He yelped when he was suddenly grabbed and spun around, Chase leaning down right in his face.
“Now you listen to me, Taylor Foyt, and you listen well. I didn’t claim you or Justin because it wouldn’t be safe for either of you if I did. It had nothing to do with how much I want you both. But that same danger may be the key to finding Justin. I need to know everything you know so I can bring him home.”
Taylor’s teeth rattled as Chase shook him, the man’s face scarier than Taylor had ever seen. It wasn’t something he never wanted to see again either. And it terrified Taylor that it was aimed in his direction.
“Do you understand me?”
Taylor nodded slowly. “What danger?”
Chapter 4
The urge to draw Taylor into his arms was overwhelming. Chase's arms actually ached to feel his mate in them. And as much as he wanted to, Chase knew he needed to keep a distance between them. It would be too easy to let Taylor and Justin into his life.
And they would be in danger.
And fuck if he wasn’t sick of the danger. Chase wished it would all go away so he could claim the pair. He knew how frustrated his mates were, but their frustration wasn’t as strong as Chase’s.
The chances were too great that someone from his past would find out about Taylor or Justin and seek to hurt Chase by hurting one of his mates. Chase had tried to look at every angle, anything that would make it safe for him to claim Taylor and Justin, but he never found a solution. Any way that he looked at it, they ended up hurt.
“It’s just better that you don’t know, Taylor.” Chase turned away from Taylor’s eyes, eyes that begged for an explanation. He didn’t have one that he could give. “Just tell me everything you know.”
“Justin is gone.”
“I know that, Taylor. What else do you know?”
“Nothing,” Taylor cried out. “Don’t you get it, I don’t know anything. He left to go run some errands, and he never came home. That’s it. That’s all I know.”
Fuck!
The tension growing in Chase’s body settled in the back of his neck, and no matter how hard he rubbed, it wouldn’t go away long enough for him to piece the puzzle together. All he could think about was who might have his sweet little mate.
Chase jerked when he felt another set of hands brush his out of the way and then start kneading his tight muscles. And then Taylor’s aromatic scent filled his senses. Chase groaned and dropped his head forward, allowing the light touch, needing it even if it was just for a moment.
He had been denying himself the touch of his mates, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from claiming them if they got to close. But just for a second, he wanted that closeness.
When his body started to sink into the feeling of Taylor touching him, Chase straightened and stepped away. If he allowed the touch to go on longer, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from claiming Taylor, and then both of his mates would be in trouble.
“Thank you, Taylor,” he said to lessen the disappointment on the man’s face. “Can you answer a few other questions for me?”
Taylor pressed his lips together but nodded.
“Did he take anything with him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Didn’t you say he had a small bag with him, Taylor?” Nate asked.
“Yes!” Taylor swung away from looking at Nate when he spoke and back to Chase. “He had a small bag with him.”
“How small?” Chase asked, latching on to the bit of information. “Like purse little or overnight bag little?”
“Justin uses a backpack as his carryall. He keeps a spare set of clothes in there along with his medication, some bottled water and juice, and snacks. He always has it on him.”
“Is that the bag he took with him?”
“Yeah.” Taylor’s eyebrows scrunched together. “But it looked fuller than it normally did, like he had put something else in it. I didn’t think about it at the time because Justin always has his bag with him. He puts everything in it.”
Taylor looked up when Chase walked toward him.
“Listen to me, Taylor, is there any way that Justin could have left of his own free will?”
“No!” Taylor snapped. “Why would he do that?” Taylor suddenly bent over and wrapped his arms around his stomach. “Oh, gods.”
“What, baby?” Chase asked as he dropped to his knees and then smoothed the hair back from Taylor’s face. “What is it?”
“He left me,” Taylor whispered. Chase caught him as his legs gave out. “He left me.”
“Taylor—”
“Now, I have no one.”
Chases heart shattered, and his gut clenched at the agonizing pain in Taylor’s eyes. He had never seen anyone look so dejected or lost, and he had seen some horrors in his life. Taylor’s eyes were haunted as his entire body almost shook apart.
“You have the pack,” Chase pointed out and then regretted his words when Taylor slowly lifted his head and stared at him with something close to empty eyes. Chase’s blood ran cold.
“I. Have. No. One.” Taylor pushed from his arms. Chase knelt on the floor and felt overwhelming pain enter his body at Taylor’s words. “You drove away the only reason I had to be happy.”
Chase watched helplessly as Taylor walked out of the room. Fuck! It wasn’t supposed to be this way. It wasn’t…Chase growled, unsure how he expected things to be. He had pushed them away, dodging their every advance. But he had good reason, damn it.
Pushing to a standing position, Chase followed after Taylor. He knew he had to get the man to come to some sort of middle ground. They had to set aside what was going on between them and find Justin. Just the thought of the small man out there alone made Chase’s wolf howl in anger and fear.
“Taylor.”
“Boy,” Taylor said as he spun around at the kitchen sink. “First, I couldn’t get you to come
