by Beth Rosalee
I can hear the smile in his voice as he says, “You are most welcome, Beautiful. We are all in the living room whenever you are finished getting ready.”
“Ok, be out there in a minute.”
I walk back into my room and glance at the time again, perfect. Five-thirty. I take a deep breath and head out of my room.
zw
Grayson
We are all sitting around, waiting on Celia to get ready. I bet we will be late; women always take forever to get ready. Sitting down in my recliner, I get comfortable, closing my eyes I picture Celia’s beautiful naked body from earlier. It took everything in me not to snatch her up and fuck her brains out. But I can’t- I won’t hurt her like the fucker we saved her from did. I’m too rough, I can’t help it. I’ve always had to find strong women to help scratch my itch. I’m afraid I will break her if I give in to the urge to mate.
I know that I will eventually have to or we will both go mad, but I just need more time. Time to work on my control. She is so small and fragile. I need time to figure out how to be a gentle lover. I groan to myself and scrub a hand over my face. If I keep picturing her without clothes, I’ll never find any control. Sometimes, I wish I knew how to be gentle like Tate. Wyatt is our glue; he knows how to be exactly what we need in that moment. But Liam- he is a closet freak. I wonder how Celia took that, or was he able to be gentle with her?
Shaking those thoughts from my head and adjusting my constant erection, I think about my father. I knew he would finally pull this shit, the impatient fucker. I was hoping to keep her from him as long as possible. He and I butt heads a lot. Probably has to do with us both being so dominant. I’m not really looking forward to the fight that I know is coming once I do complete the bond with Celia. Once the next Alpha in line for the ‘throne’ has found his female mate, completing the quartet- or quintet, in my case- then it is a rule that they must challenge the leader for the title.
It isn’t always a family situation.
There are other packs where each Alpha isn’t related at all. Once you hit eighteen years old, the Alpha gathers all alpha potentials and holds a competition. Each potential will fight one on one for dominance until the strongest comes out on top. They top two are trained in the pack ways, making sure that there is always another alpha prepared to takeover if anything ever happens. My family just hasn’t met another potential more dominant than the males in our family line. I think since losing my mother, my father has just wanted to retire with his betas and just live out the rest of his life quietly. But he has had to wait on me to find my mate in order to do that.
I’m sure I will be hearing all about it tonight. I just can’t fucking wait for that shit. I respect my father to no end, but I can’t stand when he tries to butt into my personal life. I hope Hannah isn’t there tonight- that girl doesn’t take no for a fucking answer. Of course, dad keeps her around to clean the mansion with a few other omega girls. I think it was only in the hopes that I would just take her as a mate and let him retire. I guess six hundred years of ruling a pack can be exhausting, and doing the last three hundred without mom is even worse.
“She’ll be out in a minute.” Wyatt says.
I growl, it’s really fucking annoying that they all are in her head and I’m not.
“Don’t growl at me; you are the one avoiding mating with her. I know it has to be painful by now. So it’s your own damn fault,” Wyatt shrugs.
“Fuck you,” I growl again, making him laugh. “I’m surprised she is ready so quickly. You just brought her the dress, at what, just before five?” I pause and look at my watch. “It’s only five-thirty, I thought for sure we would be late. I’ve never met a woman who gets ready in less than an hour,” I tell the guys.
“Yeah, that’s true. I don’t think any of us have, but there is a first time for everything man,” Tate says with a huge smile on his always happy face.
“What are you so damn happy for?” I grumble.
“Nothing really; it’s just the first time I think we’ve all had something were you are the one left out, and it’s by your own fault on top of it!”
He laughs when I send him a mental image of punching him in the face.
“Keep on and that will be a reality,” I say.
“Yeah, yeah, we all know you aren’t as big of an asshole as you make yourself out to be. Well, to your mates, anyway,” he chuckles.
“You know that Celia calls you asshole on a regular basis. She also believe that you don’t really want to be with her. I found her curled up in a ball, crying her eyes out after you almost kissed her, then stormed out,” Liam says with as much nonchalance as possible.
I growl as I shoot to me feet.
“Don’t fucking remind me,” I say.
I’m about to turn, to go wait by the truck, when we all hear Celia’s door open and close, making me pause and turn back around. I want to see the dress Wyatt picked out for her. He seemed really pleased with himself and wouldn’t show any of us what he got. The guys stand up with me and wait for her to come down the hall.
Fuck me, the breath leaves my lungs at the beauty that walks in before us. Princess is not the word I would use for in this moment. Fucking Queen- that’s what she is. Her dress hugs all of her curves just right, making my cock stand back at attention. My wolf is slamming around in my head demanding that I finally complete the bond with her. Shit, I don’t think I can fight it anymore; she looks so fucking sexy right now. The fierce look in her eyes she has on now tells me that she has fully bonded with her wolf and maybe isn’t as fragile as I believed she was just a few hours ago.
“You look stunning, Pussycat,” Tate says, walking up and circling her, smacking her ass playfully; then, kissing her temple, he heads out the door.
“I knew that was the perfect dress for tonight; you are breathtaking, Beautiful,” Wyatt says as he walks up and softly kisses her lips.
Then, she whispers, “Thank you for all of it, Wyatt.”
She hugs him.
“Anything for you, my love,” He says then wink and heads out the door behind Tate.
“I want to rip that dress off of you, Pretty Girl; you look so very enticing in that outfit,” Liam offers as he walks up and grabs her hand, giving her a spin to look at all of her.
Standing behind her and grabbing her hips, he whispers in her ear while meeting my eyes just long enough to get his message across, “I want to tie your sweet ass up and watch you suck Gray’s cock while I fuck your sweet little pussy, Pretty Girl.”
She squeezes her thighs together and moans, trying to rub her ass against his, I’m sure, raging boner. He laughs darkly, then kisses the crown of her head, and walks off, leaving her panting in front of me. I take a deep breath and walk up to her.
“You look beautiful, Celia,” I say; then, turn and offer her my arm.
She steps up and threads hers through mine, resting her tiny little hand in the crook of my elbow.
“Thank you, Alpha,” she says, squeezing my forearm, making me groan in discomfort.
I look down at her hand, then at her face.
“Where the hell did that strength come from?” I ask her.
“Oh no, did I hurt you? I’m so sorry!”
She starts freaking out and tries to pull away. I clamp her hand between my bicep and forearm, not letting her pull away. I don’t want to lose this contact with her yet; it feels amazing and is tamping down some of the mating lust.
“It’s fine, baby girl, you didn’t hurt me. I’m tougher than that,” I smirk at her. “I just wasn’t expecting it, is all.”
I readjust her arm in mine, then start leading her out of the house.
“It just happened earlier, after I shifted back. I guess I only needed the second shift to completely bond with her. Now everything is in HD; it’s a little overwhelming but tolerable. I’m already getting used to that. But when you left me out there. I had to figure out how to shift back. Then. when I tried to open the back door, I crushed and snapped off the do
orknob. I had to come through the front door.”
I burst out laughing when she finishes rambling.
“So that’s what that hunk of metal on the kitchen counter was? We couldn’t figure out where it came from or what it is. Damn, baby girl, that is some strength you’ve gained. Don’t worry about the door though, we will get it fixed up tomorrow.”
I smile down at her, and she just kinda looks lost. Wide eyes stare at me like I’m some sort of alien.
“What? Why are you staring at me like that?” I ask her, genuinely confused.
She blinks and shakes her head.
“It’s nothing, just that you are suddenly being really nice to me. I think this is the most that we have ever spoken to each other since we met,” she says with such honesty that my heart twists.
I never meant to hurt her with my distance; I thought she’d be fine with the attention of the others. Clearly, I was wrong.
“I’m sorry, baby girl, we will work on it ok? I just don’t ever want to hurt you. I’m a really big guy- and not the gentlest either,” I tell her in a moment of honesty.
“Ok, but I don’t believe you would ever hurt me, though,” she whispers as I turn and close the door.
We all pile in the car and head up to the mansion. It’s about a mile up the road from our place. It’s also where we will live once I take over things. We reach it in no time, hopping out of the truck. Wyatt opens the passenger door and helps Celia down. The mansion is bustling with people- some are checking in to head home for the night and others heading out for guard duty. We run this place like a military compound, so this place is always busy. Always good to stay protected and prepared was my grandfather’s motto.
Everyone greets as we head inside, and Celia gets many lingering stares. I growl at them if they stare too long, though. She is our mate. But I can’t really blame them- she is the most beautiful thing to walk this earth. I can barely keep my eyes off of her long enough to pay attention to anything else. My dick is going to explode any minute now, watching her ass sway like the pendulum of a clock. As we get to the door, it swings open. Low and behold, fucking Hannah is there to greet us.
“Eek! Gray-Gray, I’m so happy to see you! It’s been soooo long! I’ve missed you!” she squeals and bounds past the group to get to me at the back.
She jumps up and wraps her arms around me like a fucking spider monkey pest.
“Hi Hannah, did father send you get wait at the door for us? I’ve also told you not to touch me,” I ask her as I remove her from my body.
“Yes, he said to make sure I escorted you in. Straight to the dining hall.”
She tries to cling on to my biceps, completely ignoring what I just said. I easily evade her efforts. I look over at Celia as Hannah tries to keep as close to me as possible. The barely contained beast I see there gets me excited- I’m not going to lie. Makes me kind of want to push that beast to see what she will do.
Yep, I’m going to suck up the annoyance and let Hannah hang on me a little.
“Hannah, this is Celia. Celia, this is Hannah. One of my father’s favorites,” I say, introducing them.
The guys’ eyes go wide with my last comment.
“Gray, what the hell are you doing?” Wyatt questions me through the bond.
“Poking the bear, or rather, the wolf. Let’s see what kind of fire she has for her mates. We won’t let anyone get hurt.”
I meet his eyes with a smirk. Having all heard me, the guys all shake the heads discreetly and turn to head inside. Celia glares at me with the introduction, clearly not missing that I didn’t say she was my mate. Her eyes flash bright for a split second, telling me I’ve pissed off the wolf, too.
Perfect.
Then, she turns a sickly-sweet smile on Hannah.
“It’s lovely to meet one of his daddy’s favorite people.”
She turns on her heels and saunters after the boys, not waiting for a reply, throwing an extra swing into those delicious fucking hips of her as she goes.
Oh, this will be delightful, and maybe Hannah will finally get the fucking picture that it was never going to happen.
“Oh my, she is a pretty one. Good thing she isn’t the prettiest around here; then, I might have to be worried. Am I right, Gray-Gray?” she giggles, latching on to my arm.
She drags me through the door and I let her, all for this little game that I’m playing.
Chapter 32
Celia
“I’m going to kill that fucker and that dumb bitch, too, if she doesn’t get off of my Alpha,” I growl mentally as I storm down the hall to catch up with the guys just up ahead.
“Can we rip her head off?” Svana chimes in on my dark thoughts.
I chuckle at her.
“No, this is the first time we are meeting his dad and his betas. We need to make a good impression and I’m not sure that’s the way to do it. Even if I agree we should. Fuck bitch running out there and wrapping herself around him like that. And Gray-Gray, really? What kind of fucking nickname is that shit?”
“Pretty girl, your claws are out, and your teeth are looking a bit sharp,” Liam says, wiping my bottom lip and showing me the drop of blood on his finger from my canines apparently piercing my lip.
I realize that I was starting to lose control with my inner anger at Grayson. I take a few deep breaths and wipe at my lip, making sure the blood is gone. We reach the dining hall and I stare in awe. Hall is indeed the right word- it’s huge in here. The room is filled with tables. It looks like an upscale restaurant in here. There is a table in the front of the hall that seats at least twenty people, and at it are three men.
They all are older men with grey hair and beards. The one on the left is short, probably a few inches taller than my five-foot three frame, and skinny. The one on the right is tall, and a bit tubby in the tummy area- I guess that can happen with age sometimes. But the one at the head of the table is no doubt Gray’s father. He is a much older, but still very handsome, version of Gray- except Gray is double his father in height and width.
Don’t get me wrong- his father is huge, but Gray is just a fucking mountain. A mountain that I really want to climb, I might add. My greedy little mating cunt has been screaming for him since my bedroom. Gray’s father skirts the table and walks right up to me.
“So, this is the magnificent beauty that they have been hiding from me. I’m Jackson Pierce, but you may call me Jack,” he says, taking my hand and kissing the back of it.
“Oh my. Hello, Jack, my name is Celia Stone; I’m so happy to finally meet you. I see where Gray gets his good looks from,” I say, smiling at him.
He chuckles.
“Oh, my dear, I like you. And what a beauty you truly are. Such a unique beauty as well. Come, you can sit by me; I want to know everything about my son’s mate.”
I gulp in nervousness, but smile and follow him to the table. He pulls the chair out for me, placing me on his right, then takes his seat at the head of the table. The man whose seat I just took, walks around and takes the seat next to the other one. The boys all take seats next to me. Gray right next to me, Wyatt next to him, then Tate, and then Liam. Putting them in ranking order, I wonder if that is intentional or not. I don’t know very much about werewolf shifter politics. Well, I don’t know anything honestly.
I smile politely at everyone, not knowing what else to say, I simply introduce myself.
“Hi, I’m Celia,” I say with a small wave.
“Hello, darling, I’m Arnold. Jack’s first beta,” the shorter man says, shocking me a little.
“Hey there, Sug’, I’m Richard, his second beta,” the other one says with a very hard Texan accent.
I smile at them.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” I say, dipping my head.
“Alright, now that introductions are done, let’s eat so we can chat some before my boys over there whisk you away to their cave again.
I laugh at Jack’s playful personality; I wonder what went wrong with Gray.
Suddenly, everyone at the table laughs, but Gray. I’m mortified, realizing that I said that out loud.
“Why, whatever do you mean by that, sweet Celia?” Jack asks jovially.
“Uh nothing, I, uh, didn’t mean to say that out loud.”
I heat with embarrassment. Gray growls next to me, making me jump and swallow thickly. Clearing my throat, I change the subject.
“So what is for dinner, Mr. Pierce?”
He laughs a bit more at my not-so-subtle change in topic.
“I like you, Celia, please just call me Jack. We are having braised pork shank with mashed potatoes, gravy, and steamed pole beans.”
I’m nearly drooling by the time he finishes.
“Oh, that sounds amazing, Jack; I’ve never had it.”
“This will be a treat for you then; my personal chef has prepared it just for tonight. We don’t always eat so fancy,” Jack tells me, then looks to Hannah, who I just now realize is standing directly behind Grayson with her hand on his shoulder.
She appears to be waiting not so patiently; I’m not really sure what for. Maybe she thought that she’d be invited to join us. She has a pleasant look of murder in her eyes, making the evil bitch side of me that has been buried until Svana came along cackle with evil glee.
That’s right, you insignificant bitch, these are my men and I will be daddy’s favorite soon enough I think, as Jack tells her, “Let Helene know we are ready and bring out the wine, would you.”
She pastes on a fake smile, nodding as she hurries through a door at the back of the hall.
“So, Celia, tell us about you. The boys have been so tight lipped.”
“What would you like to know?” I ask, not knowing where to start.
“Well, what pack did you come from, and is your unique coloring typical there?” He adds quickly, “Forgive me for asking- I’ve just never seen a wolf of your caliber. I don’t mean to be rude.”
I laugh, used to being asked about my strange looks, though they weren’t always described as unique or beautiful.
“That’s alright, I’m used to it. But I didn’t come from a pack, I didn’t even know I was a werewolf until I met these guys,” I say throwing a thumb towards my mates. “As for my strange looks, the doctors say it is a disease called Albinism, but I am the only one in my family this way. It’s not life threatening, just means I lack melanocyte, which are the cells that produce pigmentation called melanin. I just have to make sure I wear a strong sunscreen during the day. Although the doctors were always stumped as to why my eyes where in perfect health when albinism affect the eyes most severely. Most with the disease live with hosts of eye problems.”
