Free Lone Wolf Pack 04.1 - Bonded to His Werewolf Lover by Anya Byrne Page A

to mention that, for some reason, he kept waking up from nightmares he could never remember.
    He very much looked forward to a few days of fresh air and privacy. For this purpose, he'd decided to travel to one of his father's old properties, a small holiday home which had stayed out of use since the man's death. Even if Val had taken some English assignments to look over, it would help clear his head. But first, he had to actually get there—and the drive was taking far longer than Val would have liked.
    So, Val was tired. That was the only excuse he had for the fact that he didn't see the speeding car coming. He turned at an intersection, and then, suddenly, the other vehicle was there, right behind him. There was no time to veer away, but the other driver's managed to do what Val could not. He pressed the break just in time, keeping both of them from disaster.
    A slight crash sounded, and Val guessed the other car had still hit him—although far less than he'd originally thought would happen. Fortunately, the impact wasn't enough to trigger the airbags or make Val lose control of the car. Even so, he was still shocked as hell. He managed to stop the vehicle and then placed his head on the wheel. His heart was racing a million miles an hour. He'd never been in a car accident, and this particular experience confirmed what he'd already suspected—that they sucked.
    Despite still being rattled, Val freed himself from the seat belt and opened the door. He had to check up on the other driver. Hopefully, he or she—Val hadn't seen them close enough to distinguish the gender—hadn't been hurt. The accident didn't seem serious, so Val guessed that must be the case, but he needed to make sure, and if there was an injury, he would have to call the ambulance.
    Thankfully, he needn't have worried. No sooner had he left the car than he ran straight into a tall, dark-haired man. Val blinked in surprise and shot a look past the guy's shoulder. The car was, indeed, abandoned on the side of the road, the door open. Okay, so this was clearly the other person involved in the accident. No injuries, from what Val could tell. Thank God.  Although, there would still be the police, all the formalities, insurance... Val's relaxing weekend had just evaporated into nothing.
    "Are you all right?" the man asked, voice thick with obvious concern.
    His voice cleared the haze of Val's frantic thoughts, and he could finally focus on his companion. His breath caught, and this time, not because of fear. In hindsight, he had no idea how he could have missed the perfect specimen of masculinity currently standing in front of him. The man was, plainly put, a walking wet dream. His eyes were a piercing hazel, so deep they somehow seemed to shine gold. His tight shirt appeared to be a few sizes too small and emphasized his rippling abs and stunning pectorals. Val would have thought the man had deliberately gone for that effect if he hadn't suspected the handsome stranger needed no artifice to have both men and women swooning at his feet.
    Val shook himself, berating his libido for taking over at such a bad time. The stranger's concerned expression reminded him he had yet to answer the question.  "Uh, yes," he finally managed to reply. "I'm fine. Just a little rattled. You?"
    The man smiled slightly. "Not hurt either. I'm so sorry about this. It was my fault. I was speeding. I should have known better."
    Val blinked in surprise. Despite not having been in accidents before, he'd already expected being forced to play "the blame game," and he didn't really know how he would have reacted since he felt his fatigue had delayed his reaction time. He'd also not been as alert as usual when he'd made the turn. But if the man claimed it was his fault... Well, that was quite unusual, indeed.
    Val eyed the stranger, wondering if he was supposed to be suspicious of this peculiar attitude. Maybe, maybe not. Take things one step at a time, he reminded himself.
    "Is your car