Free Ryan's Protector - Lupinville 3.3 by Alice Cain Page A

lived there. Maybe Maggie was mistaken. The
mixture of relief and disappointment was strange and unexpected, so he shoved
the feeling aside and tried to think logically.
    He stared up at the full moon. It was a
beautiful night for a run.
    And the old mill road wasn't that far away.
    "Will you be okay by yourself,
Maggie?"
    The old woman grinned and shooed him away.
     
    ~*~
     
    Wesley Noel lay on his back in the grass and
stared up at the moon. Nights like this one were the hardest. At least when the
alphas had been cruel and dangerous he'd been able to strengthen his resolve
and stay hidden away, but since Noah had taken over the pack, it was nights
like this one that truly tested Wesley's love for his mate.
    But Ryan was just a pup, and okay, thirty
years had passed since he'd met the wolf, so he was a pup no longer, but he
still deserved a chance to live life on his terms for a while. Wesley was more
than a century older. He'd lived a little. Before Ryan had even been born,
Wesley had bedded his share of females, and had even fathered a couple of pups.
At the very least he needed to give Ryan a chance to experience the same.
    His heart ached at the thought of waiting
another thirty years or maybe even forever for his true mate, but he dragged
the memories of his son and daughter closer. They were both good kids and happy
to split their time with both him and their mother. Of course, they were well
into their eighties now. Hell, older even than the mate he yearned for.
    Wesley rolled onto all fours, changing into
his werewolf shape as he did so. Lying here, staring at the moon like some
tragic romantic was not his style. He'd come out here to run under the
moonlight, not mourn for things he couldn't have. Determination filled him, and
he pushed off his hind legs, leaping into the forest bordering his backyard.
He'd run and he'd hunt and he'd set aside all the things bothering him as he
enjoyed his own very lonely version of a moonlight run.
    And he'd ignore his own needs because that's
what his true mate needed from him right now.
     
    ~*~
     
    Ryan ran faster, enjoying the clear, crisp
night. Tiny critters fled and hid as he approached, but he didn't slow down. He
wasn't tempted to hunt. His only thought was to meet his true mate.
    Or at least to offer his friendship to a man
who continued to stay isolated from the pack. If they weren't
true mates… Ryan let that thought trail away, surprised by the ache in
his heart. He'd given the matter so little thought over the years that it was
very surprising that he didn't want to be disappointed now.
    A scent suddenly came to him, the most
delicious one he'd ever smelled. He skidded to a stop and howled instinctively.
The lack of an answering howl was annoying, but if what Maggie had observed was
true, then it was unlikely his mate would answer him.
    Ryan had the advantage of being downwind, so
he turned and followed the scent, running faster as he got closer, growling low
in his throat when he realized his mate was moving away from him.
    But he was quicker. He'd put on a lot of
muscle as he'd matured. He was no longer the young, inexperienced pup he'd been
thirty years ago. He dropped his head lower and sprinted after his recalcitrant
mate.
     
    ~*~
     
    Wesley could hear the other wolf behind him,
but he couldn't scent who it was. He needed to double back, maybe run in a wide
circle before he'd be able to catch the wolf's scent, but anything like that meant
he risked coming face-to-face with a Lupinville pack member.
    Noah may have changed a lot of things, but
there were still members of their pack who preferred the old ways. He'd heard
rumors of the things that had happened when Noah had first taken over, and he'd
known and seen enough in his lifetime to be able to identify several more pack
members unlikely to appreciate Noah's leadership. They were the cowardly types
who'd thrive on attacking a pack member when no one else was around to witness
it. Hell, by refusing to