What he’d experienced with Naya went beyond sex. Wheeler’s compulsive actions had been out of control. When he’d ripped her blouse, he feared her reaction. He feared the magnitude of his desire for a woman whose animal represented death for him. But she’d taken hold of the reins, and that excited him. Suddenly the women in his past had become inconsequential; none of them had ever given him what he truly craved in bed. Not just sex, but acceptance. Intimacy. He’d spilled his darkest secrets to a woman who didn’t turn away. Naya didn’t look at him like she would a monster; she looked at him like she would a man.
And a monster is exactly what he saw reflecting back at him in the mirror. During his captivity, they had denied him contact with the outside world. No one had known his whereabouts, and he’d later found out Ben hadn’t even told the family he’d gone missing. Wheeler had given himself over to the underworld of cage fighting to save his brother, knowing he might never see his family again. Most fighters only lasted for so long before they lost to someone more deadly. Death was the inevitable outcome; it was just a matter of time.
Wheeler had not only survived, he’d quickly gained a reputation in the underground world of cage fights. It wasn’t long before they had put him in with the panthers. Usually panthers went against one another for the highest-paying fights, but his owner thought Wheeler had potential and had arranged for a low-key match with a weak panther.
Wheeler’s wolf had won that battle. By then his animal had become bloodthirsty—never hesitating to lunge for the jugular as soon as Wheeler shifted.
It wasn’t long before hopelessness had crept into his heart with the realization he’d never see his family again. Most of the scars on his arms had partially healed, but not enough. He’d thought he’d die in that hellhole. But sometimes guards got too comfortable and made foolish mistakes.
It took a year after his escape before Wheeler got in touch with Ben. By then, Wheeler had found one of the best tattoo artists in the city to cover up his scars, but it was also a way to separate himself from Ben for good. They were too identical, so maybe doing this would be a little fuck you to him for stealing his identity. Wheeler could have hated him, but it was impossible to hate the other half of himself.
Ben obviously hadn’t thought he’d ever see Wheeler again. For a while, Wheeler believed he might actually change his ways. He’d promised, after all.
But the promises never lasted long before the gambling would start back up. Wheeler grew facial hair, kept the top of his hair longer, and dressed differently. There was no hiding the fact they were twins, but no one would ever mistake Wheeler for Ben again. Jesus, maybe he should have just started a new life away from his brother, but Austin would be forming a pack, and Wheeler wanted to be a part of it. Hell, he needed it. The wolf in him craved family and a sense of belonging. In order to do that, he had to forgive Ben. No matter how fucked up his brother was in the head, they were still born of the same seed. They shared the same DNA, even the same thoughts as they could finish each other’s sentences. Maybe sometimes you just have to love someone for who they’ll never be in order to move on with your life. Ben’s popularity among their brothers eclipsed his own, and for that reason, Wheeler couldn’t betray him.
After the cage fights, the first person he’d shifted around was Ben. His wolf didn’t attack his brother like he’d feared, but Wheeler knew he needed to make sure his wolf wasn’t aggressive or else he’d never be accepted into the pack. His nerves were on edge when Austin had introduced his wolf to his brothers. Part of the process included Austin staying in human form and asserting his dominance as the alpha. Wheeler thought for sure something would spook his wolf and he’d lunge at Austin, but no such thing had happened. Maybe his wolf sensed they were family, or maybe it had to do with them also being wolves.
Wheeler made a quiet decision that he would never shift around Naya. Ever. That could never happen. The panther fights were some of the most vicious he’d endured, and no way in hell would he risk putting her in danger.
After Lexi left the heat house, Naya rapped her knuckles lightly on the door and announced he was free to go. When he got up and opened the bathroom door, she’d already switched out the lights and had gone to bed. The only light in the room emanated from a dim nightlight behind the sink.
He eyed the doorknob, but something compelled him to stay.
“What are you doing?” she asked sleepily.
“Scoot over. We’re cuddling.”
She giggled in a way that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Wheeler pulled the sheet over them and pressed their bodies together. She had put on a baby-doll nightie, and he couldn’t stop touching the lacy fabric. Damn, she was such a sexual creature, and he was so uptight about sex. Not the act of it, but sexuality itself.
The tenderness.
The vulnerability.
The intimacy.
Wheeler was no stranger to strip clubs, but the performances were impersonal and didn’t have the same effect on him as when Naya jutted her hip out and played with the collar of her blouse.