Convincing Emily [Wolff Pack 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (4 page)

With easy movements, he reached down and easily lifted her. Emily stood there on shaky legs, uncertain of what to do in that moment.

* * * *

Charlie had never been so angry in his life. He was a man of action instead of words, and his friends and pack mates considered him to be laid-back. He let his twin brother Cole do most of the talking. After the scene in the clearing, he couldn’t believe that they had found their mate. At first, he had looked on, letting Cole talk to the clan Alpha. Their goal was to collect David, dead or alive, and then head home to their pack in Northern Minnesota. Once he got a sniff of the beautiful blonde, everything changed.

The moment she ran off, his heart had ached, and although they tried to chase after her, the Alpha and her clan stopped them. Luckily there wasn’t a fight. The Alpha had seen reason and invited them to his home. Cole was comfortable everywhere he went, so while his brother talked to the clan, Charlie eagerly waited for Emily, watching out the window. When a truck pulled up, he saw her as she stared out the window.

Then, the man who brought her grabbed her and attacked, causing her to shriek in pain. That move marked him for death. Charlie snatched the man’s shirt and, threw him to the ground, wanting to protect Emily from any more suffering. He was prepared to beat the hell out of the male for touching what didn’t belong to him. He reached back, prepared to drive his fist into the man’s face when the woman’s words registered.

“No, don’t! Please, he’s my brother.” His mate’s voice washed over him, soothing his anger.

His head snapped up in her direction, and he took a few calming breaths, clearing his vision and pushing the wolf back, leashing him. The man took advantage and jackknifed his body, throwing Charlie off. He sprang to his feet as adrenaline pumped through his system once more, preparing for a fight.

“A little help here?” she asked, struggling, and Charlie stepped forward, cutting the other man off.

“Mate…” he growled. His voice sounded more wolf than man, but that couldn’t be helped. She was here, finally close enough to touch.

Panting, Charlie stared at his beautiful mate as he made his way toward her. He reached out slowly, so as not to spook her, and ran his fingers down her cheek. Her skin was soft, so soft that he couldn’t help himself but touch again. She looked scared and he hoped that he wasn’t the one to put that fear in her eyes. She was his mate, and his duty, responsibility, and privilege was to take care of her.
Mine…all mine.

“Are you hurt?” He stared down at her. She cradled her wrist and he hoped that her brother hadn’t been the one to do that. He’d hate to kill the bastard.

“I…uh…hurt my wrist, but it’s healing. My foot was stuck under the seat.” She looked embarrassed, her cheeks tinged with a little pink.

Charlie held back his grin. She really was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. Moving with slow, measured movements, he reached down and helped her to her feet. She stood there frozen, watching him closely. She was in a vulnerable position, wrist wounded, and exposed to the predator within him. He wanted to help her, but he decided the best course of action was to step back and give her space.

After a couple minutes, she moved her wrist. No pain registered on her face, so he assumed that with her shifter genes, she was already healing. Charlie took a minute and looked back and forth between Emily and her brother. Both were blonde with ice-blue eyes, and their facial features were almost identical now that he was looking. Emily was softer, her lips pouty, and her nose slightly smaller.

He craved her, his body on full alert wanting to claim and mark her this very moment. He had only been in her presence for a short amount of time, but now he studied her. Emily stood tall at around five foot ten, her body athletic and lean, but he was still bigger, by at least five inches. He wanted to pull her into his arms and wrap his body around hers. He knew they would fit together like two puzzle pieces, a perfect match.

“Are you three coming in?” That question pulled Charlie out of his imagination.

He was already picturing Emily under him, begging for his bite. He forced himself back into reality. Emily’s Alpha stood on the patio next to Charlie’s brother, waiting for them. Cole had a knowing grin on his face and Charlie took a deep breath to prevent himself from rolling his eyes. Tonight, they would get to know Emily better and hopefully, they’d be taking her home with them soon.

Emily was glad for the interruption. She felt the strength of his gaze holding her in place, pinning her down. When he looked over his shoulder, she was finally able to move once more. So many things had happened and in such a short amount of time, but she knew that without a doubt this man was her mate and so was his twin brother. She had hoped that it was going to be a tragic mistake, but apparently it wasn’t.

Peaking over at her brother, she saw that he was grinning widely. Seemed his earlier ass-kicking didn’t do anything to change his mood.
Why was he smiling?
It didn’t make any sense, unless of course he knew that the wolves were going to be here. Her shoulders slumped and Emily finally realized that she didn’t have anybody on her side. Her own brother brought her here to the wolves.
Is he so desperate to get rid of me?

“Are you coming inside?” the wolf grinned and held out his arm for her to take, but Emily refused to be that easy. Instead, she grabbed Thomas’s arm and held tight, hoping that he would man up and rescue her.

“Yeah, we’re coming.” Thomas pulled her along the driveway toward the house, and Emily pinched his arm, trying to send him silent messages, but he refused to acknowledge her.

Stomping up the stairs leading to the house, Emily resisted the urge to run away. She didn’t want to make another scene, especially while Adam, Brandon, Chloe, and the other wolf looked on. They were studying her, and she could feel their eyes on her. It made her feel uncomfortable. Moving behind Thomas, she hid and shuffled into the house.

The family room was silent and awkward as Emily stood there, still hiding her face.

“Hey, Emily, it’s good to see you again so soon.” Chloe walked over and gave her hug, gently patting her on the back in support.

Chloe pulled back and looked around the room, sensing the awkwardness of the situation. “So…why don’t we all head into the dining room for some dinner?”

With that one question, the tension seemed to dissipate. All at once everyone agreed and a chorus of yeses rang out. Holding on to the back of Thomas’s shirt, she held him immobile until all the footsteps disappeared around the corner.

“Damn it, what is wrong with you?” Thomas hissed as he turned and pulled her hands free from his shirt. “Come on.” He shook his head and left her standing there, alone.

Looking around the room, Emily tried to build up her courage. Being in the Alpha’s home usually made her feel relaxed, but today the place was having the opposite effect. It was warm and loud, filled with clan members and family, the people she loved most in the world. She wondered briefly where her Alpha’s cubs were. The boys, Conner and Daniel, usually ran around the house screaming and laughing. Today, the house remained silent and her feeling of discomfort climbed higher. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted the front door. It wouldn’t take much for her to just open it and walk out.

“Emily…we’re waiting for you,” Thomas sang with a little laugh.

“Fuck,” she whispered mostly to herself. Escape was no longer an option.

Taking the first step was hard, but eventually she ended up facing the table. Everyone was already seated, and the only vacancy was in between the wolves. Without making eye contact, she shuffled her way over. When she reached her seat, both men stood up, shoving their chairs back.

“Uh…thanks.” Her voice squeaked.

Once she was seated, they both sat back down. Thomas chatted with Adam, Brandon, and Chloe while Emily did her best to ignore the gorgeous men on either side of her. Their thighs and shoulders brushed against her, and Emily did her best to sit in the middle of the chair so that she could avoid any touching.

“Emily…” She jerked her head up and looked at Adam, who wore an amused smile that irritated her. “I don’t think you’ve been introduced to Cole and Charlie Ward. They are from the North Ridge Wolff Pack in Minnesota. Gentlemen, this is Emily Barre and her brother, Thomas.”

“Nice to meet you.” She didn’t look at either of them. She couldn’t. Yes, her body wanted to do all sorts of dirty, sexy things, but her mind wanted them gone.

She couldn’t remember a time where she was more embarrassed. Not when she fell in front of the entire clan and broke her wrist, not when she peed her pants from laughing too hard, and certainly not from starting the small fire in the kitchen, which was an accident of course. This moment was worse than all of those. The word awkward didn’t even begin to cover the feelings she was having.

They both said something. At least she thought she heard deep, raspy voices. When everyone started to pile their plates high with the food on various trays that covered the table, Emily joined them. She just needed to make it through dinner. Maybe then they would both realize that a mating between them wouldn’t work and leave. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and instantly regretted it. Cole and Charlie sat on either side of her, their scent engulfing her, clouding her head and making her thoughts turn sexual. The delicious, woodsy pine musk made her drool.

Shit. I’ve got to breathe through my mouth. Don’t inhale…don’t inhale.
She had never felt anything like this in her life. Her pussy wept and her body itched, feeling as if she needed to jump out of her skin. She took another breath through her nose and felt light-headed, almost high on their scent. They were dangerous with a capital D.

* * * *

Cole tried to control his instincts. They were sitting at a table surrounded by her clan members, and he needed to think logically. That should be an easy task for him to accomplish, but his mind and body were somewhere else. His cock strained hard in his pants, and he knew without a doubt that his zipper would make a permanent mark on his erection. Her scent alone made him feel like he was in a haze, and his wolf was panting, begging him to fuck her and mark her.

He didn’t understand her reluctance though. In the clearing she ran off, and he assumed it was because she was shy or possibly innocent in some way. Now, he felt as if she was shunning them. It made no sense to him. Shifters wanted mates, searched endlessly, so he couldn’t understand her behavior. He had thought she would run to them, rub against them, and beg to be taken. Instead, she squeezed herself into a ball on the center of her chair, avoiding even the barest of touches.

The Alpha was kind enough to formally introduce them, but Emily’s response was more mumbled to herself than to him or Charlie.

“Emily, it’s wonderful to meet you.” She never even reacted. It was as if she didn’t even hear him or maybe she just ignored him.

Cole looked over her head at his brother. They made eye contact, but said nothing more. He wanted to talk to her, to tell her that he was overwhelmed with emotion. Finding her had been the most pleasurable thing to happen in his life and he couldn’t wait to learn more about her, to love and adore her, and have children. Feeling slightly insecure, Cole started to load up his plate with the feast before them. The Alphas and their mate really went out of their way to make him and Charlie feel welcome.

“Um…so, Cole, do you live in Northern Minnesota?” Chloe asked, and Cole smiled. She was really trying to be a good hostess even in the awkward moment.

“Yes, ma’am. My brother and I have a small house in the mountains near our Alpha.”

“That sounds nice. Probably not as cold as it is here.”

“It gets cold in the winter, but you’re right…it’s not as cold. The spring and summer months are beautiful, and the place really warms up.”

“What do you do there? I mean…uh…job wise.”

“We’re sentries for our pack. We were sent here to get a fellow pack mate out of trouble for example.” He didn’t want to say too much about David, so he quickly went on. “We also do construction and other odd jobs to help our pack. We go wherever we’re needed.” He wondered what Emily thought. Would she think they were worthy of her? They didn’t have a lot of money, but they could take care of her. They had a house and a couple of older trucks, and he would be happy to let her have his.

“That sounds great.” Chloe smiled encouragingly and Cole nodded, sneaking a peek at Emily.

She stared down at her plate of food, mostly pushing it around, and his heart plummeted. Did she think they weren’t good enough? Self-doubt and insecurity filled him. Never before had another person’s opinion meant so much. Maybe if he was able to prove somehow that they were good enough, she would accept them. Would she be willing to go with them to Minnesota? He and Charlie wouldn’t be able to stay in Alaska much longer. Their pack was growing, and they needed to help build homes.

“When are you planning on heading back home?” Adam asked, and Cole saw Emily’s head jerk up. He would give anything to know what she was thinking.

“Charlie and I need to head out soon. We’re needed back. Our annual run is coming up soon.” He really wished that they could stay longer and romance Emily. Would Adam ask them to stay? He needed to call his Alpha, Gabe Wolff, and talk. He knew at least his Alpha would understand.