by Alicia White
“I just want to get dressed and eat something. I’m starving.” Ryan gave her another kiss and then turned to leave the room. “Wait. Ryan. Where were you guys this morning? I looked everywhere.”
“We went to see Adam and Brandon. I promised to take you there right after their ceremony.”
“What ceremony?” She searched his face and saw that he was having a hard time staying tight lipped. “What? Is Chloe getting married? Ryan, I just want to see my sister and then get back to my life. This is supposed to be temporary.”
“It’s a… It’s a bonding ceremony of sorts that’s traditional in our clan…umm…community. It’s kinda like a marriage but different. I’m sorry you want to be rid of us.” When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “You’re our mate. Maybe you don’t understand what that means. Let me clear up any confusion. You are ours! You belong to us! We belong to you! It’s forever, Katie.” She stared at him in shock. She had never seen Ryan so upset, and it was shocking. He didn’t give her time to say anything. Instead, he turned and walked out of the bedroom, slamming the door firmly behind him.
She hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings, but promising to stay here in Alaska with them wasn’t something she could do right now. She had left her life behind to find her sister, not to end up locked in a house with four dominating men. She stared at the door, feeling guiltier by the minute. Finally, after a few minutes, the chill got to her, and she quickly finished drying off and went to get dressed.
* * * *
Katie made her way downstairs to the kitchen and went to make herself a plate. It seemed that these men knew how to cook. Food lay out on trays around the large table, and she loaded up on bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. She barely finished sitting down before she started eating. She couldn’t remember a time when she felt so hungry, but then she remembered her activities the night before and smiled. Yup, quite an appetite indeed.
“Slow down, baby. You’re gonna choke if you keep eating that fast.” She made a face at Nathan, and he laughed. “I won’t let anyone steal your food, promise.” He gave her a wink, and she finished chewing her food a bit slower.
“Ryan said the three of you went to see Adam and Brandon. Did you see my sister?” She watched Nathan closely, wondering if he would stumble over his words as Ryan had.
“We did. Everything is great.” She stared at him for a minute, waiting for him to say more. When she realized he wasn’t going to continue, she sent him her most intimidating look, which didn’t work on him at all. He just sent her a half grin and then got up from the table.
“I’ve got some work to do. If you need anything, I’ll be in my office.” He walked over to where she was sitting, gave her a quick kiss on the head, and started to leave the dining room.
“Wait. I feel silly for asking, but what do you do?” She felt bad. She hadn’t spent a lot of time trying to get to know them.
“Don’t laugh.” At her nod he continued. “We create different video games. It can get a bit boring here at times, so we started messing around, and then one thing led to another, and now we design programs. The whole community takes care of each other, and we all have a lot of investments as a group.”
“That’s really neat. Have a good day at work.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he turned and left. She stayed at the table another minute, looking around, enjoying the view from the large window. The sun was out, and it glistened off the snow, inviting her outside to enjoy the winter wonderland. She got up from the table and dropped her plate in the sink. She went to the entryway and grabbed a large coat, hat, and gloves. She didn’t know who they belonged to, but it didn’t matter. She went outside and inhaled the fresh pine air. It was cold, and she shivered a bit but continued her journey, leaving the porch.
Katie walked around the large wood cabin, enjoying the view. Large trees were scattered throughout the property, in a protective circle as if guarding the house. She could hear the crunch of snow under her boots as she made her way toward the long driveway. It was nice to be outside, to be alone, and to finally be able to have some time to think. As she walked, she thought about Nathan, Ethan, Ryan, and now her unfortunate run-in with Lucas. Every time she was around them, her heart beat erratically, and her body reacted, wanting them in a way she had never wanted a man before. It felt like she wasn’t in control of her body. It reacted to them instantly, even if her mind tried to reject them.
When she finally made it to the street, she looked both ways, wondering why there weren’t any cars. The place looked deserted. She shrugged her shoulders and turned right out the driveway, needing more time to herself. The wind picked up, and she moved a bit faster trying to warm up her body.
She walked farther down the road, looking for another house. It was probably silly, but now that she was out and away from the men, she wanted to find her sister. She needed someone else to talk to. She needed advice from her sister. She felt like they were purposely refusing to allow other people near her.
Katie heard a deep growl and stopped immediately. She turned in a circle, trying to figure out what direction the sound came from. She heard the noise again and swallowed hard. She didn’t know if the owner of the scary noise was following her or if it was farther in the distance and just echoing toward her. She looked around again and decided that it was time to head back to the cabin. At least she would be safe there instead if wandering around, hoping to find Chloe.
She stayed close to the road and away from the trees as she headed back. When the driveway came into view, she noticed a very agitated Ryan waiting for her. His lips were drawn in a straight line, and she could see his jaw flex as if he were grinding his teeth. He was usually the calm one compared to the other men, and his obvious irritation concerned her. She walked a little faster, different scenarios playing through her head of what could be wrong.
“Where do you think you were going?” He growled the words, pointing accusingly at her. Katie stopped in her tracks and stared at him. Besides looking angry, he also seemed sad.
“I went for a walk, Ryan. What’s wrong?” She slowly approached him, wanting to apologize, although she didn’t do anything wrong. The look on his face was enough for her to get closer to him. She could touch him and reassure him that she was fine.
“I told you that I’d take you to your sister. I gave you my word.” She blinked a couple of times, trying to figure out what he was so upset about.
“What exactly are you accusing me of?” She stared into his eyes, trying to understand what she had done.
“Just forget it. Come inside.” He turned to walk down the driveway, but she stopped him.
“What? Ryan, talk to me.” She grabbed his arm, preventing him from walking away from her.
“I wish you wanted to be here with us.” He moved then, walking away from her, and she stood staring at his back. She couldn’t understand the horrible pain in her chest. His words were so genuine, and she felt bad that she had made him worry or believe that she was running away. Although, technically, I did try to run away. She followed him with her head down feeling completely consumed with guilt.
Katie was so focused on her feet that she ran into a solid wall and fell back on her bottom. She looked up in shock when she realized that Ryan was standing there. The man was solid muscle. She looked at him and noticed he was looking into the trees. He didn’t seem to notice she was on her butt. She stood up and craned her neck to see what he was looking at. A large polar bear came out of the treeline and headed in their direction.
She screamed and grabbed Ryan, pulling on his arm hard. “Ryan. Shit. We’ve got to get in the house. Come on.” Fear ran through her system, and she didn’t know what to do. Ryan reached out and pulled her close. He didn’t move, just stayed still and calm. “Shhh…it’s okay. He’s not going to hurt us.”
“How can you be so sure? Is he like a pet or something?” She watched the bear as he came closer, taking deep breaths and trying her hardest not to shake.
Ryan’s laugh threw her off for a minute. She looked up at him, loving the way his face transformed when he was smiling. “Nope…not a pet. That’s Lucas.”
“You named the polar bear after your brother? Isn’t that a little harsh? What did the bear do to piss you off?” Ryan laughed again, and she heard a growl come from the bear. She preferred seeing him happy. He was an incredibly sexy man.
* * * *
Ryan had been pissed when Lucas had found him and told him Katie had taken off down the driveway. He had wanted to run after her, grab her, and claim her. He wanted to show her that she was theirs and wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. It had been Lucas’s brilliant idea to change and herd her back to the cabin, and before he could do anything, his brother had changed and charged into the trees surrounding the property. It took all of Ryan’s strength to remain calm. He hadn’t bothered with a jacket. Letting the cold wind cut through him helped to clear his mind.
Katie was huddled close to him now, watching Lucas closely. He knew she was scared, could smell her fear, but he also knew that all their secrets needed to be exposed if their mate was going to stay. He wanted her acceptance.
“There’s a secret that I want to tell you.” He kept his eyes on her, wanting to see her reaction. Lucas growled deep in his throat, and Ryan knew it for the threat it was. His brother didn’t want him exposing their secret.
“You have a pet polar bear?” She gave him a suspicious look, but he just shook his head and smiled, pulling her closer into his body. “He’s not attacking us. The other night, Nathan came to my rescue, but I never was in any danger, was I?”
“No. You’re never in any danger, and he’s not our pet. I’m not sure if you can handle this secret, Katie. I’m trusting you.” He took a deep breath and tightened his arms around her, holding her against his chest. He didn’t want her to be scared or to try to run away from them.
“You can trust me.” She held onto him as if trying to comfort him, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. When she looked up at him, he realized that he really did want to tell her everything. He didn’t want to keep any secrets from his mate.
“We aren’t completely human. I know this is hard to believe, trust me, I know. We live here with our clan. The cabins are spread out throughout this whole forest. We’re shifters, and I’m going to prove it you.” He kissed her once more, this time on the lips, and then turned her body so that she was facing Lucas. She didn’t say anything, so he hoped that she was keeping an open mind and not thinking he was crazy.
“Lucas, shift. I want you to show Katie what we are.” His brother growled, and he knew Lucas was angry, but he hoped that he would just cooperate. “Shift. I want Katie to know all our secrets. She’s our mate.”
He stared at Lucas, and finally he got a response. His brother moved closer, letting the change happen slowly for Katie’s sake. They had all been changing for years, since puberty, and it just became a part of them. Watching in slow motion was almost a new experience for him as well. He could imagine what Katie was feeling as he held her in his arms, hoping that she wasn’t scared, and dreaming that she would accept them. This was a completely new world for her. He didn’t want her to be scared, and he definitely couldn’t deal with her rejection or disgust.
Lucas stood naked before them, with his hand on his hips, staring at Katie. She wasn’t screaming, so Ryan took that as a good sign. He changed positions so that he could see her face, tucking her into his shoulder. She looked up at him, her mouth open and her eyes glassy. He wondered for a minute if she was in shock. Maybe he rushed this whole thing.
“Let’s get inside the house. It’s cold. We can talk about this later.” He tried to give her a reassuring smile but knew he had failed. If she wanted to leave, he wouldn’t stop her. He just needed to figure out what to do so that his brothers didn’t get too upset. He didn’t want to let her go, but he wasn’t going to keep her against her will. She didn’t say anything as he led her into the house. He went straight to the roaring fire in the living room, wanting to get her warm and comfortable since she was shaking a little.
He stood next to her, letting the warmth seep into his body. He helped her take off the layers of clothes and then took them to hang up by the front door. When he got back into the living room, Katie was sitting in one of the large, overstuffed chairs in front of the fire, her feet propped up. He felt confused and a little worried. If she was upset, then Nathan and Ethan would be even more so since they didn’t feel like she was ready for the whole truth yet.
When he walked back into the room, he sat in the chair across from her, wanting to see her face. “All of you can do that? I mean…Nathan, Ethan, and you can all change? How?” She was looking at him now, and that made him feel a lot better. Perhaps he hadn’t made a bad decision after all.
“We can all shift. We were born this way, and living up here in Alaska gives us lots of open space and freedom to be who we are. It makes it hard to find mates, though. Usually it’s the youngest brother’s job to leave home and find that special person to bring back to share with his brothers. It’s always been that way. I guess I got lucky that you came here.” He moved closer, wanting to touch her. He sat at her feet, holding her hands in his. The contact made him feel better, and he took a deep breath, enjoying her scent. She smelled like sunshine and pine.
“Okay. That means that Conner could do that, too…right? He’s the youngest brother. He was supposed to bring Chloe here?”
“Yeah. I’m not sure why he didn’t, and it’s too late to ask him. Now that she is here, Adam and Brandon have been working hard to get Chloe to stay and be their mate. They’ve waited a long time knowing that Conner found her. We’ve been waiting a long time to find you as well. Did it scare you, watching Lucas change?” He rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles, enjoying the contact. His heart beat a bit faster in his chest, waiting for her answer. She seemed to be handling everything well so far.
“No. I wasn’t scared, more surprised. I’ve always dreamed that there was more out there in the universe. I know that I’m your mate, and it’s a lot of information to take in at once. Then I think about Lucas. I’m supposed to be his mate as well, and he doesn’t want me. Can mates do that? I mean, can they just decide not to have a mate?” He knew she would have questions. The fact that she wasn’t disgusted was a great sign. He had been thinking about Lucas since he had decided not to accept Katie as his mate. His brother seemed to be watching and following her from a distance.
“Nobody has ever rejected their mate. I don’t think it’s even possible. I can’t speak for Lucas, but I can tell you how I feel. When I first saw you, my heart stopped beating and I was overwhelmed with emotions that I never thought were possible. I looked at you and I knew that you were meant to be with me, with us. I can feel your emotions, and when you’re sad, I want to make you happy. When you went on the walk today, I was scared because if anything happened to you, I’m not sure I would want to live without you. Everything is more intense, and I’m really trying to control myself because I don’t want to scare you. But the truth is, I want to spend my life getting to know you and loving you.” He stared into her beautiful eyes, feeling completely exposed. He felt sick to his stomach wondering what she would say. He was shaking, wondering if he had said too much already.
Chapter 7
Katie didn’t know what to say. She stared into Ryan’s beautiful blue eyes and wanted to cry. He was the first man to make her feel special. He laid his heart on the line, and she could tell that he was afraid of what she was going to say. She slid off the chair and into his lap, needing to hug him after such a huge confession. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight against his chest. She could feel his heart beat in an even tempo and closed her eyes, enjoying this moment with just the two of them.
Out of the four men, Ryan was the most honest and forthcoming with his emotions and intentions. Nathan was her protector and security blanket, always making sure she was taken care of. Ethan
was her silent, dominant lover. She had no idea if Lucas would ever come around, but she knew it didn’t matter because in the end she would be loved by his brothers.
“I do care about you very much, probably more than I should at this point. You’ve been completely honest with me, so I’m going to be honest with you as well.” She pulled back and looked into his eyes, hoping that he would see the truth. “I do want to get to know you better, and I’m not against trying to figure out where this could go or what possible future we could have together. I came here to see my sister, to make sure she was okay, and instead I met you. I just need to see her, and then I’ll start being able to focus.” She did feel an incredible pull toward them. Something soul deep, but her heart and her head weren’t on the same page yet.
Ryan nodded his head. He moved closer to her until she felt his warm breath against her ear and neck. “Okay. Tomorrow. I’ll take you to Chloe. It has to be our secret for now. I don’t want to upset my brothers. They will be upset, but they’ll get over it.” He kissed her neck then, and Katie smiled, feeling a huge weight lift from her shoulders.
“Thank you.” Katie moved then. She pushed her fingers through his hair and pulled him to her, kissing him. His lips were soft, and she took her time enjoying his flavor. She swirled her tongue in his mouth, enjoying the dance they created. She had always loved kissing, and Ryan’s lips were full and lush. She pulled back and sucked on them. Hearing his growl turned her on more. That growl always seemed to affect her, making her insides clench.
Ryan’s fingers skimmed across her nipples, and she shuddered. She had been so focused on his mouth that she didn’t even realize that he had unbuttoned her shirt. He tugged the material down off her arms, and she enjoyed his warms hands caressing her skin. She didn’t break the contact with his lips. Instead she pushed into him, wanting to be on top. He knew what she wanted without her saying the words. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered them to the floor. She rubbed her breasts against his chest, enjoying the rough texture of his shirt against her nipples. She moved her hips, feeling his cock harden against her stomach. He felt amazing.
