Leyburn didn't have a massive drug problem like most of the bigger cities. Every now and then, one of the citizens would do something that would draw the cops' attention and remind them that no matter where they were, if people were desperate enough, they would find a way to get their hands on the stuff.

  "You're going to let me walk right out of here," Leon said. His hands shook badly.

  "That's not going to happen. Want to know why?" Marcus took a casual step forward.

  "Why?" Leon was looking all around him, obviously trying to find another way out. There was a door situated to the side of all the drink fridges. However, Marcus would go out on a limb and say that it was more than likely locked.

  "There's nowhere else for you to go but out the front, and out there is my partner, and… " Marcus glanced through the window quickly and saw another patrol car pull into the drive. "Another car with backup."

  "Shit, shit, shit." Leon started pacing back and forth, his knife still pointed in their direction. He smacked himself in the head several times as he swore and muttered.

  When Leon turned his back, Marcus gestured to the teenage boy who'd been in line behind Brian. Marcus placed his finger to his lips, and the boy nodded in understanding. He checked that Leon still couldn't see them and waved the boy to him. The kid scrambled to his feet, making as little noise as possible, leaving his chips and soft drink on the ground, and made a mad dash to Marcus. Marcus pointed toward the door, and the kid creeped quietly towards the entrance. As soon as the glass doors swooshed open, he ran like the hounds of hell were on him. Paul met him outside and ushered him to the cars and out of danger's way.

  Leon spun around at the sound of the doors opening. His arm, which had lowered slightly during his pacing, came right back up. He looked around frantically but couldn't seem to focus on what was different.

  "What'd you do?" he yelled.

  "Nothing. Calm down, mate."

  "Don't tell me to calm down. I am calm," Leon screeched, and Marcus cringed when the sound hurt his ears. His hackles rose, but thankfully Marcus had had years of calming and taming his beast while at work. Today it came harder, since he'd never been in a situation where his mate was in danger and Marcus had to perform his duties as a policeman.

  As much as he wanted to, Marcus couldn't let his wolf out to deal with this situation. He'd freak out the others in the shop. Brian was the only other pack member in here thankfully. He could probably convince Leon he'd hallucinated due to god knows what was in his system. However, the lady in front of Brian and the cashier were sober. More than likely, they wouldn't believe any story Marcus came up with to explain why he'd turned into a massive wolf and attacked Leon.

  "I bet this wasn't how you thought your day would go," the cashier piped up from behind the counter, looking in Marcus's direction.

  Marcus glanced over at the cashier to see a faint smile on his face. He shrugged. "Eh. I've had worse."

  He didn't know if that was actually true or not. Seeing his mate held at knifepoint was right at the top of things he hoped never to have to experience again.

  "Shut up!" Leon screamed again. Marcus was getting really sick of hearing this guy. Leon's eyes were dilated, and what Marcus could see of his skin was covered in sweat.

  "Dude, take a chill pill," Brian said from his place on the floor.

  Marcus scowled at his mate. Don't antagonise the crazy person, baby.

  Leon stalked over to where Brian lay on the floor and pulled his foot back to kick Brian again.

  "If you want to walk out of here with both legs still in one piece, I would advise against doing that," Marcus growled.

  "Fuck you, man!" Leon let fly with a kick.

  Brian howled in pain. Marcus was done playing nice. He dove at Leon.

  There wasn't much of a fight. Marcus made sure to angle his dive so they didn't injure the other customer. He grabbed the wrist that currently held the knife as they tumbled to the floor. Marcus squeezed hard, maybe a little harder than he'd originally intended, and heard a bone break. Leon screamed. He dropped the knife and cradled his arm to his chest. Marcus quickly got him face down on the floor and pulled his arms behind his back.

  "You're lucky it was only your wrist. That's my partner you just held at gunpoint and assaulted. You're in for a very rough couple of years, mate."

  Leon screamed and thrashed under him. Marcus heard the sliding doors woosh open again, and Paul walked in with Erik, one of the constables.

  Brian helped the lady who had been in front of him in the line to stand. Erik went over to talk with them while Paul came straight to him. Marcus noticed his mate stood hunched over, his arms wrapped around his middle.

  "Got it all sorted, I see." Paul had a smug grin on his face.

  "Have you called an ambulance?" Marcus asked.

  "Who's injured?" Paul asked looking around "Apart from the high-as-a-kite would-be robber there." Paul nodded to Leon, who was still doing his best impression of a caterwauling harpy.

  "Brian's taken several kicks to the chest," Marcus said. "I want him checked out. And I may have broken this lovely fella's wrist when I disarmed him."

  "May have?" Paul enquired, a smug smile on his lips.

  "Fuck off. It was an accident."

  "Sure it was. And yes, the ambulance has been called. It should be here any minute." Just as Paul spoke, Marcus looked out the window and saw the vehicle pull up.

  "Here, take him, would you? Lock him in the back of the car until the others have been seen to."

  "With pleasure." Paul stalked over, grabbed Leon by his cuffed wrists, and hauled him to his feet. Leon screamed and fought Paul as his partner frog-marched him out of the small shop.

  The lady that had been in line in front of Brian came over to Marcus. "Thank you," she said as she placed a hand on Marcus's arm. Marcus had to hold back the laugh that wanted to burst free when he heard a small growl from behind him.

  "You're welcome," he said to the woman. Marcus looked outside and noticed the paramedics were on their way in. "Has Erik taken your statement and details?" Marcus asked.

  "Oh yes," she assured him.

  "Great. I'd like you to get checked out by the medics, just as a precaution. If they give you the all-clear, then you're free to go home. We'll be in touch."

  "Feel free to call me anytime," said the woman. "The other officer has all my details."

  The growl behind Marcus got louder. Marcus was having a hard time not loving his mate's little fit of jealousy. Now that the threat to Brian was over with, his wolf was quite happy to sit and preen at the thought his mate was jealous.

  "We'll certainly call if we have any follow-up questions for you." Marcus extracted his arm out from under her touch and placed his hand about an inch away from the small of her back, his other arm out front guiding her towards the paramedics who'd just walked through the door, first aid kits in hand. "You'll be in good hands with Bill and Amy here."

  "Thank you."

  Marcus nodded to the two medics. When you lived in a small town and worked a job like his, you got to know all the emergency services personnel really well.

  He turned, only to find himself with an armful of mate. Marcus wrapped his arms around Brian and hugged him close, careful not to hurt him. His mate was still growling. Marcus finally let the chuckle escape. "Shhh. You know you're the only one for me." He gently rubbed his hands up and down Brian's back. "I'd be fucking lost if anything happened to you."

  "How are the boys?" Brian asked as he pulled back and looked out the window.

  "They're fine. They were understandably upset when we arrived, but Alex should be with them. He was on his way when I came in here."

  "I'm just thankful they were in the car and not in here with me."

  "Too bloody right." Marcus's hackles rose at the mere thought of his sons being held at knifepoint.

  Brian tilted his head, and Marcus leaned down to place a gentle kiss on his mate's lips. He wanted to take it further, but he was in uniform in the middle of a crime scene. Brian lifted his arms, as if he were about to wrap them around Marcus's neck, like he'd done so many times over the last several years, only to stop and wince.

  Marcus frowned and reached down to grab Brian's shirt. He lifted it and had to bite back the growl at the large welts on Brian's ribs, which were already turning all sorts of colours. His wolf demanded that he go rip Leon to pieces for daring to lay a finger on his mate. Marcus clenched his fists to stop himself from doing just that. It wouldn't look good if he beat the shit out of a suspect while he was already cuffed and in their custody. Marcus had to satisfy himself with knowing he'd broken the bastard's wrist.

  He turned and called to Bill, who left the lady with Amy and came over to them.

  "Hey, Marcus, Brian. How are you both?"

  "Hi, Bill. How's Flick and the new addition to the household?" Brian asked. Bill's lovely wife, Felicity, had given birth to their first baby—a little girl—less than a month ago.

  "They're great. Flick's taken to motherhood like a duck to water, and little Claire is just stacking on the weight like there's no tomorrow."

  "Yeah, I remember that stage." Brian grinned. Marcus thought his mate looked a little wistful and resolved to talk to him when they got home that night.

  "Anyway, I should probably pretend to actually do some work, at the very least. How are you?'

  Brian gripped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up, wincing at the movement. Marcus's wolf growled within him at the pain caused to his mate.

  "Shit, man, that looks like it hurts."

  "No kidding."

  "Baby, I have to get back to work," Marcus said, reluctant to leave Brian.

  "It's okay. I'm in good hands."

  Marcus leaned down and placed a kiss to Brian's forehead.

  "Take care of him," he told Bill.

  "You know it." Bill grinned, then went back to work.

  Marcus left them to it. As much as he hated the thought of leaving Brian alone right now, he had shit to do. Thankfully, with Brian's werewolf genes, he would heal a great deal faster than if he was human.

  He was sure the attendant would have called in his boss by now, and having to deal with him was going to be a barrel of laughs. Paul came back inside, having dealt with Leon. Marcus assumed he'd called in their status to the station.

  "Let's get this shit done," Paul said as he walked up and clapped Marcus on the shoulder. Marcus nodded, and they got to work.

  Chapter Three

  Brian had been given the all-clear from Bill to head home to rest and ice his ribs. The first kick had broken one—Brian had felt it—but thankfully it had already healed enough that Bill hadn't been able to tell just by touching him. Brian wasn't about to go to the hospital for an X-ray. He needed to get back to his kids.

  He waited until Marcus was free, then walked out of the shop with him, Brian held securely to his side. Marcus's large arm wrapped around him, his hand resting on Brian's hip; his mate was being very careful not to cause him any additional pain.

  When I get home tonight, we'll leave the boys with the others and we'll go for a run. Shifting will help.

  Sounds great.

  Brian heard the happy squeals from his twins before he saw them. Alex had a tight hold on both boys, for which Brian was extremely grateful. If not for their uncle holding them back, Sammy and Dylan would be jumping all over Brian.

  Marcus stepped forward and hoisted Sammy, the closer of the two, into his arms. The boys were all arms and legs these days. They were gonna be tall, like their daddy, which Brian was thankful for. He wasn't looking forward to the day they outgrew him though.

  Alex lifted Dylan into his arms and stepped close to Brian.

  "You okay?' Alex asked. His deep, soothing voice washed over Brian and helped take the last of his agitation away. Alex always had that effect on him. He figured it was because the man was his Alpha; he was made to take care of his pack.

  "Yeah. A little sore. Nothing a nice run with my mate won't fix. Until then, I have to take it easy."

  Alex nodded. Sammy lay his head down on his dad's shoulder, his arms wrapping around Marcus's neck. His boys were tired, and they needed to get home.

  "Daddy," Dylan gasped.

  "What, little man?" Brian reached out gently and tucked a stray hair back behind his little guy's ear so he could see him properly.

  "The ice cream!"

  Sammy bolted upright in Marcus's arms, and his mate had a hard time keeping hold of their son.

  "No!" Sammy cried.

  Alex chuckled, jostling Dylan in his arms.

  "Not funny, Uncle Alex!" Sammy and Dylan said at the same time, causing Alex to laugh even harder.

  Brian looked at his mate and noticed the man biting his lip. "It's okay," Brian said. "We'll get some more."

  "Pwomise?" Sammy asked as he wiped his eyes. His little guy really was tired.

  "Yeah, buddy, I promise," Alex said. "Let me know what flavour, and I'll pick it up on the way home tonight after work."

  Sammy and Dylan beamed at their uncle.

  "Suck up," Marcus coughed into his hand. Brian automatically wacked his mate for being an ass, then hissed as the pain of the movement and the jarring of hitting solid muscle reverberated through him. He placed his hand carefully against his ribs.

  All joking ceased in light of Brian's obvious pain.

  "Let's get you all home," Marcus said, and he started steering them all towards the car.

  "You want me to take them?" Alex asked.

  "That would be great if you can. I can't really leave here yet."

  Brian saw Marcus look over to the back of his car and found Leon still sitting there. Bill and Amy were just walking out of the shop and heading back to their ambulance. Marcus would have to grab Leon and stay with him when he was being checked and then transported to the hospital. Brian understood his mate had a job to do.

  "Consider it done," Alex said.

  "Thanks."

  Marcus gave Brian one last kiss before quickly buckling Sammy into his car seat and heading back to work.

  Brian slowly removed his keys from his pocket and gingerly climbed into the passenger seat. He waited for Alex to slide into the driver seat. He had to bite his lip and keep from laughing when Alex's knees ended up around his ears. Alex reached down and adjusted the seat. Brian handed him the keys.

  Alex must have called ahead at some point, because when they got home, both Jason and Zack met them at the kitchen door in the garage. They fussed over Brian and the boys.

  "How about you head up to your room and have a sleep?" Alex said in a voice Brian knew all too well. "It will help you rest and relax. We'll get the groceries in and put away."

  "I have to get the boys some lunch and then put them down to bed." Brian had no trouble listening to his Alpha and following his orders, except when it came to his family. He was a father, and his boys' needs came before his own.

  "We can do that," Jason said. "You know they're in good hands with us. We'll bring them up to your room when they're fed and ready to go down. I have a feeling the boys are going to want to be near you anyway."

  "You sure?" Brian didn't want to be a burden.

  "Of course. We're family. It's what we do."

  Brian should have known better. Usually he would, but his ribs hurt like a bitch, and he wasn't really thinking clearly. "Thanks." Brian smiled at his best friend. "Be good for your uncles," he told the boys.

  "Yes, Daddy," they replied together.

  Brian slowly made his way through the house and up the stairs. He took them one at a time and had to take a short break halfway up. Brian climbed carefully up onto his bed and lay down, his mind reeling.

  He'd never witnessed his mate in action before like he had today. He knew that being a cop wasn't an easy job. There was always going to be an element of danger when you tried to enforce the law. It's just he'd never really seen it so up close and personal before. Marcus could have been badly injured if Leon hadn't been as stoned as he was. What's to say the next call Marcus went on wouldn't be the one that could take his mate from their family? What the hell would Brian do without him? He had to remind himself that they lived in Leyburn and not some massive city like Newcastle or Melbourne.

  Brian's mind raced with thoughts of his mate and the job he did every day. Before long though, his eyes grew heavy, and Brian could no longer fight sleep. His breathing evened, and he drifted off. He didn't stir when the boys climbed into the large king-sized bed a half an hour later.

  Soft lips pressed against his and Brian's eyes fluttered open. Marcus stood over him, his eyes mapping Brian's entire body.

  "I'm fine," he tried to reassure his mate. Brian carefully cupped Marcus's cheek, the rough stubble scratchy against his soft palm. Brian loved it when Marcus went a couple of days without shaving. He especially loved feeling the scratchiness on his ass checks as Marcus ate out his hole, or on the insides of his thighs as his mate licked and sucked on his cock and balls.

  Brian grinned at the widening of Marcus's nostrils, letting him know his mate could smell Brian's arousal.

  He glanced over to Marcus's side of the bed, thankfully to find it empty.

  "You've been asleep all afternoon." Marcus's gravelly voice sent shots of heat right to Brian's balls.

  His man was still in his uniform as well. Brian didn't think anyone pulled it off better than his mate. Marcus looked fucking hot!

  Marcus knelt beside the bed, one hand playing with Brian's hair. Brian gazed at his mate, his heart and wolf happy the man was home with him. "How'd this afternoon go?"

  His mate grimaced slightly. "Got my ass reamed good and proper from the boss for breaking protocol. But he understood, so he calmed down quickly, and no one was seriously injured." Marcus's boss was thankfully pack, so he'd got why Marcus had done what he'd done. "Leon is currently at the hospital coming down from whatever drug was in his system. He's handcuffed to a bed with a guard on his door. As soon as he's sober, he'll be enjoying the amenities we have on offer down at the station."