Blue Rey [Haven Ranch 2]

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

Rey was still in shock as he swept up his medical room. He couldn't believe that someone had

broken into their home trying to get to him and his two brothers. Who does that?

Sighing to himself, Rey thought about how he had been brought to Haven Ranch. He had been

adopted and raised by Betsy Watson. She was nice enough and made sure he had just about

everything he needed as a growing boy, everything but the one thing he had always

craved──love. Betsy was never mean, but it was clear from a very early age that the only thing in the world she loved were her animals. Until a few days ago, Rey had not realized that the only reason Betsy had taken him in was because of a favor she was doing for a friend.

Rey had been taught everything about wild life from the moment he could speak. He had gotten

his high school diploma by the age of nine and his bachelor in animal science by the age of

thirteen. Rey had attended veterinary school and he graduated top in his class just as he turned seventeen. Yes, he was Mensa level, but he was also alone, except for his animals. The day

before he turned eighteen Mr. Buckley had approached him with Betsy, and told him about the

inheritance. At first Rey wasn't interested, but the man started talking about his father and the fact that he had brothers. Rey had always wished he had siblings. So, he had agreed to meet Mr.

Buckley at his law office the next morning.

Arriving early, Rey had sat there thinking that maybe he shouldn't have come. He didn't know

these men and he was scared they wouldn't want him any more than his parents had. Just as he

was about to leave, Law and the others had walked into the room with Midnight and Sky.

Buckley had shown Rey and the others a video, and for the first time, Rey had seen his biological father. The first thing Rey noticed was that he had the same light brown eyes as the man on the screen. Looking at Midnight and Sky, he was surprised to note that they also had his eyes. Then, he learned about how the creator of all paranormals and shifters knew of an upcoming war, so, she had made it possible for his father, Mark Roth, to impregnate his mates and the children born would save the paranormal/shifter world.

The snag in all of this was that they would be required to mate with two men that he nor their brothers had never even met before that day and in the process they had to stay alive, because there were people that wanted them dead. Now Rey still didn't know if what was going on was

the act of one group or two. It still seemed odd to him that when Nolan arrived he wanted

Midnight, Sky, and Rey, yet Rey didn't know if that meant dead or alive. Then there was the fact that they had just been shot at and Midnight damn near died. So, was that the same people

pulling Nolan's strings? Either way, Rey needed to make a choice.

Midnight had recently made his own choice and now he had two of the largest, meanest, bad ass mates someone in danger could ask for. Smiling, Rey thought, s**t, so do I. Hippo's are known to be the most dangerous animal in Africa and the shark, who in the hell isn't afraid of sharks.

Sighing heavily, Rey dumped the last of the debris into the trash and turned to look at his

progress. He really wished he had his Sun Bear friend, Como, here. He was someone that Rey

could always talk to and help him figure out answers during hard times. Right now, Rey knew that times were hard and they would only get harder.

"Do you need some help?" Dustin asked Rey softly.

Shaking his head, Rey replied, "I think I got the worst of it. I still have to take inventory on what's missing in the medicine cabinet, but from the short glance I got it looks like the only thing I may need is the tranquilizer Midnight and Emry used against Nolan and his two friends."

"Law wants to see everyone in the kitchen in ten minutes." Dustin said softly and then went to turn to leave.

Rey's soft voice surprised even him, "How is Emry and Midnight holding up?"

Dustin stopped and looked at Rey. The man was so sexy that Rey thought he might have to wipe

the drool from his chin. Hell, both his mates were walking s*x bulletin boards and built like brick s**t houses. Dustin and Winter were over six foot four, weighed well over two hundred-fifty

pounds, had sleek defined muscles, and both had not a stitch of hair on their bodies. That last bit had surprised him the first-time Dustin and Winter had taken him to the docks and removed their clothing so they could get in the water and shift.

Rey had about s**t himself when Winter had shifted into a bull shark, and then he shifted into a great white. He explained that his animal could shift into any type of shark in the world. Then Dustin had shifted into a hippo and Rey remembered his two mates taking turns taking him for

rides along the ocean. The day had been wonderful and one that Rey would never forget.

"Both men are fine. Sky is with Emry and Law and Shaw are with Midnight. I'm sure they

wouldn't mind if you went to check on him." Dustin asked.

Rey shook his head and went to put the dust pan and broom away. Turning, he was caught off

guard when Dustin was standing right in front of him, "Talk to me, baby. I can literally feel your sadness. Do you not want to be here? Or is it that you don't want Winter and I as your mates?"

"What's going on? Law is asking for us." Winter said in that deep voice that always brought a shiver to Rey's body.

"I'm not going anywhere until I find out why our mate is so sad." Dustin replied firmly.

Winter walked into the medical room and closed the door, "Rey, what's wrong? Why are you so distressed?"

Rey closed the closet and went to the small couch in the back, "I don't belong here. I feel like I'm the odd man out, you know?"

Dustin knelt in front of Rey, "Why would you feel that way? Have we done something to make you think that? If we have──"

Rey shook his head rapidly, replying, "You guys didn't do anything. I just don't see how I fit in.

You two, Shaw, Law, Emry, and Hardy have all known each other for years. Midnight and Sky

have known each other since birth. I feel like the fourth wheel on a three wheel vehicle. I may be needed some day, but I'm not right now, and I don't have Como to talk to help me figure out

what I need to do."

"Como? Who is Como?" Winter growled.

Rey gave a soft laugh at Winter's show of jealousy. It made Rey feel as if Winter really did care for him, even if they were still trying to get to know each other, "Como is a Sun Bear at the zoo I worked at. I know it sounds silly, but I never really had any friends, except for the animals.

When I was trying to work things out, I would go to Como. He always seemed to get excited

when I showed up. He would run to me and hug on me. I know it was probably because I

brought him honeycomb and figs, but I always pretended it was because he liked me for me."

"I'm sure he did. I can't imagine a life behind bars for people to come and gawk at is a good one."

Dustin replied.

Rey looked at Dustin, wide eyed, "Zoo's are not a place just for people to come to. They offer a lot of positive things to the wild life as well. Zoos help fight against animal extinction, educate people so they understand the animals and how and why they do what they do, and we do what

we can to make their lives better. Como's parents were killed when some land owners invaded

their territory. He was brought to me as a cub and we both seemed to just need each other."

Throwing his hands in the air, Rey sighed, "I know I'm not explaining it right, but he really was my friend. Someone I could talk to. I don't have that here."

"You can talk to us." Winter said softly.

Closing his eyes, Rey let out a deep breath and leaned back onto the wall, "I know that, Winter, but sometimes we need someone that isn't part of the problem to help us see what is right in front of us. I just don't have that here. I feel more alone here than I ever did at the zoo with no humans as friends."

"So, does that mean you want to leave?" Dustin asked sadly.

Rey opened his eyes and saw the hurt and pain on both men's faces, "I'm just saying I don't fit in and I don't know how to change that feeling."

Winter sat on one side of Rey and Dustin sat on the other. Both men took a hand and then Winter softly spoke, "When I arrived at Haven Refuge, I was alone. My entire family had been

destroyed in a bomb blast meant for a ship carrying shifters to this location."

"Oh Winter, I'm so sorry for your loss." Rey said tearfully.

Winter squeezed Rey's hand, softly saying, "Thank you, mate. So, the bomb hit the boat and I saw men, women, and children falling into the deep water. I knew if I didn't do something they would all die. I shifted into my shark. As with anyone, they were fearful of me. It took me a long time and many died before I could convince them to come to me. Finally, a young boy grabbed

onto my tail and then the others saw I really was only trying to help, so they followed. I brought them here. It was my sole focus. I didn't think about family. I didn't think about all the friends I lost. I had to focus on what my goal was."

"And that was to get the people to safety?" Rey asked quietly.

Nodding, Winter replied, "By the time I got the others here, I was exhausted. I had swum for days with no sleep and no food. However, watching those people emerge onto the docks here

made whatever struggles I had gone through worth it. The thing is, when they were all gone, I was left there alone. Then the sweetest voice spoke to me."

"I wouldn't describe my voice as sweet." Dustin said with a snort.

Winter smiled, "I would. Your words were the first I remember marking a new beginning."

"Winter, I asked if your fat ass was going to lay there all day or if you were planning on joining the rest of us." Dustin said with a laugh.

Winter smiled and turned to Dustin with a sparkle in his eye Rey didn't remember seeing there before, "I said the voice was sweet not the words."

Rey quietly asked, "Is that when you met everyone?"

Shaking his head, Winter replied, "No. I went back into the water. I didn't know anyone and I didn't think that they would accept a shark shifter."

Rey was really confused, "But you saved so many people. How could they not trust you?"

Sighing, Winter replied, "True, but I was brought up believing that shifters stayed with their kind. The problem was, once in the water, I had no idea of where to go or what to do, the pain of losing everyone hit me hard at that very moment. I didn't know where to go or what to do. I was all alone in the world for the first time. I was trying to decide if I should leave or stay."

"What made you decide to stay?" Rey asked with great interest.

Winter scoffed, "That sweet voice would come to the docks every day. He would talk to me about what was happening with all the people I had brought in and b***h about Hardy being

mean to him or Emry chasing him around the fields. He had me to the point that I knew so many names, I felt like I really knew these people. After he talked to me for an hour or so, he would shift and get in the water with me and stay there in shifted form for another hour."

"You did all that for Winter? Why?" Rey asked.

Shrugging, Dustin replied, "I figured if he got to know me, that he would eventually trust that we all wanted him here."

"Did Hardy, Law, and the others go to the docks, too?" Rey asked.

Shaking his head, Dustin said, "Not as much as I did. We felt that if we all descended on him he would think we were trying to work out a plan to kill him or something. Winter does not trust easily."

"How long did it take you to finally come to the house?" Rey questioned.

"Two weeks, three days, and ten hours." Dustin answered.

Rey and Winter both laughed, Rey saying, "Not that you were keeping track or anything."

Turning to Winter, Rey hesitated a moment and then asked, "What happened when you finally agreed to join everyone at the refuge?"

Winter smiled and his eyes went off in remembrance, "Dustin brought me to the house and the old man smiled, and said it was about time I joined them for dinner. There was a place setting for me at the table and Law, Shaw, Emry, and Hardy were already there and they started making

jokes about me looking like a prune because of how long I had stayed in the water."

"What Winter never knew is that the old man set that extra plate on the table every meal. He said it was Winter's rightful place." Dustin replied.

"And now you have your family." Rey said with a smile. Thinking about family had Rey's smile slowly sliding away.

Rey let out a yelp when Winter picked him up and sat him on his lap facing towards Dustin. The beautiful man kissed his hair, pulled him close and set his chin on top of Rey's head. His voice vibrated in Rey's ear, "Sweetheart, the point I'm trying to make is that you are a stranger until you're not. Except for that first night, you tend to either be in this room or in your room when you're not with us. Isolation will only make you feel lonelier."

Dustin clasped Rey's knee, "Sweetie, the day you came to us asking if it was okay to just get to know each other was one of the happiest days in our lives. It meant that you were willing to give us a chance."

"Doesn't it bother you that we might not have been meant to be mates from the beginning? What if we're being manipulated? " Rey asked.