Page 4 of Sex and Suspicion (Bay Harbor Wolves #9)

I t was well past midnight when Aidan started to become concerned about his brother Jake.

He’d gone to the beach area near Bay Harbor before without incident and was always home before midnight.

Aidan didn't trust the community that resided there, believing them to be some kind of weird faction or sect or perhaps a crazy militia.

He walked the floor, peering out the windows, and waited, and then, around three, began calling and texting.

Jake was fierce about his independence and minimal interference from his big brother, but this was outside his normal habits, so Aidan felt justified in taking action.

The fact he didn’t answer and didn’t respond to the texts just made his worry deepen further.

At five, Aidan called Danny, Jake's friend from the theater where they both worked and asked if he'd seen or heard from Jake that night. He woke him, and he sounded groggy but came full awake when he heard Aidan’s concern.

“I haven’t spoken to him since early yesterday. He said that he was going to take more pictures of the sunset off the Bay. He's gotten some great shots there." Danny told him all that he knew. “Do you want me to head over there and check it out?” That was kind of him to offer.

"No, not yet. I'll go if I don't hear from him before morning. He has fallen asleep in his car before, so I'm hoping that's the issue here." Aidan responded thoughtfully, but his gut was telling him something was wrong.

"If you need me, call."

“I will.” Thoughts of that odd, gated community and hearing Jake make comments regarding their guards and extensive security had Aidan grabbing his coat and heading out. He would look for Jake’s car and then decide what to do from there.

Jake opened his eyes and tentatively glanced around the room.

He had no idea where he was, but it did not feel threatening.

For some strange reason, he was not afraid, confused but not afraid.

He looked to his left, and there was the guard who'd watched him from down the beach.

This is the one who . . . turned into something huge and fought off the wild dog that had jumped him from behind.

The vision was frightening as it filled his mind.

The memory was blurry and chaotic, but this man intervened and probably saved Jake’s life.

He was looking at Jake with an expression of relief and what looked to Jake like anticipation.

He was one handsome son of a gun, that was for sure.

The hand he had on top of Jake’s was sending jolts of intense awareness through Jake, heating him up in ways that should not be happening, considering what he'd been through.

Jake raised his hand and felt the wound on his neck that had been stitched up by the Doctor.

“Why did that dog attack me?” He asked the first thing that came to mind.

Hayes, the man’s name was Hayes. Jake remembered that he’d told him his name.

Hayes held his hand a little tighter and leaned over the edge of the bed, getting closer to Jake before speaking.

"I don't know, but I'm sorry that it happened." Hayes had a voice that was pure sex and sent goosebumps rippling across Jake's flesh. His dark eyes held onto Jake’s, and they seemed to be asking for something.

“I saw you coming running toward me, tearing off your clothes, and then you changed.

Was I hallucinating? You were a large, ferocious animal.

You tore that dog off me and tossed him away like he was nothing.

" Jake's memories were coming back, but they were not making sense at all. "How can that be?"

Hayes didn't say anything at first. He just held Jake's hand. He didn’t deny anything, and he didn’t try to explain it away with platitudes like being overwrought or claiming it was too dark to see clearly.

Jake wasn’t sure how he felt about Hayes’ hesitation.

Hayes was a man in a dark suit, and then he was a huge wolf.

He was too large to be a dog and too fierce. The animal was a large black wolf.

"You were a wolf, and then you were a man," Jake stated it clearly and waited.

“I was watching you because of how close you were to our border. We’ve experienced vandalism and trespassers over the past few months, so I was keeping track of you." Hayes was starting at the beginning, which was probably good.

“I was just taking pictures like before.” Jake defended himself.

"I know that now, but I'm part of security here at Bay Harbor, and my job is to patrol the beach." He was just doing his job, and Jake could understand that. He nodded to Hayes, who then continued.

"Jimmy was crossing the backyard of the pack house, not sure where he was coming from or where he was going. He’s a pack member and can freely access this area without question, so I was not paying him any attention, and for that, I am sorry.

" Hayes reached out with his other hand and brushed the hair back from Jake's forehead.

It was an intimate gesture that Jake thoroughly enjoyed.

This attraction he was feeling for Hayes made no sense, but it was getting stronger by the minute.

“He saw you there on the beach taking pictures and then, for some reason, ran at you, shifted, and attacked.

I don't know why. He’s currently being questioned.

" Okay, there was one hell of a lot in this explanation to unpack.

Jake simply stared at him and blinked repeatedly while trying to pull together a response.

“What are you trying to tell me?” He asked.

"You saw it. You saw who we are." Things started clicking in Jake's head, and the thoughts that were coming to him had to be crazy. What he was beginning to understand was outrageous and not real.

“It’s not real, I was scared and seeing things that weren’t there.” Jake sat up abruptly and scrambled for an explanation he could accept. Hayes moved to the edge of the bed and placed his arm around Jake while still holding his hand in a firm grip.

"It was real. What you saw was the truth."

“That dog was a man?”

“Yes.”

“You’re a huge black wolf?”

“Yes.” Jake tried to jerk away from him, but Hayes was holding him fast. His breathing became labored, and his heart felt like it would pound right out of his chest.

"This is crazy, absolutely fucking crazy." Jake was shouting, and he couldn't stop. He needed to get out of there.

"Look at me," Hayes demanded, and Jake did what he asked without even thinking.

It was a natural response to his tense words, and again, it made no sense, but it felt completely right.

"You wandered into a secret that has existed since time began.” Hayes let his eyes travel over Jake's expression, trying to read his reaction and understanding.

“There is a reason for all the folklore surrounding the supernatural and mystical beasts. It was founded in truth. Yes, I am a wolf, and this is a wolf pack. The Bay Harbor Community is the Bay Harbor Wolf Pack led by Alpha Henrik Vaughn.” Hayes fell silent as he continued to watch Jake very closely.

His hands still held him in place, but not aggressively. In his heart, he knew what Hayes was telling him was real, but his mind tried to deny it and tried to find alternative answers for the things he saw and the explanation Hayes was providing. “It’s impossible.” He uttered breathlessly.

“You saw it with your own eyes. You saw me shift, and you saw me shift back.” He spoke strong and clear and held Jake’s gaze solidly. “You saw Jimmy shift back to human when Travis took him away. How do you explain that?”

"I don't know." Jake was losing this. He had nothing apart from perhaps being delusional, but there was no reason for him to suddenly experience delusions out of nowhere.

His mind was spinning, and he wanted to scream.

Hayes suddenly stepped back and shifted right there in front of him in the full light of the room.

Jake jumped back with his back against the headboard and stared at the large animal pacing the room and coming gradually closer.

The animal, a wolf, stared at him with those same dark eyes as Hayes, and his fur was reminiscent of Hayes’ sleek black hair.

He recognized this animal, and slowly, he found himself relaxing, moving across the bed toward him.

The wolf came closer. He was so large that he stood taller than the bed, and when he approached, Jake tentatively reached out his hand.

The wolf, Hayes, laid his head on Jake's leg, and Jake ran his hand through the soft, thick fur.

The touch was magical. He knew this wolf.

He knew this man, but from where and how?

The questions bombarded him for several seconds, and then suddenly, it didn't matter.

He saw something in the depth of that stare that called to him on a level he could not deny.

He felt the soul of that gorgeous black wolf touch his soul and claim him as his own.

The wolf owned him at that moment, and he owned the wolf.

They were meant to be one. "I know you." He whispered, and the wolf shifted into Hayes, standing there completely naked and looking every bit delicious.

He leaned closer, and Jake ran his hand over Hayes' naked shoulder and down his arm.

He could not deny what he just saw, but the realization that shifters were real was a lot to take in and process.

Hayes was worth the effort, and somehow, it was made very clear in that brief encounter that they were destined for one another.

“I believe you.” Jake watched as Hayes sat down on the edge of the bed and took Jake into his arms. “How long have you known that I was yours?” This new reality was taking shape, and Jake had a few questions.

“I didn’t know that you were my Fated mate until I picked you up in my arms and scented your blood. The scent and your touch made it very clear who you were.”