As he drove along the long driveway leading from their lodge, his cell phone rang, and he punched on the Bluetooth that Zack had insisted he use after the wreck he’d been in a year or so before. Not that the wreck had even been his fault, but Zack was a wolf, and the alpha at that. Over-protectiveness came with the territory. Zack’s voice came over the speakers in his dash.

“Hey, sweetheart. You got away without a kiss this morning. I just may have to spank you for that when I get my hands on you again.”

Gabe laughed. “Mmm, yes, please. I won’t be gone long, babe. I just wanted to put out these flyers for Nicky. Are you on your way to the mines?”

“Yes, Jamie’s with me too. We’ve only just left, but we should get there around ten o’clock for our meeting with the foreman. Should be back home by this afternoon. Where are you going to put out the flyers?”

“I wanted to go by some of the bars in town, just to check and see if anyone has seen him.”

“Okay, but be careful, honey. I don’t like you in places like that.”

“Afraid I might get on the bar and start dancing again?” Gabe laughed. “No, I think my butt’s still sore over that one. I have no desire to repeat that punishment, thank you very much.”

Zack chuckled softly. “Now you’ve done it. My dick is hard as rock just thinking about that pretty little ass across my lap.”

“Oh my God!” Gabe suddenly yelled, and he could hear Zack’s frantic shout.

“What’s the matter? Are you okay? Talk to me!”

“Zack, somebody just stepped out on the road in front of me. I think they’re trying to flag me down.”

“Run over them! Don’t you dare stop!” Zack said loudly, fear evident in his voice.

“No, it’s…oh my God, Zack, I think it’s—Nicky! He looks like Nicky—oh Jesus, he looks so…”

“I’m on my way to you, baby, but it will take about twenty minutes. Stall for time. Try to get him inside the truck.” Zack hung up with a clatter and Gabe slowed way down, rolling to a stop beside the figure that had darted back off the road and was now standing just outside the tree line. Gabe jumped from the truck and ran toward him, but the man who looked like Nicky put up his hands and growled slightly.

“Stay back.”

Gabe slowed to a halt and stared at him. “Nicky? It’s me, Gabe.”

“I know who it is. Just please don’t touch me, Gabe. I’m filthy, and I-I don’t like being touched now.”

Gabe stood very still, looking at his friend. Nicky’s hair was long and shaggy. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked really dirty, with dirt caked even under his fingernails. He was trembling, and had lost twenty pounds at least, since the last time Gabe had seen him. He was still achingly beautiful, but he had a haunted look, and the sparkle that had always been such a huge part of him was gone, his eyes flat and lifeless, like a doll’s eyes.

“Nicky, please let me help you,” Gabe said softly, holding out a hand to him again.

He shied backward, but nodded. “Yes, I came for help. I, uh, I spent all the money I had, and I need more, Gabe. I was wondering if you could give me some.”

“Of course I will, Nicky. Let’s go back to the house, and ….”

“No! I can’t let Zack see me. I’ve been waiting around for three days now to try to find you alone. Zack will tell Marco, and he’ll come to get me out of some stupid sense of responsibility or duty, and I won’t be just a burden to him. A fucking millstone around his neck.”

“No, Nicky, he’s been frantic and miserable since you left. He’s been searching everywhere. He loves you so much, Nicky.”

Nicky tilted his head and for a moment, Gabe saw hope in his eyes, just a faint glimmer, but then it was gone, almost as fast as it had come, leaving his eyes dull and hopeless again. He shook his head. “He feels bad about it all, of course. Feels responsible. Good. The son-of-a-bitch is responsible. I want him to suffer, like I have. I hate him!”

“No, Nicky, please come and sit in my truck. You look so tired. I can give you some money, or whatever you need. I’ll take you wherever you need to go. Come on, I’ll help you.”

Nicky hesitated, then took one step forward. Suddenly he froze and tipped his head in that same strange little way again. His eyes narrowed as he looked back at Gabe. “You’re trying to trick me! Your damn wolf is coming, isn’t he?” He backed away and would have melted back into the woods if not for Gabe’s excited cry.

“No, Nicky, wait! You’re right, Zack is coming. He was on the phone with me when I first saw you. But wait! You know they’ll shift and hunt you down. You could be hurt! Don’t run, Nicky, please. Just give up and come home with us.”

“No way, Gabe. I can’t go back! I’ll never go back!”

He turned and ran off into the woods, even though Gabe yelled frantically at him to return. Gabe peered into the bushes, wanting to run in after him, but knowing Zack would kill him for risking himself. Nicky was too unpredictable in his present state. He turned and ran back to the truck, and grabbed his phone. Scrolling through the numbers, he found the one he wanted and punched the number in with his hands shaking. “Marco, thank God you answered right away. It’s Nicky! I’ve seen him, and you need to get down here right away!”

Knowing he didn’t have much time before Zack and the other wolves would be after him, Nicky ran straight for the nearby stream he’d gotten a drink of water from earlieri. He ran straight down the middle of the freezing stream for as long as he could, stumbling and falling over the rocky bed, hoping to drown out his scent. Finally, when the stream widened and got deeper, he was forced to climb out on the steep bank and head into the deep woods. Exhausted, he had to stop and rest frequently, but he knew he had to keep running and get as far away as he could from the place he’d stopped to talk to Gabe on the road. Not only was Zack and the rest of his pack sure to be hot on his trail, but by this time, he knew Gabe had called Marco.

By nightfall, Nicky was dead on his feet. He’d been afraid to go back to his campsite, high in the mountains of the state park, near Gabe and Zack’s home. He made camp there two weeks ago, and this had been the first time he’d come down in all that time. He was out of most everything, but especially liquor and drugs. Food didn’t mean too much to him anymore, but he had to have something to help dull the almost constant pain in his gut. He had scored some Oxy just before he climbed up to his camp site, using almost the last of his money. Gabe had told him how bad the pain would be and he’d wanted to be ready. Now that was gone, along with the last of his booze, and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do next. He’d thought Gabe would help him, not rat him out to his wolf. Damn submissive bastard! He would have thought that Gabe, of all people, would have sympathy for him, knowing what he was going through.

The change had come on just three nights after he’d made his camp. He had felt prickly all over that afternoon, and as the evening came on, his bones began to ache and grow stiff. When the change finally came over him, it was quick, just one moment or so of the most intense pain. Pain so horrible it took him to his knees and he lost consciousness for a few minutes. He woke up to a feeling of rage. A bestial sound that he recognized as a growl forced itself past his lips, and when he opened his mouth to gasp in shock, a wolf-like whine issued forth, inhuman and brutish. Getting up on his knees, he let his head fall back and a loud howl issued from his mouth. The howl reverberated through the hills around him and filled him with satisfaction. He looked around at his surroundings and realized he wasn’t seeing in color anymore, yet his vision was sharp and bright.

He tore off his constricting clothing, which was suddenly too tight, the shirt choking him. His body had morphed into something not quite human. He still had a human shape, but his face felt wrong. He raised a hand and saw long, inhuman claws on his fingers in place of nails. He moved those fingers to his face and felt a snout where his mouth had been. For a moment, blind panic filled him, and he ran around in circles, whining and making terrifying animal-like noises. Finally he managed to calm down, and remember that he wouldn’t stay this way when daylight came. Gabe had assured him he would change back.

He grabbed onto the idea, which soothed him enough that he was able to drop back down to all fours, still panting in fear, but managing to stay calmer than before. After a few minutes, he was able to crawl into his tent, and stay there the rest of the night, though the moonlight still kept up its siren call. He had enough humanity left to know he was too close to people to heed it. If he ran into someone on the trails…in the moonlight...his mind shied away from what he might do.

Instead he took all of his fear and rage and focused it on one person—one man whom he hated above all others—Marco. Marco had done this to him. He had taken away his life nearly two years ago and created this monstrous thing that he now was. Then when he’d tired of him, he’d thrown him away like a broken toy. Fury swept over him and all he could think of was killing Marco, slowly and torturously. All night he stoked the fiery anger and toward dawn he finally fell into an exhausted sleep. When he woke up, hours later, his body had resumed its prior form. That had been two weeks ago, and his determination and resolve to stay away from Marco hadn’t faltered since.

Now as he sat on a rock by the trail, trying desperately to catch his breath, he thought again about how much his life had changed in such a short time. He’d be damned if he was going to crawl back to Marco now or ever. He’d make his way back to Atlanta just as soon as the next full moon was done and over with, and peddle his ass on the street if he had to. Whatever it took. Anything to get the drugs and alcohol he would need to be able to survive.

He heard a distant howl and pricked up his ears. Another howl answered from a different direction. Wolves! They were calling to each other. Could they have already picked up his trail? Shit! Lurching to his feet, he began to run, looking back over his shoulder, scared to death that he would see one of them coming after him, hunting him down. His shoes, wet completely through, squished in a nasty way on his feet and his jeans, which were wet through to the knee, clung to his skin like leeches.