by Beth Rosalee
“Well, it’s nice to officially meet you, Wyatt,” I say, sticking my hand out for him to shake.
“Yeah, it’s nice to officially meet you, too.”
There is something in his eyes that I can’t decipher, so I just ignore it. He reaches over and takes my hand firmly in his giant paws; they dwarf my tiny hands. As soon as his skin touches mine, it’s like there’s electricity between us and it shoots up my arm, almost painfully. I can’t seem to speak, and I pull my hand back quickly with wide eyes, before averting them out the window. I can feel his heavy gaze on the back of my head, but I refuse to turn back to look and see what his expression might be.
Finally, he simply clears his throat and drives me to the motel in silence- and not a comfortable silence either. It’s heavy, and I keep wiggling in my seat with impatience to get out of here. I’m really regretting saying ‘yes’ to him for taking me to the rental place tomorrow, but I’m terrified to tell him that I changed my mind. We reach the Quality Inn, and I nearly bolt out the door.
“Thanks, again,” I tell him, jumping out of the truck, and grabbing my suitcases.
“Sure thing, but I need your number so that I can contact you tomorrow to get you for your rental.”
“Uh, yeah, right. Here, let me see your phone,” I say nervously.
This is a brand-new number; I haven’t given it to anyone yet- not even my mom.
I’m terrified he will figure out how to get it.
Wyatt hands me his phone and I quickly type in my info and shoot myself a text so I can save his number, too, just so that I know who it is. Yeah, that’s what I’m going with.
“There you go. I texted myself so that I can save yours. Just text me in the morning when you are on your way,” I smile at him, still nervous.
“Sure thing, Celia. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He smiles that panty-melting smile again as I step back and he drives off. I sigh, shaking off the feelings that have been there since I laid eyes on him, and go get myself a room. Once I get one, I head straight for the shower so that I can properly wash the events of the evening off. I make sure the water is cold so that I can cool down my burning skin. Two fucking sinfully gorgeous men seen within thirty minutes of each other, making me feel things that I should not be feeling after all the shit Nathan put me through.
God, just thinking his name makes me shiver in fear.
I feel something stir in the recesses of my mind and it makes me pause.
I haven’t felt that since before I met that bastard and he beat me into submission. It would be a relief to feel it. . . if I wasn’t even more terrified of the feeling than I am of him.
Exhausted from my thoughts and the events of the day, I hop out of the shower and wrap a towel around myself, drying my hair with a second towel. I don’t bother with getting dressed; I simply drop the towel and crawl under the covers. I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow.
Chapter 2
Wyatt
Mate!
That’s all my brain can think, as I force myself to drive to the shop, where I know the guys are at finishing up for the night.
Mate!
My wolf paces in my mind, pissed at me for leaving and not claiming her right then.
I knew it the moment that I pulled into the gas station and saw her long, pale blonde hair. Then, as I walked up to her, her scent hit me. She smelled like fresh roses and jasmine. Fuck, she smelled amazing. I’m glad that she was distracted and didn’t notice the way I was breathing in her scent like it was my last breath. When I finally got her attention and she looked up, I was a complete goner. She had the palest crystal-blue eyes that I’ve ever seen stared back at me.
She had a soft face with a delicate slope to her small nose and full lips with the tiniest hint of a pale pink color to them. She barely had any change in color from head to toe and was the most uniquely beautiful woman that I had ever seen. Reflecting on it, I think they call it albinism.
Her voice was like pure honey, so smooth and sweet as she spoke to me. When she stood up, I towered over her with my six-foot four frame. She couldn’t be any bigger than five foot two or three inches, but her full breasts were more than a handful. To top it off, her hips flared becomingly, and she had the most perfect ass for grabbing ahold of.
Stars above, I’m so hard that I could probably cut titanium steel with my dick.
I wonder if her nipples match her pale lips.
Shaking away that train of thought, I adjusted myself while walking around to jump in the driver seat after helping her in. Then, she went and shook my hand and the magic sparked to life to an almost painful degree. The craziest thing about it was that, I couldn’t smell anything but human from her, even if her scent was mouthwatering. Confused, I had tried to shake off those feelings again so that I could do my job.
As I pull up to our shop to unload her SUV, Tate is standing there waiting for me in an open bay. I back up to the spot so that we can unload it. I grab her keys, hopping out of the truck with the intention of just unloading the truck and heading home for the night because I’m not ready to tell the guys about our mate.
I’m so confused that we have a human for one; it’s unheard of!
I decide that I just want to keep it to myself until the morning. Unfortunately, we are all bonded, and Tate can feel the turmoil in my head since I forgot to clamp down on my feelings.
“What’s wrong, bro?” he asks me with his head cocked to side like a damn puppy.
Sighing, I say, “I’ve found our mate.”
“WHAT?!” he shouts, grabbing both Gray’s and Liam’s attention, bringing them out to see what’s happening. They’re curious, too, after picking up on my heightened emotions.
“Where is she at now? Let’s go meet her!” Tate bounces all the balls of his feet with excitement.
“Let’s go meet who?” our Alpha, Gray, grumbles as he walks up.
Shit, I guess I have to tell them all now. I don’t know how Gray is going to react, being the broody male he is, but I know Liam will be just as happy as Tate, even if she is human.
“I’ve found our mate,” I repeat, unease filling my gut.
Of course, they all feel it.
“What’s wrong, why aren’t you happy about this?” Liam questions curiously.
“Yeah dude, this is great fucking news! Let’s go, I want to meet her!” Tate exclaims practically jumping out of his skin with giddiness.
This is a new level of excitement, even for our always happy beta. I really hate to ruin his excitement. I look at them all, clearing my throat, trying to speak. Gray has been silent this whole time, arms folded across his chest, with his perpetual scowl in place.
“She’s human….” I say, still completely confused.
Shocked silence greets my statement.
“What do you mean she’s human?” Liam asks, confusion written all over his face.
Liam is the genius in our small pack. He needs every fact before he will have a true reaction.
“What I mean is that my wolf recognized her as our mate. He’s been clawing at me to claim her since I laid eyes on her, but she smells completely and utterly human.” I say on another confused huff.
“So, you’re telling me that your wolf is telling you that she’s our mate, but your nose is saying that she’s a human?” Liam questions again.
“Yep, pretty much.”
“Well, that doesn’t make any sense. I’ve never heard of any supernatural having a fated mate as a human. There must be something that you’re missing.” Liam finishes his statement scratching his chin in thought.
“We need to all meet her so we can get a read on the situation,” Gray finally speaks up, “There is no way we can ever take over the pack for my dad if our mate is human.”
“Right. Well, I got her number, and I’m supposed to pick her up in the morning to take her over to Charleston to get a rental car in the morning,” I tell them. “I don’t think we should all meet her at once; she seeme
d very timid and scared.”
“Well, I’m coming with you in the morning!” Tate nearly shouts.
I chuckle and nod my head in agreement.
“She can meet you both when she comes to the garage to pick up her truck. Speaking of, she broke the axle when she hit the ditch and there is deer blood all over the dash,” I tell Gray so that he can get the parts ordered now.
“Alright, I’ll go order that and a windshield while you get it in the bay; then, let’s call it a night.”
Everyone voices their agreements and gets to work. Tate and I start unloading the SUV while Liam double checks that the bay is prepped for us to bring it in. We get the SUV on the lift and ready it for repairs, then close all the bays while Gray closes the office. Once everyone is ready, we hop into our vehicles and head home for the night.
My thoughts are on Celia still. I really can’t wait to see her again in the morning. Maybe we can catch her before she eats breakfast and treat her to a meal.
Once home with the Pierce Pack, I try to clear thoughts of Celia from my mind so that I can focus on my shift at the border of our lands. Not that we are going to be attacked; we are the only pack for a hundred miles, but we run a tight ship. We have men and women patrolling the borders and security out the wazoo. We even have a huge reinforced wall surrounding the 2,000 acres of land we claimed, making it nearly impenetrable.
It is nestled right on the edge of Cordsville and our land was part of the Francis Marion National Forest here in South Carolina. Gray’s grandfather purchased this chunk of land back in 1670 when Charleston, SC was founded. He made sure that the town made it as though it was still part of the national forest and not its own little community- so that is didn’t attract humans out here.
Stripping down and shifting into my large brown wolf, I trot off to make my rounds for the four hours shift I have. Once finished, I shower and lay in bed tossing and turning thinking about my beautiful Celia.
Chapter 3
Celia
The ding of my phone wakes me out of the nightmare, with my heart racing, and I’m covered in sweat. I look around confused, trying to figure out what the nightmare was about, but the more I try to remember, the faster it slips from my mind.
What woke me up?
Ding.
Oh, right.
My phone.
I reach over to the nightstand where I dropped it last night before I passed out. Looking at the time, I see it’s only 6:30am. Groaning I open the message.
Wyatt: Good Morning, Beautiful; are you wake?
Celia: Morning, I am now…
Wyatt: Ha-ha, I’m sorry I woke you, Beautiful. Can I take you to breakfast to make it up to you?
Celia: I suppose a big glass of O.J. and some breakfast will make up for this.
Am I flirting right now?
Scrubbing my face while groaning again, I shake my head at myself. What has this sexy man done to me? I met him all of ten hours ago…. But I can’t forget the shock that ran through my whole body when we touched. And I just felt safe, which I know I’m not. I ‘m still not far enough away.
He’ll still be able to find me.
I cut off that line of thought and look back at my phone.
Wyatt: Great, I’m bringing my brother, Tate, with me. We will be there in about an hour.
Celia: OK, perfect. Plenty of time to shower. I’m in room 105, just knock when you’re here.
Wyatt: Sure thing, Beautiful; we’ll see you soon.
Wyatt calling me ‘Beautiful’ makes my heart race, as well as makes heat pool in my core.
Climbing out of bed, I go to the bathroom to take a hot shower. I try to remember what my nightmare was about because it feels important, but no matter how hard I think, I just can’t remember any of it. It’s so frustrating. I turn off the shower and wrap a towel around my body, then grab a second one to dry my hair with. I quickly blow dry it with the hotel’s dryer and throw it up in a messy bun.
I walk out of the bathroom to my suitcase and grab my seventy proof sunscreen, a pair of light-colored jean shorts, a cute black Harley Davidson tank top, and my kickass black ankle-high boots with a chunky heel. I apply my sunscreen liberally to my body, and then I throw on my clothes. I wear sunscreen like most women wear lotion, I can’t go anywhere without it. I sit on the bed once I’m finished and pick up Virgo Rising to continue reading while I wait for Wyatt and his brother.
It’s sweet that he’s bringing his little brother along.
Not many guys want their little brothers tagging along with them.
There is a knock at the door about thirty minutes later.
“Coming!” I holler, as I bookmark my page with a sticky note from the nightstand. I straighten my clothes then open the door.
Wyatt is standing there with a huge smile on his face, looking gorgeous in some wrangler jeans and a plain grey t-shirt and black combat boots. As I finish checking him out, I look up to see a sexy smirk on his face while he does the same thing to me. When our eyes meet, his are so full of desire that I squeeze my thighs together in hopes of easing the fire in my belly. Even more disconcerting is that feeling stirring in my mind at his nearness.
“Hey there, Beautiful, ready to go?” he asks in a deep husky voice.
“I sure am,” I respond in a whisper of desire.
What the hell is wrong with me?
What is this man doing to me?
“Let’s go, I’m starving,” he says as he turns to head back to his vehicle, pausing while I lock up.
There, standing against his jacked-up Chevy Silverado 4x4, is his brother,- who is not at all little.
My stars, what are they feeding the men in this town?!
Tate, I’m assuming this is Tate, has that sexy suffer-boy look going on, although nothing is boyish about him- except maybe that smile. He looks to be just over six feet, with a slim build but still muscular. His shaggy blonde hair has that messy beach look to it. He has dark grey eyes and a clean-shaven face.
My stars, is he gorgeous!
“Wow, it’s hot out here!” I blurt suddenly, waving my hand over my face to cool my flaming cheeks, as we reach the truck.
I’m blushing profusely. I know they can tell how hard I’m blushing on my pale skin, even if I’m trying to play it off. Especially since they are chuckling while watching me.
“Hey, I’m Tate Anderson, it’s great to finally meet you…uh, I mean, since Wyatt couldn’t stop talking about you all night,” he quickly adds, stretching his hand out for me to shake.
Wyatt punches him in the arm while laughing, “Asshole.”
“Hi, I’m Celia, which apparently you already know.” I nervously chuckle.
I reach out and shake his hand. The moment our hands touch, I get another little shock that shoots straight up my arm and through my whole body. I snatch my hand back.
Why are these men making me feel like this?!
I shouldn’t want to be anywhere near a man, let alone two, with all the things that I’ve been through. Yet, Wyatt just feels safe for some reason, and now, Tate is affecting me in the same way.
And what the hell is that shock?
What has gotten into me?
I just got away from that psycho. I don’t need anything but to find somewhere to start over, to try to get my life back. I need to find myself again, not get someone else tangled into this trouble that my life is.
“Hey Beautiful, you okay there?” Wyatt asks, stroking a hand down my arm, eliciting a tingle rather than a shock this time, causing me to shiver.
“Yeah, sorry. Let’s go get some food.” I say, flinching away from his touch, clearing my throat.
They both have a look of concern on their face as Tate opens the front door for me to climb in. He gives me plenty of space. Great, I groan internally, now they are scared to get near me. Way to go being skittish there, Celia, you are trying to be stronger than this. You got away, so pull on your big girl panties. These men aren’t Nathan, you are free from him.
/> Wyatt walks around to the driver side while Tate shuts my door, then hops in the back seat. Wyatt starts the truck with a deep rumble and starts driving.
“You ever been to South Carolina before?” he asks, cutting his eyes to me.
“Only to Summerville, once, when I was like one.”
“Ah, I love Summerville; it’s beautiful there,” Tate says from the back seat.
I glance back with a shy smile.
“I don’t really remember it; I was so young.”
“Well, we are heading into Goose Creek, that’s the closest town with a car rental. We will grab some breakfast at Bob’s Diner before we go, if that’s an okay place for you.”
“Yeah, that sounds good, as long as they have plenty of bacon, I’ll be happy.”
Satisfied with my answer, the truck turns quiet, not uncomfortable, but tense. I can tell the guys want to talk, but are unsure if they should. I just simply don’t know what to say; I’m terrible at small talk. Always have been; I’m so awkward and unsure when talking to new people.
Wyatt turns up the radio to fill the silence instead of trying to force conversation on me, which I appreciate. Turning my head to peer out the window, I contemplate on that little feeling that both men seem to create between us and it has me conflicted.
Why would I have such reactions to, not only one man, but two?!
Within a day of each other…. maybe I really am the slut that Nathan always told me I was. Sighing quietly to myself, I try to shake those dark depressing feelings from my mind, but they just cling harder in the silence.
Stupid slut.
Your nothing but a whore.
No one but me will ev-
I shake his words away when Wyatt states, “Here we are.”
Taking a deep before, I feel wetness on my cheeks. Realizing that I have been silently crying, I discreetly try to clean my face as he finds a place to park. Once parked, he turns to me and notices immediately the plummet in my mood.
“Hey Beautiful, what’s wrong?” he asks, reaching over to catch the last of my tears with his rough calloused thumb.
Shivering in delight, Wyatt’s touch wipes away the rest of the lingering feelings. Tate is leaning in between to middle of the seats with a furrowed brow.
