Feral Northern Shifters 2

had connected. His mind flipped back to the moment when his release shot up his spine and his come spilled over his hand. He had been caught there, in Bram’s hold, ejaculating—his first time in years and in his captor’s imprisoning embrace. His body had gone stiff and then eased away in a kind of boneless wonder, melting into the damned wolf.
He’d wanted to face Bram, reach for him and return the favor, which had resulted in Bram bolting out of the room—after saying he would help.
Maybe he would. Maybe those words meant something.
But it was more likely that Bram would go to Doug, his alpha and his lover, and Ethan would never see the dark wolf—or freedom—again.

Chapter Eight
    Taking several deep breaths, Bram tried to keep it together. Ethan had rattled him, yes, but the thing really shaking him to the core was the decision he’d just made. The decision to move against Doug, his alpha. His pack.
    Bram would be considered rogue. He’d have to leave.
Don’t think now . God knows he’d have plenty of time to think about it later.
It took Bram two attempts to punch in the right numbers and exit the second door that held Ethan
    captive. With his shaking hands, Bram shut the door behind him, glanced around the outer room and let out a breath of relief at seeing no one else there. He’d feared Doug would have already returned and discovered the unending loop playing.
    Bram pushed away from the door. He had no time for alternate scenarios and what-ifs, even if his mind was racing. Fact was, if Doug came upon him, he’d smell anxiety and ask Bram what the fuck was going on. Quickly Bram keyed into the camera feed, shut down the fake loop and disposed of it, then put the camera back to real time. Yes, close observation of the video would reveal the cut. For Ethan would have jumped from lying on the bed to disappearing into the shower, and there was a missing half hour.
    But Ethan—and Bram—would be long gone by the time this tape was analyzed. At least if Bram had anything to do with it. Better still would be if Bram managed to erase all the footage.
But first things first. He needed to think clearly about the best course of action. Most nights Doug went off to bed and left Bram to watch over Ethan. So night would be the best time to escape. Running out of here now, cutting the chain-link fence in broad daylight—not smart. Despite his desire to do everything immediately, now that he’d made up his mind about his future, and Ethan’s, Bram had to wait at least a few hours, and he had to pick the right time to act.
That meant some planning, some patience, and keeping a cool head. The last requirement was a bit scary. Bram was noted for his anger, his lack of control, his erratic behavior. It was why he’d been ordered to stay away from humans when he was teenager, and why he continued to stay away from humans. The wolf in him couldn’t be trusted not to shift.
Focus, Bram, focus on Ethan . It was not exactly the time for self-absorption.
Bram did have a strength of will, he knew he did, and he was going to use it over the next couple of days. After that, well, it wouldn’t matter so much.
So he sat on that chair and calmed down and watched Ethan through the video feed. Eighty-three minutes later, Doug walked in and threw off his jacket. Bram looked up, bleary-eyed, as if he’d been watching that feed the entire day. He stretched.
Doug frowned at him. “You can get up and move around, you know. I doubt the cat is going to shift in a millisecond.”
Bram forced a halfhearted smile. “Just being careful. Not much happened.”
“What’s wrong?” Doug pulled in a breath and Bram tried to remain calm and not give off fear signals. “You seem out of sorts. Unsettled.”
“I’m tired.” Bram swallowed. “I thought it best not to go into his room, given his reaction to me earlier today, but I think it’s hard for him to be alone. He just lies on the bed.”
Doug shook his head. “God knows how you survive, Bram. You’re such a softy.” There was even affection there, which made Bram inwardly wince. “Take a break. I’ll watch Ethan for a while.”
It was what Bram needed, what he wanted in order for his plan to work, but his heart also sank because Doug looked a little too smug, as if he had his own plan in mind.
“What?” asked Bram nervously. “Is something going on?”
Normally such questioning might have annoyed Doug, but Bram’s anxiety was obvious and the alpha put on his