There's Snow Escape: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Paranormal Dating Agency Book 7) (10 page)

TWENTY-SIX

Brecc watched the only woman he’d grown to care for in a long time walk away from him, leaving him feeling empty and angry.

Vikter turned to face him, his usual mask of nonchalance gone and replaced with a frown. “We fucked up.”

Brecc could argue with Vikter’s words, but he was right. They had fucked up. “I know.”

Vikter filled another glass with wine and did something he hadn’t done in a long time. He walked over to Brecc and offered it.

Brecc met his gaze. There was honest regret in there. “Your mate isn’t just right, she’s really good at making a man feel like a little kid.”

He was right. Fuck. She’d been right. Every word out of her mouth was like a punch to the gut. He’d been living in the past, letting his anger over what happened destroy him as well as the friendship he’d once had with Vikter.

“I’m a fucking idiot,” he growled at himself.

Vikter filled a second glass of wine. “Join the crowd.” He sat and motioned with his head. “You might as well sit. She needs time to cool off.”

He hadn’t sat with Vikter in so many years. It was strange. He glanced around the massive office he and Vikter used to play in and nodded. “I like what you’ve done to the place.”

Before, the room had felt dark and forbidden. Now that it was clearly Vikter’s domain, it was filled with what he’d always liked. Telescopes, maps, and astronomy related books.

“Thanks.” Vikter shook his head and sighed. “I’m sorry.” He glanced down at his hands then back up to Brecc’s face. “I doubt I’ll be alive long enough to have this chance again, so I want you to know. I never meant to hurt your father that day. It was an accident.”

Brecc listened to Vikter, knowing the words coming out of his mouth were true and honest. He felt like shit. He’d been just like his father. Closed off to the truth and unwilling to listen. “I know.”

“We were kids. I was still learning to control the dragon.” He leaned back in his seat and glanced up at the domed ceiling showing the suns going down. “If I could go back, I would. I’d stop myself from losing the reins.” He frowned. “I’d give you your father back.”

Brecc’s throat ran dry. He’d been such a douche. For so long he’d held on to the anger and pain of loss, blaming Vikter and making those around him miserable with his distance. But Vikter had lost his parents too. Shortly after Vikter’s father died, his mother passed away. The loss of her mate too much for her to bear.

Brecc leaned forward in his seat, putting his elbows on his thighs. “I’m sorry too. I should have listened to you the first time. Not copied my father and done the same thing, held on to his anger.”

“For what it’s worth, I miss our friendship,” Vikter confessed.

He nodded. “I do too.” The truth was, other than Eros, Vikter had been his best friend. Almost like a brother. He’d been in mourning for their friendship since his father’s death. He thought about Charlotte’s words. About letting the past go. “Maybe we can start fresh. Let go of the past and look into the future.”

Vikter sighed. “I’m glad you’re ready to listen. I don’t know how much of a future I have, but I’m happy to restore our friendship.”

“You’ll find someone,” Brecc assured him. He believed it. When he and Eros had been at their lowest point, Gerri came in and brought Charlotte for them. “Speak to the matchmaker. She can get you a mate. She did it for us.”

Vikter rubbed a finger on his chin in thought. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

“Trust me.”

Vikter gave a sharp dip of his head. “I’ll go to her tomorrow.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

Charlotte paced the room she’d been given, ignoring the flowers Eros had brought her and the tea Alessandra dropped off. She was livid. She wanted to throw something. Kick something. Fuck it, she wanted to yell at Brecc and slug him at the same time. That…jerk!

She heard the door knock downstairs. Brecc. She’d had enough waiting around. She’d give Brecc a piece of her mind.

Rushing down the stairs, she stopped mid-flight and walked when she realized it wasn’t Brecc but a pair of older women standing by the doorway with Alessandra. The worry in Alessandra’s face kept Charlotte from going back to her room.

“There she is,” one of the old women said. Her long white hair hung to her waist in curls. The other woman appeared to be her twin, but her hair in a short stylish bob. They looked like polar opposites except for the golden eyes.

“Hi,” Charlotte said, uncomfortable that everyone stared at her.

“This is the new mate?” the lady with the short bob asked, seeking verification.

“I’m sorry, what?” Charlotte asked.

Alessandra pleaded with her gaze for something, but Charlotte had no clue what.

“Hello, darling. My name is Kallyah,” said the lady with the long hair and a friendly warm smile. “This is my sister, Lakyah. We are elders of the pack.”

“Nice to meet you,” Charlotte smiled, offering a hand to shake. “I’m Charlotte.”

Eros moved to stand by Charlotte’s side. For the first time since she met him, he appeared to be worried.

“Hello, Charlotte,” Lakyah said. “You’ve made this pack very happy.”

She raised her brows, confused. “Why’s that?”

“By becoming the mate and fulfilling the Alpha Triad, we are not forced to seek a mate for the Alpha Brecc and Omega Eros. Now we can move on with other matters that require our attention,” Kallyah replied, her voice soft and melodic.

Shock froze her system for a nano-second, but she controlled herself and smiled. “This is such a beautiful planet. I’m sure you have better things to do than search for mates.” She gave the women a smile. “Gerri Wilder is very good at finding mates.”

The women nodded, moving back out toward the entrance. “If we ever have this issue again, we will definitely request her services,” Lakyah said. “It has been a pleasure to meet our new Alpha mate.”

“It’s been nice meeting you too,” Charlotte said, waving goodbye to the women.

She waited until Alessandra shut the door before heading up to her room to pack. She’d strewn clothes all over in her earlier agitation. Now she picked up each piece and put it in her overnight bag.

A knock sounded at her door. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Come in.”

Eros walked in. Concern filled his gaze. “Don’t go.”

She shook her head. “Don’t do that. You lied to me. Both of you.”

He approached her slowly. “It wasn’t a lie. We both want you to be our third, but we weren’t expecting for them to show up before we got a chance to talk to you.”

She shoved clothes harder in her bag and glanced at him. His loving gaze did nothing to sway her. She had been duped. “You two brought me here with an ulterior motive.” Her heart hurt from the deception. “I trusted you,” she mumbled, pushing back the anger.

“I’m sorry.”

She gave a bitter smile. “Sorry didn’t do it. You and Brecc did. How did those women even know I was your supposed mate?”

He glanced away from her. “When you were marked, Kallyah got a vision of you. It is always that way.”

She zipped her bag closed and frowned. “Marked?”

“Brecc bit you. When we were in the Crystal Cave.”

“That son of a bitch! He did that on purpose,” she growled, her anger rising the more she thought about it. “Take me back to Gerri at the castle. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Charlotte, let me explain,” Eros said. “You mean so much more than you realize.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to hear it. First you people deceive me. Then Brecc puts my ass back in its place by reminding me your business isn’t my business. Now you’re going to tell me you care about me.” She met his gaze, raw pain filling her heart. “Then why lie? I thought there was no room for lies with shifters?”

“There aren’t.” He took another step toward her. “You know I feel what you do. I know everything about you. From the loneliness you’ve experienced all your life, to the attraction you have for me and Brecc. To the other emotions you refuse to acknowledge. I know.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “It’s tearing me apart to know how much you’re hurting right now. Let me explain.”

“None of that matters. I won’t be in another relationship where I’m made a fool of. I’m not a joke.” She pushed past him. “I’m sure Alessandra has a transporter or a way to get me to the castle. I’ll talk to her.”

TWENTY-EIGHT

Charlotte picked up the tea Gerri had brought into the sitting room back at the lion king’s castle. She sipped the tea and sighed. “I don’t understand why you want to rehash this, Gerri. I already told you that I can’t be in a relationship of any kind with liars.”

Gerri nodded. “I understand, but what if it was a genuine misunderstanding?”

“The bite?”

Gerri’s brows flew up. “You can’t tell me you don’t lose your control when you’re having great sex. If you do then something is wrong with that picture.”

Heat gathered in her cheeks. “Fine. So the bite was all loss of control. Then why not tell me? Why wait until the elders showed up and tell me I’m supposed to be their mate.” She frowned. “Shouldn’t that be something I am asked, not assumed?”

Gerri nodded. “You’re right,” she said in a tight voice. “All I can say is that Brecc and Eros knew from the first moment they saw you that you were the right woman for them.” She sighed. “They were very impatient to take you home.”

“That’s just it. That was their home.”

“Did you not feel welcomed?” She leaned back. “Did you dislike it?”

God, no. She’d loved every second of the mountains. The snow. The air. The people. Everything was so wonderful. Even the two men she missed like crazy. “No. I really enjoyed the mountains.”

“So it wasn’t a matter of location. It was that you found out about their thoughts of mating you from someone other than them.” Gerri stared deep in her eyes. “Am I right?”

“Yes.”

“Now, let’s get down to it. Why is it so upsetting? Whether they told you or the elders, I have a feeling you would have had this same reaction.” Gerri placed her cup on the table and lowered her voice. “What are you afraid of?”

“Being hurt again,” she admitted. “Having been in a dead-end relationship before, I don’t want to waste time again with liars, cheaters, or anyone who isn’t willing to be truthful at all times.”

“They made a mistake,” Gerri said through clenched teeth. “They fucked up and while I agree you have every right to be angry, I honestly think they love you.”

She shook her head. “They don’t love me.”

Could they? She had ignored the feelings she’d been experiencing from both men for days, pushing the emotions away and trying not to analyze that they ran deeper than just lust.

“We do,” said a voice behind her. She whirled around, noticing the open French doors leading out to the garden where both men stood, watching her.

“You two have a lot of explaining to do,” Gerri said, her voice sharp enough to cut steel. Charlotte winced. “You harassed me until I could do nothing else but focus on finding the right woman for you. I bring her to you and this is what you do?” Gerri glared.

Charlotte bit her lip to keep from laughing at the sulking expressions on Brecc and Eros faces. Gerri had already explained their request for her to find them a mate and how Charlotte had seemed ideal.

“Let us explain,” Brecc said.

“Oh, you are definitely going to explain. To her,” Gerri snapped. “All you had to do was let her get to know you. You two spend time with her. Explain how your world works and make the woman happy. Was that so much to ask?”

Both men shook their heads.

Charlotte picked up her tea cup with nervous hands. The cup slid right through her fingers and landed on her lap, spilling on her skirt.

She jumped to her feet, pulling at the wet material to keep the hot liquid from soaking through to her legs. “I have to change,” she said, rushing out of the room. “I’ll be back.”

She paced her room for long moments in her robe, unsure if to go back downstairs or stay put.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

She glanced at her door. That was probably Gerri ready to chew her a new asshole for taking so long changing her clothes when she should be talking to Brecc and Eros.

She turned the knob, ready to explain to Gerri but the two wolves stood there instead.

“Oh, it’s you two.”

TWENTY-NINE

Brecc’s gaze did a slow caress down her body. “May we come in?”

She should send them to hell, but the heat in both their eyes sent shivers down her spine.

She slid the door wide and moved out of the way. “I guess.”

Brecc walked up to her giant window, leaning his body on the frame. Eros stopped at the center of the room, his gaze searching hers.

“You are more than just a beautiful woman, Charlotte,” Eros said, taking the lead. “Yes, your body is delicious and every curve is addictive, but the areas you keep hidden are what captivated me.”

She blinked. “What areas?”

“You care about others. You speak your mind no matter the consequences,” Eros said. “Your confidence. It is the sexiest thing you could ever possess. I fell in love with the woman who understood that things can be different and still be perfect.”

Her heart expanded with those same emotions she’d been ignoring. That love she’d tried to fight. Eros was the type of man she could see herself being able to talk to no matter the circumstance. She loved that about him. She loved him.

“What he said is true,” Brecc said, gripping the edge of the window with his hands. “Those are not the only areas I fell in love with,” he added.

“You?”

He grinned. “Yes, me. I have feelings too.” He laughed at what she assumed was the outraged expression on her face. “As much as you don’t think so, I do.” He pushed away from the window and took a step toward her. “You have been through so much and could have been living a bitter life over those experiences. Instead, you chose to become strong. To be happy with yourself.” He closed the distance between them. “You made me see that I was living in the past.”

She shoved her hands into her robe pockets. “It’s not good to let that kind of anger destroy you.”

He nodded. “You showed me that.” He lifted a hand to her face, pushing a long curl behind her ear and letting his fingers rest there. “You broke the wall closing my heart in, and filled it with your smile.”

There was no staying distant over what he said. She cleared her throat, glanced at his lips and then back at his eyes. “I didn’t do anything.”

“That’s the point. You were just being you. That’s enough. More than enough. You’re an amazing person who stole my heart without even trying. Yes, when I saw you at the wedding, I knew you were the right woman for my wolf. But the longer I spent time with you, it became clear you were the right woman for me too. For healing my heart.” He caressed her cheek with his callused fingers. “I love you, Charlotte.”

“Can you, will you, stay? Will you come be our mate and give us a chance to show you that you’re meant to be with us?” Eros asked, having moved behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his front to her back.

She closed her eyes for a second, thinking of all the things she should say. She didn’t belong on that planet. She had her sister on earth. She had a book to write. Fuck, but all she could think of was how good it felt to be with them both. How full of joy and love she’d been the past few days with them on their beautiful mountain.

“Yes,” she heard herself say, going against common sense. “I’ll stay. I’ll be your mate,” she said and finally opened her eyes to meet Brecc’s intense golden gaze. “I’ll be yours.”