Isaac and Noel Read online

  

  Isaac’s Pride 1

  Isaac and Noel

  [Siren Classic ManLove: Alternative, Paranormal, Shape-shifter, Vampires/Werewolves, MM, HEA]

  Omega werewolf Noel is on his way home after his night shift only to run into a violent gang of hyena shifters. Noel thinks it's the end for him, but a lion shifter Alpha intervenes and rescues him. There’s magnetic attraction between them. Noel can’t resist Isaac and he’s willing to lay his heart on the line for his lion, even if that means risking his life and the lives of those he cares about.

  Isaac moved his pride to the city to avenge his brother, but he ended up with a mate to call his own. Violence is in his blood. Isaac’s always intended to start a war with the hyenas, but the stakes are getting higher. Meeting Noel complicates matters, but Isaac wants his mate and his revenge. Can Isaac have both in the end, or does he need to let one go?

  Length: 23,300 words

  ISAAC AND NOEL

  Isaac’s Pride 1

  Jane Perky

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  Isaac and Noel

  Copyright © 2019 by Jane Perky

  ISBN: 978-1-64637-004-7

  First Publication: October 2019

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2019 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  During the day, Jane is a teacher, wife and mother. At night, Jane’s a scribbler of erotic gay romance. She can’t enough of demanding alphas, werewolves, and happily-ever-afters.

  tinyletter.com/authorjaneperky

  www.janeperkywrites.club

  For all titles by Jane Perky, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/Jane-Perky

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ISAAC AND NOEL

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  ISAAC AND NOEL

  Isaac’s Pride 1

  JANE PERKY

  Copyright © 2019

  Chapter 1

  Noel Carpenter lifted the hood of his jacket as soon as he exited the stairs of the subway station. The sounds of passing trains didn’t help ease his nerves. A rising howl from somewhere nearby made him jump.

  Why did Teddy and he have to pick an apartment so far from the trains? Oh right. With Teddy still finishing his last year of high school, they couldn’t afford to splurge.

  No matter. Noel took deep breaths. He always disliked taking the night shifts at the diner, but he had no choice. Losing the diner job would be unacceptable, and Noel would soon be promoted from assistant cook to cook. He was sure of it, or so he hoped anyway. Then, he’d be able to quit his other job at the gas station. Working in a sweltering and tiny kitchen with a retired Russian mobster might not be everyone’s ideal slice of cake, but to an Omega wolf like him?

  It was heaven, and Vasily, the head cook, always treated him with kindness.

  Unlike his brother Teddy, he’d been born with the cursed Omega genes, and an unbound Omega not belonging to anyone, a dominant shifter or a pack, was considered free meat by the predators of the city. Noel learned to be invisible early, to never stand out in a crowd. Not hard considering he looked average. Shifters wouldn’t give him a second glance on the street if he weren’t an Omega, and unfortunately, Omegas emitted a special kind of pheromones which attracted other shifters to them.

  It was as if Noel had some kind of radar installed in him.

  Seeing the group of men hanging around a car, Noel paused. They smelled of piss and alcohol. Humans with a couple of shifters mixed in. One shifter must have caught his scent, because a tall, muscled guy grinned menacingly at him, flashing sharp teeth, his yellow eyes glowing in the dark. An old rake mark covered his left cheek. Not a scar, he realized, but some kind of tattoo.

  He heard rumors of a street gang around these parts with a hyena shifter boss, one who offered to Turn any member he deemed worthy. Noel tried to shake his memory, heard their name from a news report a week ago. The Bloody Claws. These gang members weren’t like the shifters who belonged in packs or clans. Those groups were officially registered under the Paranormal Government and had to follow the laws set by the government.

  The Bloody Claws had no honor, did whatever they liked, and the human cops could do shit about it. He recently heard on the news about how a group of those hyena shifters had robbed a couple of local stores in this neighborhood, but theft hadn’t just been on their minds. They killed innocents, too.

  Shuddering in fear, Noel backed away, quickly turned on his heel, and entered an alleyway. Hearing footsteps behind him, he walked quickly, took out his phone to check the fastest route back home. Noel had pepper spray in his shoulder bag.

  Every month might be struggle. To pay the bills, to keep Teddy and himself afloat, but Noel never regretted using some of those hard-earned funds for self-defense lessons, because despite how much the truth sucked, an Omega werewolf wouldn’t be able to protect his younger brother, hell. Himself.

  Despite having a wolf inside of him, the ability to shift, Noel was physically weaker and shifted a lot slower than the average werewolf. The only thing his wolf had ever bought him was misery. His phone pinged. A message from Teddy, asking him what time he’d be home and if he could swing by the pizza place for some dinner.

  Dinner. Right. Shit. Noel did promise to bring home something to eat. Teddy always insisted on taking a part-time job, but Noel flat-out refused. Teddy needed to finish school. His brother was smart enough to get a scholarship, too. Teddy had a promising future while his remained uncertain.

  Noel reached a dead end. He checked his phone again, but no signal here. The hairs on his arms rose. Alarm bells rang in his head. He looked up, only to see three men walking up to him. Recognition hit him. The first guy, the one with the Bloody Claws tattoo he spotted earlier, waved mockingly at him.

  “Look what we have here, fellas. An Omega. Ain’t that a rare sight?” the one with the tattooed cheek asked his two friends.

  “I’ve heard you talk about Omegas, Lars, but never seen one before,” said another.

  “Yeah, they’re incredibly rare,” Lars said. Lars seemed to be the leader of the group. “Packs usually fight over them, give them to other Alphas as gifts.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Are you an idiot, Tommy? Omegas can be bred, even male ones, and their offspring are stronger than us Turned shifters,” Lars said.

  Noel took a step back, only to hit the dirty wall.

  “I don’t w
ant any trouble,” he said quickly. “Take whatever you want. Here.”

  Noel offered his wallet, only to have the three hyena shifters laugh at him. One snatched his wallet, pawed through the contents, and scoffed.

  “Twenty dollar bill and let’s see here.” Noel felt like the world’s biggest fool as the shifter pulled out his driver’s license and read his name. “Noel Carpenter.”

  How could he get out of this situation? If he screamed, would anyone even come to his aid in this kind of neighborhood? Even if a cop car happened to be cruising by, what could human police do? Had he stumbled upon Bloody Claws territory by accident?

  “We don’t want your cash. You look like you have nothing worth stealing,” sneered Lars.

  His heart nearly stopped at those words. Lars and his pals eyed him up and down, and he swallowed. Noel had endured repulsive stares like that his entire life, but somehow, he’d managed to avoid trouble. Stay under the radar. When it came to the relationship department, Noel learned quickly that the shifters he dated only wanted him because of his Omega genes. They never really cared about the person underneath.

  “We can make him our bitch. See if the rumors about Omegas being self-lubricating are true,” Tommy said, already beginning to unzip his jeans, but Lars slammed an elbow to his gut. Tommy howled.

  “Why’d you do that?” Tommy demanded.

  “The boss will want the first fuck. Russ has been wanting to sink his dick into an Omega for a long time,” Lars said. “Besides, after Russ is done with him, he’ll give us the Omega to share.”

  Dread filled Noel’s insides. Horrifying images of what they’d do to him sprang up in his head. Noel couldn’t think of a good ending for him. God. What would happen to Teddy if he were gone? No, he raised Teddy to be a fighter, a survivor. His little brother would continue living without him.

  Noel, however, would never be able to act upon his secret desires, to find his mate and live his own life after Teddy went off to college. Surely there had to be one man for him out there, one man who would be his missing half. He saw himself waking up to the same face each day. Building a home together. Carrying that man, his mate’s children.

  Wishful thinking. Naive fantasies. Noel needed to focus on the present. He controlled his breathing, tried to think of a solution out of this. These assholes blocked the only exit. Any passerby who happen to see them would turn their eyes away and continue walking. No one wanted to get on the wrong side of the Bloody Claws gang. What now?

  Was he going to go out like this? Noel had to fight. At least put up a struggle. His dad had been a fighter. Look where that landed him, an ugly voice inside him said. Dead in the ground. His dad picked a fight he couldn’t win. Noel was about to do the same, but to go out fighting sure sounded a lot better than being some asshole hyena Alpha’s bitch.

  He shook his head. Noel might just be an Omega wolf, but Lars and his pals shouldn’t underestimate him.

  “Are you going to fight us, Omega?” Lars asked, as Noel quickly raised his fists.

  Tommy raised his hands. “You think you can take us, Omega? Because you’re shaking so badly I doubt you’ll be able to pull a punch.”

  “I bet you’ve never fought anyone in your entire life,” the third hyena shifter taunted.

  “This is going to be good. I’m already getting hard. Maybe Russ can wait. I’ll want a taste of you first, feisty Omega,” Lars said, taking a threatening step towards him.

  “I’ve taken self-defense lessons,” he blurted, finally able to work his tongue. Noel could only hope they were still new at being shifters, because otherwise he didn’t stand a chance.

  His three attackers laughed at him. “Yeah, go ahead. Try your best,” Tommy said.

  He took a deep breath, and lunged at them.

  Chapter 2

  Isaac Rowland discarded his usual designer suits and favorite Italian shoes in favor of a more discreet attire. He even rented out an ugly second-hand olive Toyota for his adventure into Crawford City’s underbelly just for tonight. Isaac had only been gone for five years, and look what this city had become. It had fallen into the hands of low lives. After his older brother Sebastian was murdered, every wannabe gang leader and Alpha tried to wrestle at the now empty throne.

  For two generations, his family owned this city. Every gutter rat and cutthroat businessman feared their family name. Isaac gritted his teeth as he drove past the wealthier parts of the city to its slums. According to his men, the Bloody Claws gang had taken this enormous area as their territory.

  Russ Marsh. That hyena shifter Alpha had been number one on Sebastian’s enemy list. Issac had the sneaking suspicion Marsh was involved in Sebastian’s murder. Gunned down like a prey animal in the street. What a miserable way for an Alpha lion shifter to go.

  Sebastian and he had never been on the best of terms. Both of them had been born with monstrous Alpha beasts inside of them after all. They’d end up ripping each other’s throats one day, but Sebastian was blood. Isaac couldn’t let that happen, so he left, formed his own pride in another city. Avenging Sebastian and cleaning this city of scum, that was his number one priority now.

  Isaac planned on heading towards the Bloody Claw’s main place of operations, an abandoned warehouse near the wharf, but instinct took him elsewhere. To the heart of the slums. Isaac didn’t understand it himself, but something or someone called him to a narrow, dirty street. He cut the engine of his rented ride. Got out, growled at the glowing eyes from the shadows of filthy and graffiti-sprayed apartment buildings.

  The little monsters, the insects not worth his while, wisely looked away. Good. Isaac didn’t feel particularly merciful tonight. He cracked his knuckles. There, his inner lion whispered in his ear. Isaac looked at a darkened alleyway, sniffed, and scowled.

  Dogs. No, worse. Scavengers. Hyenas. Bloody Claws. They were the only and largest hyena shifter group in this city.

  Picking a fight hadn’t been part of the agenda. His people, pride mates who followed him all the way here, insisted it wasn’t an Alpha’s job to scout, but he wanted to see the city for himself. A scream pushed him to break into a run. His nose picked up certain scents. Wet fur. Fear. Something heavenly. Berries and vanilla. Those two flavors wrapped around him like a blanket. On the heels of that thought came two words.

  Mine. Mate.

  The Alpha lion inside of him broke loose. Clothing ripped. Fur covered his chest and shoulders. Bones broke and organs re-shifted as he fell on all four paws. Isaac roared, announcing his entry as he ran through the alleyway like a battering ram. Three hyena shifters he identified as prey, but the other one, the bloodied and bruised Omega werewolf backed into a corner, that Omega belonged to him.

  Isaac didn’t think. He let rage pour through every pore of his body, let it consume him, become his armor.

  Seeing the hurts his Omega suffered put him into a kind of blind rage. The hyena shifter closest to him began to shift, but before he could complete the transformation, Isaac closed his fangs around his throat. The sound of cracking bone and the taste of copper filling his mouth only fueled his bloodlust. He turned to the second shifter, already in hyena form. They collided, rolled, but being bigger, he easily overpowered the enemy.

  None of them deserved mercy. Three hyena shifters against one Omega werewolf? The Omega stood no chance. He finished off the second quickly, turned to the third. Smarter than his other two companions, the hyena shifter bolted away from him, not towards him. He bared his fangs, ready to give chase, but the Omega moaned, giving him pause.

  Isaac had two options. Let the Omega succumb to his wounds or chase after that one loose thread. He growled, turned, and padded towards the injured Omega. Frightened hazel brown eyes met his, but when he pressed his head towards the Omega’s face and gave it a lick, the Omega reached out, combed his fingers through his fur.

  Normally, Isaac didn’t let just anyone touch him, only pride mates, but this Omega might just be an exception. He turned back to human form.
/>   “I got you,” he said, heart sinking as the Omega dropped his hand and shut his eyes. “Stay with me.”

  Isaac put his hands on the Omega’s waist, easily hefted him up in his arms, and began carrying the Omega back to his car. Miraculously, the Omega fluttered his eyes open to peer up at him.

  “Who are you?”

  “Isaac Rowland. What’s your name, Omega?”

  “Noel Carpenter. I need to…” Noel trailed off, as if forgetting what he wanted to say in the first place.

  “Hush. Don’t speak. You’re injured. We’ll talk more when you wake up.”

  “My brother. He must be worried. My phone, it’s in the pocket of my jeans.”

  “I’ll call your brother,” he said. Those words seemed to calm Noel down, because the Omega closed his eyes again. Reaching his car, Isaac opened the back and gently placed Noel there. Seeing Noel’s torn clothing made him snarl. Good thing he brought extra clothes with him. He put on those, grabbed the extra shirt, and draped it over Noel’s body. It would serve as a blanket for now.

  He got behind the wheel, took out his phone, and dialed Jed, his Beta’s number. Jed picked up immediately. “I’m heading back to the tower. Get Philip,” Isaac ordered, referring to the pride’s healer.

  “Alpha, are you badly injured? Fuck. I should have gone with you.”

  He nearly snapped at Jed but held himself back. Jed was only concerned for him, but his inner lion was rattled. He couldn’t be certain how injured Noel was. No broken bones, but what if Noel sustained internal bleeding? He didn’t know much about Omegas, only the fact they were nearly as weak as the average human in exchange for being able to carry another shifter’s offspring.

  “No, but my Omega is.”