn't it?" Troy asked Philip as he stepped out of his mother's embrace. His voice lacked emotion but Philip wasn't fooled because he could feel exactly what his mate was feeling right then. And there was nothing pleasant about the feeling. "A lot of things are beginning to make sense now." He muttered. The way he'd felt about Philip from the very first moment their eyes met, Philip's shitty behaviour towards Paul, how Philip had taken charge and gotten him stuff to use when he'd been brought to Stanwood Pack...which he would have thought his mother or Jeremy would have handled and not Philip, and so many other instances. He recalled how Philip had gotten furious and challenged Jeremy on that day he'd nearly killed Ryan. And the most recent...the intense lust he'd felt for Philip after that bite. Everything made sense now. "All those wild thoughts I've been having about you..."

"Troy..." Philip groaned.

"It's funny actually." But Troy's short laughter was devoid of humour. The emotions racing through him at that moment was anything but funny. "Think about it. I got married without knowing I'd gotten married. Weird." Troy felt his heart pound as his entire body began to tingle. He knew he was upset and a little angry about what Philip had done but he honestly didn't know why the feeling of anger within kept increasing by the second. "I know your Luna didn't really give me any choice but...did you have to force it on me like that?"

"Troy, calm down." Philip said low in his throat. He saw and felt how agitated Troy was getting. The fine shine of sweat on his forehead was telling enough.

"I'm calm." Troy rasped as he pushed his hands, which were trembling so bad into his back pocket. "I'm just..." His breathing became labored as he stared at Philip. "Shit..." He gasped. It was obvious his body was getting ready to shift. Since he was a new wolf, it was going to take some time to be able to shift quickly and painlessly.

"Honey..." Gloria moved closer to her son. "Please..." They all turned when the elevator opened to reveal Ryan.

"Hey, what are you guys doing outside the dining..." Ryan trailed off when he got a better look at a literally shaking Troy. It was obvious Troy was angry and about to shift. "Troy?" Ryan called out softly as he went to stand between Troy and Gloria. As he reached up to stroke Troy's hair, he gave the book he was holding to Gloria. "Shhhh..."

Philip growled low in his throat as he watched Ryan stroking Troy. Although he knew that Ryan was only helping Troy, the beast inside him felt the need to throw out a warning.

"Settle down, alpha." Gloria muttered, her eyes filled with worry. "You know he's only trying to help."

And like always, Ryan's calming energy worked. Troy began to breathe normal again. He was still angry at Philip but it was no longer the blinding rage that made him want to shift and destroy.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked when Troy took a step back.

"Yes, just hungry." Troy responded just as his stomach let out a rumbling sound.

"Come on then." Ryan laughed, starting for the dining room. At the door, Troy opened and held the door for his mother and Ryan to enter. Then he turned to look at Philip who still remained where he was. "Coming?"

"Yeah." Philip croaked and then cleared his throat. "Yes. Troy?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Can we talk after..."

"Nothing to talk about." Troy shrugged and then entered the dining room, leaving Philip staring after him.

***

Before they started eating, Troy apologized to everyone for his actions during the meeting before his premier shift. They all brushed his apologies aside graciously and assured him that they'd seen worse. Conversation flowed as everyone dug in and ate to their heart's content. During the meal, they told Troy interesting stories about their runs and general werewolf life which fascinated and amused him. As it always happened whenever it was time for their monthly run, the atmosphere crackled with excitement. Everyone in the room seemed to be in high spirits with the exception of the alpha himself. Philip's heart was so heavy he just wanted to go to his room and lie down but he didn't want to be rude to the others so he stayed. He didn't even feel for a run. For once, his wolf was very quiet and withdrawn.

"Are you okay, son?" Joel asked at a point during the meal.

"Yes." Philip responded but he could tell his father didn't believe him. He contemplated giving an excuse and...

"Can we swap seats, Stan?" Philip heard Troy asking Stan who was seated beside him.

"Sure, Troy." Stan grabbed his plate and glass as he stood. "Have something to discuss with the boss huh?" He grinned.

"I know he's my mate, Stan." Troy muttered, causing Stan's eyes to go wide.

"O-okay..." Stan drawled as he gave Philip a curious look. 'How the fuck did he know?' He virtually screeched on his mind-link with Philip as he went to where Troy had been seated. 'You said you were yet to tell...'

'He overheard his mum and I talking.' Philip responded.

'Shit!' Stan sat down on the seat Troy had vacated, between Paige and Ryan. 'Any last wishes?'

'Fuck off.' Philip growled as he looked up at his mate who had remained standing.

Troy stared back at Philip for a moment before pushing his chair closer to Philip's and taking his seat. He'd had a sudden urge to come and sit closer to Philip and give the silly man some comfort. Troy didn't know where that feeling had come from or why. But he'd done it for his own sanity as it had been bugging him throughout dinner. He had a niggling feeling of dejection within him which he could tell was coming from Philip. Again he didn't know how he knew but he just did. He was sure it was because of that mate thing. The idiot just had to bite him and cause all these chaotic feelings, Troy groaned silently as his eyes dropped to Philip's virtually untouched plate.

"You're not eating your food." Troy murmured the obvious.

"Not hungry." Philip mumbled. "Did you enjoy your meal?" He asked quietly.

"Yes." Troy looked around the table. "Listen, I'll be going with my mother after dinner." He murmured.

"Troy..."

"What?"

Philip locked gazes with his mate, saw the defiance in the beautiful blue eyes, and knew Troy wouldn't change his decision.

"Nothing." Philip rasped. Then he switched to their mind-link. 'It's just that... I'd very much love to run with you tomorrow morning.' He said quietly.

'I'll be running with my mother.' Troy responded and then turned to look at Philip when he felt his agitation. 'What?'

'I want to run with you, Troy.' Philip repeated.

'Well, we all can't get what we want, can we?' Troy smirked over the link. 'Say...some respect, disclosure, and a little heads-up...maybe? How about that?' Troy got to his feet. 'See you around.' With that, he sauntered over to where Jeremy sat.

"Hey, you good?" Jeremy grinned at his brother.

"Yeah." Troy nodded. "I was wondering if you could take me to see Paul. Feels like I haven't seen him in ages. "Do you mind, Ryan?" He turned to smile at Ryan.

"Not at all." Ryan responded. "I need to go over some stuff with Paige so keep him for as long as you want."

"Trying to get rid of me huh?" Jeremy chuckled. "Alright, ready when you are, kiddo."

"I'm ready." Troy responded eagerly as he turned to his mother. "Jeremy is taking me to see Paul. I'll come home from there. Wait up for me, please."

"I will." Gloria was so thrilled her son was referring to her place as home she completely missed the implication of his words. It only hit her when she saw the surprised look on Jeremy's face. "Err...wait... Wouldn't you rather stay at Phil..."

"Is there a problem with me wanting to come to you?" Troy asked with a raised brow.

Gloria looked up at her eldest son with confused eyes. Then she turned back to Troy with a brilliant smile. "No, of course not. I just thought... I'll be waiting up for you." Gloria said.

"Good." Troy said as he stood up. "See you guys tomorrow." He called out as Jeremy kissed Ryan.

"Bright and early." Stan responded amidst choruses of 'see ya' from the others. "You're going to have the best of fun."

"Looking forward to it." Troy grinned as he headed for the door without a glance in Philip's direction. He didn't even notice when Jeremy went to speak to Philip. He simply waited outside for Jeremy.

As the two brothers took the stairs to the huge elegant foyer with its beautifully detailed brick and marble floor, Jeremy kept looking at Troy with a bemused expression on his face. Troy didn't miss it.

"What?" Troy finally asked.

"You could have told him where you were going." Jeremy said quietly as he turned towards what appeared to be a concierge desk behind which a pretty lady stood with a brilliant smile. "I mean he knew but...you telling him would have been the right thing to do."

Troy didn't need to ask who Jeremy was referring to. "Well, you did tell him, didn't you?" He muttered, watching as Jeremy went behind the desk and grabbed a key.

"How are you, Clara?" Jeremy asked the smiling lady behind the desk.

"I'm great, Alpha Jeremy." Clara beamed. "Hi, Travis." She smiled at Troy.

"Hello, Clara." Troy smiled back. "And it's Troy."

"Ugh...I forgot." She slapped her palm against her forehead, making Troy laugh. "Ryan told me to call you Troy. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Travis is my name too. But I prefer Troy since I'm more used to it."

"I'll remember that next time." Clara grinned. "Bye."

Troy waved at Clara and followed Jeremy outside. "She's beautiful." Troy said, moving towards the imposing white Cadillac Escalade that Jeremy pointed to. He got inside and took a deep breath. "Err..."

"It's for Philip." Jeremy accurately guessed the question on Troy's mind. The car was saturated with Philip's scent. "Listen, I know what Lip did wasn't right but..." Jeremy began as he strapped Troy in, "you really need to try and let it go."

"Would you have been so forgiving if you were in my shoes?" Troy asked as Jeremy handled his own seat belt.

"I would have been pissed off." Jeremy said as he started the car and moved out. "But I would have also taken into consideration the circumstances which led to what happened."

"What circumstances exactly?" Troy asked, fixing his gaze on Jeremy. "I shifted and then the guy decided to link me to him for life without a word to me. What circumstances are we talking about here?"

"This is the first time ever that someone has actually stayed with a premier-shifter throughout their shift, Troy." Jeremy said quietly.

"Huh?"

"When a werewolf is going through his or her first shift, they are left to shift on their own. They are usually locked in the room alone because they get really violent immediately after the shift. Never has anyone been held and guided through a shift as Philip did with you."

"Never?" Troy sounded shocked.

"Never. But Lip did it for you because he felt your fear and wanted to be there for you."

"You didn't do that for Ryan?" Troy asked with an incredulous look on his face.

"No." Jeremy responded simply. "When you shifted, Lip also shifted because that was the only way he could have been able to defend himself if you attacked him...which you did, I'm told. Now, I don't know whether mum told you this but, although a wolf is one with its human, it behaves totally differently from the human. It was only natural for the alpha wolf to want to mark its mate, Troy. Lip didn't have much control over the actions of..."

"That's bullshit." Troy rasped. "Are you saying he couldn't have stopped it?"

"Oh, he could have. He just didn't want to. See, a wolf is stubborn like that. Especially an alpha wolf." Jeremy grinned. "Hey, shit happens, okay?" He sighed. "It's partly your fault though. I'm told your wolf was so strikingly beautiful it went straight to the idiot's head. He just had to make you his."

"Yeah right." Troy muttered. "What a douche."

"Really, there's nothing wrong with wanting to mark your mate. The only problem with what Lip did was not seeking your consent. By marking you, he's effectively killed the attacks that were going to come your way." He said as he turned onto Camille's street.

"From who?"

"His exes." Jeremy grinned, clearly enjoying himself. When he saw Troy's confused look, he erupted into laughter. "Mum will explain. And of course, there's the ceremony bit too."

"That's just a stupid rule." Troy muttered, as they parked in Camille's driveway. "How do they expect people to have sex with each other whilst other people look on? That's so crude and tasteless."

"Well, rules are rules." Jeremy chuckled.

"Did you do that with Ryan?"

"Nope. We..." He trailed off when Paul rushed out of the house with Camille in tow. "Saved by the bell." He muttered with obvious relief.

"I heard that." Troy said as he unbuckled his seat belt. "Did you tell them we were coming?" He chuckled when he heard Paul's excited laughter.

"Yep. I sent Cami a message." Jeremy said as he opened his door.

"Hey?" Troy's hand shot out to stop Jeremy from getting out. "You're going to tell me all about the mystery surrounding you and Ryan, brother mine. I find it strange that you didn't help him during his first shift like Philip did for me. And now you tell me y'all mated with no ceremony? Oh, there's a story. And you're going to tell me about it one of these days." At Jeremy's nod. Troy let go of him and turned to look at Paul who was rapping insistently on the window. "Hold your horses, pal." He laughed, opening his door.

"What in blazes happened to you?" Paul gasped as he stared at Troy with wide eyes. "Did you start taking steroids or something..."

***

"Shit..." Troy muttered as he swung his legs off his bed and sat up. He looked at his bedside clock and groaned. It was half-past two a.m. and he still hadn't slept a wink. And all because he couldn't get a certain grey eyed hunk out of his mind.

Troy had been tossing and turning since he went to bed after visiting Paul. Maybe it was the bed, he thought as he grabbed the bottle of water on his bedside table. But deep down he knew that his restlessness had nothing to do with his bed. He emptied the bottle and then left his room for the living area, recalling the expression on Jeremy's face when he dropped him off earlier. His brother had looked amused for some reason. As though he thought his decision to sleep at home was silly. Troy was beginning to understand his brother's silly behaviour. That damn mate mark was messing him up.

He went to lie on one of the couches in the living area and stared at nothing. He wished he could simply close his eyes and sleep but thanks to that damn "Philip..." Troy breathed.

'Troy, are you okay?' Troy heard Philip's voice in his mind but it sounded so loud and close he shot up into a sitting position and glanced around the living room. 'Troy?'

'Yes, I'm okay.'

'Sure?' Philip murmured.

'I can't sleep.' Troy said simply.

'Any particular reason?'

'Nope.' Troy got off the couch and began to pace. Hearing from Philip was making him want to go to the man.

'Anything I can do?'

How about you show your face here, Troy thought but aloud, he said; 'Nothing.'

'Come outside, Troy.' Philip said quietly.

'What?' Troy breathed as he rushed to the door and threw it wide open. He gasped when he saw Philip sitting on the stairs with his back against a pillar. "What are you doing here?" He stared at Philip as he closed the door behind him.

"Want me to leave?" Philip shot back.

"I didn't say that." Troy muttered as he went closer to where Philip sat.

"Come sit." Philip gestured towards the space beside him and waited quietly as Troy sat beside him. From the way Philip was turned, he could comfortably watch Troy to his heart's content. "How is Paul doing?"

"What do you care?" Troy muttered.

"I see you're still angry over..."

"You wanted to kill him." Troy growled. "That was just mean. And you haven't even apologized."

"There's nothing to apologize for." Philip said gruffly. "I asked you whether he knew what you are. You couldn't give me an answer..."

"Because even I, didn't know what I was." Troy snapped.

"Exactly." Philip growled. "So there was no consensus ad idem."

"No what?"

"Meeting of the minds." Philip explained. "We were not on the same page so I wasn't wrong to have demanded his..."

"Fuck you, Philip" Troy muttered as he started to stand up but Philip's hand shot out and grabbed his hand.

The change that came over Troy was swift, sweet, and just amazing to watch. It was as if he melted at Philip's touch. The woman watching from her window smiled, closed her window, and went back to bed with a relieved sigh. The alpha drew his mate to sit between his legs and pressed his head to his chest. Troy stayed put. It didn't look like he wanted to move from where he was. He snuggled even closer when Philip began to comb his fingers through his blonde tresses. He was still angry at Philip but the man's touch was everything. For the very first time, the two men sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's warmth and energy. A silence that was broken by Philip after almost an hour.

"I'm sorry I gave you my mark without your consent." He whispered.

Troy remained quiet for a full two minutes. But Philip knew he'd heard him. He waited. Finally, Troy spoke.

"That was a real shitty thing you did. And in as much as I'm not as angry at you as I was before...thanks to my brother's explanation, I still can't forgive you for that. At least not now."

"I understand." Philip rasped. He would have been surprised if Troy had accepted his apology so readily. "Will you at least run with me in the morning?"

"Yes." Troy whispered and promptly smiled at the deep sigh of relief Philip released.

"Thank you." Philip breathed.

"Pleasure." Troy's smile widened. Beneath that tough exterior, Philip was just a softie, Troy thought to Philip's chagrin. "Any other thing you haven't told me?"

Philip took a deep breath. "I can read your thoughts."

Troy's head shot up. "What..."

***

Two cloaked figures stood in front of a locked prison cell and stared at its four sleeping inmates. One cloaked figure threw a handful of dirt at the solid barred door whilst chanting some words. The second cloaked figure reached out and slid the door open. Both figures entered the cell and closed it behind them. The dirt-thrower recited some words and flicked a hand against the door. Nothing changed. Or so it seemed. But the door had actually been magically warded such that anyone looking into that particular cell at that moment wouldn't have seen or heard anything unusual. The person would have simply seen four inmates sleeping peacefully.

One cloaked figure stood by the door as the other shook awake one inmate and shorn a torchlight on his face.

"What the..." But the criminal couldn't complete his words because the cloaked figure touched a finger to his forehead, sending him into a deep sleep instantly.

The cloaked figure did that to all the inmates until one person remained. He was clearly the inmate they cloaked figures were after.

"What's going on?" Blaze blinked to clear his vision. "Oh fuck, not you magicians again." He gasped when he finally focused on the people in the cell with him. "What do you want?"

"Just to know exactly what you know." The cloaked figure shrugged as she pushed off the hood covering her head.

"Hey lady, I told the police everything." Blaze snapped. "I don't even remember much anymore."

"Don't worry." The woman said with utter nonchalance. "You don't need to speak at all." With those weird words, the woman pushed Blaze into the chair in the cell, and then reached out to touch his neck with a finger.

"What did you do to me?" Blaze gasped. "I can't move my limbs." With the exception of his head, he couldn't move any part of his body.

"I rendered you immobile from the neck down." The woman said with a smile. "I need your head."

"Are you nuts?" Blaze bellowed. "If you don't release me from this silly statue trick this very instant, I will..." The next sound that left his lips was a blood-curdling scream.

The woman cupped the sides of Blaze's face so firmly he couldn't move his head. Her head was thrown back and her eyes were closed in deep concentration. And for the next three minutes, Blaze screamed as the woman did her thing. By the time she was satisfied with whatever information she'd extracted from Blaze, his eyes were empty charred sockets and he was no longer making any sound. Blaze was dead.

"Mary?" The second cloaked figure looked at the woman anxiously.

"The wolves. They have him." Mary couldn't mask her shock. She couldn't help but wonder how that particular pack had gotten to know who Troy was.

"Stanwood?"

Mary nodded with a grave look on her face. Those animals had virtually wiped out her entire clan. What killed her most was the death of her husband, the great Jackal. The love of her life. The man she'd been with for over a century. Her sunshine. She hadn't even seen his body to give him the burial he deserved. It was time to rain hell on those wolves.

"Time for revenge." Mary said in a chilled tone.

***

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