by Marla Monroe
Both men fussed at her until she’d eaten half of her burger and fries. She felt stuffed and feared she would fall asleep on the ride back. Jessup walked out ahead of her then held the door for her to step through with Joseph behind her. She headed directly toward the truck with Jessup next to her. She could feel the warmth of his hand against her waist.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Derrick stepped in front of her, his face screwed into a dangerous scowl.
“D—Derrick...” She couldn’t finish the sentence because he grabbed her by the throat.
Before her brother squeezed too tightly, Joseph had him by the throat with his feet no longer touching the ground. Nessa gasped for breath as her brother released his hold on her to grab and claw at Joseph’s grip on his throat. She could read the panic in his eyes as Jessup pulled her away from the two men into his arms.
“Are you okay, Nessa? Let me see your throat.” He studied her before crushing her against his chest.
“Jessup. Don’t let him kill Derrick. He’s my brother.”
“Shh, precious. He won’t kill him,” Jessup assured her.
“Joe, put him down. We need to have a talk with him.” Jessup turned and walked her to the truck where he unlocked the door and helped her up into the cab. “Lock the door, Nessa. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“But, Jessup…” she began.
“Don’t worry, sweetness. We’re just going to explain that he has no control over you anymore.”
She watched him walk back to where Joseph continued to hold a limp Derrick by the throat though he no longer had him off the ground. She almost felt sorry for her brother, but years of abuse at his and his various associates’ hands quickly wiped that thought from her mind. He deserved to suffer as far as she was concerned. He’d done more than live off of her inheritance and earnings. He’d beat her and used her to pay off his gambling debts on more than one occasion.
Flashes of some of those terrible memories threatened to break through the protective wall she’d built between them. She didn’t want to remember the rapes. They were over. She’d never have to fear them again with Jessup and Joseph protecting her. Since she’d already accepted that they would both be her mates, relief that she would be escaping Derrick’s clutches threatened to overwhelm her. She focused on what was going on across the parking lot. The men were crowding her brother against his truck so she couldn’t really tell what was happening. She couldn’t hear them either.
After what seemed like an hour, Jessup and Joseph stepped back from Derrick and watched as he scrambled into his truck and backed haphazardly out of the parking lot before squealing off down the road.
When they turned in her direction, she could see the rage slowly dissolve as they stalked closer to where she sat in their truck. Their anger was replaced by lust and determination. A sharp shiver raced over her body as chill bumps erupted on her arms. Their intense expressions didn’t scare her so much as excite her. She couldn’t understand her body’s reaction to what should look like a threat to her.
Right now, her panties were wet as her pussy prepared for their cocks. Her nipples beaded in hard, tight buds, aching for their touch, their mouths. The sound of the locks clicking to allow them to open the doors startled her. She jerked and jumped back from the passenger door as Jessup reached it and opened it before climbing inside to sit next to her. Joseph jerked open the driver’s door and climbed up as well.
She wasn’t prepared for Joseph’s attack and yelped when he pulled her into his arms and buried his nose at her neck before claiming her mouth in a punishing kiss that left no doubt to what he really wanted to do to her. His tongue thrust in and out of her mouth before he sucked hard on hers. When he finally released her, Jessup turned her toward him.
Jess didn’t kiss her or pull her tightly against him. Instead, he smiled at her and kissed her forehead before fastening her seat belt for her.
“You don’t have to worry about that asshole again, sweetness. We’ll protect you, always.” Jessup kissed her lightly on her swollen lips.
She slowly relaxed against the seat as Joseph pulled out of the lot at a normal speed. He seemed to be in control, but one look at how tight his hands gripped the wheel then up at the lines of strain on his face proved he wasn’t. What had they said to Derrick, and more importantly, what had Derrick told them?
Chapter Nine
Joseph parked the truck in front of the house next to Kindle’s truck. While he was still angry, he’d managed to calm down some on the drive back home. His wolf had wanted to kill Derrick for hurting Nessa. Hell, even the man in him had wanted to eliminate the threat to his mate. Jessup was right though. Killing him would only bring trouble down on their pack. They’d managed to live peaceably with humans for decades. Derrick’s death would threaten that.
As he climbed out of the cab, the door to the house opened and Levi stepped out. He appeared relaxed, but Joseph knew looks, where the eldest was concerned, could be deceiving. He walked around to the front of the truck and waited for Jessup and Nessa.
“Do you need help with unloading?” Levi asked, stepping off the porch.
“I’ll take some help,” Jessup said with a smile. “Joseph, why don’t you take Nessa inside? She’s about to fall asleep on her feet. I think she could use a nap.”
Joseph nodded and dropped his hand to the small of her back to lead her up the porch steps and into the house. He had to shorten his steps to accommodate her much shorter stride and realized once again just how tiny their mate was. Though she didn’t say anything about Jessup sending her to take a nap, Joseph was sure she was seething inside. He could almost feel the anger seeping from her skin. It made him smile as much as he ever smiled. The fact that their little mate had spirit and a temper made her that much more suitable for them.
When they reached the room where she’d been sleeping, Joseph closed the door behind them. Nessa jumped, confirming his thoughts that she was still upset from earlier despite being mad at Jessup for essentially sending her to bed.
“Everything is okay now, Nessa. Let’s get you comfortable.” He stepped closer to her.
He was surprised when she didn’t back away from him. It made him feel less like a freak of nature with all of his scars. He softened his normally scowling expression and pulled her gently into his arms. She didn’t immediately relax against him, but after a few seconds, he felt her muscles slowly let go until she felt like putty in his arms. He rubbed up and down her back, careful of her nearly faded bruised places. Then he pulled back and tipped her chin up using one finger so she could meet his gaze.
“I’m going to undress you, Nessa. Then I’m going to settle you down to rest. Okay?”
Joseph watched the quick passage of her feelings across her expressive face. Fear, determination, until finally, acceptance all battled while he watched. Finally, she nodded and lifted her arms so that he could pull her T-shirt over her head. Once he had her down to her underwear, he helped her into bed and covered her with the sheet.
“I know you don’t want to take a nap, babe, but you’re still recovering. You need your rest. We won’t leave you in the house by yourself. We’ll either be in the kitchen or the living room if you need us.” He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek before running one finger down the side of her face.
“What did you say to Derrick?” she asked before he turned away.
“That I’d tear him into tiny pieces if he ever touched you again.” He didn’t hesitate to tell her the truth.
“What did he tell you?”
“Nothing of any value, babe. Get some rest. We’ll come get you in a couple of hours.” He turned away and opened the door before she could see the anger that started to seep through his control.
Once he’d closed the door softly behind him, Joseph leaned against it and fought to regain control. He wanted to go back and rip her brother apart, but it wasn’t an option—yet.
“Is she okay?” Jessup frowned as he walked toward
him.
“Yeah. She’s fine. Is everything in our room?” Joseph asked.
“We need to talk. We can put it away while we talk.” Jessup led the way to the back where their new suite was located downstairs.
Now that they were mated, they had taken over one of the bottom suites. There were a total of three suites on the bottom level of the house with the main suite being on the first floor along with five other guest rooms. There were four separate suites on the second floor. The house was huge because it was designed to house the ruling family with their enforcers. When their parents had built their own place several years before in preparation of retirement as the current ruling family, their children began slowly taking over the running of the pack. They knew their father planned to step down as ruling Alpha soon to retire with his Beta, their other father, and their mother.
While secluded, their parents’ house was still within the safe area of the compound where a good number of pack members chose to live. Though some lived outside the enclosed area, they continued to participate in pack functions. There had never been a great need for them to seek safety inside the compound so they felt safe where they lived. Levi was of a mind that their days of unchallenged safety might be coming to an end. Joseph was in agreement with him, but many still didn’t agree.
He followed his twin down the stairs to the door to their suite. Inside was a self-enclosed condo-like home complete with a spacious kitchen, living area, and four bedrooms with three baths. The master suite was on one side of the kitchen with the three other bedrooms located on the other side. It gave them some measure of privacy once the children came along.
Joseph felt his cock harden even more at the thought of their mate heavy with their pups. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold off from claiming her. Her scent called to him, keeping his dick semihard all the time now. It was damn uncomfortable walking with it like that all day.
When they’d started unpacking the bags and putting away their purchases for Nessa, Jessup began talking.
“What do you think Derrick meant when he said he needed her to cover his bets?”
“I don’t think we want to know. I only barely managed to keep from killing the fucker as it is.” He carefully folded and put away the pair of satin panties he picked up from the bag.
“He pretty much admitted that he used her as his cook and housekeeper. The bastard didn’t care one bit about her other than how it was going to inconvenience him.” Jessup carried one of the dresses to one of the walk-in closets and added it to the others they’d already hung up.
“Well, she doesn’t have to worry about him anymore. He won’t bother her again. I think we made a believer out of him.” Joseph folded up the empty bags and stuffed them into the trash can before pulling one of the baskets of his clothes over toward one of the chest of drawers to put his things away next.
“I take it by the fact that you’re moving your things in here that you’re planning to stay.” Jessup didn’t stop what he was doing.
Joseph sighed and turned to his brother. “I can’t not claim her or she’ll always feel incomplete. If I claim her, she’s mine just as much as she’s yours. I don’t think my wolf will allow me to completely turn my back on her, Jessup. If you can’t accept me here most of the time, we’re going to have a problem.”
Jessup stopped what he was doing and stood up straight. Frowning, he stalked toward Joseph. When he reached him, his twin stopped putting away his things. Glaring at him, Jessup popped him in the shoulder.
“Of course I’m fine with you staying. Not part of the time, but all of the time. I don’t want you going back to that shack you call a home at all.” He popped him again before strolling back to what he was doing.
“Jessup, you know I’m not normal. There are going to be times that I need to get away so that I can remain in control. I, hell, we can’t afford to risk that I might lose it with her in the middle of it. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I hurt her in any way.”
“You won’t hurt her, Joe. You’d never harm a female or a child. I know this all the way into my soul,” Jessup said.
“You can’t be sure of that, Jess. You don’t know me now. I’m not the same man or wolf I was before I left. There’s a darkness inside of me that craves violence in a way that isn’t even natural for our wolves. I can’t risk it around Nessa.” He ran his hands over his face. “Fuck, Jessup! She’s like a little china doll. I could hurt her without meaning to if I lose control. I can’t risk that. You should never let me around her when you’re not there.”
“That’s crazy, Joe. Stop thinking like that. You’re not going to hurt her.”
“Promise me you won’t let me. Promise me you’ll stop me no matter what it takes if I lose control.” Joseph stared hard at his brother, willing the other man to understand the fear that lived inside of him every second of every day that he’d one day lose control and hurt someone he loved.
* * * *
Jessup couldn’t believe what his brother was saying, what he was asking him to do. He didn’t believe for one minute that his twin could possibly harm their mate. Yes, he had changed since returning from overseas, but there was no way he would lose control of his wolf like that. Still, he could feel the fear in his twin that he would do just that.
“If it makes you feel better, I promise to make sure you never hurt Nessa, Joe. I will protect her with my life just as I know you will do the same.”
His brother relaxed, a breath of air leaving his lungs in a soft whoosh before he turned and continued putting away his things. Jessup carried one of his baskets over to do the same. They worked in silence for a few minutes until Joseph finished and stacked the empty baskets before sitting on the edge of the bed.
“We need to make a trip out to your place and bring your things back. You don’t have enough here to live on,” Jessup said.
“I’ll go and bring back most of it in a few days. I have enough for now. I’ll keep my place for when I need to get away.”
Jessup wanted to kick something. Joe was so fucking stubborn. The place he lived in wasn’t fit for a wolf, much less Joe. He’d told them over and over that it suited his wolf just fine. Jessup was sure he spent most of his time in his wolf form, and that wasn’t good for him to do. The longer someone spent in their shifted state, the harder it was to acclimate to being human again. It was why one of them periodically went out to check on him when he moved out there.
“Things are going to change, Joe, now that we have our mate. You’ll see. Once we’ve mated her, your wolf will settle and you’ll start to live again.” Jessup finished putting away his things and added his baskets to the stack Joseph had built.
He grabbed them and headed toward the front with them. He knew Joseph was following him though he didn’t say anything. His wolf’s hearing was sharp enough to pick up even his brother’s soft footsteps as they crossed the floor to the front door leading to the stairs.
“Let’s go wake up our mate. It’s nearly time for dinner,” he said when they’d started up the stairs.
* * * *
Nessa tried to help Lee and Even clean up after dinner, but they wouldn’t let her. When she turned away, disgusted with them, it was to find Jessup’s smug expression as he watched with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Joseph stood by the French doors with his back to them. She could tell by the tense set of his shoulders that something was bothering him more than usual. She couldn’t help but believe it was whatever her brother had said to him.
Jessup took her hand and led her out of the room and into the living area where he pulled her onto his lap when he sat on the couch. His arms encased her in a loose hug as he buried his face against her neck.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Inhaling your beauty, sweetness. It completes me.”
She honestly didn’t know what to say to that. Before she could answer, Levi, Aaron, and Galen walked in. They grabbed seats with Aaron snagging the remote on his wa
y past the TV. For the next ten minutes, they argued over what to watch, switching back and forth between stations until finally Levi growled when Aaron turned past the show he wanted. One growl was all it took for them to settle down and leave the TV alone. She shivered at how the sound had made her skin itch. She was surprised it hadn’t frightened her, but she wasn’t scared.
“Are you cold, sweetness?” Jessup asked.
“No. I’m fine. What is wrong with Joseph? He’s always so, I don’t know, tense, but now he’s upset over something. What did my brother say?”
Jessup hugged her tighter before whispering in her ear, “We’ll talk about it later. Joseph is—edgy.”
He hadn’t revealed anything she hadn’t already figured out for herself. To say that Joseph was edgy was an understatement as far as she was concerned. Her big scarred wolf was an enigma she was going to have to figure out if she was truly embracing their way of life. A way of life she still knew little about.
Nearly an hour later, Joseph appeared next to them on the couch. She hadn’t even noticed him enter the room, much less heard him when he sat down. He pulled her from his brother’s arms to his lap where he nuzzled her neck much as Jessup had done. Only with Joseph, it was more like a wild animal scenting its prey. Another round of shivers traveled over her skin. He didn’t ask if she was cold. Joseph merely stood up and carried her out of the room in a direction she’d never been before.
Nessa turned her head to look over his shoulder and was relieved to see Jessup following them. He gave her a reassuring wink that did little to calm her now racing heart. They descended a set of stairs that ended in a small alcove with three doors. Joseph crossed to the door on the far left and pressed in a series of numbers on a pad before opening the door. Though there was light from somewhere in another room, it wasn’t enough to allow her to see anything as they walked through other doorways into a massive bedroom where a single lamp burned.
