Trace Black hasn’t forgotten the tragic death of his parents and birth pack. His only focus since then was looking after his twin brother, Casey. Now that Casey has found his fated mate and started a family of his own, Trace has given everyone the cold shoulders, preferring the comfort of solitude. But one alpha who rescued him from being attacked by beta wolves changed everything for Trace, as he once again faces the monster who killed his family. Unfortunately, that same monster is also his fated mate.

A decision made in the heat of anger and vengeance changed Antonio de la Llama’s life, and not for the better. Now an alpha jaguar shifter and fire mage, Antonio spent the next four-hundred years unable to control the evil that burned within himself, thus granting him the name, Diablo. But one encounter with his fated Omega and Diablo has found more reason than ever to prove to Trace that he’s not the same monster who killed his family. That the strength which comes with love is greater than anger. But can Trace put his own anger for the alpha in the past?

An alpha who’s trapped in the flames of hell, and the omega who’s destined to set him free. Can these two troubled souls who’re still trapped by their past learn to let go, so they can face the future together? Will Trace be able to forgive the alpha who stole everything from him, and will Diablo find a new kind of strength worth holding onto?

TRIGGER WARNING:
This MPREG novel contains sexual and verbal adult content specifically made for adults 18 and up! This novel also contains a lot of action and violence, death, snarky ice wolves, sexy belly dancing, steamy fire play in the bedroom, and cute babies.
*** This is book 2 in the series, but can be read as a standalone story – no cliffhangers ***

“Hello?” I called out as I ran through the forest, wondering if Diablo was still out there. If he was, I hoped he didn’t get hurt from Cyrus’ avalanche. All of the enemy wolves were dead, and unfortunately, so was Rick. A death that broke Cyrus’ heart. We never got the chance to get to know the timid alpha, but from what I saw, Rick was a sweet guy. Cyrus and Tim knew Rick better than any of us, so they both shared in the grief. 

Two hours after the fight ended, I managed to sneak out for a few moments while everyone was recovering, which brought me to the forest, stomping through the thick blankets of snow that covered most of the terrain. The deeper I went, the more I was able to feel his presence. It was like a thin line that connected us, that was leading me to him, a pull that tied those who were fated together. 

 “Are you there?” I called out again as I crossed a few trees. “You can come out; it’s only me!”

Okay, I wasn’t entirely convinced that coming out to look for the most dangerous alpha known to mankind alone was a good idea, but I went with it. If I brought anyone with me, I was positive that they wouldn’t hesitate to try to attack Diablo the moment they spotted him. Hell, Cyrus already admitted at one point that he’d been hoping to run into the alpha one day, so he could end the legend himself. I used to dream about my parents’ killer meeting his end someday, but now I was stuck with the realization that he was the other half of my heart—and I had no fucking idea what to do about that. 

The sound of snow crackling from behind had me halting my movements. The hairs along the back of my neck stood on end, and with a shaky breath, I slowly turned around. My head tilted in confusion when I saw nothing there, just a vast emptiness in the snow-covered forest. Okay, I knew I wasn’t going crazy. Even the mate pull told me he was nearby. 

“You don’t have to hide from me,” I said in a raised voice. 

Not long after that, something black caught in my right periphery. I glanced in that direction and gasped when I spied the massive, ebony-furred jaguar I’d been looking for. Its wide, golden cat eyes stared directly into my soul. Eyes that I knew glowed like crimson headlights when his magic surged through his body. Those were the eyes I stared into the night my parents died, the night I thought Casey and I would suffer the same fate. 

There was a part of me that was currently regretting all my life choices as I backed away in panic while the dark beast casually walked toward me, but there was another part of me that believed he wouldn’t hurt me. Why would he when he saved my life, not once but twice? When I felt my back hit a nearby tree, I knew I was cornered. Diablo stopped mere inches from me before he sat on his hind legs, his tail whipping from left to right as he just stared up at me. 

Those predatory eyes were intense, but to my surprise, I didn’t feel uncomfortable by him. It sent shivers of pleasure up my spine. I gulped and took a deep breath as I tried settling my racing heart. My nose picked up on Diablo’s cedarwood scent, and I inhaled the aroma. It helped to calm my nerves. 

“A-Are you going to shift, or just stand there looking at me like I’m a steak dinner?” I asked softly. 

Diablo snorted, then closed his eyes as he let himself ease into the shift. Within seconds, Diablo stood in all his muscular, naked glory. I tried not to think about the growing erection in my pants, or the fact that my hole was starting to feel tender at the thought of this powerful alpha’s thick, dark cock plunging into me. Fuck, I was a hot mess. Why did my parents’ murderer have to be so goddamn sexy?

“Are you okay?” Diablo asked.

I nodded. “Why did you save me?”

Diablo’s gaze went back to me, lingering for what felt like ages. I almost missed the fact that he stepped close enough our chests pressed together. His left hand slowly went up and rested on my cheek. The touch was… warm. It was almost as if the moment our skins made contact, a heat wave carried through my body, warming me from the inside out. My usual cold demeanor was set aflame. 

“Because you’re my omega to protect,” Diablo said in a whisper. “Mi lobo, mi corazón, mi hogar.”

Diablo speaking Spanish had the wayward butterflies fluttering in my belly. My heart was already pounding like thunder. A thing that I was sure the alpha could feel considering his thick, muscular chest was pressed to mine. The desire to taste him was almost catastrophic. Everything about this alpha screamed danger, and I’d seen the destruction he could cause with those hands of his; the same hand that was gently caressing my cheek at that very moment. But, he couldn’t be all that bad, could he? Fated or not, he did save my life. 

Diablo’s rich, chocolate brown eyes held such fire and intensity that I felt my legs shaking. I felt my consciousness begin to blur as I instinctively leaned forward in an attempt to get a taste of him. However, before our lips could connect, Diablo hissed in pain and jumped back from me.

I shook the lust-induced haziness from my mind and gasped as Diablo dropped to his knees in the snow, groaning in pain as he held both sides of his head with shaky hands. 

“Diablo!” I cried out and made to reach for him.

“Stay back!” he roared at me. 

I froze in place. When he looked up at me, the crimson glow from his magic flickered in his eyes like a lightbulb just before it blew. The sound of sizzling caught my attention and I noticed steam began filling around him. I looked down to see the snow underneath him beginning to melt at a rapid rate, a puddle of water already taking shape. His tanned skin had an angry-red glow to it, and I could tell it meant his body was scorching to the touch right now. 

“Tell me, what can I do to help?” I asked, feeling completely helpless. Diablo was obviously in pain, but I didn’t know from what. Was he having a massive headache or something? Diablo didn’t even respond to my question. I couldn’t just stand there. I needed to touch him, but if I did, the skin on my hands would likely melt away. 

Then, I remembered something. Cyrus could freeze anything he touched with his bare hands, much like Diablo setting things on fire; but he also said that he couldn’t freeze Dorian. His magic was ineffective on him, because of the fact they were fated. So, did the same rules for Cyrus and Dorian, apply to Diablo and me? Would I be immune to his flames? 

Deciding to test my theory, I crouched down in front of Diablo. His troubled blinking gaze looked up to me, and my heart ached at the pain he must’ve been in. 

“Trace, don’t,” Diablo said through gritted teeth when I brought my hands up. 

He must’ve been worried about his magic burning me too, but I wasn’t going to back down. I took in a deep breath, then in one fell swoop, I brought my arms around Diablo and pulled him to my chest. At first, I felt the sharp sting of my skin burning, and winced at the sensation, but after a few moments, my skin began slowly cooling down to the point where I still felt the warmth of his magic, but it didn’t bother me. His fire magic recognized me as his mate, and now it couldn’t faze me. 

Diablo’s body was stiff in my hold, still groaning in pain. I briefly wondered if it had anything to do with his magic, as if using it was too strenuous for his mind or something. I thought back to a time when I was a pup, and how my mother would hum a tune to Casey and me whenever we had a bad dream. The music was gentle and soothing, and it relaxed us both enough to go back to sleep. Next thing I knew, I was humming the same melody in Diablo’s ear, while I rubbed soothing circles along his back. It was so natural to me, like a part of my mom was still with me. 

I wasn’t sure it was helping, but when I started to feel the tense muscles of Diablo’s body relaxing, I knew it was. The burning glow of his body died down, and his eyes returned to normal. I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Are you okay?” I asked. 

Diablo let out a shaky breath before lifting his chin to face me, his raven-black hair plastered against his sweat-covered forehead. “I’m fine,” he grumbled. “Gracias, mi lobo.”

Damn, the Spanish speaking was going to get me in trouble. I had so many questions. What happened to him? Why did he kill my parents and pack? Why was it that he seemed to be so different from the Diablo who had haunted me in my sleep for years? But these weren’t questions I could ask here, not while I was so close to the lodge where anybody could wander around and spot us. 

“Can you stand?” I asked him. 

Diablo nodded. 

I stood up and held my hand out to him. He took it, and I had to quell my reaction to the electric sensation that traveled up my body at his touch. Now was not the time to relish the feeling of having my fated mate find me. 

“We have to get you out of here,” I said, then started walking. 

“Where are we going?” Diablo asked as he followed behind me. 

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I would grow to regret this. This was a mistake, and probably the dumbest thing I’d ever done. However, right now I didn’t care. I couldn’t turn a blind eye to someone in need. Besides, I owed him a great debt. 

“I’m taking you to my house. You’ll be safe and secluded there.”

JM Wolf never thought he would one day say that he’s a published M/M romance author. Having a poet for a mother and a sister to once ran a blog, it was only a matter of time before JM discovered his writing genes. In the beginning, his sole purpose in life was to be a singer/songwriter. Writing lyrics was the first step putting his thoughts onto paper. Even while singing, JM always found time to dabble with writing little short stories but never thought too much about it.

Once he reached adulthood, his music dreams left him, but not the feeling for writing down what was in his mind. However, that didn’t mean music no longer played a part in JM’s life. His debut book The Black Feather was inspired by one of his favorite songs. Whether lyrics or love stories, you will always find JM’s heart and soul in every word on paper.

JM Wolf lives in Chesapeake, VA with his husband and in-laws. When he’s not writing, you can always find reading a good book, spending time with the love of his life, or jamming out to music. He didn’t pick the world of literature, the literary world picked him.