Title: Darkness Threatening
Author: Dirk Greyson
Series: Yellowstone Wolves
Genre: M/M, Paranormal Romance, Shifters
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: Feb 3 2016
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Fredrik is back from college and trying to stay out of his
power-hungry brother’s way, until his brother takes a prisoner for his
pleasure. Unable to tolerate his family’s cruelty, Fredrik overcomes his fear
to help her escape back to her pack. There, he meets Christopher, and their
instant attraction tells him Christopher is the one. However, since the threat
of his brother remains, Fredrik is reluctant to pursue a relationship.
Christopher is still figuring out his place in the pack and
has been living on his own to avoid making waves with his brother, Mikael. Now
he’s met his soulmate, and he’ll do anything to take care of his love,
including rejoining the pack.
With
coaxing, Fredrik accepts his feelings, and Christopher’s pack gives him the
home he’s never had. But Fredrick soon realizes he should keep running. His
brother is on his tail and will stop at nothing to obtain the power he craves,
especially when he realizes the source of the power could be Fredrik himself.Excerpt
“I don’t give a shit about what they taught you at that
ridiculous school,” Juneau yelled as he stood from the table and stalked over
to Fredrik, who was determined not to show fear in any way. Juneau might be his
brother, but there was absolutely no love lost between them. “I don’t know
where you learned that being a fucking fairy who takes it up the ass was all
right, but in this pack, it certainly is not.” Juneau backhanded Fredrik across
the cheek, sending him reeling in a circle.
Fredrik caught the table to keep from going down to the
floor. “Screw you, Juneau. You’re the one who doesn’t know shit about anything.
I am who I am, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. Dad is dead
and you’re living in this shithole cabin on the edge of nowhere.” He stood back
up.
“Are you challenging me?” Juneau growled. “Because I’ll gut
you like a rabbit if you ever talk to me like that again.” He stepped closer
once again.
“Yeah, I know. You’re the alpha… of nothing.”
“I’m your alpha and don’t you forget it. I may be living in
this piece of shit, but I won’t be for long.”
“Where is everyone else?” Fredrik meant it dismissively, but
the stare he got was cold enough to freeze water on the equator.
“They’re coming. Those loyal to Father were scattered after
his downfall last summer, but I’ve put out word to those who were most loyal.
They’ll all be here in three days, and then I’ll start building my own pack,
taking back what should have been mine in the first place. And you, dear
brother, will stand at my side, keep your smart mouth shut, and do what I say.
There will be no weakness in this pack, and that means no males taking it up
the ass. You will mate and have litters of pups. We need our numbers to grow as
quickly as possible.”
“Why would I want to go along with what you want?” Fredrik
was surprised at himself and wondered where he found the courage to speak up.
He’d always been the quiet one. Their father, Anton, hadn’t been interested in
anything that didn’t involve fighting, brute strength, and power. Those three
things were all that had counted, what he’d lived for, as essential to him and
his wolf as oxygen.
“Because I’m your alpha and a hell of a lot stronger than
you. And because I’ll kill you slowly and painfully if you don’t.” Juneau stood
and glanced at the nearest chair, then back at him. He glared at Fredrik with
the intensity of one of the lasers he’d seen at school. “I’m waiting.”
Fredrik picked up the chair and brought it to his brother,
who sat as though he were a king. But there was no kingdom. When their father
lost his challenge to Mikael Volokov, the alpha of the Old Faithful pack,
everything changed. They were outcasts—all of their father’s family was—tainted
with his dark madness and obsession with power. Fredrik had been the only one
to escape much of the fallout because Anton had sent him to college. He’d said
he wanted Fredrik to learn the ways of men and the outside world, probably so
he could extend his power there was well. Thankfully, his father had provided
enough money for him to almost finish school. There wasn’t quite enough,
though, and that had given Juneau power. If Fredrik wanted to graduate, then he
had to submit. This discussion was the culmination of that decision—one Fredrik
now realized could be the biggest mistake of his life.
Fredrik had thought he was out of the family and had gotten
away from them. This was not the life he wanted, and his father’s death had
raised the possibility of him just fading away. He’d hoped he could find a new
pack and start a whole new life. Now that wasn’t to be. Tuition increases had
left him with little choice but to approach his brother, and now he was stuck.
“You’ll live in this house, where I can keep an eye on you.
The room you’ve been using will be your home.” Juneau looked up, and the woman
who had been working at the stove, doing her best to look the other way and
pretend she saw and heard nothing, rushed over and placed a plate in front of
Juneau. He didn’t acknowledge her in any way other than with a glance before he
began to eat.
Fredrik stifled a cringe. He’d been sleeping in that room
for two nights. Well, there had been very little sleeping, given the fact that
his brother spent much of the past two nights making as much carnal noise as
possible. Juneau was insatiable and had sex with as many as three females a
night. Like their father, he felt it was his duty to father as many pups as he
could. He was the alpha male, and, as such, he had the pick of anyone he
wanted.
“Hearing how a man behaves will be good for you,” Juneau
continued, pulling Fredrik out of his thoughts. “You will also ask permission
before you leave the compound, and you will talk to no one unless I expressly
permit it. Somehow I will make a real man out of….” He waved his hand in
Fredrik’s direction. “This.” He shook his head. “How you ever came from our
father is beyond me.”
The door opened and Yuri, his brother’s beta and partner in
crime and punishment since they were children, strode into the room and sat.
“Inge,” Juneau said. It was the first time his brother had
used the woman’s name since Fredrik had been there. At least Fredrik knew what
it was now.
She made up another plate and set it in front of Yuri.
Fredrik was starving, but he made no move to sit. The idea of sharing a meal of
any kind with his brother was about as appetizing as eating mud between two
pieces of crap.
“Dimitri called, and he has a surprise for you,” Yuri said
gleefully, his eyes filled with evil mirth.
Fredrik went cold, wondering what Yuri and his twin brother
were up to. Yuri and Dimitri were two peas in a pod and thought alike.
Truthfully, it was more likely that they shared a single brain between them.
Neither was at all bright, but they were ruthless and believed in taking what
they wanted.
“He’ll be here in an hour.”
“What kind of surprise?” Juneau snapped and blew a breath
out his nose. “Sit down!” he demanded, and Fredrik did as he was told.
Inge brought a plate for him. He smiled at her and thanked
her softly. Inge actually looked as though she wasn’t quite sure how to process
the simple politeness. She eventually nodded and scampered away like a scared
deer.
“He said that it was an accessory for your bedroom and that
you were going to love it.”
Fredrik managed to keep from cringing. God knew what his
brother’s demented cronies had come up with now, but it couldn’t be good. He
ate, but the food tasted like nothing at all. Fredrik was eating only to eat.
Tasting what was in his mouth was nearly impossible. He was a prisoner here;
that was all there was to it. He needed to figure out a way to get out of here,
and he needed to do it fast.
When he was done, Fredrik took his plate to the sink and
made to go to his room. He needed to get away.
“Sit back down,” Juneau said, and Fredrik sighed and sat
once again. “Our time is coming very soon. I can feel it. The packs that
splintered once Father died are still trying to get on their feet. Volokov is
stretched way too thin, and while all those new alphas may have voted him as
high alpha or whatever they’re calling it, he can’t be everywhere.” Juneau
grinned.
“What are we going to do?” Yuri asked, rubbing his hands
together. “I want to get my hands on him alone, just for a few minutes.”
Juneau jumped to his feet, his chair tumbling backward to
the floor. “Volokov is mine, pure and simple.” He gripped the edge of the table
and leaned closer to Yuri. “You got that?”
“Yeah, of course,” Yuri said, baring his neck slightly.
“Good. He killed my father, and I’m going to get back
everything my father had and more, because I’m going to get Old Faithful too.
All of it.”
Yuri showed some intelligence—or maybe it was simple
self-preservation—and nodded, and Juneau slowly sat back down.
Fredrik wanted to ask how his brother thought he was going
to bring that about. The other packs had united under Volokov, and they were
stronger now that they had one person they all trusted. But Fredrik said
nothing because he didn’t feel like getting hit again.
He ended up sitting at the table for another hour listening
to Yuri and Juneau talk over all their grandiose plans that meant absolutely
nothing. Juneau was as ruthless as their father, but he was also crazier, if
that was possible.
A truck pulled up outside; the deep rumble told him it was
big, probably to compensate for something. When the clatter stopped, a door squeaked
open and closed, followed by another. Then Dimitri slithered in like the snake
version of a wolf that he was. Where Yuri was strong and tended to stomp,
Dimitri was sneaky and stalked around behind things.
“I got you a present,” he said to Juneau. “You want me to
deliver it?” He smiled, showing off his missing front tooth. It made him look
more like a yokel than his brother, but looks were deceiving.
“Sure.” Juneau sat back and waited while Dimitri went back
out to his truck.
Fredrik was ashamed, but he turned to watch as well. He
swallowed hard and nearly vomited his lunch when he saw Dimitri come in
carrying someone over his shoulder. It was a girl, probably about sixteen, and
she was a pretty young thing. Definitely a wolf, and a strong one.
Between the Pages Character
Profile for the Darkness Threatening by Dirk Greyson
Full Name: Fredrik
Age: 22
General physical description: He’s slight with great eyes and
Hometown: Raised in
the wilds outside Yellowstone
Type of home/ neighborhood:
Difficult. His father was power
hungry and the only person who cared for him was his mother.
Relationship status:
Single.
Current family: He
has quite a lot of half brothers and sisters who tend to take after their
father.
Family background (parents, previous marriages, etc.): Both his parents are now dead and he is
trying to survive in his dog eat dog family.
Friends: he doesn’t
really have any. His family and the pack
around them isn’t a place for family and friends. It’s one where he only tried to survive.
Other close relationships:
None
Job: Just graduated
from college, but doesn’t have a real job.
Dress style: Pretty
basic. He’s a wolf shifter after
all. Style isn’t really important.
Religion: Doesn’t
have one initially.
Attitude to religion:
He’s skeptical. But with time he
could change his mind.
Favorite pastimes:
Trying to stay out of his brother’s way.
Hobbies: Surviving
Favorite foods: He’s
a meat kind of guy
Strongest positive personality trait: He’s willing to put himself in danger for
others.
Strongest negative personality trait: He believes that he’s inherently bad. A trait he got form his father.
Sense of humor: Not
at the beginning.
Temper: Sometimes,
but he tends to experience fear first
Consideration for others:
He definitely puts others first.
Fredrik has a real heart.
How other people see him/her: They see small and quiet first, but they soon
learn that he had hidden depths.
Opinion of him/herself:
He believes he’s basically worthless.
Other traits, especially those to be brought out in story: He learns that he has special gifts and that
he’s stronger than he ever thought possible.
Ambitions: To fit in
and find a place where he fits.
Philosophy of life:
At the beginning he doesn’t really have one. His time and effort are spent just trying to
survive.
Most important thing to know about this character: Fredrik has hidden depths that even he isn’t
aware of.
Will readers like or dislike this character, and why? I hope that Fredrik’s heart and ultimate
courage will endear him to readers.
GIVEAWAY
Dirk is very much an outside kind
of man. He loves travel and seeing new
things. Dirk worked in corporate America
for way too long and now spends his days writing, gardening, and taking care of
the home he shares with his partner of more than two decades. He has a Master’s Degree and all the other
accessories that go with a corporate job.
But he is most proud of the stories he tells and the life he's built. Dirk lives in Pennsylvania in a century old
home and is blessed with an amazing circle of friends.
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