Wolf Trinity

Chapter 1

Emma Bennett ducked her head to avoid the rain dripping into her eyes and ran as fast as her paws would carry her. She could barely suck in enough oxygen to keep up the pace she’d been traveling for several days. But she must. Every time she paused to rest or drink from a stream or sleep for a few hours, she was burdened with fear of being found.

She hadn’t seen another shifter since she’d left home three nights ago, and that was a good thing. The farther away she traveled, the less likely anyone would be able to follow her scent and discover her location.

She was smart. She’d left in the rain and gone north several miles before slipping into the Green River. The water was chilly in the spring, but her fur was thick, and she tolerated it for many miles as she floated and swam down river. She prayed her scent would be lost to anyone following her.

She’d snuck off in the late afternoon, hoping it would be morning before anyone discovered her absence. She was exhausted and hungry. It would do no good to have made it this far if she died of starvation. Admitting that to herself, she paused and gasped for air.

She lay down on a bed of leaves to catch her breath and let the rain sluice over her fur. She’d give anything to be able to shift, eat a hot meal with a fork, and sleep in a real bed. But that wasn’t going to happen anytime in the foreseeable future. She had nothing. No money. No clothes. No identification. Just be glad you can hunt and eat in wolf form and count your blessings, Emma.

The sun dipped low in the sky. Dragging herself up onto four legs, she lifted her ears and stood very still. It didn’t take long for a rustling to the left of her to catch her attention. A rabbit? She sniffed the air around her. A squirrel. Either one was fine with her. At this point, she was in no position to be choosy. Scavenging and dining in wolf form was never her first choice, but extreme circumstances called for extreme measures.

Narrowing her gaze to one side without moving so much as a twig beneath her paws, she spotted the smaller creature as it scampered for respite from the rain. It would never reach its destination. Emma felt sorry for the little fella, but she was higher on the food chain tonight, and dinner was served.

When the moment was right, she pounced. The low squeak from the squirrel’s lungs made her cringe, but her hunger overruled any softening of her heart to the plight of the weaker animal.

Within minutes, the meal was over, and Emma could breathe easier. She crawled under the overhanging branches of the nearest tree and fell into a deep sleep for the first time in days.

You wanna do what? Jaden Campbell glanced over his shoulder at his roommate, spilling coffee over the edge of his mug. Shit. He set the cup on the counter and shook his hand as the burning liquid dribbled across his fingers.

Think about it, man. It’ll be awesome. You, me, the trees, the birds… Peace and quiet for the entire summer. No women to fuck with our minds. Just research and relaxation. Liam Young stood from his spot at the table as his voice rose in excitement.

Jaden turned the faucet on and ran his hand under cold water, wincing. Leave it to Liam to spring one of his great ideas on him before he’d even had a sip of coffee to get his eyes open. He glanced out the small kitchen window over the sink and took a deep, cleansing breath. No way in hell was he spending three months in the wild getting eaten by mosquitos and risking his life against possible venomous snakes just to avoid women.

He shivered at the thought and watched Liam’s reflection in the window as his partner stalked toward him from behind with his usual wicked grin pasted firmly in place.

Jaden shook his head. No way. The idea sucked.

Pleeaase. Liam’s southern drawl made that one-syllable word seem to possess at least three distinct syllables. Liam leaned his chin on Jaden’s shoulder, his blond hair brushing across Jaden’s cheek. His cock hardened as the man reached around him with both arms and pinned him to the counter.

Why would we do such a thing? Jaden mumbled.

Damn Liam for being so fucking sexy and smelling so fantastic after his shower. The man’s natural scent still oozed from his pores after his early morning run, combining with his body soap to tease Jaden into submission.

It’s been months since Cindy left. We’re both still in the dumps about it. We need a change. A new mindset. It will do us good. Besides, what else did you have planned for the summer? Hot days spent lounging by the apartment pool watching semi-naked coeds waltzing around strutting their stuff?

And what’s wrong with that plan? Jaden twisted in Liam’s arms until he faced him.

Liam never backed off, still pinning Jaden to the edge of the sink. Inches separated their faces.

You know as well as I do we need to find a nice wolf mate. If we date another human woman, I will lose my mind, and you will too. It’s too fucking complicated. Why do you think Cindy left?

Jaden took a deep breath. Liam was right, of course. They couldn’t repeat this routine again. Enough of humans. And since there was a serious shortage of shifters in the area, they were stuck for now.

Liam’s mouth spread into a grin. It’s only three months. June, July, and August. We’ll be staying in a fully-equipped cabin several miles from the closest town. We’ll be back before the next term starts, refreshed and ready to tackle the world.

Tackle the world? What have you been smoking, Liam? Jaden shook his head, but his partner was getting to him. Damn Liam and his ability to coax Jaden into another harebrained idea. The man was so vibrant and sexy when he got excited, making it difficult to deny him anything.

Professor Donahue is doing the hiring. It’s perfect. He specifically requested two research technicians to man the eastern portion of the Cumberland Plateau. He told me he’d be ecstatic if you and I would take the position and make his life so much easier. Liam nibbled on Jaden’s neck as he spoke. The asshole knew Jaden was a sucker when it came to that sweet spot.

Jaden leaned forward, batting at Liam’s arms. You already spoke to him?

Of course. How else would I know all the deets? Liam didn’t release his grip on the counter. In fact, he stepped forward until his cock rested against Jaden’s.

Jaden sucked in as much oxygen as he could, trying to concentrate on the conversation and not let Liam steamroll him with his fine, distracting dick. "And what are the deets? I do not have a master’s in forestry, you might recall. You do. My specialty is geography."

Perfect. Donahue is good with that. In fact, you and I complement each other. He had expected to give the job to some grad students, but when I came forward, he was over the moon. Hiring trustworthy full professors beats grad students any day. He won’t even have to worry about watching over us for fear we might fuck things up. We’ll spend the summer cataloguing and monitoring the vegetation over a few square miles.

Jaden watched Liam’s face light up as he passionately described the work they’d be doing. A lock of Liam’s thick blond hair fell over his forehead, and Jaden wanted to run his fingers through it. Instead, he kept his arms pinned to his side. Hell, the pinning might have been Liam’s doing if he were being honest.

Liam batted his eyelashes and gave Jaden his best pretty-please look. Why the man wanted to spend the sweltering hot summer researching plant life out in the wilderness, Jaden would never know. But he caved. His shoulders slumped. Fine.

Liam pressed firmly into Jaden’s cock as his smile spread wide. You’ll do it?

I just said I would.

I expected a bit more coaxing on my part. Liam ground his hard dick up and down, rubbing Jaden in a way that made Jaden’s knees buckle.

I can take it back and make you beg if it means you’re going to keep that up, Jaden muttered as he kissed his lover’s forehead.

Nah, I’ll reward you anyway. You don’t have to fight me to get my lips around your cock, Jade. You know that. Liam let go of the counter and stepped back enough to reach between them. He popped the button on Jaden’s jeans and lowered the zipper.

Jaden’s cock sprang out, harder than he’d been in a while. He loved the way Liam could get him off so easily. It was always better when they had a woman between them also, but Jaden was grateful his relationship with Liam was a constant no matter what sort of revolving door they’d had for the last few years with regard to a third in their relationship.

Without warning, Liam slid down Jaden’s body and sucked his cock into his warm mouth as he tugged Jaden’s jeans down far enough to release his full length.

Jaden moaned and gripped Liam’s shoulders to steady himself. He stared down at the mess of hair curling in every direction on Liam’s head.

Before Jaden could suck in a full breath, Liam had Jaden’s cock buried balls deep. Jaden spread his legs a few inches, hoping the effort would stabilize him and keep him from collapsing.

Liam was taking no prisoners this morning. He sucked Jaden’s entire shaft into his mouth over and over, reaching between Jaden’s legs to fondle his balls.

Jaden’s eyes rolled back when his partner twirled his tongue around the head and licked through the slit on his next pass. He moaned and gripped Liam’s shoulders firmer. God, this man can suck cock.

It didn’t take long for Jaden’s balls to tighten and draw upward. Liam knew when the moment was right—he was so in tune with Jaden’s body. He pressed a finger inside Jaden’s ass