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I m okay, Tristan reiterated. I promise.
They sound of a car door slamming caught their attention and they turned to see Kelan
Morgan approach. He cut a glance to Jared and the two wolves but headed towards Tristan
and Joey.
Alpha, Tristan said when Kelan reached them.
Kelan s gaze swept over Tristan s bruised and battered face. How are you? he asked
by way of greeting.
Judging by the state of his face, Tristan had to be in pain, but he shrugged as though
this sort of thing happened to him every day. I m okay.
And you? Kelan asked, turning his intense gaze on Joey.
Joey felt that same rush of power coming from the man and it made him uneasy. Uh,
I m fine, sir, he replied.
Kelan gave a curt nod then turned his attention back to Tristan. Tell me what
happened.
Joey listened while Tristan went over everything that had happened between himself
and the two wolves, beginning with a fight they d apparently been involved in at Jackson s
the other night and ending with Jared showing up and firing the shotgun. Kelan stayed silent
throughout the explanation, but when Tristan had finished talking, he nodded and said
simply, I ll deal with it. Kelan leant forward and sniffed the air between him and Tristan
and his eyes widened slightly. I see you two have mated, Kelan remarked.
Tristan nodded. Yes, Alpha.
Turning to Joey, Kelan thrust out his hand. I realise this is not the best time to welcome
you into the pack, but needs must. Welcome. I hope you ll be happy living here with us.
Surprised, Joey took Kelan s outstretched hand and shook it firmly. He wasn t sure how
he felt about Kelan assuming that he would be staying in Wolf Creek, but he didn t voice his
annoyance. He could barely untwist his tongue enough around Kelan to mumble a quiet
Thanks.
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TRISTAN S DESPAIR Lavinia Lewis
70
Kelan kept hold of his hand and said, I m sure you realise how imperative it is that our
secret remains a secret.
Joey swallowed before answering, Of course.
Seemingly satisfied, Kelan let go of his hand. I d better go and deal with this. He
turned to Tristan and added, Why don t you go and get yourself cleaned up? You look like
shit.
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TRISTAN S DESPAIR Lavinia Lewis
71
Chapter Eight
Ow!
At the pained exclamation, Joey quickly pulled the washcloth away and winced as he
watched Tristan touch his nose. Shouldn t you see a doctor about that? he asked.
While Kelan spoke with Jared and the two wolves, Tristan and Joey had slipped into the
garage so that they could clean up the blood that covered Tristan s face and neck. On the way
to the bathroom, Tristan had grabbed one of the spare T-shirts he kept at work. They were
holed up inside the small room, Tristan sitting on the closed toilet lid with Joey playing
nursemaid.
Tristan shook his head. Nah, we heal pretty quickly. Don t have much occasion for
doctors unless it s something serious.
Joey gaped at Tristan. A broken nose isn t serious?
Tristan shrugged. I just need some time to rest and it ll be good as new, although it
would heal much quicker if I shifted into my wolf form.
Joey tore his gaze away and chewed on his bottom lip as he stared at the washcloth that
was covered in Tristan s blood.
What is it? Tristan asked. What s wrong?
It s nothing.
You re lying, Tristan proclaimed. I can tell.
Intrigued, Joey returned his gaze to Tristan s and stared at him for a moment before
asking, You can? How?
Your cheek twitches.
Joey rolled his eyes. I thought you were going to tell me you had some sort of wolf
superpower or something.
Tristan nodded sagely. That too.
Unsure if Tristan was just yanking his chain, Joey raised an eyebrow and waited. His
confusion must have been evident because Tristan offered up a small smile and elaborated.
I can sense your emotions. It s not always a hundred per cent accurate, but it works well
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TRISTAN S DESPAIR Lavinia Lewis
72
enough. Right then, your emotions told me you were embarrassed and a little ashamed. Sure
signs that someone is lying.
No shit.
It works best between mates and, like I said, it s not always accurate. But you re
avoiding the issue here, Tristan said, frowning. What gives?
Joey left Tristan perched on the toilet lid and threw the washcloth into the sink. He
washed up his hands while he tried to think of how to reply then voiced the question that
had been bothering him since he d seen the man shift into a wolf earlier.
Are you dangerous in your wolf form? he asked. Would you hurt me when you re
changed like that?
In a move that was barely visible, Tristan leapt up from the seat and stood in front of
Joey. He placed his arms on Joey s shoulders and stared into his eyes. The look was so
intense that it made Joey squirm. He wanted to look away, but he was unable to tear his gaze
from Tristan s.
I would never hurt you, Tristan promised, conviction dripping from every word.
Ever.
How can you be so sure?
Tristan hesitated before replying as though he were trying to figure out the best way to
word his reply. When we re in our wolf form, we don t lose our human sides. We re still in
there, still& lucid, I guess you could say. Sure, we act mostly by instinct, but our human sides
are aware of what we re doing. When we first shift, we re disoriented and it takes a moment
for our two halves to connect, but as soon as they do& Tristan shrugged.
So, you d know who I am? Joey asked.
Sure I would. And so would my wolf. You belong to him as much as you do to me. He
would recognise his mate. Matter of fact he could sniff you out in a room full of a thousand
people.
Really?
Absolutely. So you have nothing to be worried about, okay? My wolf and I, we re one
and we d die before we hurt you.
Joey nodded. He trusted Tristan, but after his earlier experience, he wasn t sure he
wanted to be faced with another wolf again so soon, even if that wolf was his mate. It felt
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I m okay, Tristan reiterated. I promise.
They sound of a car door slamming caught their attention and they turned to see Kelan
Morgan approach. He cut a glance to Jared and the two wolves but headed towards Tristan
and Joey.
Alpha, Tristan said when Kelan reached them.
Kelan s gaze swept over Tristan s bruised and battered face. How are you? he asked
by way of greeting.
Judging by the state of his face, Tristan had to be in pain, but he shrugged as though
this sort of thing happened to him every day. I m okay.
And you? Kelan asked, turning his intense gaze on Joey.
Joey felt that same rush of power coming from the man and it made him uneasy. Uh,
I m fine, sir, he replied.
Kelan gave a curt nod then turned his attention back to Tristan. Tell me what
happened.
Joey listened while Tristan went over everything that had happened between himself
and the two wolves, beginning with a fight they d apparently been involved in at Jackson s
the other night and ending with Jared showing up and firing the shotgun. Kelan stayed silent
throughout the explanation, but when Tristan had finished talking, he nodded and said
simply, I ll deal with it. Kelan leant forward and sniffed the air between him and Tristan
and his eyes widened slightly. I see you two have mated, Kelan remarked.
Tristan nodded. Yes, Alpha.
Turning to Joey, Kelan thrust out his hand. I realise this is not the best time to welcome
you into the pack, but needs must. Welcome. I hope you ll be happy living here with us.
Surprised, Joey took Kelan s outstretched hand and shook it firmly. He wasn t sure how
he felt about Kelan assuming that he would be staying in Wolf Creek, but he didn t voice his
annoyance. He could barely untwist his tongue enough around Kelan to mumble a quiet
Thanks.
www.total-e-bound.com
TRISTAN S DESPAIR Lavinia Lewis
70
Kelan kept hold of his hand and said, I m sure you realise how imperative it is that our
secret remains a secret.
Joey swallowed before answering, Of course.
Seemingly satisfied, Kelan let go of his hand. I d better go and deal with this. He
turned to Tristan and added, Why don t you go and get yourself cleaned up? You look like
shit.
www.total-e-bound.com
TRISTAN S DESPAIR Lavinia Lewis
71
Chapter Eight
Ow!
At the pained exclamation, Joey quickly pulled the washcloth away and winced as he
watched Tristan touch his nose. Shouldn t you see a doctor about that? he asked.
While Kelan spoke with Jared and the two wolves, Tristan and Joey had slipped into the
garage so that they could clean up the blood that covered Tristan s face and neck. On the way
to the bathroom, Tristan had grabbed one of the spare T-shirts he kept at work. They were
holed up inside the small room, Tristan sitting on the closed toilet lid with Joey playing
nursemaid.
Tristan shook his head. Nah, we heal pretty quickly. Don t have much occasion for
doctors unless it s something serious.
Joey gaped at Tristan. A broken nose isn t serious?
Tristan shrugged. I just need some time to rest and it ll be good as new, although it
would heal much quicker if I shifted into my wolf form.
Joey tore his gaze away and chewed on his bottom lip as he stared at the washcloth that
was covered in Tristan s blood.
What is it? Tristan asked. What s wrong?
It s nothing.
You re lying, Tristan proclaimed. I can tell.
Intrigued, Joey returned his gaze to Tristan s and stared at him for a moment before
asking, You can? How?
Your cheek twitches.
Joey rolled his eyes. I thought you were going to tell me you had some sort of wolf
superpower or something.
Tristan nodded sagely. That too.
Unsure if Tristan was just yanking his chain, Joey raised an eyebrow and waited. His
confusion must have been evident because Tristan offered up a small smile and elaborated.
I can sense your emotions. It s not always a hundred per cent accurate, but it works well
www.total-e-bound.com
TRISTAN S DESPAIR Lavinia Lewis
72
enough. Right then, your emotions told me you were embarrassed and a little ashamed. Sure
signs that someone is lying.
No shit.
It works best between mates and, like I said, it s not always accurate. But you re
avoiding the issue here, Tristan said, frowning. What gives?
Joey left Tristan perched on the toilet lid and threw the washcloth into the sink. He
washed up his hands while he tried to think of how to reply then voiced the question that
had been bothering him since he d seen the man shift into a wolf earlier.
Are you dangerous in your wolf form? he asked. Would you hurt me when you re
changed like that?
In a move that was barely visible, Tristan leapt up from the seat and stood in front of
Joey. He placed his arms on Joey s shoulders and stared into his eyes. The look was so
intense that it made Joey squirm. He wanted to look away, but he was unable to tear his gaze
from Tristan s.
I would never hurt you, Tristan promised, conviction dripping from every word.
Ever.
How can you be so sure?
Tristan hesitated before replying as though he were trying to figure out the best way to
word his reply. When we re in our wolf form, we don t lose our human sides. We re still in
there, still& lucid, I guess you could say. Sure, we act mostly by instinct, but our human sides
are aware of what we re doing. When we first shift, we re disoriented and it takes a moment
for our two halves to connect, but as soon as they do& Tristan shrugged.
So, you d know who I am? Joey asked.
Sure I would. And so would my wolf. You belong to him as much as you do to me. He
would recognise his mate. Matter of fact he could sniff you out in a room full of a thousand
people.
Really?
Absolutely. So you have nothing to be worried about, okay? My wolf and I, we re one
and we d die before we hurt you.
Joey nodded. He trusted Tristan, but after his earlier experience, he wasn t sure he
wanted to be faced with another wolf again so soon, even if that wolf was his mate. It felt
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