When the huge man started to hum softly, rocking him gently back and forth, Kenny’s eyes filled with tears for a completely different reason. It was hard to believe that the guy holding him could be so tender, but looks, as they say, could be deceiving. With his lower lip quivering and tears running unchecked down his cheeks, Kenny stared up at his angel, Michael.
“Shhh,” he whispered, wiping Kenny’s tears away with the pad of his thumb. “Nobody’s going to hurt you. I’ll take care of you.”
He desperately wanted to respond. He wanted Michael to know how grateful he was for rescuing him. Kenny wanted to wrap his arms around the man’s shoulders and hug him tight for taking the time to dress him.
When the van door closed and his clothing was ripped from his body, Kenny thought for sure he’d lose his virginity to a rapist.
“Michael,” the Alpha murmured. “I just want you to know that Stephen is on his way. He’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Thank you.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“I don’t really know. I was on my way to relieve Montana at the front door when Jayson called me over to the bar. He said two men left, but that one didn’t look well. I went outside to check on them and…” He paused, tightening his arms around Kenny. “I stopped him…he was going to…”
“It’s okay. You don’t need to say anymore. Did you tell Montana to take care of the problem?”
“Damon and Nicholas were in the parking lot.”
“I’m going to go downstairs for a few minutes and make sure the authorities are called. I’ll bring Stephen up here as soon as he arrives,” the Alpha said, and Michael nodded.
He stared down at Kenny through his entire conversation, pain evident on the big man’s face. When a door closed, Kenny assumed the other man left.
“I’m sure you must be terrified right now. I can’t begin to imagine how it must feel to be stuck inside your body, unable to move or speak, but I know you can understand what I’m saying.” His eyebrows grew together, showing his obvious concern and worry over Kenny’s well-being.
He looked so lost and confused. It did funny things to Kenny’s stomach. Here was this big, strong man and Kenny wanted to offer comfort.
“Well…uh…” He cleared his throat. “I’ve already introduced myself so I should probably let you know that I work security here at the club. I haven’t worked here very long, but from what I understand things like this, what happened to you, never happen here.” He shook his head vehemently and Kenny knew that he was probably telling the truth.
“That guy”—he let out a disgusted snort—“he’ll be taken care of, if my friends haven’t already beaten the hell out of him. I, uh…I just wanted you to know that.”
Michael took a deep breath and looked around the office for a moment and Kenny felt the man’s uncertainty. He was struggling to find the right words to say, but just listening to his voice made Kenny feel a lot better. The masculine whiskey sound of his voice and the rhythm of his speech spread a calming comfort through Kenny’s entire body. The man could’ve been reading from the dictionary and Kenny would still be hanging on to each word and cherishing this moment. It was so strange.
Finally, after a few minutes, Michael looked down and started talking once more. “I’m from a small community in Alaska. You’re probably wondering why I’m here in New Orleans. I heard about an Alpha named Gideon Channing and his pack. They welcome in other shifters that are gay and I was looking for a change in my life. I didn’t want to follow in my father’s footsteps. I didn’t want to be a fisherman. And…” The corners of his mouth kicked up. “I wanted to find my mate.”
Mate. Had he been dreaming when Michael claimed they were mates? Was that wishful thinking?
Michael kept talking. He told Kenny all about his five brothers—Markus, Micah, Milo, Marlow, and Maddison. He explained what mating was and how his parents had met at a drive-in movie theater. Michael even talked about his childhood and about being a polar bear shifter.
Kenny wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but he listened intently and found himself smiling.
“Hey, your scent changed. That’s a good sign. I was having a hard time identifying your emotions, but now, it seems like the drug is wearing off.” He smiled brightly, exposing a straight line of white teeth, and his blue eyes sparkling. “Honey.” Michael chuckled softly, his chest shaking. “You smell like wild flowers and honey.”