by Lori King
More recently there had been several wolves that had defected from the Diego pack, and joined the Gray pack. Devin had given much thought to the problems that it could cause if he took on members from his old nemesis’s pack, but after hearing some of the cruel bullying tactics that Barton was using, he acquiesced. One young female wolf had reached them, bloody and broken, after escaping an attempted rape by Barton’s beta wolf, Rolando. She had told them that Barton encouraged his beta to find a female he wanted, and not stop until she was well mated. Her tale of Barton drinking beer with the other male wolves while she was in the next room being viciously beaten boiled Devin’s blood. He looked forward to sinking his fangs into Barton’s tough hide and avenging her particularly.
This would likely be a fight to the death because the alternative was unbearable. Worst-case scenario, he lost and wasn’t killed, so he had to watch a mutt like Barton take over his pack, but he couldn’t think that way right now. He had to focus on Caroline, and introducing her to his family would definitely take his mind off of the dangers surrounding them.
He held her close, enjoying the skittering of his flesh as her fingers drew patterns on his upper thigh. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, and Devin didn’t want to invade her privacy so he resisted the urge to listen in. She was so warm, and welcoming to his friends. He loved how accepting she was of them, and how easily she seemed to be fitting into their lives. He prayed that she would be just as loving and accepting with the rest of his pack. The pack would accept her because of what she was to him, but he wouldn’t be able have peace if she didn’t accept them and their culture. No matter how much love he saw in her eyes, he couldn’t help but see the fear and sadness, too. She was still reeling from all of the trauma she had faced in the last few days, and he was afraid when the dust settled, she would turn tail and run. Shaking off his feelings of dread, he redirected his thoughts to what was happening in town.
What did you guys find, Damon?
Ryley and Liam are following the scent trail, and Owen is going over the house with Cash looking for any clues that will tell us this was Barton, but I don’t need more evidence. We all smelled him here. I know that’s who it was, Devin.
I’m in full agreement. Were you able to figure out what they were searching for?
Not yet, but there has been too much happening to go over the house with a fine-tooth comb for evidence. Once the police have taken the report, me and the guys will check it over top to bottom. I have to wonder if it was more for intimidation.
The attack and search of the house were both very personal. He wanted me to know he was in my house and that I was vulnerable.
No shit, did you see what they did to Caroline’s room?
Caroline couldn’t resist interjecting now, she had tried to keep quiet so that they wouldn’t know she was listening and she could learn more information.
What did they do to my room, Damon?
Shit. The brothers both groaned the same groan even though they were miles apart.
Tell me, Damon, please? I hate that you are hiding something from me.
No, beautiful. I’m not hiding anything, but I do want to protect you.
I need to know what we are facing, too. The delayed response told her how much he regretted having to share any of the details with her.
They tore your room up pretty bad, worse than the great room. The quilt was in tatters, and the chest of drawers was purposely broken into pieces. He paused, but sensing there was more, she prodded him.
And?
The bathrobe I bought for you was spread out over the bed with a knife stabbed into it, and they left a message on the wall for us. Devin growled at Damon’s words, and tightened his hold on Caroline as they drove. She stared at him wide-eyed waiting for Damon to finish.
What was the message Damon?
Caroline…
No, I need to know. What was the message?
“She dies first.”
Caroline couldn’t stop the gasp she let out any more than she could control the angry rage that settled over her. This fucker was threatening her and her men, and she would be damned if she was going to just sit back and let him.
Don’t worry, sugar, he’s just trying to scare us. Trust me, Damon and I will protect you with our lives. I will issue a legitimate challenge to him after we get to the den and I talk it over with the rest of the pack. I already know I have the boys’ support back there. Once you have searched the house, I want you all to head for the den, so that we can have a pack meeting to introduce Caroline.
Dev, are you sure we shouldn’t delay her introduction until after Barton is dealt with? Damon sounded skeptical about a celebration, and Caroline couldn’t stop the stab of pain in her chest. Was he trying to keep an opening to get out of this relationship if things didn’t work out as planned?
No. We must acknowledge the mating bond immediately. You know as well as I do that a wolf is stronger with its mate beside him.
All right. We’ll be there as fast as we can. I have to go talk with the police now that they finally got their asses here to take the report. Take care of our mate, Dev.
I love you, Damon. Caroline had to grit her teeth to keep from asking him to come to her. He was where he needed to be, and Devin was taking care of her. She couldn’t make him choose.
Love you, too, beautiful!
Devin, and Caroline both sat in silence, absorbed in their thoughts for several minutes after Damon’s last statement.
“If you challenge him, he has to fight you, right? He can’t back down from it?” she asked Devin bluntly. She needed answers so that she knew what they were facing.
“Yes.”
“To the death?” she pushed him, and she could see he didn’t want to answer.
“Yes. This fight can only end in death.” His jaw clenched, and she could see the muscles jumping.
“Will you win?” she whispered.
“Yes.” His response was arrogant and cocky, but she believed that he believed it. She didn’t respond to him, but continued to watch him. He swallowed hard, and she could see his Adam’s apple bob in his throat.
“Stop doubting me, sugar. Barton doesn’t understand that I have a secret weapon that he couldn’t hope to find. I have you to live for, and I will fight with everything I have to make sure I can spend the rest of my life with you.” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. She moved to stroke his hair back from his face, and she watched him as she watched the road. A momentary flare of panic at his words of forever hit her gut, and she forced it back down. Devin didn’t need to be worried about her commitment issues right now.
“Good. So when do we get home? I’m exhausted.” She yawned and stretched, and he laughed. The mood considerably lighter, he answered her.
“Right up ahead, sugar. You should start seeing wolves shortly. The pack owns the land we are on right now. Actually we own about 500 acres of land around here and farther west. That gives us plenty of room to run and enjoy our wolf forms when we feel the urge.”
“How many wolves are in the pack, Devin?” She was curious at how large her new family would be.
“About ninety of us right now, but we have a couple of females pregnant, and we just accepted a few new members recently.”
“Wow! Are there wolf packs everywhere?” He grinned at her as she questioned him. Her body was lit with nervous excitement as she tried to put all of this new information together in her head.
“There are only seven packs in the lower forty-eight states of the US, and another one up in Alaska. There are several other packs around the world though. We are one of the largest and oldest wolf packs. Now, watch out the window, and you should be able to pick up movement soon.” He pointed out the front window indicating the soft glow of the truck’s headlights. She twisted back around to face out the windows into the black night. How did he possibly think she would see anything in the dark? And then she saw.
She could see dark shapes moving throu
gh the trees on both sides of her. They had turned onto a gravel road that was leading deeper into the woods, and as the shapes moved closer to her, she could see clearly they were wolves. Their eyes flashed in the headlights, and they seemed to be keeping pace with the truck, just following them.
They rounded a corner, and sitting before Caroline was the most beautiful log cabin she had ever seen. It was enormous, and it had huge solid-glass windows running the length of the front porch which wrapped around the side of the building. There were wolves all over the porch, and coming out of the front door of the cabin as well.
She took a deep breath, and, gripping Devin’s hand tightly, they got out of the truck. A large black wolf moved swiftly toward them, and she watched as it change into a tall, lanky man with the same chocolate-brown hair covering his head and chest. She felt the blush on her cheeks as she looked away from his nudity. Obviously they were much more comfortable with being naked around here than she was. That would take some getting used to.
He stepped up to hug Devin, and then turned to her. After a quick once-over he wrapped her into a hug as well.
“Welcome, daughter!” he said loudly as he pulled back to look into her eyes. He had warm, friendly green eyes that took her in and immediately made her forget that he was completely naked. She felt welcome, and she smiled back at Devin’s father.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Aww hell, I’m Jim to you, sweetie. We don’t call anyone sir around here!” He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and turned her to meet a small woman with dark-bronze skin and midnight-black hair. Thankfully she was wearing clothing. Caroline knew before introduction who the woman was, and she smiled at her warmly.
“Welcome, Caroline. I’m Sienna, Devin and Damon’s mother. I’m so happy to finally meet you.” She placed her hand on Caroline’s jaw, and kissed her softly on the cheek. Caroline felt tears burning her eyes at the easy way these two accepted her and seemed to love her without question. “Don’t mind my Jim, dear. He hasn’t ever been human so he doesn’t understand the modesty issues they have.”
“Thank you, I’m happy to meet you, too,” she responded automatically to the openness of the greeting. Her brows lifted at the indication that Sienna might understand being a human. She would have to ask Devin more about that later.
I told you they would love you, beautiful.
Hush, Damon. I need to get to know your family now. Come home soon, I miss you.
Yeah, I miss you, too. I can’t wait to get you up on your knees so that I can show you how much.
She could hear the laughter in his voice as her pulse sped up at his words. It had only been about two hours since she had had him in the truck, but she craved his touch already. She wished desperately she could find a way to sneak out with Devin to scratch the itch in her womb. Based on the number of werewolves surrounding them as they moved into the cabin, it wasn’t looking like it would happen soon.
“Come now, Caroline. I have a feeling that you are tired and would probably like a bath and your bed. Most of the pack is in this yard just to catch a quick glimpse of you, but we can do introductions tomorrow. Let me show you to Devin’s room so that you can rest, and we will talk more in the morning when you are refreshed.” Sienna had one arm looped through Caroline’s, and the other around Devin’s trim waist. Devin had wrapped his arm around his mother’s shoulders, and even though he had to stoop to reach the small woman, he kissed the top of her head.
“Thank you for understanding, Mama. My mate has been through a lot in the last few days, and faces much more in the next several.” His relieved voice echoed in Caroline’s ears, and she sighed her own pleasure at the promise of a soft bed.
“I have no doubt she has been through the ringer with my boys as her mates.” Sienna winked at Caroline, and they both laughed. Caroline couldn’t help the soft blush that rose on her cheeks at the double meaning in his mother’s words.
“Not exactly what I meant.” He had the good graces to look slightly shamefaced before he kissed Caroline gently and nudged her to follow his mother. “Go with Mama, sugar, and I will be up shortly.”
Sienna led Caroline up a grand log staircase to a landing, and Caroline couldn’t help but gape at the view of the great room from above. The landing at the top of the stairs was a loft that held a pool table, a foosball table and several pub tables with bar stools. A large TV hugged one wall and faced a comfortable-looking couch. There were two separate hallways leading off of the landing in either direction, and she could see that there were multiple doors off of each hallway. She wondered if all of those doors were bedrooms. Hanging high over the two-story great room was a large chandelier that was simple but elegant, and held at least one hundred lights. The massive windows that wrapped the front of the house reflected back the light, making the huge space seem cozy somehow. This cabin was bigger than any home she had ever been in, and it was overwhelming.
Caroline must have looked a bit overwhelmed as she took it all in, because Sienna gripped her hand tighter and said, “This is our home, Caroline, and I know it seems like a lot all at once, but I hope you feel welcome here. I have dreamed of the day that my boys would take a mate, and I’m so happy to have you here.”
“Thank you, Sienna. I love the guys so much, but I haven’t agreed to forever with them. I told them I needed a little more time to think everything through. I’m not sure how much more I can take. I have had so many things change in my life in the last forty-eight hours, and I feel like it’s all been a dream. Like tomorrow when I wake up I will still be in my little apartment, and I will have overslept and be late for my shift at the hospital.” They laughed together as Sienna led her down one of the hallways to the very last door, and stopped.
“It’s not a dream, dear, and I for one am glad. Whether or not you have accepted their offer of forever will not change the fate you are destined for. A wolf knows its mate by the link they share in their soul. I am glad to hear that my boys are smart enough to allow you time to adjust to this new life. Now, let’s get you settled in for tonight so that you can rest, and we will talk more in the morning.” She opened the door to a massive bedroom, and ushered Caroline in. She rushed through the room and turned on a gas fireplace that was at the foot of the king-size bed. “Brr…It’s chilly up here. No one uses Devin’s room when he’s not here, so we have kept it closed up until today. There are clean sheets on the bed, and fresh towels in the bathroom. I expect he will be up shortly with a change of clothes for you. Would you like anything else? A cup of tea before bed perhaps?”
“Oh, thank you, but no. I think I will just take a quick shower and go to bed. I’m really exhausted.” She stood awkwardly as Sienna smiled at her, and then Sienna pulled her into her small arms and gave her a loving hug. Caroline gripped her back tightly and clenched her eyes shut against the sting of tears. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect mother-in-law.
As Sienna pulled back, she kissed Caroline on the cheek softly and said “All right, good night, dear.” And then she hustled out of the room closing the door behind her.
Caroline spun around in a circle throwing her arms out with a huge smile and laugh. What a wonderful welcome to this new life. She stood for a moment in front of the heat of the fireplace, and then took to exploring her new room. The bed was enormous, and was covered in another lovely handmade quilt that was made up of tiny diamond-shaped pieces of fabric. She ran her hand over the stitching, wondering how many hours the piece had taken, and who might have put so much love into it. There was a sitting area by the bay window that had a small loveseat and a wingback chair in it, and she could see a bookshelf tucked in a corner that held an array of hardback books. She would definitely have to explore that later, she assured herself.
She drifted into the bathroom. It was masculine, all metal and stone, angles and hard lines. It had granite counters, an enormous open shower with multiple showerheads, and a free-standing soaking tub. All thoughts of a quick shower flew out of her mind when sh
e laid eyes on that tub, and she instantly started the water running to filling it up. She found some soap, shampoo, and conditioner in the cabinet under the sink, and she stripped her clothes off to settle in for a long soak.
As she lay in the tub, her thoughts jumped all over the place. She wondered what Devin and Damon were doing. This tub was enormous, and they could probably all three fit. She shivered at the heat that idea caused in her loins. She let her mind wander over her feelings for them.
They fit her so well, and she was so comfortable with them. Like a well-worn pair of jeans, they molded to her, and she wondered if she actually fit them just as well. She knew that they had told her they wanted to keep her forever, but what did forever really mean? She had a job, and bills, and responsibilities. This fantasy had been amazing, and she wanted so badly to continue on living a carefree existence made of loving her men and nothing else, but she didn’t push herself through nursing school just to walk away from it. She was a damn good nurse, and she knew it, so if the twins thought she was going to just give up herself to be their mate, they were way off base.
She needed to talk to them, but she was scared of what their answers would be. They were so affectionate and caring that it blew her mind. She had never felt so feminine with any other man, and they were insistent on taking care of her. While she appreciated their protective nature, she was afraid that they might want her to be more submissive and fragile to appease their ego. That’s how her last boyfriend had been. He wanted her to simper and praise him all the time. There was no way she was going to just let a man lead her around by her nose like that again. She had a backbone, and more confidence now than she had had right after her parents died.
