Page 2 of Sex and Suspicion (Bay Harbor Wolves #9)

"I t's the same guy that was here last Saturday and again on Monday," Travis commented as he stood next to Hayes. “Just a local kid taking pictures of the sunset, it would seem."

“I don’t like how close he gets to the pack house. Every time he comes, he sets up just a little closer." Hayes didn't have a lot of trust where the humans were concerned. Others had tried over the years to trespass on pack lands, and some had succeeded and done damage.

“I think he’s harmless.” Travis declared with a tired sigh. “I’m going to do a circle around the front and along the hedge line."

“I’m going to watch the photographer. He gets any nearer the grass line on the beach, and I'm going to run him off." Hayes never took his eyes off the intruder. Travis laughed.

“Radio me if you need help.” He smiled.

“I think I can handle the little human on my own.” Hayes gave him the side eye. "The camera could be a cover, you know, just a way to look innocent.” Travis continued to laugh as he walked away.

Hayes had a strange feeling about this human, and he wasn't going to let him out of his sight. If he had nefarious intent, then Hayes was going to be close by to put a stop to it.

The humans usually leaned into property damage, such as tearing up the beach or destroying the landscaping.

One bastard even set fire to the garden at the edge of the backyard.

There was no telling what this man might have in mind.

He was getting an odd feeling while watching the man.

It wasn’t exactly a bad feeling, but it was concerning.

He kept his eyes on him, watching him handle his cameras and equipment.

The man appeared focused on what he was doing, but that was easy to fake.

When he took several steps back, coming ever closer to the grass line that stood as the hard border on the beach, Hayes moved toward him, slowly decreasing the distance between them.

Hayes was ready to act if this man tried anything.

Travis was right in that the man did not give off the air of someone intending harm, but neither he nor Travis were mind readers, so anything was possible.

The fact that he came at night and gave the impression of an innocent photographer as he moved ever closer to the pack lands was enough for Hayes to suspect him.

Hayes was focused so completely on the movements of the man with the camera that he failed to notice the figure rushing down from the backyard of the pack house. The dark figure cleared the small rock cliff and landed on the grass, and that's when Hayes saw what was about to take place.

The figure transformed into a wolf as it flew through the air toward the man on the beach.

Hayes began running and tearing off his suit as he shifted and leaped at the young wolf that had taken the man to the ground.

There were shouts and blood in the air. The man was bleeding profusely, and the young wolf continued to try and tear at him with his claws.

Hayes pulled the wolf up and away from the injured human. He held him and shifted back to his human form, although the young wolf did not. "Shift!" Hayes demanded, but the wolf cowered and refused. Travis came rushing to the area, and Hayes tossed the young wolf at him.

“Hold him. He attacked the human on the beach without cause.” Hayes turned to the human who was lying motionless and quickly scooped him up into his arms and ran for the pack house.

There was a doctor residing there, and he was hoping that he was not too late.

The wound on the man’s neck was serious.

He was light, and his body slender in his arms. There was not much to him. He was not capable of withstanding a wolf attack, and he should never have been targeted in such a way. Hurting a human is always a last resort and is never done on a whim.

Hayes crossed the deck and entered through the glass doors that led to the kitchen. It was the quickest way into the heart of the house. He shouted for help, and Seamus appeared from out of the study.

“What is it, Hayes?" He asked as he rushed up to meet him.

“Human was attacked on the beach by a wolf.” Hayes felt the blood on his hands and scented the aroma enveloping him, and the ramifications were heartbreaking.

He held himself back and cut off his emotions in order to serve this man and get him the help he needed.

There was no time for his feelings to come to the surface. His time would come later.

“Follow me.” Seamus made a call as he led him to a sterile room on the basement level.

They were met there by the Doctor and one of his nurses.

The Doctor was a wolf, but he was trained in human physiology as well, considering there were several humans in the Pack now.

Hayes was thankful for that stroke of luck.

He held the man close, clutching him desperately to his chest.

“Lay him on the table." The Doctor instructed, but Hayes hesitated for just a moment. Seamus gave him a knowing look and nodded.

"It's okay, Hayes. The Doctor will help him.” Hayes pulled out of his strange fog, gently placed the man on the table, and reluctantly stepped back.

His eyes held the man, and his wolf began to push back to the surface, not in an aggressive fashion but simply curious and wanting to see and get close to this man.

Seamus tossed Hayes some sweats, and he pulled them on.

The suit hadn't faired well during his shift, leaving most of it in shreds on the beach.

He managed to get the jacket and tie off before his wolf took over and shifted in order to save their mate.

Yes, the small man, unconscious and bleeding, was his mate.

Everything had been a blur, and Hayes wasn't sure when it was that he suspected their connection, but once that blood was in the air, there was no doubt who this man was. Hayes was inundated with a wave of emotions that scrambled his control and his mind in general.

In order to maintain a modicum of control, he focused on the man on the table and his immediate welfare.

He blocked the surge of instant reactions that came to the forefront, desperately holding himself back and holding himself still in the face of all this chaos.

His mate would be best served by a cool head.

The man on the table stared at him with scared eyes that called out to him. Hayes wanted to calm and soothe his fears, but all he could do was hold him with his gaze and channel peace and quietness.

Hayes could hear the beat of the man's heart pounding out, the anxious terror still evident in his expression. The Doctor worked effectively, and the man did not resist. His lack of response was concerning, and Hayes was compelled to speak.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Hayes said the first thing that came to mind. The man blinked, and his lips parted, but nothing was said for several seconds. He just stared and folded in on himself. "Tell me your name," Hayes said in a tone that was both soft and persuasive.

“Jake.” The word was spoken so quietly that if he wasn’t a wolf, he would not have heard it.

"Hayes." He said and placed a hand on his chest, indicating that was his name.

Jaked blinked, and his hand moved as if he was reaching for him, and that was all Hayes could take.

He didn't care about anything at that point except getting to his injured and despondent mate.

The moment he had spoken, all things fell into place.

His thoughts and feelings became laser-focused on one man, and his name was Jake.

Hayes moved up close to the side of the table, took Jake's hand, and held it secure in his.

The touch was electric, sending jolts of awareness and understanding through him.

Jake was experiencing something as well, but Hayes was not sure what.

Jake looked at their joined hands and kept blinking and then looked up at Hayes.

“Thanks for saving me from that monster.” He said with a little more strength. Hayes’ presence was clearly influencing his feelings and giving him strength.

Hayes nodded and responded. “You’re welcome.

” The smile that came to his face was genuine and heartfelt, and it was all for this young man.

A human, he would have never thought that Fate would bless him with a young human so fragile and beautiful.

He knew there was something special about him the moment he laid eyes on him, even from such a distance.

Never did he think that while he was there watching, observing, and waiting for trouble, the man he was scrutinizing was his mate.

The sense of familiarity that he felt he dismissed as having met or seen the man before in some other context.

The Doctor looked over at him speculatively and then stepped back from the table before giving Hayes Jake’s status.

“He has minor abrasions on his arms and a deep one-inch laceration to his neck, which I stitched but should heal quickly. Other than that, he is suffering from basic panic and distress over the event that landed him here in my care.” The Doctor patted Hayes on the shoulder.

"He will be fine; just stay close and keep him calm. There is nothing to worry about, Hayes.”

"Thank you, doctor." Doctor Stevenson had sensed the connection between them, and it appears so did Alpha Henrik. Hayes turned when the door swung open, and Alpha Henrik came into the room. He spoke to the Doctor and then came over to stand beside Hayes.

“Don’t worry, we will work this out. Fate always acts with a purpose, and her destiny is never thwarted.

" He assured, and Hayes was surprised at how much that statement relaxed him.

Suddenly, he felt empowered and ready. The feeling of being scattered and confused was gone.

The Doctor had given Jake a sedative, and he gradually fell into a deep sleep.