TAKEN BY THE PACK - Phases: Book One by
Cheryl Dragon
Danny loves Alaska, but it doesn't seem to love him back. The full Wolf Moon sparkles over Fairbanks, but he's alone for those long nights. He wants to come out of the closet and date, but his frail family might implode. All he wants is the right man in his bed.
Brandon and Justin are lovers and wolf shifters native to Alaska. They're out to protect their way of life, and sometimes that means extreme measures. When Danny's brother proposes aerial wolf hunting, Danny enters their sights. Danny was the closet case in high school, and now, he'll be their sex toy. The shifter pair is ready to do whatever it takes to stop the hunting and maybe add a sexy human man to their pack.
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READ THE EXCERPTExcerpt:
Danny hated hunting. For a long time, he’d actually believed he hated his native Alaska. But looking up at the moon over Fairbanks, the full Wolf Moon, glowing at four in the afternoon. He felt as if he were ten years old again and full of wonder at the magical place few people would experience.
The loss of sunshine bothered many, but with enough activities and happy lights, they made it through. Hiking through the snow with his oldest brother Frank, Danny missed his college days in the lower forty-eight. There, he could be himself fully. Moving back to Alaska had been very hard, but there had been no choice when his dad had gotten sick. His family was close and they needed him.
Sometimes, he felt his family was too close. Fairbanks was a large city but also tight-knit. His being gay would shock his family and send ripples through the circles in which they ran. He was the one they all turned to when things went wrong. He was the good one. The youngest who was always there when needed.
“Where the hell are you, Danny?” His brother snapped his fingers. “Damn. A juicy kill could walk right out in front of you and you’d miss it.”
“Hunting isn’t my thing,” Danny said.
“You do great at target practice. Always have. Good thing you’re a pilot and not a hunter.” He looked around. “Fine. I don’t smell anything. No luck today. I’m heading home. Think about the business idea I mentioned. With your helicopter skills and my hunting skills, we’d be a hell of a team.”
Danny sighed. “Okay, I’ll think on it. See you Sunday.” His sister-in-law had taken over the Sunday dinners with Mom busy looking after Dad. Even with Dad recovering, more things changed. As much as Danny loved his family, he felt alone in a crowd. They didn’t know the real him. Maybe he’d never get up the courage. Not that they’d believe him anyway. All the men in his family were the same. They charmed women and hunted animals with big muscles and macho attitude. Danny looked the part, but he didn’t go after animals or women.
After hiking over a mile or so, Danny arrived back at his house on the edge of the woods. The exercise felt good, but his big brother’s idea left him flat. Aerial hunting? It was big business but hardly sporting. Where was the challenge? It would be like those lavish wildlife hunting grounds where they fed the animals so they trusted people then trotted them out for rich guys to hunt. No tracking or skill involved. Wolf hunting, what his brother meant to do from the air, wasn’t even for food. Feeding a family was one thing; hunting only to kill was another.
Luckily, Danny had skills and an education. Pilots were always in demand—especially in Alaska. Bush pilots were good. He could fly small planes, but helicopters were his specialty. He was the pilot on the medical crew for Fairbanks Medical Centers. Getting in and out of impossible places to rescue people and get them to the hospital was a challenge. The adrenaline rush kept him going but offered no personal life.
Flying was his love. But now his brother wanted him to use that skill to make money off hunting and tourists. Danny wasn’t interested, but it was family.
Frank would be doing the hunting part. Danny just had to fly. His brother had been out of work for over a year and struggled to make ends meet. The whole family helped as much as they could. A mortgage, two kids and no work was hard to deal with. If they didn’t have a freezer full of Caribou meat from a recent, flash-frozen road kill, Danny would feel even more pressure to help.
He paused and surveyed the back of his property. Normally, there were plenty of animals around. Even when he hiked, he’d see a moose, jack rabbits, a fox, a wolf or two. He didn’t bother them, and they generally ignored the human. Now, there was nothing.
Danny knew that meant something more dangerous was around. He looked around more carefully. The snow on the ridge didn’t look avalanche prone. He didn’t smell any fire in the air. Possibly a bear had moved through and flushed all the other animals away. He shrugged it off. He was only yards from his back door. A nice cozy fire, a little gay porn and he’d feel a lot better.
The gay scene in Fairbanks was decent enough, if you dared to be “out”. But there was no going back. Once you entered, word got around and everyone knew.
Danny was ashamed to be in the closet. It felt so complicated. He hated living in fear of his family finding out he was gay. He could hear his brothers now. “How could you do that? And with Dad sick? Mom doesn’t need this stress. You need to get over this phase and get yourself a girlfriend!”
As the youngest, Danny felt as if he had to go along with the majority to keep the peace. Illness and joblessness plagued members of his family. He was healthy and employed. He had no right to complain or burden his family further. Maybe, someday, the time would be right. If only his sister-in-law would stop trying to set him up with women. A good wife and mother, Christy tried to arrange Danny’s life since he was the single one left. His brother needed her type of pushing to keep him in line and his life in order.
Danny didn’t. He just got lost in dreams of his past, being back in college where he was at ease with himself and free to date men. Now, he hid away in his house and lost himself in fantasies of being sandwiched between two hard men. Nicknamed the lumberjack because he was from Alaska, Danny had been very popular in college. A very manly man with a big axe. Currently, the only one admiring his tool was Danny himself.
Kicking the snow off his boots, he heard a rustling in the trees. Maybe the animals were returning? He wasn’t a hunter, but on a quiet evening, he could sit on the back porch on his house and watch the wilderness for hours. Nature proved very soothing when it was calm. Those periods were rare and things could turned dangerous is seconds.
Danny never wanted to hunt but felt naked without a rifle in the woods. One couldn’t underestimate Mother Nature. Not here and not with that big full moon looming over the day.
He turned the doorknob and heard a growl. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted two wolves staring him down. Big ones. The pair were both large males. One nearly black and one a lighter gray.
Instantly, Danny froze. Warning shot or dart inside? It was a close call. The wolves could lunge the distance and attack before he got inside. But turning to shoot left him vulnerable, and with his hands occupied, one could get to him. He couldn’t shoot them both. They watched his every move, so going slow would only provoke them.
Yanking open the door, he darted inside. The thud on his back was a wolf knocking him to the ground. Danny felt the adrenaline kick in. Its front paws held his shoulders as the canine bit at the back padding of Danny’s jacket.
Danny was reaching for the knife on his ankle when the other wolf pounced on him. Claws pressed to his lower back. Wolves tore their prey apart, living or dead. He’d be dead in seconds.
With all his muscle, Danny managed to turn over and made a last grab for the gun. But the wolves jumped on him. The animals were dominant, but this wasn’t normal behavior. They should be tearing him to shreds by now.
The wolves were a blur of black and gray fur then he was dragged into the house. He blinked as they kept going until he was on his bed. The house looked normal, but the wolves were changing before his eyes. Now, the pair were naked men. Hot, naked men and Danny knew them.
If he’d been drinking, he would’ve sworn his brother had made a bad batch of Alaskan moonshine. But they never drank while hunting. Danny was totally sober. It felt like a dream with two men lying on him, but it wasn’t. He knew them, Brandon and Justin. They’d been in his dreams, but he’d never fanaticized about wolves. It’d been so long, he wanted to just give in and enjoy the hallucination.
One of them got up, slammed the door closed and looked around. “We need to talk,” Justin said.
The other guy pressed to Danny and grinned. “Relax, Danny, we’re going to be here a while.”
“I think he remembers us.” Brandon tugged open Danny’s shirt.
Justin checked all the doors and windows then returned to the bedroom. He didn’t relish going to extremes, but sometimes there was no alternative. From the erection tenting Danny’s jeans, Justin believed they’d all enjoy his plan. But he knew Danny was stubborn. All this time back home and he was still in the closet.
“He remembers us,” Justin confirmed and untied Danny’s shoelaces. “I think he wants to be naked with us.”
Brandon yanked the coat and shirt off Danny as Justin removed the boots. But when Brandon reached for Danny’s fly, Danny pushed back.
“Wait! What the hell?” Danny sat up. “What just happened? I got attacked by wolves not men.”
Justin smiled. “You weren’t attacked. Not a scratch on you. You’ve been kidnapped.”
“In my own house?” Danny rubbed his eyes. “Maybe I hit my head on the porch. It’s just a dream. I passed out or something.”
“I bet you’ve been dreaming about us since freshmen year of high school.” Brandon rubbed Danny’s cock.
Danny shoved Brandon off the bed.
“No, no. Play nice, or you’ll have a lot less fun than we planned. We don’t want to tie you up. Unless you like it that way.” Justin grabbed Danny by the arm and twisted.
Danny grimaced in pain. “Okay. So it’s not a dream.”
“Glad we’re clear on that point.” Justin released him. “You didn’t hit your head. You’re not hallucinating. We’re shifters. Wolf shifters.”
Danny laughed. “Please. This is a joke. Or a trick. You trained some wolves or something.”
Sitting back on the bed, Brandon leaned over and kissed Danny’s chest. Then he shifted to wolf form.
Danny shook his head and rubbed his eyes as he stared at the wolf on his chest. The claws dug. The panic in Danny’s eyes turned to wonder. When Danny reached out to pet Brandon, Justin knew the shock was over.
Shifting back to human, Brandon lunged and kissed Danny’s lips before he could avoid it. One hand was on Danny’s straining erection as their mouths fused.
Justin’s cock reacted to the view. He’d wanted Danny since high school, but there had been no chance then. Danny’s stubbornness and loyalty ran him to denial. Apparently, he’d accepted himself while away at college.
“What the hell?” Danny pulled away. “I thought you two were a couple. You dated in high school.”
“We are a couple. That doesn’t mean we don’t like fresh meat now and then. We’ve got a thing for humans.” Brandon winked at Justin.
“So you’re going to rape me then eat me?” Danny started to look for an escape.
Justin and Brandon laughed.
“Rape?” Justin pulled open Danny’s fly. “With your cock begging for attention? You wanted us in high school. I don’t think we’ll have to force you to do anything.”
“But we will for fun.” Brandon walked across the room to Danny’s big television and DVD player. He looked through the drawers.
“Stop it. What are you doing?” Danny protested.
“Relax. We aren’t going to eat you. We rarely need to consume food in wolf form. Then it’s usually just small game for the blood and the chase. You’ll live through this.” Justin opened Danny’s belt and freed the button, then he took off Danny’s jeans completely.
“Found it.” Brandon returned to the bed with a stack of DVDs, all man-on-man porn. He opened the nightstand. “Lube, magazines and a toy.”
“I don’t get it. This is a forced outing?” Fear filled Danny’s eyes. “You can’t. My family. They won’t understand. They can’t handle it now.”
Justin tugged the warm wool socks off Danny’s feet. “We’re not outing you, so long as you play nice and give us everything we want.” The plot had gone perfectly so far. Danny wanted them anyway. A little blackmail and they’d all be happy.
“I won’t have to suck wolf dick, will I?” Danny tensed.
Brandon leaned over him with a grin. “You’ll suck or fuck whatever we tell you to. And believe me, we’ll take some pictures for proof. Call it insurance.”
“Find his cell and take pictures of the porn with him. Email it home.” Justin had no desire to expose Danny, but they needed the leverage. And Justin knew once the sex and the real push for what they wanted came out, he’d need real evidence already in the bag.
Brandon grabbed the cell from Danny’s jeans pocket and scrolled through the existing pictures. “No need. I’ll just forward these pictures. Danny you were wild in college. You should lock you phone so no one finds them.” Brandon turned the screen so Justin could see it.
The picture clearly showed Danny smiling as he licked a set of balls on one cock while holding another in his hand. It was even date stamped. “You’re making this so easy on us. Thanks!”
“Don’t!” Danny made a grab for it.
“Oops. I just sent it to your entire contact list.” Brandon held it out of reach. “Let’s see what else you have.”
“No, you didn’t. You jerk!” Danny rushed Brandon and knocked him to the floor.
“Oh nice. Hot young men. College. We really should’ve gone.” Brandon let Danny get his phone back.
Justin shrugged it off. “To be a tattoo artist like your dad and work in his shop, you didn’t need college. And I got my job at the tourism bureau without it. They sent me to some seminars. Danny just needed to get away. Far away so he could suck dick and kiss men.” Justin walked to them and stood over the pair. “So you have experience with more than one man at a time?”
“You didn’t send it to everyone. Thank God!” Danny punched buttons on his phone. “It’s locked now.”
“We have what we need. Proof of your preference is in our email. Now, you can’t say we forced you or it was your first time.”
Brandon chuckled. “Yeah, you’re smiling way too hard in this picture, Danny!”
“Must be hard to be back in the closet.” Justin ran his fingers through Danny’s black hair. “All the porn in the world isn’t the same.” He guided Danny to his knees.
“You’re blackmailing me for sex? You two can go to the Pipeline and get all the ass you want. Probably an orgy in the backroom.” Danny pulled back.
Justin leaned down and kissed Brandon then he kissed Danny. “If you want to go that far back in the Pipeline, we’ll take you. I bet you were popular in college. This must be hell. Frozen hell. Don’t worry about why we do what we do. You do what we want, whatever we want, until we decide to let you go. Or we’ll put that picture up at the Pipeline and on every gay guy’s phone in Alaska. I don’t need to send it to your brother for the family to find out.”
“You’ll be so popular!” Brandon gripped Danny’s cock and stroked it to tease him.
Danny groaned.
“We don’t need to blackmail you to fuck you. That’s pretty damn obvious. So you just enjoy us for now. You’re our charity case.” Justin couldn’t continue it for long. Brandon was man hungry. Every member of his family was a shifter, and during the full moon, he needed to hunt, to fuck in either form and to live wildly.
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