Heat Race - Tanya Chris Page 0,12

seeking its comfort. He would’ve been relieved to not have to choose between Jasper and Saul—to let the fight decide for him. But he’d forgotten about Lon. With the moon and the violence and the scent of lust in the air, he’d almost thought that any alpha would do, that maybe he was having a hard time choosing between Saul and Jasper and Elias because it didn’t matter.

But hearing Lon’s name reminded him it did matter.

Not Lon. And not any of the other alphas bumbling through the woods either. There were only three alphas he wanted, and all three of them were here. But what if it was the fourth alpha who’d won? Lon was a giant. And a dishonest cheater to boot. The more Jack Henry thought about it, the more sure he was that Lon was on his way up to claim him. He hid his face in Elias’s neck, inhaling his comforting, familiar scent, and begged Elias to claim him.

“I can’t do it like this,” Elias said. “Not when you’re only asking out of fear.”

“But—”

“I’ll fight him,” Elias promised. “I know I’m not very big, but I’m smart and determined. I won’t let him win.” Elias set him off to the side. He picked up a loose branch and took a stance near the edge of the platform.

Claws scrabbled against the trunk. Elias hefted the branch, ready to strike, but he stumbled backward when a black wolf sprang onto the platform. The wolf raised its snout to the moon and howled. The sound echoed through the forest, seeming to loop back and ring a second time. Elias raised the branch again, aiming it at the wolf’s head as the wolf advanced, its jaws open to reveal a pair of deadly fangs. The beast was huge—equal parts terrifying and magnificent. And yet somehow familiar. This wasn’t a regular wolf that had somehow found its way into their treehouse. This was… Jasper.

“Stop.” Jack Henry shook his finger at the wolf’s nose and waited until it settled onto its haunches. “Put the branch down, Elias. Jasper’s not going to hurt me.”

“He might hurt me,” Elias said, but he lowered the branch.

Jasper shifted into human form. He was naked—as dangerously good looking in his bare skin as he’d been in black leather. He reclined casually, as if the planks were silk cushions, and his body was long and hard everywhere, especially in the thick column of his cock.

Jack Henry sat down. His legs wouldn’t hold him up anymore.

“Did Elias claim you?” Jasper sniffed along his neck.

Jack Henry shook his head. “I asked him to, though. I was scared. I didn’t know who’d won.”

“I’ll always win.” Jasper licked a broad stripe up his neck, then settled back to look up at Elias standing over them. “You had time to claim him. Why didn’t you?”

“Because of the deal we made.”

“What deal?” Jack Henry asked. People shouldn’t be making deals about him without him being there.

“We agreed it would be your choice, which means we should get Saul up here too.” Jasper whistled, and Saul came up to join them. “So here you go, hot stuff. Three alphas, all ready for you, all waiting to hear which of us you’re going to pick.”

The three of them were definitely ready for him. Arousal clogged the air as the strong scent of alpha male surrounded him. It came from Jasper lounging on the plank flooring next to him, from Saul sitting on a branch outside the fort, as if he wasn’t sure he was welcome, from Elias hovering protectively over him. All three of these men had fought for him—had been willing to sacrifice their bodies so he could make his own choice. And now they were waiting for him to do it.

Jasper’s pose was casual, but taut lines ran down his forearms and claws tipped his fingers. Elias had only been pretending he wouldn’t mind if Jack Henry mated with another alpha. Jack Henry understood that now, could see Elias’s grim resolve to bear the disappointment of not being picked. And then there was Saul—so big, but so easy-going. Jack Henry had never been sure Saul was interested in him, but his interest shone on his face now. Saul was aroused and hungry and smitten. It made Jack Henry dizzy to think of Saul wanting him this badly and only holding back out of respect.

And then there was Jasper, who’d promised he would always win. Jack Henry believed it. Jasper was a wolf, a primal,