Enforcer Ewan “Cal” Calder hasn’t shifted into his Scottish wildcat form in two years. He should’ve gone crazy by now, because that’s how these things are supposed to work. The governing body of all shifters, the Council, has sent him and his adopted teenage son Kit to a sanctuary in Finland. It’s a last-ditch effort to wean Cal off the morphine he’s been using to keep his cat at bay. If he doesn’t shift soon, there’s no way he’s going to retain his sanity.<br><br>Two years ago, Council security officer Derek Lamont was tentatively dating and getting to know Cal, but then he lost an eye in a tragic accident. While he was recuperating in the hospital, Cal and Kit vanished from the house they’d all shared. Derek has been searching for them ever since, traveling the world and grasping at straws because of the undeniable truth: Derek knows Cal is his mate, even though humans aren’t supposed to be able to feel the mate bond.<br><br>When Derek finds Cal and Kit at a small farm in the middle of nowhere, Finland, he feels relief. But their problems are far from over. From Cal’s guilt over the accident, to stray hunting dogs, to figuring out how to deal with the Council, things keep piling up.

Off and On Again

“As much as I love you,sweetheart,would you let Cal out so we can talk through whatever just happened.”He scratched the cat under its chin and got a long purr in response.


Then the small body shuddered,and he had a lapful of grown naked male half on top of him.


“Fuck,”Cal said with such feeling,Derek chuckled.


“Okay T-shirt and boxers first,then talking,”Derek told him,and Cal got dressed.


When he was climbing back onto the bed,Derek opened his arms and after a second of hesitation,Cal moved close to him,pressing his ear against Derek’s shoulder as he cuddled in.


“It was the kids,”Cal said after long minutes of silence.“Joonatan’s kids.”


Derek thought for a few beats.“Human children?”


“Yeah.I didn’t know he’d bring them.I wasn’t prepared.”


Derek hummed and kept on petting Cal like the cat he was sometimes.They were both quiet for a while again,then Cal started to speak in a tone that told Derek he wasn’t fully in the bedroom with him,but reliving a memory.


Chapter 20