Arielle and the Three Wolves (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Dani April

  She left Jason asleep in the bed. A long warm shower followed. It had been a long time since she washed away the remains of sex from between her legs. It felt strange this morning, but not bad.

  She dressed inside the bathroom and came back to the bedroom to gather her shoes. Jason was awake. He motioned her over, and she bent to give him a kiss.

  “I’m late for work,” she told him, and hurried to find her shoes in the closet.

  “I’ll call my brothers today and let them know I’m still alive. Leave your phone please,” he said. As always, he gave her a command. She didn’t mind, and got her phone out of her bag and handed it across the sheets to him.

  “Call me sometime today and let me know how it went with your brothers?” she asked him.

  He pulled her down to him for one more kiss before he would let her leave the bedroom. “I miss the wolf,” she told him. “But if I get you in exchange, then it was a good bargain.”

  The half-hour drive into Wolf Creek was like none she’d had before. Today she was happy, and everything she passed on the road into town looked fresh and new and alive. That was how she felt, like she was alive for the first time in several years. She wanted to call her sister and let her know what had happened to her, but that would have to wait until tonight. The long-distance charge on her landline at the clinic made the call prohibitive.

  Her day at the clinic passed at a snail’s pace. All she wanted to do was get back home and see Jason. She wanted to see which of the clothes she had bought for him yesterday he wore, and wanted him to tell her how he had passed his day, and to see if his leg was still on the mend, and to know if he still used the cane she fetched for him in the forest behind her house. She also was curious to find out how his talk with his two larger-than-life brothers had gone. Most of all she wanted him to hold her.

  That afternoon, Natalie, the town real estate agent, dropped by. She had helped Arielle buy the clinic and was after her now that she knew Arielle was interested to sell the place. She was about ten years older than Arielle and talked in a husky voice that her clients just couldn’t say no to.

  “I’ve got exciting news,” Natalie told Arielle. There was a lull in her business, and Arielle had a few minutes to stand and talk with her. “Pet Brands, the big animal food corporation on the West Coast, wants to move to Wolf Creek, and they want to buy the clinic from you. They can offer you top dollar for this place. You’ll make a killing.”

  Last week this would have been big news to Arielle. Now she had no interest whatsoever. She only smiled at her friend. “I’m sorry, Nat,” she said. “I know I told you last month I was thinking about selling and moving back to St. Louis, but I’ve reconsidered. I think I’ll give Wolf Creek another chance.”

  “Oh, my God, what happened, honey?” Natalie said, and sat down with Arielle.

  Arielle shrugged. “I’ve just had a change of heart.”

  Arielle knew Natalie saw right through her. “Are you seeing someone?” she asked her, and her tone was conspiratorial.

  Arielle just smiled and nodded. She knew her smile was too big and probably looked silly. But she felt happy today and wouldn’t let anything get to her.

  “How long have you known him?”

  “I haven’t known him very long. Only about a month now,” Arielle said, and wondered if that was really true. She had known the wolf for a month. She had only known Jason for a day. But what a day it had been.

  “Well, you look happy, honey.”

  “I’m just trying to take things slow, but I am happy right now.”

  “Who is he? Maybe I know him.” Natalie persisted in her questions. Wolf Creek was a small town, and everyone seemed to know everyone else.

  “His name is Jason. He owns a cattle ranch in a valley up in the mountains.”

  “Is he from Shifter Valley?” Natalie asked suspiciously.

  “Yes. That’s the one.”

  “Well, good luck with that.” Natalie didn’t stay long afterward, and Arielle got on with her day. She thought there had been a strange tone to her friend’s voice as soon as she had found out Jason lived in Shifter Valley. Apparently the people who lived there had a reputation around the small town. The shifters were strange, Arielle had to admit that, so little wonder they would have earned the reputation. But that was all a part of what she had to accept about Jason. That’s how she would make the relationship work if she wanted it bad enough, and she wanted it very badly.

  Arielle waited all afternoon for Jason to call her, but he never did. She felt a little disappointed and could hardly resist the urge to pick up her land line at the clinic and give him a call. But she held out against the desire to call him. It did make for a long afternoon.

  She broke the speed laws as she drove back home to Jason that night. She could hardly wait to see him. The thought of someone at home for her when she got there was a novel idea and left her with a warm feeling inside.

  Jason didn’t disappoint her. He was there to give her a hug and a kiss in the living room as soon as she got inside the door. He hobbled out on his cane, the one she had retrieved from the forest for him the day before. He was still slow as he walked around her house, and the expression on his face told her he was still in some pain from the broken leg.

  “How was your day?” he asked her while she was still in his arms.

  “Thank you,” she said, and rested her head against his chest.

  “For what?”

  “It feels good to have someone ask me that. It feels good to know someone cares.”

  He held her for a few moments longer. “I’m starving,” he finally told her. “What’s for dinner?”

  She told him. “Coming right up,” she said, and squirmed out of his arms to retrieve the grocery sack she had set down on the coffee table and ran out to the kitchen. Now that she had another person to cook for, she would have to stop by the store on her way home from work every night.

  As she was in the process of the dinner preparation, she heard her cell phone ring out in the living room. It was still with Jason. He answered it on the second tone. She listened from out of the kitchen.

  “Just a minute,” he said, and limped out to the kitchen with the phone in his hand. “It’s for you,” he told her, and handed it over.

  “Hello?” Arielle spoke into the phone.

  “Who was that answering your phone, sis?” Bethany asked her from the other end. This was Monday night and their night to have sister talk.

  “Oh, hey, Beth,” Arielle greeted her. “That was my friend, Jason.”

  “Jason?” Bethany seemed flabbergasted. “I’ve never heard you talk about him before, and what’s he doing with your phone?”

  “Actually it’s a little complicated, Beth. But I’ve known Jason for about a month now.”

  “Doesn’t he have a phone of his own?”

  Arielle was busy with the rice for dinner. It sizzled in the frying pan as she held the phone up to her ear with her shoulder. “Jason needed to borrow my phone today to call his brothers. I told you it’s a little complicated, Beth.”

  “Well, I’ve got all night. Let’s talk.”

  “For once I don’t have all night to talk. I’m making dinner for Jason now, and I’ve got to go.” Arielle smiled and thought she’d change the subject. “Have you thought of any more names for the baby yet?”

  “Not yet, but I want to hear more about Jason.”

  Arielle looked over her shoulder to make sure Jason couldn’t hear her. He was watching the TV in the living room and was out of earshot. “He’s something else. I don’t even know how to describe him.”

  “Sounds like you like him?”

  “I do, but right now I’ve got to get back to dinner.”

  “Call me and let me know what’s happening.”

  “Yeah, I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you, kid.” Arielle closed her phone. She was surprised at the new energy she found in her voice when she talked to her kid sister. She was so happy. She didn’t want to l
ose this happiness.

  At the dinner table that night, she expected Jason to bring up the conversation he’d had with his brothers. She remembered what he had told her the night before in bed. He wanted her to have sex with them, too. Surely she had misunderstood him. She had been worn out from the rough sex and had not understood what he meant. He couldn’t want her to have sex with his brothers, but anyway, she was still interested to know how his call to them had gone that day.

  Finally, when he did not bring it up, she could wait no longer and asked him. She cleared her throat and started in what she hoped was a casual manner. “I bought you a TracFone today. It’s pretty cheap, but I thought you could use it while you’re here. That way I can have my phone back tomorrow.”

  “Yes, that’s fine. Thank you,” he said. He seemed preoccupied.

  “So how did it go with your brothers today?” she asked, and found she was afraid of what his answer would be.

  “My brothers are still there,” he said. She thought his reply was odd.

  “So they know you’re not dead now.”

  “They never thought I was dead.”

  “They must have been relieved to have heard from you.”

  “I think they had it figured out already where I was. My brothers can be pretty cunning when they have to be.”

  “That’s true. They seemed to know you were staying here when they first came by. If I had only known you were here at that time, I could have been more helpful to them.”

  Jason laughed as he chewed his food. “Yeah, they’re still mad at you about that.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know who they were then.”

  “Don’t worry. They’ll get over it.” He had finished his plate. He set it aside and looked across the table at her. “Have you thought anymore about what we talked about last night?”

  She chewed her food and looked down. She didn’t want to meet his eyes, and she refused to answer him. A flush of embarrassment came over her.

  “You know, Arielle, a shifter doesn’t just have a relationship,” he explained to her. “We mate, and we mate for life. Our family units are too important to be casual about who we take in.”

  “Last night you asked me to have sex with your brothers,” she said. She couldn’t look him in the eye when she said this. There were nervous butterflies in her stomach, and she knew her voice had taken on a tone of accusation.

  “That’s right,” he said simply. “If you’re with me, you’re also with them. We’re a family.”

  “I told you I wouldn’t do that, Jason.”

  “I know for a conventional woman like you it’s a big step, but for a shifter it’s only natural.”

  She felt a lump in her throat. “I’m not a shifter, Jason. There’s nothing natural about having sex with three men to me.”

  “It isn’t just about the sex, Arielle,” Jason said. She thought it sounded like he explained himself to a child. This made her angrier. “I love my brothers. They are my family. Families are about love. If you’re with me then you’ll become a member of my family.”

  She slammed her fork down on the table. “I could be a part of your family without fucking your brothers, Jason.” She got up from her chair and gathered the dishes to take to the dishwasher.

  “Do you want to have children someday, Arielle? Do you want to have a normal family?” he asked her.

  “Yes.” Her reply was almost inaudible as she worked to clear off the table.

  “So do I,” he said. “I had two fathers when I was growing up. They were both shifters and brothers, but my mother was human the same as you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” She looked at him with a suspicious glare, but stopped her work.

  “Shifters aren’t like regular people. We have our own way of living life. It’s a part of our heritage.”

  “I know that or you wouldn’t have turned into a wolf.”

  “Sharing a woman with my brothers, and sharing her as a mate is important to me. I haven’t found her yet. I was hoping it would be you. When I find her we’ll live on my ranch in the valley for the remainder of our lives and have a family. We’ll be a family. We’ll be happy and always have love. Shifters know who they are. Most of the time I don’t think regular people really do.”

  “Oh, my God,” Arielle exclaimed and set down the dishes. “How can you even want that with your brothers?”

  “How can the ability to turn into a wolf be possible?” he countered her question.

  She sat back down at the table with him. Her head spun. This was their first fight. It was as unorthodox as the rest of their relationship had been. She put her head in her hands and leaned her elbows on the table. She was dejected. Their relationship suddenly seemed so impossible.

  “We’re from two different worlds, Jason,” she told him.

  “I had hoped you would try for me, Arielle. You said you would do what I told you.”

  She looked up at him. “I’ve tried to do everything I can for you, Jason. I’ve never said no to you. I have done everything you’ve told me to do.”

  “But you can’t accept me for what I am?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t have sex with your brothers, Jason.”

  “You’re scared again, Arielle,” he said and reached across the table to take her hands up in his own.

  “You’re damn right I’m scared,” she answered.

  His leg must have hurt him because he did not get up from his chair. Instead he pulled her over to him. She sat in his lap and put her arms around him. He held her against him, and she rested her head against his shoulder. She had to fight back the tears. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

  “I never knew I was submissive before,” she told him. “I’ve never been submissive with another man.”

  “You never met the right man.”

  “I think you’re right.” She put her arms around his shoulders. “God knows I’d do anything for you, Jason. But I can’t do what you’re asking me to do. It isn’t fair to me, and it isn’t fair to your brothers. How do you know? Maybe they wouldn’t even like me.”

  “You would fit in very well as a member of our family. Everyone would love you. If you came with us, our whole world would revolve around you.”

  She laughed and sniffed back her tears. “It sounds wonderful. I wish I was a different person. If your brothers are anything like you, then I know they’re good men. But I just can’t do what you’re asking of me. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s the way we live, Arielle. It’s my heritage. I can’t give it up.”

  “And I can’t give up my principles. The life you’re asking me to live is just too different from anything I had ever imagined. I could never handle it. So I guess we’re at an impasse.”

  They made love again that night. She felt aggressive and ground down on him with her pussy as she rode him from on top. He came inside of her, and his eruption in her body triggered her own climax. After it was over she lay in his arms and listened to the soft sound of his breath and the beat of his heart inside his rib cage as he slept. It took her hours to fall asleep. Her mind wrestled with the impossible proposition he had made for her. The only glimmer of hope she had was that he would change his mind because she knew she would never change hers. Finally she slept, but she was restless and tossed and turned at his side all night.

  The next day at the clinic she was in a bad mood all day, and even found herself in an argument with one of her customers, something she never did. They had brought their German shepherd in to be treated for an infection but didn’t have the money to pay right away. Arielle suggested they come back when they had the money, and they argued that she did not care about animals. This angered her, and she responded unkindly. Later she regretted her words and called them back to apologize and arrange an appointment for their dog.

  The day seemed like it would never end. Her sister called her at lunch. She provided her with a brief sketch of Jason and then told her she did not have time to talk. She
could only imagine what her sister would have thought if she knew Jason had asked her to go to bed with his brothers. She was embarrassed to even think about it and would never tell anyone. Then again she could never tell anyone Jason was a shape-shifter and that when she had first met him he was in the form of a wolf. Too many things about Jason Wildback sounded crazy when spoken about in the open. As wonderful as their brief relationship had been, Arielle started to have serious doubts as to whether she could ever fully accept Jason for what he really was. She had acted impulsively and jumped into bed with him because she had been lonely and lived without the touch of a man for too long. Of course Jason was also well built and handsome, and those qualities had added to her impetuous behavior.

  Arielle drove home slowly that night in no hurry to get there. She and Jason would have to have a talk, and she had no desire to rush into it. A stab of pain hit her when she thought about what she would have to say to him.

  When she arrived home, the truck of Kyle and Luke Wildback was once again parked out in front. She should have expected this. They had been so desperate to find their brother earlier. Now that they knew where he was, she marveled that they had stayed away this long.

  She went through her house, but the guys were not inside. When she got to the kitchen she saw they were in the backyard. Jason was seated on one of her lawn chairs, his injured leg held out in front of him. The two brothers had opened her gas grill on the patio. She had only rarely used it since she moved into the house. She came out the back door and smelled the barbeque in the air. The brothers had brought over hamburger meat, and it was on the grill.

  Arielle was self-conscious the moment she stepped up to them. The first time she met them, things had not gone well. She didn’t know what to say to them. She gave Jason a squeeze on his shoulder, and he patted her hand.

  “Kyle and Luke came by to bring me some clothes,” Jason told her.

  She nodded to the brothers. Neither of them smiled.

  “I know you already met them before, but considering that was a rather awkward meeting, perhaps introductions are still in order,” Jason said. “Get over here, guys, and meet Arielle,” he commanded them. Arielle smiled to herself when she saw the alpha in Jason come out. “This is Kyle,” Jason introduced the tallest man. He shook hands with her. She got a better look at him now. He was handsome with well-defined facial features and looked a lot like Jason. He was younger than Jason, and she thought probably one or two years younger than she was. The expression on his face was unreadable. “And this ornery cowboy is my kid brother, Luke,” Jason introduced his other brother. Luke was the huge man. He had to have worked out his whole life because he had the body of an athlete. He was so solid it looked like he was made of steel. He wore a fiery expression on his face, and Arielle thought if her previous conversation with him had been any indication, that he was probably quick tempered and easy to anger. He was in his early twenties, but was no kid, with a wary look of maturity out of his eyes. She would not want this big man mad at her.