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  “Sort this out and don’t fuck it up, or I’ll let Silas hunt you down.”

  Ale glanced at Chester in surprise, his eyebrows arching. “What?”

  “You heard.”

  Chester walked away and left Ale standing, staring at his back. He knew he’d fuck up his friendship by revealing the truth. Just something else to fix.

  Troy hugged Silas and then walked towards him. Ale took the bag from him and put in on the back seats then, with a final glance at Chester and Silas, he got in his car and drove away.

  Chapter Eight

  Troy sat in silence and watched the scenery as Ale drove. He couldn’t talk to him. The bastard had caused all this and now he was staying with him. Why had he agreed to it when it was clear that Ale didn’t want him? Why had his pops let him leave?

  Man, he wished he’d known about mates. The scent, the pull, the driving need to bite and fuck. If he’d known, he might have been able to avoid Ale and nothing would have happened. Troy’s life wouldn’t be chained to him.

  He continued to stare out of the car window, purposely avoiding Ale. He heard him sigh and turned in the seat as much as the belt would let him, showing Ale his back. He wasn’t giving him anything.

  He wanted to turn back time and erase everything that had happened. This was a mess. His life was a mess and he didn’t know what to do to change it. He rubbed at his chest as it tightened and closed his eyes against the tears threatening to fall. Why was everything so fucked up?

  “Troy.” Ale sighed his name. “Talk to me, please.”

  Troy ignored him and hunched in on himself. He wanted to scream and punch him, but at the same time he wanted to cry and shut out the world. He was so damn confused, and it didn’t help that he could feel Ale’s emotions. This close and he couldn’t shut them out.

  “Troy. Come on, talk to me.”

  Troy remained silent and the silence deepened, becoming uncomfortable and heavy with everything that was being left unsaid and Troy did nothing to change it. Let Ale feel as uncomfortable as he did.

  He was tired and hungry. His body was heavy with fatigue and it felt like his eyelids had weights attached to them. He struggled to keep them open because he didn’t want to fall asleep near Ale and yet that was all he wanted to do. Fall asleep wrapped in Ale’s arms.

  He rubbed his chest when he felt a wash of sadness roll over him and he groaned when he realized Ale was feeling his emotions. He needed to stop him feeling them.

  “Troy,” Ale tried again. “Please talk to me. Let’s sort this out.”

  “I’ve got nothing to say,” he mumbled. “Stop asking me.”

  “Troy, we need to talk and sort this out. This situation isn’t good for you. You’ve lost weight, you’re struggling at college, your emotions are all over the place. Let me help you, please.”

  “Are you going to be my mate?” Silence filled the car. “Yeah, didn’t think so.”

  “Troy. We’ve talked about this. I’m too old for you. You need someone your own age, someone you can go out and party with and have fun.”

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen, is it? Got you instead. So, I’m fucked, just not in the way I want.”

  Troy heard Ale sigh. “You can still do all those things. I’ll continue to send my blood and you can carry on with your life.”

  Someone his own age? Go out and have fun? Ale clearly didn’t understand anything about mates. “Fuck. You.”

  “Troy-”

  “Stop. Just stop. You don’t have a fucking clue.”

  Ale stopped talking and Troy closed his eyes again. He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to get out and leave.

  “Turn the car around. I want to go home.”

  “No, we’re almost there. Stay tonight, and if you want, we’ll leave tomorrow.”

  What Ale said was true, as within minutes they turned off the main road and drove along a dirt track among the trees until they came out in front of a large log cabin.

  The cabin stood alone, a two-story structure with wide windows along the front. It had a porch that ran along the front, disappearing around both sides. Trees were on either side of it with a path that led off into them.

  There were a few chairs and a table on the front porch with a grill next to them. It looked homely and welcoming and Troy hated it. Well, no he didn’t, but he wanted to because it was Ale’s.

  Ale parked in front of the cabin and turned the engine off.

  “Well, we’re here. Let’s get your things inside and I’ll show you to your room.”

  So, he was going to have his own room. Of course, he was. Wasn’t like Ale wanted to be anywhere near him, let alone in the same bed.

  He grabbed his bag and followed Ale towards the cabin, pausing while Ale opened the door. Once inside, he dropped his bag and stared around the large, open-plan room, whistling in surprise.

  A large living room with a wood fire opened into a spacious kitchen. Troy could see a door leading out the back, which he assumed was the utility room. The room was decorated in a pale yellow, a color Troy wouldn’t have associated with the big man stood next to him.

  Ale walked towards the stairs and pointed up. “The bedrooms and bathrooms are up here.”

  Troy picked up his bag and followed Ale up the stairs. Ale stopped outside the furthest door and watched Troy. “This will be your room. Drop your bag off and I’ll show you around the rest of the house and then we can go outside.”

  Troy stepped into the room and dropped his bag, staring at the large bed in the center. A bed all for one. Sighing, Troy left the bedroom and walked back downstairs, finding Ale waiting for him.

  “So, kitchen and living room. Utility through there.” Ale pointed at the door Troy thought led to the room. “Downstairs is the gym. You can use that while you’re here. Get changed. We’re gonna go out and I’ll show you the area.”

  ❊❊❊

  Troy walked through the trees, a couple of steps behind Ale, trying and failing to avoid looking at his ass. Damn, the jeans Ale wore molded to his ass and Troy struggled to keep his dick under control. The last thing he wanted was for Ale to become aware that Troy wanted to fuck him, but damn, that ass was a masterpiece, begging Troy to take a bite.

  He looked away, desperately needing to control his body. He wanted to bite and fuck, but knew neither would happen. Ale had a cast iron will and was determined to keep things exactly the way they were.

  They reached a break in the trees and Troy stepped out and stopped next to Ale. He stared out across a lake breathing deeply and closing his eyes. The peace and tranquility of the area settled him and reminded him of the times he would go fishing with his pops.

  “This is my place. I bought it a few years back when I needed a place to go to get away from everyone.”

  “The cabin, the woods and lake?” Troy asked.

  “Yeah, all of it.”

  Troy was amazed. “Wow. How many acres?”

  Ale gave him a small smile. “Twenty-five.”

  “Wow,” he muttered again. The area they stood in was beautiful, quiet and calm.

  “While you’re here, you can go anywhere you want.”

  “Why?”

  Ale glanced over at him and frowned. “Why what?”

  “Why bring me here? You don’t want us to be mates, so why did we come here?”

  “We need to sort things out between us without other people around. We haven’t spoken since it happened. You text me when you need blood and that’s it. The one time I came to you, it didn’t end well, did it?”

  “So, what?”

  Ale dropped his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “Troy, please. Let’s talk about this.”

  “What is there to talk about? We’re mates and you hate it. I can feel that, Ale, so don’t bring me here and try to act like you want to sort things out. We’re stuck together, and I wish I could change what happened.”

  “What about sex, Troy? You tried it and look what happened?”

  “And what ab
out you? How was it for you?” Ale looked away and Troy felt his nervousness and shame. “You’ve done it, haven’t you? You’ve fucked someone else.”

  “Troy-”

  “You fucker! You know what it’s like for me and you went out and fucked someone else.”

  Troy turned and ran back the way they’d come, tears running down his face. He knew Ale didn’t want him, but to have sex with someone else knowing how it would affect him left Troy devastated and angry at himself for feeling that way.

  “Troy.” Ale grabbed his arm and spun him around. “I didn’t have sex with him, okay.”

  Troy pushed him back. “You fucking liar!” he screamed.

  “I wanted to, but I couldn’t because of you. So, we’re both stuck.”

  Troy pushed him again. “I wish I’d never met you. I fucking hate you!”

  Troy walked back to the cabin, ignoring Ale who walked next to him. When he reached it, he went straight to his room, slamming the door behind him, and threw himself on the bed. He screamed into the pillow until his throat was raw and sobbed until there were no more tears left to shed. His mate had been with someone else and Troy hated him. Despised his mate and the other fucker too for having what he couldn’t.

  Ale really didn’t want him.

  It was about an hour later when Ale knocked on his door, saying, “Food’s ready.”

  Troy rolled over and stared at the door then sighed and stood up. He was here for now, so he needed to get on with it. Walking downstairs he found food already on the table and Ale eating.

  He sat down and stared at the steak and baked potato then helped himself to salad. Neither of them spoke and several times Troy felt Ale gearing himself up to say something, but nothing came out. The food was good, and Troy ate, not realizing how hungry he was until he’d smelt it.

  He could feel Ale watching him, could feel his exasperation at his behavior, but Troy didn’t give a fuck. Ale had been with someone else. That was all Troy could think about. The betrayal cut deep, maybe too deep.

  When he finally pushed his plate away, Ale asked, “Do you need to feed?”

  Troy didn’t even look at him as he stood and walked away from the table and back to his room. Closing the door quietly behind him, Troy dropped onto the bed and curled up on his side, staring out of the window and watching the sky darken as night fell.

  He could feel Ale’s disappointment in him, like a heavy weight on his chest and he hugged his knees closer. He didn’t want to feel any of these emotions, but he had no choice. He needed to grow up and accept the fact that he was mated to someone who didn’t want the same thing. Ale didn’t want him. He wasn’t waiting for him to grow up, he’d already moved on.

  Did he want Ale? In all the time he’d struggled with his mating, he’d never really thought about if he actually wanted Ale or not. He simply wanted his mate. Wanted what he saw the other mated couples have. He closed his eyes and thought about the human.

  The long dark hair and deep hazel eyes, a strong nose and jaw that was always covered in stubble. Big hands that fit his large body and his ass that had Troy practically drooling earlier. Yes, he was attracted to him and he wanted to have sex, but what about Ale the man?

  He didn’t know him at all, had barely said two words to him before they’d mated. Maybe now that he was here with Ale, he’d have the chance to get to know him. Get to know Ale the man, not Ale his mate, even though he was both.

  He needed to grow up and face reality and sort this mating out. They needed to find some common ground to work on. Troy chuckled quietly. Common ground. Wasn’t he being all mature and shit? But he knew he needed to do this because this half-life he was living was slowly killing him.

  Chapter Nine

  Ale sat at the table and watched Troy leave. He didn’t try to stop him. He could feel Troy’s emotions, and knew he needed the space at that moment. Too much, too soon and Troy was struggling to cope.

  Sighing, Ale stood and cleared the table, putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and then walked outside, cell in hand.

  He sat on the chair outside and enjoyed the sounds of the surrounding wildlife. He came here often, his place away from everything, a place he’d needed when he first left the service. He’d needed to recover, emotionally, mentally, and physically.

  He’d seen too much, had experienced too much and the peace and solitude at the cabin had helped him pick up the pieces of his shattered life and put them back together again. He would never be the man he was before he saw death and destruction, but he was moving forward with his life in a job he enjoyed.

  He glanced up towards the second floor of his house when he finally felt Troy’s emotions settle. Ale smiled sadly. He expected too much from Troy. He was a teenager, dealing with a situation that he wasn’t equipped to handle. He suffered too much as well, a child who’d had to kill his parent to survive.

  Why Chester thought they would be good together, Ale didn’t know, and he certainly didn’t agree. Whatever it was Chester saw in them eluded Ale and left him scrambling to figure it out.

  The worst part of it all was his growing attraction to Troy. Every time his thoughts moved in that direction, he shut it down immediately. He felt like a pervert, lusting after a much younger man, but Troy was his mate and so he assumed this was normal, but it still made him feel creepy.

  Sighing again, he picked up the discarded cell and groaned when he saw all the missed calls from both Chester and Silas.

  Damn, they were the last people he wanted to call, but he understood why he had to. Troy was their son and they loved him.

  Unlocking his cell, he called Chester and waited for him to answer.

  “Ale.”

  “Chester.”

  “How is he?”

  “He’s asleep right now. I showed him around, fed him and he went to bed.”

  “Did he feed?”

  “No, he refused, and to be honest, I didn’t want to push him after everything that’s happened the past two days. He’s gone through a lot recently.”

  “I know.” Chester sighed.

  Ale could hear Silas in the background asking questions and eventually he came on the line. “How is he?”

  “Like I told Chester, he’s asleep. He’s eaten and now settled.”

  “If you do anything-”

  “Silas. He’s my mate. I know it wasn’t intentional, but it happened, and we have to agree, me and Troy, how we’re going to deal with it.”

  “Ale, he’s my son and I want to be included-” Ale heard a muffled, ‘shut up, Chester, and let me finish speaking’ before Silas came back to him. “As I was saying, he’s my son and I want to know what’s happening.”

  “He’s an adult and entitled to decide for himself.”

  He heard the sharp inhale, then, “Don’t you talk to me about my son, like you care about him. If you gave a shit we wouldn’t be in this mess now. It’s your fault he’s in this state. No one else's.”

  “I know that,” Ale snapped. “I’m more than aware how much I’ve fucked up, so I don’t need you throwing it in my face.”

  Silas was silent, and Ale ran a hand through his hair. “He’s my son, Ale,” Silas muttered. “I love him, and I hate seeing him like this.”

  “I’m sorry. If I’d known what was happening…” What would he have done? He’d been drunk and had most likely been feeling the connection between them too.

  “I know.”

  Again, there was silence until Chester came back on the line. “What’s the plan, A?”

  “I don’t know. I’m hoping being out here will help to calm him down and then we can talk about what we’re going to do.”

  “Or maybe you could be his mate.”

  “Chester…”

  “Ale, you are it for him. Yes, he’s young and I understand where you’re coming from, but he’s an adult now and you need to treat him as one. You’ll only make things worse if you treat him like a child. Troy hasn’t been a child in years.”

&nbs
p; Ale nodded. He knew Troy’s past. “I know.”

  “We’ll go now. Let you get some sleep. Call us tomorrow, please.”

  “I will.”

  Ale ended the call and walked back into the cabin. Going slowly up the stairs he went to Troy’s room and quietly knocked on his door. When he got no response, he opened the door and stood, watching Troy sleep.

  His dark hair spilled over the pillow and his pale skin shone in the moonlight. He was still dressed in jeans and t-shirt and Ale couldn’t stop himself from walking over and running his fingers through Troy’s hair.

  He sat on the edge of the bed and watched his mate sleep. Yes, his mate. It didn’t matter what he said to justify the way he’d treated him, Chester was right. Troy only had one mate and Ale was it.

  As Troy slept, the ever-present tension disappeared, and in its place was a young man. Gorgeous and full of life. Ale’s mate.

  He ran his arm over Troy’s leg, needing to touch him. He knew it was their bond. He’d seen the guys on his team with their mates, saw how they touched each other, the smiles they only gave to their mate.

  How would they react when they found out what had happened?

  “What do you want?”

  Ale looked over at Troy and smiled. “I came in to see if you needed anything.”

  “No. I’m fine,” he snapped out.

  Ale’s sighed and stood, walking out of the room. As he reached the door, he heard Troy say, “Thank you.”

  He nodded and left the room. They had a long way to go before they fixed the problems between them.

  ❊❊❊

  The next morning Troy wandered around the cabin searching for Ale but couldn’t find him. Then he remembered the basement.

  Opening the door to the gym room, Troy stopped at the threshold and gaped. Ale was on the running machine in nothing but a pair of shorts. His muscles moved fluidly as he ran and sweat slid down over his chest and back.

  His tanned skin, a reflection of his Hispanic heritage, gleamed in the sunlight streaming in from one of the small windows and Troy’s dick hardened. He unconsciously rubbed it, biting his lip as pleasure and lust flowed through him.