Feral Northern Shifters 2

the one good thing about Doug. He didn’t hurt me. He didn’t want to hurt me.”
“Okay.” Ethan waited, hoping Bram would offer more and not quite sure where to lead this conversation. “Did you ever go outside the pack for lovers?” Ethan couldn’t help but think Bram might have benefited from less aggression.
“I couldn’t.” Bram let out a long sigh, loosening up as he sank into Ethan’s embrace. In turn, Ethan relaxed a little. “I have to stay away from humans. You saw how bad my control is. Took me ages to shift to human. I shift to wolf too quickly. My weird tic. I need to stay away from nonshifters.”
“Oh, Bram. I never knew this could even be an issue.”
“It isn’t usually,” Bram whispered. “Just for me.”
“Well that explains a few things.”
“Does it.” It wasn’t really a question on Bram’s part. The words were spoken with resignation, and Ethan realized he perceived Ethan’s comment as a criticism.
“If you could have gotten away from your pack and met some humans, some nice ones, I think you might have a less…skewed idea about sex. Because, I repeat, it doesn’t have to hurt.”
Bram pulled back from Ethan’s embrace, his face hot with embarrassment, anger, distress.
Ethan kissed him, coaxing at first then teasing, then full-on deep. He let Bram end it, and the embarrassment had ebbed, the hazy lust back in the wolf’s eyes. It wasn’t that the men Ethan had been with years ago hadn’t been responsive, but Bram was extremely reactive and Ethan really liked it.
“There are a few things”—Bram became confused by the look on Ethan’s face, which he imagined was part determination, part insinuation—“ I intend to teach you .”
“I’m a burden,” Bram said in a low voice.
“No, babe.” Ethan made that statement emphatic. Then he smiled and kissed him again. “I really like teaching. Believe me. Not so good at being taught, I have to admit. Also…”
“Also?”
“I didn’t know it could be like this.”
Bram blinked.
“I’ve never been so attached and so attracted to someone.” Ethan laughed a little. “I didn’t actually mean to tell you that any time soon.”
“Why not?” Bram’s face had lightened and Ethan had to ask himself, yeah, why not?
“Sometimes, the way you hold yourself back, I think you’re planning on leaving me.”
Bram froze like a deer caught in the headlights, which answered Ethan’s question. Perhaps Bram looked into the future and asked himself how he could make a life with an illiterate worker who moved boxes around for a living. He was pretty sure Bram cared for him, and cared quite deeply. But it might be easy to recognize that there were limits to what Ethan could offer him. Bram was very smart and Ethan, well, Ethan was not.
“Yeah, well.” Ethan wanted to turn away. Suddenly all of tonight’s revelations felt overwhelming and he was tired.
“It’s not like that.” Bram slid a hand down Ethan’s arm.
“What is it like?”
“It’s because I’m a wolf with a pack. If they call me back, I don’t know what will happen.”
“Ignore them.”
“Ethan. You don’t know what they’re like. They’re not like Liam.”
Ethan flopped down and Bram started investigating his body. It was the wolf’s fascination that undid Ethan. Not that his body hadn’t been appreciated by others, but Bram’s interest was so intense, and lovely.
He allowed Bram to play him, take him in his mouth, and they came together, Bram’s mouth on him, Bram’s hand on himself.
“Oh, Ethan.” Bram pulled him into his arms afterwards, offering him warmth, heat and affection. And Ethan took it while he could.

Chapter Twenty
    The next day Ethan was off to work, and Bram didn’t know how he felt about it. He’d hurt Ethan last night and even if Ethan had reached for him after they’d made love, and held him, it made Bram feel like shit.
    Yeah, he planned on leaving Ethan, but not because he wanted to but because of Doug. The ex-alpha was under Trey’s control now, but it wouldn’t last forever. Better for Ethan if Doug found Bram when Bram was alone. There was no way to argue with that logic.
    Eventually Bram dragged himself out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen though he knew that meant seeing Liam, talking to the wolf. Bram didn’t much like wolves right now, including himself.
“Good morning,” said the golden godlike creature. Even his voice was beautiful.
“Hi.” Bram went to the coffeepot and saw it was half-full.