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  Banan was interested in Owen the moment Puck let him into the pack, but Banan is shy and Owen is anything but. Adding in that Banan is ten years older than him, and he’s sure he never had a chance to begin with. But his New Year’s Resolution is to be more outgoing and to connect with people. He’s been procrastinating until St. Patrick’s Day. Now, with a couple of beers in him, this werewolf is ready to make his move.

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  The Werewolf’s Resolution

  Copyright © 2017 Caitlin Ricci

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-1025-4

  Cover art by Angela Waters

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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  The Werewolf’s Resolution

  Puck’s Pack

  By

  Caitlin Ricci

  The Werewolf’s Resolution

  Banan liked watching Owen dance. He was short and lean, moving with a grace that few men could pull off as he slowly danced in the light of the bonfire. But somehow Owen did. Banan didn’t know much about the vampire. Owen had only been part of Puck’s Pack for a few months after all, but Banan had been watching him plenty, and that only got easier as St. Patrick’s Day wore on and he kept drinking. He was on his fourth beer when Owen came over to stand next to him, giving him a sure smile that said just how good looking he knew he was.

  “Whatcha lookin’ at, werewolf?” Owen teased him.

  Banan kept drinking. There was so much that he wanted to say to Owen that he’d been keeping to himself ever since Owen had been let into the pack close to Christmas. But every time he tried to say something to the young vampire, his tongue got all twisted up. Owen was barely over five feet, half Banan’s weight, and absolutely stunning with platinum blond hair and faint freckles covering his shoulders and cheeks. He’d taken his shirt off while he’d been dancing with the others, and Banan wanted nothing more than to bend down and kiss those faint dots across his shoulders.

  “Werewolf got your tongue?” Owen continued.

  Banan blushed and glanced over at him. Around them, the others kept dancing. One nice night in the middle of March and suddenly they were all out around the bonfire. Werewolves and vampires alike, making friends and strengthening the bonds that Puck had formed when he’d accepted the first vampire into his pack, Armand. Those two made it look so easy to be together.

  Owen came closer, brushing his arm against Banan’s. “I see you watching, and I know you can talk. So what gives?”

  Banan opened his mouth then quickly closed it again. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t come up with anything. But Owen looked like he expected him to say something, anything, so Banan managed a pathetic little, “Hi.”

  “There you go.” When Owen smiled color rose in his cheeks. He must have fed recently. Banan didn’t mind that about the vampires. They survived how they had to, and at least in the pack they only killed criminals who were going to be put to death anyway.

  “I’m Owen. I don’t think we’ve officially met yet.” He held out his hand, and it seemed almost comical that he had introduced himself like that considering how much Banan already knew about him.

  Owen was barely over twenty, and he’d only been a vampire for a few years. Banan was thirty-five and had always been a werewolf, but he had never been good at talking to cute guys. Every other werewolf he’d ever met had a way with guys. They made it seem so easy, and Banan couldn’t help being jealous of the other members in his pack who were happily in relationships.

  “Banan,” he managed to growl out. He hadn’t meant to sound so rough as he took Owen’s hand, his voice had just come out like that. “Sorry.” He dropped Owen’s hand and looked away, feeling embarrassed at his own ineptness when it came to even just talking to another man, especially one he was attracted to.

  He sighed and sipped his drink.

  “Nice party,” Owen softly said.

  Banan wasn’t sure why Owen was still hanging around him. There was no reason for him to continue to be there. Certainly, Banan wasn’t enough to keep his interest for any length of time.

  “Do you want to get out of here?” Owen continued.

  Banan looked back at him. He definitely hadn’t heard him right. “What?”

  Owen moved closer. The warmth of his skin fed into Banan’s arm. “You and me, we need to talk somewhere that isn’t full of vampires and werewolves running around to interrupt us. Someplace quiet. You can bring some beers. You can even dye them green if you want to. I don’t mind. I won’t be drinking them, but it is St. Patrick’s Day after all, and those of you who can celebrate it like the humans do, should be able to.”

  Banan was done with the beer for now. He had no idea what Owen would want to talk to him about, or why he even wanted to talk to him in the first place. In the past few months, they’d never said more than a few words to each other. There was no reason to. “Why?”

  Owen smirked. “Because a little werewolf bird told a little vampire bird that you made a certain resolution at new years that you wanted to try to get to know me better. And now here we are, in the middle of March. So let’s go talk somewhere.”

  Banan didn’t know how he had known about his plan. He hadn’t told more than maybe two other werewolves about it, but werewolves were known to talk, especially when they had some particularly interesting gossip to spread among themselves. And since the vampires lived in their territory, it must have been easy to share that information with them as well.

  Owen offered him his hand, and Banan carefully took it. Owen’s palm was warm, despite how cold the night was. “You fed today.” That was the only explanation for the color in his cheeks and the heat of his skin.

  Owen nodded, and they walked together away from the bonfire and the others to a quieter part of the property. Once they were far enough away, apparently according to Owen, he stopped. “So why haven’t you said anything to me about wanting to get close to me? Ever? Or was your resolution more of a general idea that you just wanted to get to know us vampires better?”

  It was hard for Banan to speak, but he managed it a bit anyway. At least enough to let Owen know the answer to his question. “Just you.” He leaned back against the tree and looked up at the moon high above him. It was some comfort having the moon there. He took a deep breath and looked over at Owen to find him watching him too. “Hi.”

  Owen grinned up at him. “If you had questions, all you had to do was ask. So, let’s get to it. What did you want to know? How I was turned? How many people I’ve killed?”

  Banan didn’t need to know about any of that, but he liked hearing Owen speak. And with Owen talking, Banan wouldn’t have to fill the silences betw
een them. As long as Owen wanted to keep talking, he would be there, paying attention to Banan. And Banan could silently enjoy his company as he’d been hoping to be able to do for the past few months. “Any of that. All of it is good too.”

  Owen laughed and leaned against him. Affection seemed to come easily to him. Banan, on the other hand, was having a hard time with it. He tentatively brought his hand up to Owen’s back, splaying his fingers over the base of Owen’s spine. Owen came in even closer to him, stealing Banan’s breath.

  “I never knew you were interested. Actually, I thought that you kind of had a thing against us vampires because of how you never really got close to any of us. It was like you didn’t want us around.”

  Banan’s heart squeezed at the thought anyone believed that about him. It was the furthest thing from the truth. He shook his head. “I don’t. I’m just...” It was so hard for him to admit that he wasn’t like the other werewolves in the pack. He wasn’t outgoing at all. “I’m better as a wolf than a man,” he quietly admitted.

  “Do you want to get to know me better?” Owen asked.

  Banan nodded. He definitely did. Getting there was the hard part for him though.

  Owen brushed his lips gently over Banan’s shoulder. “You say that you’re okay as a wolf, so shift. Relax around me then that way. You’re wound so tight you’re starting to make me nervous too.”

  Banan wasn’t accustomed to shifting around the vampires, but he wanted to at least try. Maybe it would make things better, and easier. He wanted to get to know Owen and fumbling through a conversation with him wasn’t exactly helping. Maybe being a wolf would be better for them both.

  He pulled off his shirt and shifted. He just barely managed to get out of his pants in time before he was fully a wolf. Owen sat down in the grass with him and reached out his hands. Banan walking into his embrace and rested his shoulder against Owen’s chest, leaning into him. Owen was gentle as he worked his fingers through Banan’s thick coat. The attention felt nice, and his soft touches were comforting.

  Banan closed his eyes and softly shuddered as he continued to lean against Owen. “You can tell me all about you later, but for now I’ll start with me. I’m twenty-two. I was turned at eighteen. My ex was a vampire, which I didn’t know, and he thought he could keep me from breaking things off with him by turning me. It definitely didn’t work. Clearly. I kicked him in the nuts as soon as I realized what had happened.”

  Banan lifted his head and licked Owen’s chin. He was sorry that happened to him. Being a vampire was a lot harder than being a werewolf. They still had families, could still go out in the daytime. They could still enjoy a piece of cake without needing a glass of blood to wash it down with. Owen kissed him on his snout. The light touch tickled him.

  “Then I joined up with a group of vampires, and they were okay. Not great, but I learned how to control myself at least. Eventually, I left them, bounced around a bit, and then hooked up with Armand and the rest of the vampires here.” Owen shrugged, and Banan leaned into him a bit more, offering him a bit of comfort and support, even though he didn’t have much to give him.

  “And then you’re here. Cute, tall, sexy werewolf. And for months I can’t even get you to look at me, much less talk to me. At least we’re doing a little better on that front now, which is nice.” He chuckled and curled his fingers in Banan’s fur. “You know, it would be awesome if you shifted back and actually talked to me. It might be nice to have a conversation for once. And, you know, if you wanted to do more than just talk I’d be down for that. I’ve been wanting you for a while. Your big body over mine, holding me down, thrusting into me. I bet you’d feel amazing in me.”

  Banan couldn’t breathe as he shifted back. He couldn’t look at Owen either. It was too much. What he was saying, what he wanted. Banan couldn’t imagine it. Not just being wanted by someone as attractive as Owen but giving himself to someone else so easily. “I can’t do that.”

  “Can’t do what?” Owen’s voice had gone soft. He reached out and curled his fingers over Banan’s bare shoulder.

  If he’d been a wolf, he would have quietly laid down next to Owen and then he wouldn’t have to answer any of Owen’s questions ever again. He wouldn’t have even had to say a word. Not a single one. And then he wouldn’t look like a bumbling, incompetent, idiot, around such a cute guy. He really liked Owen, and a big part of why he hadn’t gone near him before was because he didn’t want to mess things up like he was sure he would. He couldn’t even get four words out around Owen without his heart racing like a freight train and his mouth going dry. He’d never been good around cute guys, and Owen ranked right up there with one of the cutest guys he’d ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on.

  “Banan?” Owen leaned forward and brushed his lips across Banan’s cheekbone, making him shiver. “Talk to me. What can’t you do to me?”

  Apparently, right now, Banan was failing at everything, including talking. He took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to force some words out. “I’m not good.”

  Owen made a face. “At what? Sex?”

  He really hadn’t had enough experience to know if even that was true or not. He shrugged. “At any of this. At talking to people in general. Seems like Puck is good at collecting strays that don’t quite fit into the rest of the world.”

  “Yeah, it seems that he does,” Owen quietly said. He chuckled lightly. He played his fingers over Banan’s shoulder, drumming along a silent tune over his skin. Banan closed his eyes and leaned against Owen. “I’m a stray too, in a way.”

  “Because you only feed on criminals.” Banan accepted what the vampires did to survive, and he respected Puck for making a life for them where they could feed freely and not hurt any innocent people. There were rules to keep everyone safe, there had to be, but the vampires still seemed to have a good bit of freedom all the same.

  Owen surprised him by shaking his head. “No, I’m a stray because I feed on cattle blood. I tried drinking from humans a few times, but I kept gagging on the taste. It’s all mental for me, I know I’d be stronger, faster, and overall better if I drank human blood. I’ve heard that probably a hundred times over the years. But I can’t make myself do it. So for the past couple of months whenever Puck has gone to get you all some steaks, he’s grabbed me some blood too. It’s kind of a secret, but not really. It’s just more embarrassing for me than anything.”

  “I don’t think that’s anything to be self-conscious about,” Banan quietly said. He was surprised, and maybe a little relieved that Owen wouldn’t have any thoughts of randomly biting him, but he didn’t think Owen needed to be embarrassed by not being able to feed from humans.

  “Thanks.” Owen tilted his head and brushed a kiss across Banan’s cheek.

  He was surprised and quickly pulled back. “Huh?”

  Owen looked serene as he merely shrugged and gave Banan a smile before coming in for another kiss. Banan was so stunned that he was frozen as Owen gently kissed him, moving his soft lips over his. Owen opened his mouth, inviting Banan in, and Banan took him up on his offer. He was still slow, still hesitant, but Owen didn’t seem to mind too much. Banan noticed, but said nothing, as Owen began shedding his clothes. If he’d been a werewolf, then getting naked would have been common for him. They shed their clothes all the time. But Owen wasn’t a werewolf, and aside from taking off his shirt to dance sometimes, Banan knew he didn’t like to run around naked.

  Things became even stranger when Owen slid his hand down Banan’s stomach to cup him. He jerked back in surprise, and Owen came with him. “Do you want to?” Owen quietly asked him.

  Banan nodded. Of course he did. But he didn’t understand why Owen would be interested in him at all. It all felt like some kind of awful cosmic joke that he wasn’t a part of. “Why would you though?”

  Owen smiled at him and began kissing down his throat. “Because I’ve been watching you too. I was glad when I found out about you wanting me. I was thril
led. I laid awake at night picturing you coming to my little house in the pack, slipping in through my open window, and taking me on the bed. Not talking, because you rarely talk to anyone, but plenty of kissing and touching as we both sank together on my mattress. But of course that didn’t happen. So now I’m making the first move, and I want you to catch up to me.”

  Banan nodded dumbly and lay back against the warm grass, letting Owen kiss him. He’d wanted this too. So much. It was almost overwhelming to think that Owen had desired him too. He jumped as Owen pushed his shirt up, exposing his chest. “Easy,” Owen whispered. Seconds later he had his lips over Banan’s hard nipple, teasing him with his warm mouth and tongue. He shivered and brought his hand up to cup Owen’s head. Above them, the clouds began to move in. The smell of rain lay heavy in the air. Soon the others would go inside. Banan was looking forward to getting Owen completely to himself for once.

  He stroked his fingers down Owen’s back. He was slim and his muscles were tight. He cupped Owen through his pants. He had a small butt, and as Banan squeezed him, Owen started to rub against his thigh.

  “I want you so much,” Owen said as he lifted his head.

  Banan nodded. Somehow, in some fantastic twist of the universe, Owen really did seem to want him. It was too good to be true, but he’d felt Owen’s hard length against him as he’d laid there rubbing over him. Banan believed it. He just had no idea how he could be so lucky. Owen urged him to remove his shirt, and Banan quickly took it off. The grass was soft and warm under his back, and when Owen pushed him to remove his pants, he did that swiftly as well.

  Owen was naked soon too, and it felt good to lie there with him like that. His body was soft, and even as the warmth of his skin started to fade, even that felt good, like he was chasing away a bit of the heat of the day with every soft touch. Owen slid over his lap, and Banan laid his hands over Owen’s thighs. Having him so close, touching him like that, it brought Banan a peace like he’d never known before. He closed his eyes and let Owen push himself onto Banan’s hard length. He gasped as Owen lowered himself. He was tighter than Banan had expected, but Owen kissed him, bringing them together again.