My Mate's Embrace (12 page)

“
Idi K Chyortu,
Dammit!” The stepfather was tracking Laurel somehow.

Placing Laurel’s brush on the dresser, Anton opened the top drawer and pulled out her passport. After flipping through the pages, he found nothing out of the ordinary. But there must be something. There was no way her stepfather could have found them so easily.

“How are you holding up?” Dmitry asked from the door.

“I did not hear you knock,” Anton said, surprised at his own churlishness as he put Laurel’s passport back in the drawer.

“Not so good, I see,” Dmitry said, entering the room and closing the door. “We need to talk. You openly challenged the Beta of the pack. This is serious.”

“I am not stupid. I know what I did is serious.”

“I know that under the mating heat you are not fully in control of your actions,” Dmitry said. “But I do not hear any regret in your tone.”

“He was wrong. I was not endangering the pack by shifting. None of the men could see me. None of them would have been left to spread the tale.”

“You would have murdered them.”

“Without an ounce of guilt.”

“Anton, what is happening to you? Do you think Laurel would forgive you for murdering her stepfather? Ripping out his throat in cold blood?”

“He beat her. By pack law, I have a right to challenge him for his crimes against my mate. I will not allow him and his men to take her.”

“Did you think we would, little brother? Laurel is a member of our family. Both Kolya and I will fight at your side to keep her safe. But today she was not in danger. The men were leaving.”

“Dammit, Dmitry. You do not understand.”

“Of course I do. Your mate is in danger, and it terrifies you. You are angry and afraid. I felt the same way when Violet was threatened. I would have gladly died to keep her safe. I know your wolf is riding you hard. But you need to get yourself under control before you do something that cannot be taken back.”

“How the hell do you expect me to do that? Now Laurel is to be sequestered for some kind of ceremony. I will go mad.”

“I would start by going to each of the elder’s homes and split enough wood to see them through the winter. We will put your aggression to good use. That should take you a couple of days. Do not worry, Anton. I will keep you busy,” Dmitry said as he turned toward the door.

“Dmitry . . .” Anton said.

Dmitry paused and turned to look at him.

“Thank you.”

“You still owe Kolya an apology. Do not leave it too long. Not only did you challenge his authority as Beta, but you hurt his feelings. He is our sister’s mate,” Dmitry said as he opened the door and stepped into the hall. “With this women’s ceremony being planned, you are not the only one who will not be seeing his mate. Alena will be with Laurel most of the time. Kolya is moving into Alena’s old room here in the lodge. Be nice, or you and Kolya may have to fight in front of the council to see who will hold the Beta position. Is that what you want?”

“Right now, all I want is Laurel’s safety.”

“We all want that, little brother.”

Anton looked at Laurel’s hairbrush sitting on the chest. She would need to brush her hair, and having it near would make her feel more at home. Now, he needed to figure a way to get it to her.

He might not be able to speak to her or see her in person, but there were other ways to communicate.

§

Laurel sat in a tub of hot water, soaking in some kind of herbal mixture. Candles were burning around the room, filling the air with a sweet fragrance. One of the older women sat in a chair and sang in a language Laurel didn’t understand. The aged voice soothed her nerves. Being undressed in front of all these women made her blush. But she quickly got over her embarrassment as they scrubbed her skin with pumice. She now had a healthy pink tone all over. At least, the herbs in the water didn’t sting her skin as the pumice did.

Alena walked in, carrying a tray with tea and fruit. She placed it on a table and brought a cup over to Laurel.

“You need to drink this up, and then you can have some fruit.”

“What’s in it?” Laurel asked.

“More herbs. I sweetened it with some honey, so it should not taste too bad.”

Laurel reached out tentatively for the cup. Blowing on it gently, she took a sip. The tea wasn’t terrible. She could drink it.

“Drink it down now. You will need to drink this every three hours while you are awake.”

“Every three hours? I’ll constantly be going to the bathroom.”

“That is kind of the point. Before the ceremony, you need to be cleansed. Not just outside, but inside as well.”

“Alena, I’m never going to make it.”

“Sure you are. We are right here to support you and take care of you. All you have to do is follow our directions. Now stop whining. Is not my brother worth a little effort?”

“Of course, but . . . ”

“There are no ‘buts.’ Finish it.”

“Wow, you’re quite the taskmaster.”

“Honey, I am the Beta female. It is my job to tell people what to do,” Alena said and then laughed. “Anton would say I was born to tell people what to do.”

“If you’re a Beta, how come Anton isn’t? Your personalities would be the same since you’re twins. Right?”

“Normally, the Betas are a mated pair. We rank right under the Alpha pair. As heir, Anton’s ranking is on the same level as a Beta, but he is not in charge. It is kind of hard to explain.”

“Well, I don’t have anything else to do. Why don’t you teach me about the pack and its hierarchy? I need to learn about your culture and traditions as well.”

“Alright, in between your other studies,” Alena said, nodding her head.

“What other studies?”

“Well, about sex of course. How are you going to seduce my brother if you do not know how?”

“I already told you I don’t know how.”

“That is why we are going to have lessons. Do not worry. It will be fun. Knowing how to entice your mate will bring you pleasure through the mating bond. Win-win. You will see.”

Laurel put her hands over her face and groaned. How was she ever going to get through this?

§

Anton swung the axe over his head and hit the piece of wood directly in the center. Each time he pictured Laurel’s stepfather as his target. The wood split, and the axe landed on the cutting block. Placing another piece on the block, he swung again. Over and over, until a pile of wood, as high as his thighs, sat on the ground. Then, he stopped and stacked. Placing the wood in rows, he stacked them higher and higher. Then, he began the routine again.

The only difference for each stack was whether he pictured Laurel’s stepfather or the man called Gleb in his mind. Over and over, he split wood and then stacked it, before beginning again. When one elder possessed enough wood for the hard Siberian winter, Anton picked up his axe and walked to the next elder’s house to begin the process again. Over and over, stop and stack and begin again.

As the shadows lengthened, Anton paused. He looked around as if coming out of a dream. He had taken his shirt off, while the sun was high, and his bronzed chest now glistened with sweat. His stomach growled, and he realized it was long past dinnertime. He never did get one of the sandwiches he and Laurel made. No wonder he was starving.

He touched Laurel’s mind lightly. She was surrounded by women and seemed content, so he released the link. His mother warned him they weren’t to speak. He missed her. Would she understand how he was feeling? He wasn’t sure
he
understood.

He couldn’t go back to the lodge. He didn’t feel welcome, which was silly because the lodge was his home. But he didn’t want to have his mother fussing over him, or his father looking at him with disapproval in his eyes, or worse pity. He hadn’t handled things correctly with Kolya. But it still grated that Kolya dared to pull rank. Normally, Anton didn’t have a problem giving up a challenge to Kolya. He didn’t want to be second to Dmitry. But not this time. He wasn’t endangering the pack. Right or wrong, taking care of Laurel’s stepfather and the mafia men with him would assure her safety. Kolya shouldn’t have interfered.

He did not want their deaths to stain your soul.

Get out of my head, Alena.

I am your twin. I will always share your thoughts.

Now is not a good time. How is Laurel?

She is doing her best, which is all we can ask.

Take care of her.

Only until I can return her to your care.
Anton felt his sister release their link and sighed. Was he destined to alienate his whole family?

Looking around, Anton removed his pants and boots and placed them in one of the many boxes available on pack land for this purpose. He rolled his stiff shoulders and then reached for the change. There was no need to stop this time. His bones moved and changed, his face elongated, fur rippled out of his skin and rainbow lights coalesced around him. Where a man once stood, a large silver-and-gray wolf appeared out of the light. Sniffing the air, Anton turned. Swim or food first?

As a wolf there was no regret or guilt. There was only the need for a full stomach and the freedom to be. His wolf form broke into a trot and headed for the high meadow. Hunting rabbit would fill his empty stomach. He’d worry about the rest of it later.

§

Laurel felt heat roll through her stomach as sweat poured from her pores. As her stomach heaved, she ran to the toilet and lost the fruit she had eaten for dinner. Tears ran down her face. She felt awful. What had they done to her? All she wanted to do was sleep. But her body ached, and her stomach hurt too much.

“Oh, Laurel. Here, honey, rinse your mouth and let us get you to bed. You will feel better after we get you some more tea,” Alena said, kneeling beside her.

“No more tea. God, I feel awful.” Were they trying to poison her?

From down the hall, an angry male voice could be heard. Laurel realized at once that it was Anton. He was demanding to see her. She didn’t want him to see her like this. But part of her wanted him to come in and save her. Hold her close and make her feel better.

The door slammed, and Laurel felt a fresh wave of tears start. He wasn’t coming.

“Stop it, Laurel. If you keep feeling like that, nothing will keep Anton from coming in. He is trying to do the right thing by staying away.”

“He doesn’t want me.” He hadn’t saved her. She was sick. He left her.

“Listen, do you hear that wolf howling?” Alena insisted. “That is Anton. He is grieving for you. Do not think he does not want to be with you or take you away from here. If our mother was not manning the front door, you would already be gone, and we would not be able to help you. Now come on. You will feel better in the morning, and we will begin your lessons.”

Alena helped Laurel up and led her back to the bedroom. Tucking her into bed, Alena kissed her forehead.

“Goodnight, little sister. Sleep now, it is going to be okay.”

Laurel closed her eyes, but how could she sleep? A lone wolf howled, calling to its mate. Laurel knew in her heart that Anton missed her, was calling to her. She could feel his sadness as if it was her own. Had she made the right decision? Was this really going to help her seduce Anton? Did she really need to be healed? Laurel reached for Anton’s mind. They touched and connected. Laurel could almost see out of his wolf eyes. A warmth of love swept over her, helping her relax. She felt her muscles loosen, and her mind, still held by Anton’s, fell sound asleep.

Laurel didn’t feel the wolf getting closer. She didn’t know that he had found her window, and sighing, lay down beneath it.

§

Still connected to Laurel’s mind, Anton settled down under her window. He had already placed her mother’s brush and the note he wrote to her on the windowsill. Hopefully, she would find it in the morning.

Tonight, he was going to try to connect to her in a dream state. Laurel had already fallen asleep. He missed her so much. If they could connect in a dream, it might calm his wolf, and he would be able to control some of his rage at not being with her. His human side understood, but his wolf side was insistent about needing her.

Closing his eyes Anton let himself drift . . .

Laurel saw the mists part, but it wasn’t her mother that walked into the meadow, it was Anton. He looked at her so intensely, as he walked forward, that Laurel squirmed, her heart suddenly racing. His hair hung loosely around his shoulders and his chest was bare, showing off his suntanned skin and abs. Laurel couldn't help but stare in approval. His jeans hugged his hips, and Laurel could clearly see the bulge, indicating his arousal.

She looked around and found herself sitting on a blanket under a moonlit sky. Anton knelt beside her, his eyes tenderly asking her permission as he reached for her. His lips slowly lowered to hers as his eyes watched her reaction. She lifted her face to meet him, and then he was coaxing and teasing her lips with his kisses.

This was a dream. Why was she dreaming about Anton kissing her?

Please, lyubov moya, let me make love to you. Even if it is only a dream. Let me touch you.

Laurel heard Anton’s voice floating in her head. It was only a dream. Could she make love to Anton in her dreams? She felt his fingers caress her breast and realized they were now both naked. Somewhere in her logical thoughts she knew she slept in the borrowed pajamas Alena gave her. But the feeling of him kneading her nipple between his fingers caused her to gasp.

Anton deepened their kiss, invading her mouth with his tongue. She felt him merge their minds together, until his pleasure at feeling her skin flooded her thoughts. The spike of lust he felt when he kissed her, roared through her body, becoming her lust as an ache started between her thighs. His lips traveled from her mouth to her neck, nipping and kissing, leaving her skin tingling. The sensation shocked her, and she whimpered. Then, moving lower, Anton sucked her nipple into his mouth.

It felt so good, and Laurel wasn’t sure which one of them thought so, or maybe they both did. She clenched her thighs together, trying to ease the ache that increased with each pull of Anton’s mouth at her breast. When he stopped, she moaned in disappointment, but then he took her other nipple into his mouth, and her desire flooded back. Her pleasure and his mingled and grew, feeding off each other.