Archive of Our Own

Stolen

Prologue

She walked through the doors and wandered slowly around the circular enclosure, running a hand lazily across the cages. The creatures trapped inside stirred restlessly, trying to get away from the power pulsing towards them, and the pain they knew it would bring them. They could smell the dead Weres that had been slaughtered to provide the fur to make her coat and it un-nerved them.

A few of the newer creatures tried to change, to become human again. But the collars forced on them prevented that. The older ones just cringed in the furthest corner of the small cages they were trapped in. They had been held in their Were form for so long now, that they had lost almost all their humanity, and become the beasts she kept them trapped as.

She smiled, a sadistic twist of her lips, as her latest acquisition – a badly injured, slow moving were-leopard - struggled to get away from the bars. It hissed and snarled as a wave of pain coursed over its battered body, and it cowered against the back of the cage. The trail of blood left in its wake was testament to the fight the creature had put up when it was captured.

“You’ll have company soon, my beautiful beasts,” she crooned silkily to the ensemble as she turned in a circle, her arms spread wide to encompass all the cages, “the most magnificent beast to complete my collection.”

With a last look at the caged creatures, she strode out, planning the procurement that would complete a collection started by her family decades before.

Part one

“Dude, will you sit still! What is wrong with you?” Jared said, exasperation running through his voice.

Jensen turned and stared, pretty much gob-smacked that the human Tigger had told him to sit still, but he stopped his leg from bouncing all the same. The set dressers nearby burst out laughing as they overheard Jared’s words.

“’Cause you’re so calm and relaxed the whole time, Jared,” Luke said as he made sure the latest motel-du-jour looked suitably shabby for the Winchesters to inhabit.

“Yeah,” Grant echoed as he placed empty beer cans on the coffee table, and pizza boxes – with half eaten crusts – on the small dining table in front of the grimy window, “you don’t sit still for more than ten seconds, man.”

Jared grinned around the Twizzler in his mouth, “I can’t help the boundless energy I have; I’m a growing boy after all, and need to burn it off.”

“Jared, if you grow any more you’ll eclipse the sun!”

Jared threw his head back and laughed loudly, clapping Jensen on the shoulder.

“My brother, Jeff, he’s taller than me. He must be 6’6” maybe 6’7” by now,” Jared said.

Jensen shared a look with the set dressers that clearly showed disbelief. Jared grinned as he picked up his cell phone. Scrolling through the pictures until he found the one of him with Jeff and Megan taken before he moved to Vancouver, he handed it to the Jensen as Luke and Grant looked over his shoulder.

“Shit, man that is one tall dude.” Luke said in awe. “What did your Mom feed you as kids?”

Jared grinned at them all as Jensen sighed and handed the phone back, muttering. “6’1” and I’m the shortest one here, again.”

The set dressers laughed as they picked up the box of accessories and headed towards the back of the set, talking about the giants in Jared’s family.

“Gonna tell me what’s got you acting like a cat on a hot tin roof?” Jared asked quietly after a few minutes.

Jensen shrugged, “S’nothing.” But it wasn’t long before his leg started bouncing again.

“Yeah, whatever,” Jared snorted. After watching his clearly agitated friend for a few minutes, Jared placed a large hand on Jensen’s arm where it rested on the arm of his chair and squeezed gently. “C’mon, Jensen. You know you can talk to me about anything.”

“It’s nothing, honestly.” Jensen said.

Jared looked at Jensen closely; taking in the dark circles under his eyes that his makeup wasn’t quite hiding. “Full moon was last week, wasn’t it?” He asked, even though Jared had memorized the nights of full moon as soon as he’d learned his co-star was one of the 5% of the population that had the Were gene.

Nobody knew why, or how, the Were gene appeared in those it did; but every twentieth birth in the world was a Were. Irrespective of whether the parents had the gene, or grandparents or any siblings. In some cases, to the complete astonishment of medical staff and parents, multiple births had occurred with one child born having the gene, and the remaining babies not. Jared had been fascinated by this, and was intent on reading everything he could find, and would quote parts at Jensen when his co-star least expected it.

“Yeah,” Jensen replied distractedly as he checked his cell for the twentieth time in as many minutes. He rubbed at his arm absently, feeling as though he had ants crawling under his skin; he wanted to scream, or run. Or better yet, he thought, change into his wolf form and run through the dark streets, howling his discomfort to the sky. But none of that was going to happen until they’d finished filming.

Dropping his head back and staring up at the ceiling, Jensen thought about Jeff, and how much he missed his mate. Due to both their work commitments, they’d been apart for three moons now – the longest they’d been separated in the nine years they’d been mates, and Jensen was feeling it in every fiber of his being. He was missing the connection, the closeness they shared like he’d miss his leg. And he wasn’t used to feeling like that.

Jared’s snort of “Dude, again?” as he looked at his cell phone, again, had Jensen grinning ruefully at himself. “You know, in Were-folk: a concise history, they say that Weres struggle with partum syndrome after more than six weeks separation from their mates, suffering with feelings of mild anxiety to full blown paranoia if it goes on too long. Symptoms can be restlessness, compulsion, and fatigue.”

“Why thank you, Dr. Padalecki, but I’m sure that last time I checked it was your brother working towards the medical degree, not you.”

Jared’s laugh had people smiling as it boomed out over the set, as “Five minutes, people!” rang out, and they both stood.

Jared stretched still grinning, and without looking at each other they bumped fists and took their marks.

Three hours later, Kim Manners called “Cut!” and Jensen breathed a sigh of relief. The last scene had been tough, especially feeling as out of sorts as he did, and had taken longer than normal to finish to Kim’s usual high standards. Running a hand down his face, Jensen followed Jared to wardrobe, already stripping Dean Winchester off as he walked, desperate to reach the shower and scrub the layer of dust that felt as though it was coating his skin.

Within twenty five minutes, with hair still damp from the shower and skin scrubbed raw in places to try an alleviate the irritating feeling he was still suffering from, Jensen was climbing into the back of the SUV with Jared. He listened with a wry grin as Jared started talking to Mitch, their driver. Jensen settled down, letting his head rest against the side window as the lights of Vancouver flashed by. It would take fifteen minutes to reach his hotel, and he drifted into a light doze. The sound and feel of his cell signaling a text bought Jensen to full consciousness and he opened his phone, grinning widely when he saw the sender’s name and quickly read the message.

Hey pup u done yet?

Nearly at hotel call u in 5 he sent back.

“Still love you, eh?” Mitch grinned at Jensen in the rearview mirror, used to the mated couple’s routine after driving Jensen for the last ten weeks.

“Yeah, must be doing something right!” Jensen smirked as Mitch parked in front of his hotel and he climbed out of the vehicle.

“Late call tomorrow,” Mitch called out as Jensen went to shut the door.

Jensen grinned and mumbled “Thank fuck!”, looking at Jared, who was busy on his own cell. Jensen just tapped his knee, not wanting to interrupt Jared’s call to Sandy. They spent even more time apart than him and Jeff. Closing the door, he banged on the roof and waved as Mitch drove off.

Walking through the lobby, he smiled and greeted the night reception staff who were well used to the long hours that Jensen kept. Taking the key already being held out, he took his post and started flipping through it as he waited for the elevator. Flopping down on his bed a moment later, his coat dropped over the back of the chair in the sitting area and his trainers kicked who knew where, Jensen flipped open his phone and hit #2 on the speed dial.

Jeff grinned as his cell jingled merrily and he answered without looking at the name. “Hey, darlin’. Long day?”

“Mmmm, darling, I like that, even though we haven’t even met yet. But that will soon be rectified.”

Jeff stilled at the husky voice that purred in his ear. “Who are you? How the hell did you get this number?” he demanded.

“That is of no matter, darling. We will meet soon, and then I’ll have your undivided attention.”

“What the fuck?!?” Jeff snarled, “Listen lady, I have no idea who you are, or what you the hell want, but –“

“Oh, I want you, darling,” the voice interrupted, “and I shall have you. Soon.”

The dial tone echoed in Jeff’s ear as the call was disconnected and he muttered about crazy stalker fans and quickly scrolled through the call list only to curse when he found that it came up as number unknown. Taking a few deep breaths to try and calm his racing pulse, he jumped when the phone trilled again. Checking the display, he answered as Jensen’s face smiled up at him from the screen.

“Jensen,” he said, annoyed with himself at how relieved he was when he heard his mate’s voice.

“Hey, old man,” Jensen said, the smile evident in his tone.

“Old man! Yeah, but this old man can still reduce you to a whimpering, writhing wreck whenever he wants, pup.”

Jensen groaned at the memories the words brought to mind, of the countless times Jeff had done just that, and more.

“Don’t Jeff, please. It’s bad enough being apart like this, without you making it worse. This antsy feeling is driving me mad; I feel as though I want to crawl out of my skin half the time. I think I need to go up to the Vancouver pack lands at the weekend, have a long run with one of the other betas. ”

Jeff sighed. “I know babe, I feel the same. Not much longer. Denny only has a few weeks left, and then Papa Winchester gets to come and play with his boys and their toys.”

Jensen grinned, and they started chatting about their days, and how their sets were so different; Jensen laughing at the daily dramas on the Grey’s Anatomy sound stage and Jeff saying how much he was looking forward to finally meeting the sasquatch who had relaxed his mate so much. Even though he had spoken to Jared, they had yet to meet.

“I miss you,” Jensen suddenly blurted.

Jeff sighed, knowing exactly how his mate felt. “I know pup, I miss you too. So do Bisou and Bear – they haven’t had anybody to run with the last few weeks.”

Jensen snorted, “You should be out with them, or are you struggling to keep up now, old man.”

“Beta, you’re asking for trouble you keep up this old man crap,” Jeff growled, only part joking.

“What you gonna do?” Jensen teased, starting to get a little breathless at Jeff’s tone of voice; he wanted to complain that his alpha knew how the deep growling tone affected him, but just knew that it would make Jeff use it all the more. Not that that would be a bad thing, Jensen thought to himself with a wry grin. “You gonna go all alpha on me; pin me down and fuck me raw?”

Jeff moaned at the picture Jensen was creating with his words. Running his free hand under the waistband of the joggers he was wearing, Jeff stroked his rapidly hardening cock a few times before shifting around so that he could push the garment off his hips, freeing his cock and making it easier for him to bring himself off.

“Hmm, I might; then again I might make you work for it, beta, make you earn each touch from me.”
The sound of Jensen jacking his cock was loud over the connection, and Jeff wished he was there to see the beautiful sight, not have to rely on his memories.

“God, Jeff,” Jensen groaned.

“I’d make you wait before I sucked your perky nipples, before I bit them. You’d have to plead with me to kiss your body, stroke your body. You’d have to beg me to touch your cock, ‘cause you won’t have earned that yet, beta, not by a long shot.” Jeff drew in a ragged breath as he tugged harder on his cock, the sounds echoed from Jensen’s end of the phone.

“You wouldn’t have earned me licking you from root to tip, or lapping at the liquid leaking from the end. You would definitely not have done enough to make me take your beautiful prick into my mouth and suck at it unt-“

“Alpha, please,” Jensen cried out as he felt his orgasm coming closer and closer, and knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Jeff had gotten too good at phone sex, able to paint beautiful erotic pictures that had Jensen coming in a few short minutes if the alpha chose to make him.

“That’s it, pup, imagine what you’d have to do to earn that, to earn me sucking your cock deep into my mouth,” Jeff panted, his own climax nearly on him. “Stroke your cock for me, squeeze your balls and imagine it’s me.”

The last words had Jensen crying out as his climax ripped through him. Jeff groaned low in his throat at the mental image to go with the sounds, and followed his mate. They lay on their respective beds, hundreds of miles apart, and waited until their breathing had returned to a semblance of normality.

“God, I miss you, Jensen.”

“Soon, Jeff, soon.”

Jeff sighed down the phone, “Yeah, couple of weeks and then you’ll have a reason for the bow legs, pup.”

Jensen burst out laughing at the statement. Still chuckling he tucked the phone between ear and shoulder as he sat up. “Urgh, I need to go clean up, I’m all sticky. Thank God I have a late call tomorrow, night shoot.”

“OK, I’ll call you the night after, let you get some sleep.” Jeff said as he tried to pull his joggers over his exposed groin, but gave up when they twisted and snagged his balls in the elastic. “Take care, sweetheart, I love you.”

“I love you too, old man.” Jensen couldn’t help himself. Jeff’s growl was cut off as Jensen ended the call. Dropping his cell phone on the nightstand, Jensen stood, intent on a much-needed shower, and grimaced at the feel of the cold come on his stomach. Ten minutes later he was curled around a pillow in the too big bed, desperately wishing he had Jeff’s heat to warm him up, knowing that the cold he was feeling was not due to the air conditioning in the hotel room.

In Los Angeles, Jeff washed up and let the dogs back in before securing the house. It was only as he put his cell on charge and set the alarm that he realized he hadn’t said anything to Jensen about the crazy woman who’d called seconds before his mate. Deciding that all it would do was worry his beta if he knew, Jeff switched the light off as the dogs jumped on the bed and settled against his body.

Kim Manners, director extraordinaire and Alpha Prime of the Vancouver Were pack, watched as Jensen botched yet another take; at the rate the young beta was going their night shoot would become a day shoot. He could see the frustration rolling off Jensen in waves, and knew he had to do something he would have hated his Alpha Prime doing to him thirty years ago. But he was an interfering busybody, or so his wife and beta of twenty five years told him, and he wasn’t going to stand by and see one of his pack suffer like this; that wasn’t the sort of Alpha Kim was. And while Jensen was only an honorary member of the Vancouver pack, it didn’t stop the director from worrying about the young pup.

Pulling his cell phone from his jeans pocket, he scrolled through the contact list until he found Jeff Morgan’s number. The snarled “What?” that was Jeff’s way of answering had Kim thinking “oops” when he glanced at his watch and realized it was 4.00am in LA.

“Jeff, its Kim Man-“

“Is Jensen okay?” Jeff interrupted quickly, worry clear in his voice.

“He’s fine, Jeff; well, no, actually he’s not fine. He’s okay, but not fine,” Kim uncharacteristically rambled.

“Kim, what the fuck is going on? Either Jensen’s okay, or he’s not. Which is it?” Jeff demanded.

“When are you planning on seeing each other again?” Kim asked, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and stave off the headache he could feel building at the back of his eyes.

“Couple of weeks,” Jeff said uncertainly, “Look, Kim, what the hell is going on? Is Jensen really okay?” The dogs settled against him on the bed once more, having jumped off the bed when his cell phone rang, and Jeff drew some comfort from their presence.

“Jensen needs you,” Kim said bluntly, eventually deciding that at this time of the morning he needed to just get straight to the point. “He’s blowing scenes that he’d normally nail on the first take, fluffing lines, missing his mark. And not just tonight.” Kim drew in a weary breath.

“Look, Jeff, as his Alpha Prime I’m telling you that no matter what your beta is saying over the phone, he needs you. This weekend. Not in a ‘couple of weeks, maybe’.”

Jeff sighed wearily, “Yeah, if you talked to the crew here they’d probably say the same thing about me.” He rubbed over the back of his neck. “I’ll talk to Dave Gordon in the morning, see if maybe Denny can have a relapse, need to spend a little time in isolation or something. He’ll understand, his brother’s a Were so he knows what’s what. ”

“Come visit when you get here, I’ve got a cabin in the Fraser Valley you can use if you feel the need to go for a run.”

“Thank you,” Jeff said.

They wrapped up the call and Jeff got up; he would struggle to get back to sleep knowing that his mate was suffering as much as he was. What a pair, he thought as he grabbed a bag and started packing for a few days, wondering how early he could get away with calling the producer and dog sitter.

Kim put his phone back in his pocket as he walked towards the two stars of the show. He watched as Jared leaned down in front of Jensen, literally blocking the smaller man from view, and wondered at the friendship that had formed so quickly between the two. He stepped back behind the scenery but still kept an eye on them. When Jared stood up and clapped Jensen on the shoulder, Kim moved forward. Sometimes an Alpha had to know when to let others look after a member of his pack, and Jared was doing that just fine.

“Places, people, let’s see if we can kick it in the ass!”

Jensen gave a ragged laugh as he stood up. He felt tired to his very core, and the antsy, irritated feeling was back even worse than before. Stepping into the latest tacky motel set up, he found his mark and took a moment to center himself. With Jared’s words of support still ringing in his ears, Jensen nodded to himself and looked up. Meeting Kim’s eye he saw the question in the director’s eyes and inclined his head to acknowledge it. One more deep breath and he nodded at Kim.

Kim nodded in reply, “Okay, people. Let’s do this.”

Jensen stumbled across the threshold a couple of hours later. He started stripping as the door swung closed behind him; his clothes a trail on the floor behind him. Crawling across the bed, he snuggled under the bedclothes and was asleep within seconds.

Dave Gordon, executive producer for Grey’s Anatomy and brother to a were-fox, listened as Jeff explained the situation to him, not at all surprised by the request. His brother had suffered something similar when his alpha and mate, a Marine, completed a tour of duty in Iraq a few years ago.

“Leave it with me. I’ll talk to the writers, see if we can shift things around a bit over the next few weeks. Give me 30 minutes. Go grab a coffee or something.”

“Thanks, Dave.” Jeff said as he left the producer to make some calls.

On his way to the airport later on, Jeff read through the printed sheet with his flight details on that Dave’s assistant had handed him as he left; something he hadn’t given a second thought to, he realized with a rueful grin. Jeff had just been intent on getting the time off and the dogs looked after. How he was getting to Jensen hadn’t crossed his mind.

The dogs were going to be spoiled at the dog sitters, he knew; Jeff sometimes thought they’d rather spend time with Sophia and her girls than at home with him and Jensen. With the amount of time they spent at the sitters, it was a good thing. He did feel guilty, but it couldn’t be helped this time.

Four hours and 27 minutes after entering LAX, Jeff was smiling cheekily at Shona behind the reception desk at Jensen’s hotel, pleased that it was somebody he knew on duty.

“I really shouldn’t hand over the room key without Mr. Ackles’ say-so, I could get into a lot of trouble,” she said, as Jeff started batting his eyelashes at her. “Oh, stop that,” Shona laughed as she pushed Jeff’s elbow off the desk, “you’ll do yourself an injury and Jensen would never forgive me.”

“Thanks, sweetheart,” Jeff drawled as picked up her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.

“Go on now,” Shona laughed as she waved Jeff off, “before either of our mates sees you!”

Jeff picked up his bag and headed for the elevator, waving over his shoulder as he went. Punching the button for Jensen’s floor, he rolled his shoulders under his jacket to try and ease the tension he was suddenly feeling. His cell phone rang as he exited and turned left towards Jensen’s room. Looking at the screen, Jeff stopped as ‘number unknown’ flashed across the screen.

He waited a few seconds, before hitting the accept button.

“Hello?”

“Oh, Jeff, darling,” the voice from before purred in his ear. “Did you think running to your little mate would make me forget you, change the way I feel about you?”

“Listen, lady, I have no idea who you are, but if you fucking call me again I will report you to the authorities. Do you hear me?” Jeff practically snarled into the phone. The way she had said mate sent chills down Jeff’s spine and he squeezed his cell phone so tightly, he could feel the edges cutting into the palm of his hand and hear the casing creaking in his ear.

The voice on the other end of the phone just laughed at the threat. “My darling, that will never do, threatening me like that. I may just have to make you pay a little for that.”

Jeff disconnected the call before she could say anything else. He was furious with himself for accepting the call, when in his gut he’d known what the call was. But what was making him really angry was the implied threat to Jensen. Nobody threatened his mate and lived to talk about. He would make sure that the bitch suffered for simply talking about Jensen with that tone of voice.

Taking a deep breath, Jeff tried to calm down a little before he entered Jensen’s room. Leaning his head against the door, he waited a few moments until his heart rate returned to something resembling normal again. Pushing open the door, Jeff walked into Jensen’s room, smiling as he saw the trail of clothes leading from the kitchen area to the bedroom door.

Dropping his duffel on the sofa, Jeff picked up the clothes as he followed the trail into the bedroom. Standing in the doorway, he paused and stared at Jensen. His mate was snuggled under the covers in the center of the bed. His left arm was reaching across the bed as though subconsciously searching for Jeff. Jeff smiled softly as he dropped the clothes he was holding into the wash basket, adding his own to the pile.

Lifting the corner of the bed clothes behind Jensen, he climbed in, wrapping himself around his lover. The feeling of the world settling back on its proper axis swamped Jeff, and he realized just how off-kilter he had been feeling. Curling around Jensen, he pulled the younger man closer. Jensen stiffened slightly, then relaxed back into his mate’s arms. Jeff breathed in the badly missed scent that was pure Jensen and felt each muscle start to relax in what felt like forever.

Minutes later Jeff was snoring lightly, his mate cuddled snugly to his chest.

The annoying ringing of his phone drew Jensen from the depths of sleep, and he grumbled as he pulled the covers over his head, desperately trying to ignore the sound. “Jeff, phone,” he mumbled into the pillow as he felt a body stir behind him. It took a few seconds for Jensen to become coherent enough to realize that he was in bed with his mate.

Ignoring the insistent ringing of his cell phone, Jensen rolled over and found himself face to face with Jeff. “What are you doing here?”

Jeff just grinned. “I missed you too, sweetheart,” he replied.

Jensen slapped his shoulder. “You know what I mean!”

“Well, if you give me a kiss, I may just be able to remember why I’m here,” Jeff said as he waggled his eyebrows.

“Hmm,” Jensen pondered, “I think I can manage that.”

Wrapping his arms around Jensen’s back, Jeff pulled him in close and they shared a soft, almost tender kiss.

“Missed this, missed you.” Jensen said when the slowly separated.

He moved closer, suddenly needing to feel Jeff pressed against him, shoulder to toes. “God, I missed you. So fucking much.” Jensen repeated into Jeff’s shoulder.

“I know, sweetheart, I missed you too.” Jeff could feel the tremors running through Jensen’s body and he held his mate tighter. They started to move against each other, a slow gentle glide at first. Jeff moved slightly under his lover, bringing their growing erections into line. Jensen groaned into Jeff’s mouth and pushed his hips down harder.

They moved against each other, hands roaming over exposed skin, bringing sighs and moans to joined lips. Jensen picked up the pace and Jeff tightened his hold on the younger man. His hands spread across Jensen’s backside, Jeff lifted his hips giving Jensen better access.
Jeff could feel his orgasm building; dragging his lips from Jensen’s, he licked down Jensen’s arched neck and bit. Jensen cried out, cursing as he exploded against Jeff. The spread of heat over his groin pulled Jeff’s orgasm from him and he groaned into his mate’s shoulder.

They lay wrapped around each other for long minutes, as their heart rates settled down, simply enjoying the feel of each other. When he had lost all feeling in his right arm, Jeff pulled back a little.

“C’mon, pup. Let’s go make use of that ridiculously big shower the hotel thinks you need.”

“Okay,” Jensen replied as he climbed out of bed. The blinking of his cell caught his eye as he walked past the dresser and he picked it up. Listening to the message, he smiled to himself as he joined Jeff in the shower.

“Kim says I’m not needed on set until Tuesday evening; they have to shoot some other bits first.”

Jeff nodded at the news, pleased to be able to spend so long with his mate.

“And that the cabin is free this weekend like he said.” Jensen stared at the other man. “So, when did Kim call you?”

“Uhm, about 9 hours ago,” Jeff mumbled, knowing that Jensen wouldn’t appreciate the fact that Kim had interfered, even though it was for the young beta’s own good.

Jensen sighed, and started to say something, then stopped. He knew that Kim liked to keep an eye on him and that any interfering was done with the best of intentions.

“You’re not too mad, are you?” Jeff asked as they quietly washed themselves.

Jensen thought for a moment. “No. I know why he called. Doesn’t mean I like it, though. You done?” He asked. At Jeff’s nod, Jensen turned the water off and they dried themselves.

Dressing quickly Jensen walked into the sitting area, saying “I’ll call downstairs and get them to organize a hire car for us. You have a look through the menu; see what you want to order up. By the time we’ve eaten the car should be here.”

Jeff grinned and pressed a kiss to Jensen’s temple as he walked past and picked up the menu. While they waited for the food, Jensen packed a few things and put their bags by the door. Throwing his winter coat on top, Jensen paused for a second and added another warm coat for Jeff. They wouldn’t be outside much in their human form, but Jensen hated being cold.

They enjoyed the quiet meal together, whole-wheat blueberry pancakes complemented perfectly by bacon and bananas; it was a strange combination that Jared had insisted he try one day, and to Jensen’s horror he was now addicted to it. Jeff just grinned at Jensen as he ate his own waffles, picking up the last strawberry on his plate; Jeff dipped it in the mix of cream and maple syrup and held it out to Jensen.

Jensen leaned closer and closed his lips around the proffered fruit, pulling the sweet strawberry into his mouth. He held Jeff’s hand in place as he swallowed, then sucked Jeff’s fingers in one by one. Jeff felt the heat pool in his groin as Jensen sucked on his fingers and swirled his tongue around. A knock at the door broke the spell, and Jensen released Jeff’s fingers with a grin.

“That’ll be the car,” he said as he answered the door.

Jeff growled as his erection strained against the zip of his jeans. He grabbed Jensen as the beta walked past him, grinning as Jensen ended sprawled across his lap. “You will pay for that, pup,” Jeff warned as swatted the delectable ass as Jensen wriggled, trying to get up. The slap bought a burst of laughter from Jensen, and Jeff let him up.

“C’mon, old man, if we head out now we’ll be at the cabin by two.”

Two hours later, Jensen was pulling off the trail and starting the last part of the drive to the cabin. Jeff stared out of the window, just enjoying being alone with his mate as memories of their first run together played in his mind; the first sight of Jensen in his wolf form was an image Jeff would never forget. He could picture it as clear as day - Jensen, all sleek long lines, and gangling legs that he needed to grow into. And with eyes that bewitched Jeff at first glance. The young eighteen year old had captured Jeff’s heart that first night, and Jeff was eternally grateful that Jensen felt the same way.

The vibrating of his cell signaling a text bought Jeff out his reverie. “I didn’t think there was a signal out here,” he said as he opened the message, and started cursing under his breath.

Running away again darling?

“Problem?” Jensen asked as he slowed to a stop in front of the cabin.

“No, just need to call Grace when I get back on set.”

“Grace your agent, or Grace your friend?”

“Agent,” Jeff replied as they climbed out of the car. “Nothing to worry about, probably Spielberg wanting me to take over from Harrison Ford!”

Jensen snorted as he grabbed their bags from the trunk and Jeff picked up the food the hotel had provided. “In your dreams, old man! C’mon, let’s get unpacked and then we can go for a run. I’ve missed running with you, mate. I need to run with you again.”

Jeff pulled Jensen in close and pressed a brief, hard kiss to the younger man’s lips. “I know.”

They separated and sorted out the things they had bought with them, and within twenty minutes they were stood together on the front porch of the cabin.

“I’m so glad somebody made these,” Jensen said, running a hand over the outfit he wore. It resembled a pair of cycling shorts with a long sleeved top, and had been invented a couple of years ago. It changed shape with the Were, and meant that they no longer had to prance around naked when they wanted to change form. “I was sick of young kids eyeing you every time we ran with the pack.” Jensen ran an appreciative eye over Jeff’s body. Flashing a wide grin, he challenged. “Race you, old man!” Before changing quickly and running off.

Jeff stood for a few moments, enjoying the sight of Jensen in his wolf manifestation, then quickly morphed into his wolf and chased after his mate. Jensen was waiting just inside the tree line, and gave an excited ‘yip’ as Jeff came into sight. They brushed against each other and Jeff took hold of Jensen by the scruff of his neck and shook his head slightly. Jensen stilled his excited movements, and lay quiescent under the larger wolf’s body. His dominance renewed, Jeff moved back and rubbed his nose against Jensen’s.

A noise in the trees drew their attention, and after sharing a look, they raced off to investigate. Jeff’s larger, black wolf happily followed Jensen’s more inquisitive tawny form, his tongue lolling as they ran. They picked up speed, running faster and faster; all thoughts of investigating the noise forgotten as they simply reveled in the thrill of running together. They wove through the trees, jumping fallen logs and debris. The trees flashing past as they enjoyed the freedom and the sense of peace they obtained from simply running together.

Jeff picked up the trail of a deer, and barking to Jensen, he started following it. Jensen turned and joined Jeff in chasing down the young doe. Jeff paused to mark a tree with his scent, and Jensen passed him. Slowing down, Jensen trotted along. Turning his head he looked for Jeff, but couldn’t see him. Running back along the path, he paused to sniff in places, picking up Jeff’s scent as he trailed his mate.

They’d played this game before; it was how Jensen learned to follow different scents. The incentives Jeff used made sure that Jensen was happy to be taught the ways of a Were. Catching Jeff’s scent again, Jensen started trotting in the direction his Alpha had headed in, all the while wondering exactly what Jeff would be offering as a reward if Jensen caught him. As he ran, Jensen thought of a few dirty, filthy, immoral things he would suggest.

Jensen paused as he realized Jeff’s scent was missing, and he berated himself for losing concentration. It was a basic pup mistake, and one he hadn’t made for years. Back-tracking, Jensen sniffed the ground as he searched out the musky odor of his mate. Jensen paused when he hadn’t found Jeff’s scent after a few minutes, and sat on his haunches. He listened to the sounds of the forest around him, trying to pick up a hint as to the whereabouts of his mate.

A movement off to his left caught his attention and Jensen started off towards it, sniffing the ground as he went. Fifteen minutes later, and Jensen still hadn’t picked up Jeff’s scent. He headed back towards the cabin, listening intently and smelling the ground as he went. When Jensen caught a whiff of Jeff he yipped excitedly, but the excitement soon faded when he caught his own scent mixed in with Jeff’s. The trail Jensen had found was his and Jeff’s from earlier in the afternoon.

Daylight was fading fast as Jensen climbed the steps to the front porch. He had followed all traces of Jeff’s scent that Jensen could find, but still hadn’t found the Alpha. Changing back to his human form, he opened the front door and called Jeff’s name as he ran inside, only to be met with silence. Heading back outside, Jensen stood on the edge of the porch. He didn’t feel the cold, even though he was naked. All his thoughts were centered on Jeff, and were his mate was.

Cupping his hands around his mouth, Jensen shouted, “Jeff… Jeff, where are you?”

He waited a few seconds, listening intently before shouting again. Jensen was started to get worried; if Jeff had been hurt, he would have yelped in pain and barked, howled even, or changed back to his human form and called for help. This was totally out of character for Jeff. Jensen knew that his partner wouldn’t worry him like this. Calling out again, Jensen paused before running back into the cabin.

Quickly pulling on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, Jensen grabbed his cell phone and thanked every deity there was that Fraser Valley seemed to have pretty good cell phone reception. Scrolling through his contacts, Jensen jumped when his cell started ringing. Cursing under his breath, Jensen hit accept. He knew it wasn’t Jeff; his lover’s cell was on the night stand.

“Hello.” Jensen said.

“Hmm, you do sound as good in real life as you do on the television - I can see why Jeff chose you,” a voice almost purred down the handset.

“Who are you? How the fuck did you get my number, lady?” Jensen demanded. He was obsessive about only giving his private cell number to family and a few trusted friends.

“Tut-tut, darling. That’s no way to talk to a lady,” the voice admonished quietly. “I must say that you are one very lucky puppy, having this gorgeous specimen of wolf all to yourself. Hmmm, I love his fur; it’s so soft and luxurious isn’t it? You must adore running your fingers through it when he’s in his wolf form.”

Jensen gripped his cell tightly and growled; he could feel the wolf trying to break free, but
he needed to remain calm and in control right now. “Where is my mate?” He spat down the phone.

The voice just laughed at him, making Jensen practically crush the phone in his hand. “I think I’ll let you try and find him; I suddenly find myself craving a mated pair, and you, darling, are amazing running alongside your mate.”

The dial tone was ringing in Jensen’s ear. “Bitch!” he cried out. Breathing deeply, he tried desperately to bring his raging emotions under control. Jensen wanted to change and howl to the skies that his mate had been taken from him; he wanted to reach into his cellphone and grab the bitch by the throat and rip her spine out. He wanted to run until he found Jeff, and never let the man out of his sight again.

When he felt he had his emotions under control a little, and the fear pushed deep down inside of him, Jensen dialed Kim Manners. This was Vancouver pack land, and the Alpha Prime would have knowledge of the land, and contacts in the area, that Jensen didn’t.

Forty minutes after ending his call with Kim, Jensen heard the sound of engines coming up the trail. Standing in the porch, Jensen watched as a couple of SUVs slowed to a stop and Kim and Jared climbed out of the lead vehicle. Jensen didn’t have time to wonder at Jared’s presence as Kim pulled the young beta in close and held him tight.

“We’ll find him, Jensen, we’ll find him,” Kim muttered into Jensen’s hair.

Jensen felt himself trembling as he gave in to his fear. Just for a moment he let those fears free, let images of Jeff beaten and broken, dead in a pool of blood, run through his mind. Jensen held on tight to Kim for a few seconds more, allowing himself to take all the comfort he could. Pulling back, he squared his shoulders and looked over at Jared standing behind Kim.

“You shouldn’t be here, Jay. This is Were business. You could get hurt.”

Jared just ignored Jensen and pulled him into a bone crushing hug of his own. “Bullshit. Your mate has been wolf-napped and a crazy woman calls and threatens you. Do you really think I’d be anywhere else?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt; you don’t have the speed or strength of a Were, no matter how big you are. I couldn’t handle you being hurt on top of all this.”

“I can stay here, and deal with the authorities. But I need to be here for you, Jensen.”

Jensen nodded and stepped back before he looked at Kim. “Any idea where we start looking?”

“Steven here needs to look at both your phones; you did say that Jeff had a couple of unknown callers, right? Steven may be able to get something from them. In the meanwhile, some of the Pack are going to go out and have a sniff around.”

Jensen went to retrieve Jeff’s cell from the bedroom, and handed them both to Steven, a young non-were. Then he stood and watched with Jared and Kim as the young man opened a laptop and plugged both cellphones into it. Steven’s fingers were a blur as he started working, alternating between tapping at the keyboard and pressing buttons on the phones.

“What does Steven do?” Jared asked quietly.

“Works in security for the Canadian government,” Kim answered.

“Um, Kim, is this legal?” Jensen asked as different sites suddenly popped opened on the laptop screen.

Kim just grinned and patted Jensen on the back and walked outside to make sure the other pack members knew where they were to start looking. Within minutes, the Weres had changed form and were headed out.

Jared placed a hand on Jensen’s shoulder and put a mug of hot, sweet tea in his friend’s hands.

“Here, drink this.”

Jensen wrapped his fingers around the mug and sipped at the beverage, not noticing that he wasn’t drinking his usual coffee. The only sound in the cabin was Steven hitting the keys of his laptop, interspersed with the occasional mutter from the young man. Jensen watched intently, almost willing something to jump from the computer, shouting Jeff’s location.

Kim came back in and walked over to Jared. “How’s he doing?” he asked, nodding in Jensen’s direction.

“OK, for now. Not sure how much longer he’ll be this calm, though.”

“He is stood here, you know, and not about to have a nervous breakdown just yet,” Jensen said snarkily.

“I’ve got something,” Steven said before Kim could say anything.

Jensen turned around so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet, but caught himself on the back of the easy chair just in time. Looking over Steven’s shoulder, Jensen came to the conclusion that he wasn’t as computer literate as he thought, because the computer screen looked like gobble-de-gook to him.

“The calls to Jeff’s cell were made using this cell tower, “Steven said pointing to a highlighted tower on the screen, “and the text Jeff received, as well as the call to Jensen’s cell, came from this tower.” The three men looked at the screen as Steven pointed to the towers. “And this area here, between the two is Pack land,” Steven concluded.

“Where’s the cabin in relation to the towers?” Kim asked.

“Roughly here.” Steven tapped the screen.

Kim stared at the laptop and tapped a finger against his bottom lip as he thought. “Right, we’ll wait for the others to get back, and depending on what they’ve found, at first light we’ll head out and search the area around and between the towers.”

Jensen sighed, knowing Kim was right. He didn’t like it; sitting around while goodness know what happened to his mate. Jensen sat on the sofa, Jared next to him. Jensen’s leg started bouncing after a few minutes, much as it had on the set a few days ago. But this time, Jared didn’t say anything. He simply placed his arm around Jensen’s shoulders and pulled his friend in close, offering what little comfort he could.

Jeff twisted and snarled, trying to dislodge the hold his captors had on him, but nothing worked. The collar that had been placed around his throat while he was groggy was attached to two poles, and these poles were now tied to the bars of his cage. All of this meant that the werewolf was held in a slightly crouched position, unable to move more than a few centimeters in any direction.

A sickly, cloying aroma reached Jeff as a woman walked through the entrance to the circular room, and he snarled again.

“Save your strength, darling,” crooned a voice that Jeff recognized from the unknown caller to his cell. “Mmmm, you are as magnificent as I was led to believe. But I have to say that your mate looked just as gorgeous as you, such a beautiful color fur, and those eyes. I’m sure I’ve never seen that shade on a Were before. It must be so delicious to see those eyes staring up at you when you rut against each other. He’ll make an amazing addition to my collection, don’t you agree?”

Jeff growled and strained against the collar holding him in place as he tried to get to the woman threatening his mate. He would rip her throat out before he let her touch one hair on Jensen’s head.

“He must be so worried about you. But don’t worry, he’ll be here very soon. You were to be the last addition to my family’s collection, but I’ve decided that I must have him. And having a mated pair will make the collection unique. Now, if you both behave, when that beautiful boy of yours arrives I may just let you share a cage.”

Jeff struggled against the bonds holding him; he needed to get free, to make sure that Jensen wasn’t trapped and caged like this. He would kill, or die, to make sure that his mate stayed free. Jeff slowly quieted down; the drugs they had used were still in his system and he could feel unconsciousness creeping in. His breath coming in shallow pants, Jeff tipped his head back and howled to the high ceiling. Within seconds the enclosure echoed to the heartrending sound of a multitude of Weres as they vented their grief to the world.

A last thought ran through Jeff’s mind as he gave up the fight and let the drugs pull him into unconsciousness; Jensen would try and find him by whatever means he could. Stay away, pup. Don’t want you getting trapped by this bitch.

Jared watched his friend closely, worried about the stillness that had settled over the Jensen in the last hour. They were waiting on the Weres Kim had sent out earlier in the evening coming back to report their findings before making a decision. Jared could feel the tension rolling off Jensen in waves and he’d tried getting his friend to lie down earlier and take a nap, but Jensen had refused.

A noise outside had Jensen standing quickly and moving to the cabin door. Jared followed slowly and stood behind Jensen, resting a supporting hand on his friend’s shoulder. Jensen was oblivious to the touch, his eyes locked on the creatures changing back into their human form. Kim was already talking to the first Were, and Jensen slipped from under Jared’s hand and moved towards them.

More Weres had completed the change, and were joining in the conversation and Jared caught snippets of the reports. Kim was nodding and asking questions, occasionally looking at Jensen. For his part, Jensen simply stood next to Kim, taking in everything that was being said, but saying and asking nothing.

“Steven’s been going over the area on his laptop, let’s see if we can tie what you’ve found with what he’s got,” Kim said.

Everybody moved into the cabin and clustered around the table Steven was working on. The computer geek looked up as the group of semi-naked Weres trooped in with Kim and Jensen. “Cold out, Dale?” He teased one of the Were-cats that clustered round him.

The slap on the back of his head had Steven pouting up at his mate before he turned back to his laptop and became serious. As the teams gave him the information they had gathered, Steven tapped it into the computer. Jared gathered up the previously discarded clothing and handed it out to the Weres, who nodded their thanks as they quickly dressed.

After a few moments, Steven sat back and looked at Kim. “OK, at a best guess – and that’s all it is –Jeff was taken in this direction. Dale and his group found tracks and Jeff’s scent. They followed the tracks as far as they could until they lost the scent.” He looked at the group for confirmation, and at their nods continued, “And the trail disappeared when they reached this road.” Steven pointed at a road on the edge of the screen that headed either towards South Lougheed Highway or north up into Hemlock Valley.

“Yeah,” Dale added, “Jeff’s scent wasn’t strong before we lost it, but combined with the other tracks, pretty much point to Jeff being taken that way.” He paused to look at Jensen. “But we didn’t smell any blood.”

Jensen nodded his head jerkily in understanding. At least Jeff hadn’t been attacked and left bleeding, Jensen thought, probably just drugged and taken. Jensen grimaced to himself for thinking that being drugged was better than attacked and left bleeding.

Kim walked slowly up and down, and they could almost see the cogs of his brain working. He looked over at Jensen, taking in the tense line of his shoulders and the way the he was clenching his jaw – as though Jensen was stopping a scream of impotent rage from escaping.

“Okay, we’ll follow the scent and tracks at first light; see what we find. Get some rest; we’ll head out at dawn, ” Kim stated. “Jared, you stay here and wait for the park rangers to show up. Steven’ll stay with you and show them where we’re heading. They’ll be bringing in their own equipment and be using the cabin as a base.” Jared nodded his understanding. “Jensen, I’d say stay he–“

“NO!” Jensen interrupted, his voice echoing like the crack of a pistol in the room.

Kim held up his hand to stop Jensen’s tirade. “I’d say for you to stay behind, but I know it wouldn’t do me any good. But I need to know that you’ll do as I say out there.” Kim stared at Jensen as his friend stared right back.

“My mate has been taken from me, and I will do whatever it takes to get him back, Alpha. Anything,” Jensen said through gritted teeth.

Kim just looked at young Beta, thinking how he himself would be if it was his mate that had been kidnapped. Nodding understanding, Kim added, “But you will do as I say, beta. These are my pack lands, and I am the Pack Alpha. I will not have you endangering yourself in anyway.”

Everybody knew that Jensen would do whatever was necessary to get Jeff back, but that Kim needed to at least try and protect him in some way. Jensen just stared at Kim as the Alpha added in an undertone, “My wife’d have my hide if I let anything happen to her Jensen, let alone what Jeff’d do to me.”

The Weres all grinned as they settled down to rest for a few hours, knowing who really ran the Vancouver Were Pack. Kim moved over to Jensen and Jared. “I know I’m wasting my breath, but see if you can get this one to rest,” he said to Jared while pointing at Jensen.

Jensen just snorted and headed to the kitchen in search of more coffee. Jared shrugged helplessly at Kim before following his friend.

“Kim’s right, you should at least try and rest before you head out,” Jared said quietly.

“I can’t,” Jensen replied. “I just – what do I do if we don’t find Jeff? I don’t know if I have the strength to do this on my own.”

Jared reached out and pulled Jensen into a hug, wrapping his arms around his friend. Jensen was shaking nearly uncontrollably against him. “We’ll find him, Jensen. Jeff’s too stubborn to leave you on your own.” Jared ran his hands up and down Jensen’s back as he spoke, offering as much comfort and reassurance as he could.

Jensen took the comfort Jared offered, all the time desperately wishing it was Jeff’s arms wrapped around him. The feelings of helplessness and fear were battling inside him and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible would happen to Jeff. Jensen took a couple of deep breaths and stepped back. They walked into the sitting area, careful not to disturb the resting Weres as they tried to sleep.

Jared prodded Jensen into the bedroom and made his friend lie down. Jensen rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. Jared sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room and made himself comfortable, hoping to get a few hours’ sleep as well.

Jensen waited until the sound of Jared’s snores signaled he was asleep before climbing quietly off the bed and heading outside. The Weres in the sitting area were sleeping, and Jensen gingerly opened the door just enough to let him squeeze through. Once on the porch, he quickly stripped and folded his clothes, placing the neat pile on one of the chairs. Jensen shivered lightly in the pre-dawn chill before he shifted into his wolf appearance and headed into the trees at a swift trot.

Jensen lowered his head and caught a hint of his and Jeff’s scent from earlier, and paused; had it only been a few hours since he and Jeff had been running through these trees, simply enjoying the pleasure of being together again? Shaking his head to dispel the distracting thoughts, Jensen headed deeper into the trees.

About a mile into the forest, Jensen paused, sniffing the air. Something, or someone, was up ahead. Looking around, he left the trail and headed off the beaten track, aiming to pass down wind behind whoever was laying in wait. The wind picked up the scent again, and carried it to him as he came up behind the two men. Snorting in annoyance, Jensen sat down in front of Kim and Dale. If he’d been in his human form, the scowl on his face would have been fierce.

“Did you really think I’d let you just head off after Jeff on your own?” Kim asked, the censure evident in his voice.

Jensen changed form, hanging his head at the displeasure Kim was showing. “I couldn’t wait, Alpha,” he said quietly, but firmly. “If it was your mate, would you have waited?”

Kim sighed, knowing that Jensen was right; if his mate had been kidnapped, nothing would have stopped him from tracking her down. “That’s why we’re here.” Kim indicated Dale as he spoke,

“Dale will lead the way to the road. When we reach it I’ll radio back to Steven, see if he’s come up with anything. If the Park Rangers have reached the cabin, they may have something by then as well.”

Jensen simply nodded, and felt a measure of comfort as Kim placed a hand on the back of his neck and squeezed gently. “We’ll find him, Jensen.”

Kim let go and, with a quick look at Dale, they both undressed and packed their clothes into a rucksack, leaving it hanging from a low branch of a nearby tree. Kim looped a small bag round his neck and changed into a large puma before Jensen could ask what it was.

“Radio,” Dale provided the answer, “so we can contact the others. Just a shame our furry friends don’t come with pockets!” He laughed at his own joke and shifted, trotting after his pack Alpha, Jensen following quickly.

They made quick time to the road, their progress aided by the fact that Dale simply picked up his own scent and followed it. Panting lightly, Jensen and Dale sat down on their haunches as Kim returned to his human body and radioed the others back in the cabin to see if Steven had been able to find anything more.

“Steven hasn’t been able to get a number for the cell that called yours and sent the texts to Jeff,“ Kim said, “but he’s working on it. He called the Park Rangers and they arrived a while ago, and Jared’s been talking to them.” Jensen snorted at the last comment as Kim laughed.

“Yeah, I know - kid could talk the hind leg off a donkey. One of the Rangers told him she’d seen a large SUV about five miles further up the road, heading north yesterday evening.”

Jensen tilted his head as if questioning Kim. “She said what caught her eye was way it was being driven; truck was all over the road apparently, really erratic. Almost as though something was going on the back. Jeff fighting his attackers, maybe,” Kim finished.

He crouched down in front of Jensen and took hold of the werewolf’s head so he could look the creature in the eye. “We’re going to head north and see what we find. But if I think we need help, or we don’t find anything, we’ll head back. I won’t risk anybody getting hurt, do you understand, Jensen?”

Jensen wanted to break eye-contact, but couldn’t. “Do you understand, beta?” Kim repeated, his voice dropping to a deep timber that reverberated through the young werewolf.

Jensen nodded, as Kim kept on staring at him. Jensen shifted uncomfortably on his haunches, the intensity of Kim’s stare slightly unnerving. Kim finally released him and shifted. The three Weres started out, running along the verge at the side of the road, making steady progress as they ran north.

Jensen could feel himself growing tenser with each step he took. He was worried about Jeff; knowing his mate, the alpha would try and escape, and probably end up being hurt in the process. Jensen closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to dislodge the unwanted images. A sharp tug on his tail from behind had Jensen opening his eyes and growling over his shoulder. Dale, bringing up the rear, had bitten Jensen’s tail to get the werewolf to speed up; Kim was running ahead, leaving the young Weres behind.

Jensen and Dale increased their pace to catch up, and Jensen resolutely put all thoughts of Jeff out of his mind. He didn’t have the luxury of worrying about his mate right now. Time enough for that later, when Jeff was back in his arms.

A clanging against the bars of one of the cages bought Jeff awake fully. He’d drifted on and off, disturbed by the agonizing noises of the other Weres around him. The collar that had been fitted was burning his throat, and his muscles were trembling from the unnatural position the poles were keeping him in. The urge to shift back into human form was almost overwhelming, but he couldn’t.

Jeff twisted his shoulders and tried to push up against the poles again, but they still weren’t moving.

“No use trying to get free, Were,” a voice said, and Jeff turned his head to look at the man walking in front of the cages. He was dropping food in through the gaps and the other captives were moving forwards and eating ravenously. The guard dropped some rancid smelling meat in front of Jeff and pressed a button on the wall behind the cage. The poles holding him down were released and Jeff flung himself at the bars again and again, trying to find a weakness he could exploit.

The guard just laughed at the futility of Jeff’s actions; he’d been guard at the facility for nearly twenty years, and none of the Weres had ever escaped. And this werewolf wouldn’t be the first. The guard grinned as Jeff howled in pain as his shoulder banged painfully against the cage. “See, wolf, they all try and get out, but none of them ever do. Now you’ve hurt yourself and She won’t be happy.”

Jeff limped to the back of the cage and lay down. The pain was harsh, but bearable and he lay on his left side, keeping the injured shoulder off the floor. The smell from the meat was making Jeff feel nauseous and he turned his head away. A wave of longing for Jensen hit Jeff hard, and he closed his eyes, willing the mental and physical pain away. Stay away, pup. Don’t want you getting trapped by this bitch, Jeff thought helplessly, knowing it was pointless. Jensen would use whatever means necessary to find him.

The miles disappeared under their running paws and it seemed to be no time at all before Kim was slowing down and looking around. The sound of vehicles coming from behind had the three Weres stopping and making sure they were well away from the road. The SUVs coming from the south slowed as they saw the creatures on the roadside and stopped just in front of them.
Vancouver pack members climbed out of the vehicles and Jensen, Kim and Dale changed form.

“Steven got a lead on the SUV the Ranger saw. Jared just kept on talking to her about it and she finally remembered a partial number plate,” one of them said by way of greeting. “We thought it’d be easier to come meet you with the news, save time later on.”

Kim nodded his understanding and asked, “What did he find, Nate?”

“The SUV’s registered to a research foundation – they seem to have fingers in all sorts of pies. Researching everything from baby powder to pet food and cancer drugs.”

“Do they use animals in their testing?” Dale asked, and Jensen knew were Dale was going with his question.

“No, we checked. They stopped using animals about fifteen years ago.”

“So they wouldn’t be using Jeff for testing, well not legally anyway,” Jensen said quietly, then added, “Did they have any labs or such out this way?”

“No, and the foundation is owned by a consortium made up of different groups with members all over the world, so no lead there either.” Nate finished.

“So do we keep on this road, and see what we find, or wait to see what, if anything, Steven can find out?” Dale asked.

All eyes were turned to Jensen. He looked down and took a deep breath before looking back up. He knew it was Kim’s decision to make, but the Alpha seemed to be deferring to him for the moment. “We keep going; we have nothing else to go on yet.”

Kim nodded and they all quickly climbed into the two SUVs, Jensen glad of the warmth of the clothes the pack had bought for them now that he had cooled down after all the running. They drove along the road, not knowing what they were looking for, so not wanting to miss anything. The passengers were peering out of the windows, desperate for a clue of any kind. Though a sign saying ‘kidnapped Were this way’ would have been amazing, Jensen thought to himself wryly.

The radio on the dash squawked after about 40 minutes, and Kim’s voice came over the air.

“Jared says you got a text, Jensen, number withheld again. Message says – I have a spot for you next to your mate. He can’t wait to see you – Steven’s got a hit on the tower used – one in downtown Vancouver - but still nothing on the cell. He seems to think she’s using pre-paid cell phones.”

Jensen sighed wearily, “So we keep on this road then.”

“Yeah.”

The vehicles picked up speed again, the passengers scanning the scenery for a sign of anything at all.

“Would help if we knew what we were looking for,” one of the pack said from beside Jensen. Jensen ignored the comment and stared at the passing trees.

They stopped after a few hours and ate from the food that had been hastily packed as the pack members were getting ready to leave. Jensen barely touched what had been passed to him, and Kim eyed him but knew it would be pointless to say anything. The group started out again and the monotony soon set in. The trees seemed to blur into one big green and brown mass, and Jensen blinked and rubbed his eyes to clear them.

“Just our luck that if there is a secret lair out here, it’ll only be accessible by helicopter ‘cause it’s so remote,” Dale muttered to no-one in particular.

Traffic had been almost non-existent, but Jensen hadn’t expected it to be otherwise. A couple of cars had passed them going south, and nothing else was heading north. Jensen had grown more morose with each mile that passed. He felt as though he were trying to breathe through molasses and slowly drowning.

Kim’s voice came loudly over the radio, breaking the silence in the truck. “We’re going to stop just up ahead, pull into the trees a bit. We need to rest up for a few hours and then start again at first light.”

Jensen mechanically followed the others as they climbed out of the trucks when the vehicles stopped. They ate some more of the food, leaving enough for the morning, and again Jensen hardly touched his. Kim and the others watched him closely and shared worried looks.

“We’ll take turns keeping an eye on things,” Kim said, “it’ll leave more room in the vehicles to sleep as well. C’mon Jensen, we’ll let the others sleep first.”

Things settled down quickly, and Jensen and Kim leaned against the hood of one of the trucks to start their watch. Kim kept glancing at Jensen out of the corner of his eye. He was worried about the young beta, but knew Jensen well enough that it would do no good to try and get him to talk about it. Jensen simply wrapped himself up tighter in the parka, but nothing seemed to help him keep warm, and Jensen knew he wouldn’t feel warm again until he had Jeff wrapped around him.

“We’ll find him,” Kim said suddenly into the silence. Jensen didn’t say a word, and Kim wasn’t even sure if the young man had even heard him.

Jensen was lost in memories of Jeff and their life together. Of meeting his mate for the first time at the age of seventeen, at his first run with the LA pack. How Jeff had captivated him at first sight, and Jensen had refused to take no for an answer when Jeff told the youngster that he was too young for an old wolf like him. Jensen smiled softly at the thought of Jeff’s protests fading under his determined courtship until the Alpha had caved.

Jensen felt a wave of longing rush through him as he remembered sharing their first kiss, and the night of his eighteenth birthday, that Jeff had insisted they wait for before consummating the relationship. Their commitment ceremony attended by both their families – Pack and human – was a bittersweet memory and Jensen found himself fighting back tears of longing and frustration at Jeff’s kidnapping.

Kim tapping his arm bought Jensen out of his reverie, and he looked at the Pack Alpha questioningly. Kim pointed at a set of head lights moving through the trees up ahead. Jensen stood up straight and followed their progress toward the main road. Kim rapped sharply on the hood of the truck they were leaning against before waking the sleeping occupants of the other.
The headlights paused at the main road, and then turned left, heading south towards Vancouver.

The Pack members quickly exited the trucks and gathered around Kim and Jensen. “I think we may have been lucky here, boys,” Kim said quietly as they watched the tail lights disappear around a bend. He pointed at two of the Weres to stay with the trucks, to let them know if anybody came back this way, before following Jensen.

Jensen dropped the parka on the ground and started to move through the Weres around him, intent on finding the track the vehicle had been using and finding what it lead to. A silent prayer of please let me find Jeff played on a loop in his head. Nobody tried to stop him, all of them realizing that it would do no good. They simply trailed behind, letting Jensen lead the way.

Jensen quickly found the rough track they had seen the headlight on and headed away from the main road, deeper into the surrounding forest. They didn’t use flashlights, not wanting to alert anybody in the area to their presence. Jensen set a fast pace, jogging quickly along the rutted track.

A clearing could be seen in the trees thanks, and Dale grabbed hold of Jensen’s arm to stop him barreling straight into it. “Wait,” he said quietly in Jensen’s ear, “let Jack go in first.” Dale pointed over his shoulder at a coyote with a pile of clothes next to it.

Jensen gritted his teeth in frustration, but knew it would be foolish to run into what looked to be a perfectly circular clearing. They waited as the Were-coyote ran around the edge of the area before making his way into the area bare of foliage and trees. Jack trotted around, pausing as he sniffed around before leaving the clearing in the opposite direction they were waiting for him. A few moments later, Jack appeared from their left and changed quickly.

“There’s a covered entrance that looks to lead underground, and a door with a keypad lock on it.” Jack said. “There’s also an area of hard-standing over at the back by the trees with oil stains.”

“OK,” Kim acknowledged as he pondered the information. “Did you smell anything?”

“I thought I caught a whiff of Jeff’s scent for a second, but I lost it, if it even was Jeff.”

“Where?” Jensen asked tersely as he stripped off. Kim stood in front of Jensen a hand out to stop the young man. “Don’t, Kim. I know Jeff’s scent better than my own; if he’s been here I’ll know it.”

Kim stepped back, reluctantly, and let Jensen move forwards in his wolf form. Jensen trotted out and sniffed in the area Jack had pointed to. He caught a slight hint of Jeff, not very strong, almost as though his mate’s fur had brushed against the ground for a second. Looking over his shoulder, Jensen made his way down the few steps to the door. Jeff’s scent was stronger here and Jensen nearly sagged in relief.

The others joined Jensen, and Kim radioed the cabin to speak to Steven. Hoping the techno-wizard would be able to help. They stood on the steps in various forms, human and Were, as Kim talked to Steven, telling him their approximate location to give to the Park Rangers and other interested parties. Not that any of them would interfere. This was a Pack matter first and foremost.

They could all hear Jared in the background, demanding to know how Jensen was, and Jensen shook his head over his co-star. “Tell Jared that Jensen’s fine!” Kim finally snapped after one too many interruptions. “About this lock, Steven?”

“Uhm, hang on, the page is loading. Right, here we go,” Steven muttered. “Okay, does it have a number in the bottom right hand corner?”

Kim looked closely, thankful for the faint glow of the red light on the keypad. “Yes – six.”

“Six,” Steven repeated, “press the following numbers – eight, three, one.” Steven paused to let them do as instructed. “Then press seven and three at the same time, followed by five.”

The light on the key flashed three times, then changed to green and they could all hear the lock mechanism click open. Jensen leaned forward and pushed the door slowly, grinning over his shoulder as it slid silently open.

“It worked,” Kim informed those waiting back at the cabin. “We may lose radio contact when we go inside. I’ll leave Mark and David outside with the radio. If we aren’t out in an hour, they’ll let you know. You can pass on the details to the authorities.”

Steven acknowledged his orders and Kim signed off, handing the radio over to Mark, and the remaining Weres all headed inside.

Jeff paced around the cage. He wasn’t able to do more than a couple of paces in one direction before having to turn around. He felt as though the bars were slowly closing in on him, making the cage seem smaller and smaller each time he turned around. Jeff whined low in the back of his throat; he wanted to get out of this damn cage, and he wanted his mate.

It seemed too easy; the Pack members walked quietly down the corridor unobstructed. They opened any doors they passed, but quickly moved on when they found the rooms unoccupied. Jensen could feel a prickling between his shoulder blades, almost as though he was being watched. He kept glancing around but could see no sign of any cameras. He knew this didn’t necessarily mean that there weren’t any, but he failed to shake the feeling of unease, the further they went.

The four Weres followed the corridor around to the right and Jensen started to growl low quietly. He could smell Jeff now; his mate’s scent was almost over powering, even in his human form, and he headed straight for the door he instinctively knew was separating them.

Dale changed into the large cougar his Were took the form of, and Jensen changed as well. If they had to fight it would be easier as their physically stronger alter-egos. Kim and the remaining Vancouver pack Were stayed as human and when Jensen looked up at his friend questioningly, Kim grinned.

“Somebody needs to open the doors, Jensen. And this one here is an Eagle – not much use in a fight.”

Jensen snorted, and then looked at the door, up at Kim and then back at the door again as if to say ‘well, open it already’. Kim turned the handle slowly, easing the door forwards on its hinges. The smell that met them was overpowering; decay and feces mixed with rancid meat. Jensen and Dale wrinkled their sensitive noses at the smell and crouched down as they slunk into the room.

A bank of screens filled one wall, each showing a cage. Jensen felt the tension in his shoulders rising as he saw movement in a few of them and quickly grasped that each cage housed an animal. Two guards sat alternately watching the caged animals and a baseball game playing on a TV in the corner.

Kim followed the Weres, any sound he made being masked by the cheering from the TV and the heckling of the two men watching. Indicating to Jack to step behind one of the guards, Kim moved into place behind the other. Hefting the guns that Jensen hadn’t even noticed them carrying, Kim and Jack swiftly knocked the guards out.

They dragged both semi-conscious men off the chairs and tied them up, securing their hands behind them and stuffing the clip-on ties they wore into their mouths. Jack looked over the screens and control panels below them. He paused, then looked back at the screens again before swearing loudly.

“Bastards!”

Jensen and Dale turned from staring at the bound guards. Kim was looking at the screens, following Jack’s pointing finger. After a second he too swore. Jensen and Dale exchanged looks, and Dale padded over to Kim and nudged the Alpha’s leg with his head.

“They’re all Weres. All the fucking cages have a Were in them.” Kim snarled, his voice so full of anger that Jensen automatically flattened his ears on his head and snarled as well. Kim counted the screens and shook his head. “Twenty four cages. Twenty four Weres.” The pain in his voices was almost a palpable thing.

“Why don’t they change?” Jack asked quietly.

Kim stalked over to the guards and shook one until he blinked stupidly up at the angry Were. Jensen stood next to Kim, growling and baring his teeth as Kim threw questions at the bewildered man.

“How many Weres are in the cages? How long have they been here? Why aren’t they in their human form?”

The guard swallowed noisily and just stared at them. Jensen moved in closer and snarled again, making sure a little spittle hit the guard in the face. The smell of urine hit Jensen and he looked down to see a puddle forming between the guard’s legs. If a Were could smile, the way Jensen bared his teeth just then would be called a grin.

Kim smirked down at the guard. “Answer the questions or I let him loose. How many Weres are here?”

“Tw–twenty th-three.” The guard stammered.

“How long have they been kept in the cages?”

“De-depends. Some a couple of years, so-some ten years. I-I think a few over fift-fifty years. We got a new one a few hours ago.”

Kim and Jensen exchanged a look, and Jensen felt a wave of anger so intense it nearly blinded him. Someone had been imprisoning Weres for decades. He wanted the rip the guard limb from limb, but held back.

“Why don’t they change form?” Jack asked from behind Kim.

The guard looked up at him and looked as though he wanted to wet himself again. “The uh, the collars stop them. I have no idea how.” He nearly whispered.

The room was deadly silent as the Weres digested the information, but the guard hadn’t finished. “There are silver spikes in the collar, a press of a button inside the enclosure and they activate, embedding in the neck.”

Terror ran down Jensen’s spine and he felt his hind legs trembling. They would kill his mate with a press of a button, and not think twice about.

“How many guards in the enclosure?” Kim snapped out.

“Two.”

Kim looked at his pack members, before moving towards the door. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to the enclosure and stepped back, letting Jensen and Dale rush through the opening.

Jeff lifted his head as he heard a commotion by the door. Moving to the front of his cage he stared towards the noise. The guards were shouting and crying out, and he could hear snarling and growling. A voice was heard shouting, “Press the button, press the fucking but-” before it was cut off by a strangled scream.

Some of the trapped Weres paced along the edge of their cages; they howled, yipped and roared, all vocalizing their encouragement to their brethren. A few lay curled at the back of their cages, ignoring the goings on. Others still cowered and shook; terrified of the snarling and screaming, desperately pushing against the bars farthest away from the doors as they tried to hide.

Jeff watched as a wolf and cougar attacked the men; biting and snapping, drawing blood with each foray. The cougar was knocked away but twisted its body and landed on its feet. Tail twitching in displeasure, the big Were cat pounced on the hapless guard and knocked him to the ground. Lips pulled back showing ferocious teeth; it stood over its prey and growled in the back if its throat. Jeff watched as a couple of men ran in through the door and grabbed the guard under his arms and pulled him out.

Jeff shook his head, thinking his jailers must have drugged the meat because he swore that one of the men that ran in looked like Kim Manners. But that would mean that the wolf fighting the guard, that bore an uncanny resemblance to his mate, was Jensen.

A sliver of fear for his young Beta started in the pit of his stomach and rapidly spread as Jeff stared in shock. He knew Jensen was fiercely protective of those he loved, but he had never imagined him capable of this. He howled as he saw Jensen close his teeth around the arm of the guard before they both fell to the floor in a tangle of fur and flesh.

Jensen circled the guard he had pounced on. The man was on the floor, blood dripping from a bite on his arm as he watched the wolf intently. Jensen stopped in front of the prone man and slowly stalked towards the human. The guard cried out as he inadvertently leaned on his injured arm. He scrambled backwards, desperate to escape the bloodied creature in front of him.

Jensen kept on advancing, his pace slow and measured, almost taunting the guard. When the guard’s back hit the wall, he pushed himself up and looked around urgently. A sneer spread across his face as spotted a button a couple of arm lengths away. Inching his way along the wall, he was intent on reaching it, knowing that pressing it would result in the deaths of all the filthy creatures in the cages.

A maniacal look spread across the guard’s face as he thought this, and he moved a little faster. Jensen growled, teeth bared in a fearsome manner, as he moved forwards again. The guard suddenly lunged, focused only on pressing the button. Jensen barked and jumped forwards, knowing what the button meant for Jeff and the others. Mouth open wide, Jensen sank his razor sharp teeth into the arm reaching for the button.

The guard screamed out and spun around, hitting Jensen across the face with his other arm. Were and human rolled over together, the guard gaining the upper hand as he rolled on top of Jensen. The Were struggled and twisted, trying to escape the fists raining blow after blow on his body.
Kim watched helplessly as Jensen and the guard grappled on the floor; he didn’t dare risk shooting at the pair, frightened he’d hit Jensen. A noise from the control room had him running back inside, and he missed the final seconds of the fight.

The guard laughed, a crazy sound that mingled with the noises coming from the cages as he kneeled over the hostile Werewolf. He knew he would get the better of this filthy creature; it was his God-given right as a full human. Jensen twisted his body and managed to nip at the guard’s already bleeding arm. The man cursed and moved to hit Jensen again, his body weight shifting to one side.

Jensen took advantage of the lessening of pressure on his back to turn and free himself. The guard stared in bewilderment as he was suddenly face to face with an extremely angry, pissed off werewolf. The guard lunged towards Jensen, just as Jensen leapt forward. They met with a sickening thud, then there was an unholy scream as Jensen’s jaws closed around the guard’s neck and his teeth bit deep.

The man made a disgusting, gurgling sound as Jensen released him, and collapsed on the floor.
Jensen stood over him, blood dripping off his muzzle. He waited for a heartbeat before lifting his head and howling his bloodlust to the ceiling. Jeff joined in with his mate, quickly followed by Dale; their voices raising the hairs on the backs of Kim’s and Jack’s necks.

Hearing Jeff’s distinctive howl, Jensen turned and ran the length of the enclosure. Stopping in front of Jeff’s cage, Jensen stuck his nose in between the bars as he sniffed and rubbed against Jeff’s fur, both Wolves oblivious to the blood Jensen was spreading over his mate.

Kim watched the lupine reunion for a second before approaching the mated pair. “I’ll open the cages, boys, let everybody out then try and find out how to remove those damned collars.”

Jensen stepped back reluctantly from Jeff’s side and changed back into his human form. Wiping a hand across his face, he removed as much of the guard’s blood as he could. A click echoed around the enclosure and the cage doors sprang open. Jensen pulled Jeff’s cage door wide and dropped to his knees. Wrapping his arms around Jeff, he held on tight.

“So glad we found you, thought I’d lost you,” he mumbled into Jeff’s fur as the Wolf nuzzled and licked at Jensen’s face. “Never leaving you alone again, old man.”

Dale and Jack stood watch over the bound guards as Kim walked around the cages; as he opened each one, he used the key one of the guards had told him about to remove the collars. “The authorities are on their way, they’ll make sure you’re reunited with your families and packs.” He spoke loudly so that he could be heard by them all.

Some of the Weres stayed cowering at the back of their cages, and with those, Kim carefully closed the cage door, knowing they would feel safer like that after so long in captivity. The rest stepped towards Kim eagerly, lifting their necks for the collars to be removed. As soon as the band restricting them was taken off, they changed.

Kim finally stopped in front of Jeff and Jensen, smiling at the way Jensen was holding onto Jeff and running his fingers through his mate’s fur. “Gonna let go of the old man long enough for me to take his collar off, Jensen?”

Jensen reluctantly let go of Jeff and moved back. Kim unlocked the collar and flung it away. Jeff stood still for a moment, and then slowly changed. As soon as the change was complete, Jeff launched himself at Jensen and wrapped his arms around the younger man, holding tight as they both shook with the strong emotions coursing through them.

Jensen cupped Jeff’s cheek and stroked his face softly with the pad of his thumb, before drawing Jeff’s face down and placing a tender kiss on Jeff’s chapped lips.

Wanting to give them a few moments privacy, Kim walked back to the control room, pausing to steady a woman as she stumbled, unsteady on two legs after so long as a lioness. “Where are you from, ma’am?” Kim asked softly, “What pack do you belong to?”

She lifted weary eyes to Kim’s before pulling away and standing tall. “I am Shosona, mate of the Pack leader of the KwaZulu-Natal Pack.” Her voice was deep and rough after being unused for so long.

“Natal?” Kim questioned, “South Africa?”

Shosona nodded her head.

“I am a member of the Sochinsky Pack.” A Russian accent spoke behind them and Kim turned around and stared at the released Weres.

“Teide Pack.”

“Snowdonia Pack.”

“Rokua, Finland.”

“Svalbard Pack.”

And the voices carried on, each calling out a different pack name, from a different part of the world. Shaking his head, Kim suddenly understood why nobody had noticed that all these Weres had been taken.

“Whoever did this is clever,” Jeff said as he and Jensen joined the back of the group. The mates stood with their arms wrapped around each other, as much for the needed reassurance that they were both OK as anything else.

“They only took one Were from each pack. Never hit the same pack twice. It would look like a random disappearance to the local authorities and they wouldn’t think to call anybody on a national let alone and international level. It’s how they’ve managed to do this for so long,” Kim said as he rapidly pieced together the bits of the puzzle.

A sound from the control room had everybody turning to face the door; they only relaxed when Dale lead the Park rangers and police through the opening. “We have paramedics en- route, but we have these for now,” one of the Rangers said as he handed out blankets to the naked Weres. Jensen snagged one for Jeff and carefully wrapped it around his lover.

“You’re not going to let me out of your sight, are you?” Jeff said, at the look in Jensen’s eyes.

“Nope,” Jensen said, tucking the ends of the blanket in securely.

Three hours later, they were all headed back to the cabin; the police had taken Jeff’s statement and he’d been checked over by the paramedics who had reluctantly said he didn’t need to go to hospital. The other Weres that had changed back had been taken to the hospital, having been held in their animal form for much longer. The ones that had stayed as animals, unable to shift back, were being transported to a local vet who specialized in dealing with Weres injured in their animal form. Kim had asked what would happen to them, but the police had been unable to answer.

The injured guards were taken to hospital for treatment, under armed escort. Once released from hospital care they would be transferred to prison. The police were going through the underground compound to try and find out who was responsible for it, but Kim had a sneaking suspicion that they wouldn’t find anything.

The welcoming lights of the cabin flashed through the trees, and Jeff leaned his head against Jensen’s “Want a shower, coffee, and sleep.” He mumbled and Jensen grinned. Jeff’s coffee addiction was worse than Jensen’s. In fact Jensen hadn’t even liked coffee that much until he’d met Jeff, something he was quick to point out when Jeff complained about Jensen’s sunny disposition in the morning without his caffeine fix.

“Do I factor in this at all?” Jensen teased.

“Hmm, you can scrub my back and share my bed,” Jeff said as he placed a kiss on Jensen’s head, “but you’re getting your own damn coffee, pup.”

Jensen laughed and pulled Jeff out of the truck when they stopped in front of the cabin. Jensen stretched, suddenly feeling every ache and strain in his body after the fight. Jared barreled down the steps from the porch and wrapped both Jensen and Jeff in a huge hug.

“Thank God you’re both safe!”

“Need to breathe, Jared.” Jensen panted against a solid chest as he was crushed between the two men.

Jared reluctantly let go and looked both men over. The cuts and bruises marking Jensen’s body told their own story, and the weariness leaching off Jeff was an almost physical entity.

“We’re going to shower, then catch some sleep.” Jensen said the gathered group when the greetings had finally stopped.

Turning to Kim, Jensen lifted his head, baring his throat in a sign of submission and respect to an Alpha. Kim cuffed him lightly on the back of the head. “None of that, pup,” he muttered as he hugged Jensen to his chest.

Jensen’s arms held on tight to his friend. “Thank you, Alpha, for everything.”

Kim just snorted. “You’re pack – family. It’s what we do. What you’d do if it had been one of us in your shoes? Besides, my beta would have locked me out of the house if I’d let anything happen to her Jensen.”

The gathered Weres laughed, knowing full well that Kim may have been the Vancouver Pack Alpha, but it was his diminutive wife and beta who ran things.

“C’mon old man, let’s get you cleaned up.”

They stood under the hot water, Jensen running his hands over Jeff’s slick skin. The soap was washing away the smell of the cages and Jensen was finally able to smell nothing but his mate’s scent.

Dropping to his knees, Jensen ran his hands slowly down Jeff’s legs, washing them one at a time, enjoying the feel of muscles flexing under his hands. He tilted his head back and blinked against the water hitting his face to see Jeff watching him through eyes shining with love. Jeff reached down and pulled Jensen up, pressing in close as he wrapped his arms around the younger man.

Jensen was muttering into his shoulder, and Jeff was sure he didn’t know what he was saying. “Don’t ever leave me; I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thought I’d lost you.”

Jeff rubbed his hands over Jensen’s back, simply holding his mate close as he pressed kiss after kiss to Jensen’s head. “I love you too, pup,” he said quietly.

Washing Jensen down quickly, they both left the shower and walked into the bedroom. The cabin was empty now, and a note lay on the bed.

Gone back to Van with others, Kim says not to wreck his bed! J x “

Jeff pulled back the bed clothes as Jensen closed the blinds, shutting the bright sunlight out. Lying down, Jeff pulled Jensen down on top of him, needing the weight of his mate to keep him from flying apart.

“We’re not working apart for a long time, you realize that, don’t you?” Jensen mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

“Yeah, pup. Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Jeff said quietly as Jensen’s breathing evened out and he slipped into sleep.

Epilogue

“Cut!”

Kim pinched the bridge of his nose, hiding the smile on his face as he moved around the camera to the three men stood in front of it. They were filming the reunion scene for ‘Shadow’ and Jared was grinning from ear to ear and Jeff had an arm wrapped around Jensen, and Kim thought the alpha was desperately trying not to laugh, knowing exactly what the director was going to say.

“Jensen, son,” Kim said as he came to a halt in front of the group, “I know Dean has missed his daddy, and is really excited to see him again.”

Jensen nodded, the sniggers from the crew were getting louder and he looked around at them, not understanding what was so funny. Dean had walked in, seen John and hugged him, just as the script said.

Kim carried on, ignoring the chuckles that were starting to grow louder, “But is there any chance you can maybe not hump his leg like a dog in heat, just for me. Please?”

Jensen felt the blush burn his cheeks as it spread across his face. Jared was laughing so hard he was nearly crying, and some of the crew weren’t much better. Jensen looked at Jeff, “Was I?” he asked, blushing even harder when Jeff nodded.

“Oh, yeah, pup. Thought we’d changed to HBO for a second.”

Jensen covered his burning face with his hands as he groaned loudly. The heckling and catcalling flew at him from the crew and he lifted one hand, middle finger raised.

“OK folks, take five then we’ll try again.” Kim called out, adding in an aside for Jensen’s ears only, “keep it PG this time. I have enough mail about Sam’n’Dean, don’t need John thrown into the mix as well.”

Jeff handed over a bottle of water and Jensen took a quick sip, letting Jeannie touch up his makeup and hair. They had coped with everything after the kidnapping and rescue remarkably well, Jensen thought. Jeff suffered the odd flashback, but hadn’t been held captive for long enough to suffer as much as some of the others. Jensen had separation issues – Jeff had to let his mate know where he was at all times or suffer the consequences, but the older man wasn’t complaining. It was a small price to pay.

The only thing that really worried Jeff was the lack of information on the woman responsible for the kidnappings.

Jensen sipped at the water as he thought of the Weres still in their animal form in Vancouver. The psychologists that had been brought in to talk to the Weres had come to the conclusion that they might never return to their human form. Records found showed that the oldest Were – a tiger from the Nepal Pack – had been kept in her animal form for over 48 years. She had been taken as a young woman of twenty three.

Jeff was of the opinion that she had simply forgotten that she was human, and it would be cruel to try and make her change. Any family had yet to be found, but The Were council had not given up hope.

Jeff leaned back into Jensen as his young mate stepped close behind him. Jeff turned his head as he felt Jensen’s lips press a kiss to the side of his jaw and hold him tight in his arms. Jeff’s cell vibrated and he groaned as Jensen eased a hand slowly into Jeff’s pocket and pulled the phone out.

“Tease,” he complained as Jensen laughed.

“You love it, old man.”

Jeff gave a non-committal grunt as he opened the text.

Really, darling, did you think I’d let you get away that easily?

Jensen read over Jeff's shoulder, a grin slowly spreading across his face as his own phone vibrated, "Steven got a fix on her."

Jeff nodded grimly as they walked back onto set.

"C'mon, pup, let's re-unite the Winchesters, then we can go hunting."

Fin