by Alicia White
Instinctively, she backed away. She didn’t have many options at this moment. She could either fight, run like hell, or shift and submit to her two mates. She chose to run like hell. She wasn’t ready to be a mate, not tonight at least, and she really didn’t want to fight against two powerful sentries. They would chase her. She knew that, and she admitted that she wanted them to.
As she turned to flee, she glimpsed powerful muscles bunch, ripple. Howls rent the air, sounding both challenging and forceful. Unease rippled down Emily’s back at the meaning of the sound. It was a warning announcing that she would be claimed. Luckily, she knew these woods like the back of her hand, which was her only advantage at this moment.
* * * *
Cole knew his beautiful mate was going to bolt. For a second, he actually thought she might shift and let them claim her. “Hoped” was more accurate. After she left her Alpha’s home, he and Charlie sat in the guest room, talking. There were no answers in sight. Feeling agitated and stressed out, they decided to take a run.
Emily’s scent hung in the air, and without conscious thought, they ended up at her house. He stood next to his brother in their wolf form and hoped to get a sneak peak of his mate. They were just about to head back when a window was pushed open. In the next moment, their very naked mate appeared before shifting into a beautiful, little polar bear and heading into the woods.
They followed her at a safe distance, watching. With their training, it was easy to go unnoticed until they wanted her to see and sense them.
He watched her retreat, stilling his natural impatience. His need for his mate was strong. He’d been without her for too long, but that was going to change. This female intrigued him, but more than that, her scent called to him, demanding action. He looked over at Charlie and gave a slight nod. They would act as one.
They gave her a head start, letting her believe that she was escaping them. They started to follow at a careful distance. Her independence was a turn-on. Most of the females in their pack wouldn’t have gone out on a run alone and they wouldn’t have hunted down a deer. She was fierce. Was that her personality or was it all the bear? He would need more time to get to know his mate.
He paused at the edge of the woods, allowing the darkness to shield him as he watched her. Her body transformed right before his eyes. The white fur turned into long, streaming blonde hair that flowed down her back, stopping right above her delicious ass. Perfectly white, creamy skin glowed in the moonlight. She was completely breathtaking with large breasts, a firm tummy, narrow hips, and slender, long legs. He would make a feast out of her. His mouth watered as he thought about all the things he wanted to do to her delicious body.
She paused beside the house, appearing to be comfortable in her nudity, and looked over her shoulder. Could she sense them? Did she know that they were watching her even now? Was she hoping to give them an eyeful? Cole could feel his heart slamming into his chest as she bent…God, that’s a view to die for…and pulled herself up into her bedroom window.
Looking over at his brother, he saw his tongue hanging out of his mouth, panting. That woman, that goddess, belonged to them. Tomorrow was a new day. She would be coming home with them. She would be in their territory and he couldn’t wait. Anticipation zipped through his system, and Cole lifted his head up and howled.
Chapter 5
Emily woke up just as the sun was peeking up above the horizon. She lay in bed enjoying the silence. She didn’t want to get up. She didn’t want to drive hours to see her new home. Scratch that, it wasn’t her home, it was their home. She felt numb inside and hated more than anything that her life was changing. No more of the routines she was used to, going into Mack’s to work, or meeting Chloe, Katie, or Emma for girl’s night. Nothing would ever be the same again.
Reluctantly, Emily climbed out of bed. She went to the window and looked out, watching as the sun’s rays poured through the trees, making the snow glisten like small, twinkling lights. It was a beautiful sight and always reminded her of Christmas for some reason. That was her favorite time of year. Exhaling loudly, she closed the blinds, cutting off the memories she had here. In this moment, she wasn’t excited about the past. She was mourning her home and her life as she knew it.
Emily quickly got dressed, shoving her legs into the pair of jeans she wore the day before and grabbing her T-shirt from the floor. Yes, this was her little way to rebel. She wouldn’t be taking a shower, doing her make-up, or wearing perfume. This was the only thing she controlled at this moment. It may have seemed silly, but she just needed a small bit of power. She didn’t care if Cole and Charlie accepted her or not. In fact, her life might be a tad easier if they didn’t.
Who knows what they thought of her after last night. She hadn’t expected to come face to face with them in the woods. Two gorgeous wolves, and she had run. Shaking her head in disgust, Emily rubbed her eyes, still feeling quite tired. She didn’t get much sleep. She had tossed and turned thinking of Cole and Charlie. Why did they have to be so good looking? Why did the smell of them set her body on fire?
A knock at the door drew her attention, and Emily jerked her head up. “Yeah?”
Thomas poked his head in. “Are you packed?”
“Yeah.” She tilted her head and motioned to the floor where her bag sat.
Stepping into her room, he grabbed the handle on her suitcase before once again leaving her in peace. She stood there staring at the place he’d once been. Why wasn’t he being the understanding protector that he usually was? Why was he throwing her to the wolves? She shrieked and stomped her foot. Literally…he’s tossing my ass to the wolves.
Stomping out of her room, she headed toward the front door. From the big picture window, she could see Thomas loading their bags into his truck. That was a good sign. Maybe she wouldn’t be stuck driving with Cole and Charlie after all. That bit of information perked her up a bit. She couldn’t imagine being stuck in a vehicle with them. The smell alone, their delicious mate scent, would kill her.
* * * *
Charlie was a man who normally kept to himself, or at least he tried to. He preferred to stay in the background. He had the “I don’t care” look down to a T. His twin on the other hand was the talker. He was smooth. Charlie didn’t have any issue with letting him take the lead. For most of their lives it had been that way. Today, he was wound tight.
Cole drove toward their mate’s home, and although he did his best to appear relaxed, he was anything but. Charlie stared out the passenger-side window thinking about Emily’s beautiful, lithe body. When they had been surrounded by bears in the woods, she had shifted, but he was paying close attention to their surroundings, preparing for a fight. Last night was a different story. She shifted and her thick white coat disappeared, showing him the expanse of creamy, white skin. Skin he wanted to lick, bite, and kiss.
He panted, his tongue out of his mouth. It was a “tasting-her-fragrance” sort of panting. Never in his life had a woman affected him so strongly. He wanted to run to her, throw her to the ground and claim her. It took every bit of willpower he had to dig his claws into the hard ground and not let the wolf have what he desperately wanted to take.
“You’re awful quiet,” Cole said, breaking through his silence.
“Yeah.” He really didn’t know what to say.
There were so many different thoughts running through his mind. Would Emily come back to their territory? That was at the forefront, besides of course thinking about her full ass. Damn, that ass. He wanted to sink his teeth into it and leave his mark of ownership behind. Then he wanted to lick and kiss it better.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.”
Cole let out a frustrated sigh. “She’ll be packed and ready. Her brother guaranteed it and so did her Alpha.”
Charlie only grunted in response. He didn’t want to delve into this conversation. He didn’t want to get his hopes up that she would in fact be waiting for them. He planned for the worst-case
scenario. Always had and probably always would. It just didn’t make any sense getting ones hopes up when other folks generally let you down. At least, Emily’s response to them had.
In all of his years, being part of a pack and a shifter, he’d never once heard of a mate rejection. In fact, his Alphas, Gabe and Josh Wolff, were mated to a human. He understood her initial concerns and fears, as she wasn’t raised around shifters, didn’t even know they existed for most of her life. Emily, though, was different. She wasn’t human, she wasn’t some fragile little flower that didn’t understand. She was a full-grown woman and a polar shifter. This whole mating concept should be quite easy to grasp and accept.
When Cole pulled the truck off the main road and headed toward Emily’s place, Charlie sat up straight. As they got closer, he noticed Emily standing on the porch, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked upset, and Charlie could only shake his head. Here we go again. He just hoped that she didn’t run. He didn’t want to take her back home kicking and screaming, but he would. Hell, he would do whatever it took.
The truck stopped and Charlie glanced over at his brother. He shoved the truck in park and then shut the engine off, the whole while staring out the windshield.
“Huh…that’s interesting,” Cole murmured, and Charlie looked back, wondering what the hell he was missing. When he didn’t respond, Cole continued, “Thomas is already in his truck.”
Charlie looked from the patio to the truck and realized that her brother was inside already ready to go. So, what was Emily doing? Women…he’d never understand. Her face was scrunched up, and it looked like she was ready for either a major tantrum or an argument. Neither of which he wanted to deal with.
“Let’s go find out what’s going on,” Cole grumbled as he opened his door.
* * * *
Emily was pissed. She stood on the porch, arms crossed, fuming. Cole and Charlie drove up the long driveway slowly. At first, she had wanted to run to Thomas’s truck and ask him once more to unlock the door, but she refused to look weak in front of her mates. Thomas was being a stubborn ass. After loading their luggage, he jumped in his truck and locked the doors. It was so bizarre. She went to him, knocking on the window, and he would only shake his head, completely refusing to even speak to her. She knew then that he was making a statement. She wouldn’t be driving to northern Minnesota with him. If that was case, then she wasn’t going.
Her feet firmly in place, she planned for two scenarios. One, her mates would argue, give up, and leave. Two, Thomas would relent and let her inside. Either way, it was a win-win. The truck doors opened, and Cole and Charlie stepped out. They reached her in a few long strides.
“Good morning, sweetheart. What seems to be the problem?” the talker, Cole, asked. He seemed to be the chosen “leader” between the two men. His voice calm and even, unlike his twin who seemed to be a bit gruffer.
“I’m not going today. My brother locked me out of the truck.”
“Is that right?” Charlie grunted.
He actually kind of sneered, and she wondered if he was asking the question to get an answer. His tone implied he wasn’t. Feeling a bit pissed, she decided to give him an answer anyway. Moving her hands to her hips, Emily stared at him.
“Yeah, that’s right. I’m not going with you! I only fuckin’ agreed to go because of my brother and idiotic Alpha. I don’t want to.”
Her rant was met by silence. She expected something, but both men turned toward each other before once again turning back toward her. It was kind of creepy. They didn’t even speak, but it seemed like they just had a whole conversation.
“There’s no reason to curse at us. We haven’t done anything wrong, Emily. We’re your mates and I’m pretty sure we’ve been quite gentle with you. In fact, we welcomed your brother, Thomas, to come along. I don’t see the problem.” Cole spoke calmly and clearly, which actually kind of pissed her off. She didn’t want nice. She wanted to stay home and she wanted them to leave.
“I didn’t fuckin’ choose any of this.” She looked from Cole to Charlie and smirked. She could see their jaws tighten and decided to push it a bit further. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” She used the same calm tone that Cole used on her.
He moved faster than she even expected. One minute she was standing on the porch quite proud of herself and the next she was thrown over a pair of very strong thighs. She froze for only a minute and then started fighting and screaming. That didn’t stop Charlie. No, that man smacked her ass. Hard. He didn’t say one word, which made the whole thing a bit scarier. He just swatted her ass at least ten times, and Emily yelled and kicked out her legs.
Next thing she knew, she was standing on shaky legs on the porch. Emily didn’t look up, she couldn’t. Her boots were far more interesting and, of course, she was beyond mortified. Her brother hadn’t said one word, never even opened his truck door. He didn’t stop these barbarians from spanking her. She was losing her whole life and nobody cared. The seriousness of the situation sunk in, and she knew that nothing was going to change her fate.
“Emily, go get in the truck. We need to get on the road. It’s a long drive.” Again it was Cole that spoke, his voice still calm, and that frustrated her, but she said nothing.
Tightening her jaw, she stepped off the porch and headed to their truck. She lifted her head, her posture perfect, and walked straight there, never once looking in Thomas’s direction. She was so pissed, hurt, betrayed. The worst thing of all…that damn spanking had been one of the most exciting moments of her life. Charlie. She couldn’t stay here, and she wouldn’t be staying in Minnesota. Nope, first chance she got, she was leaving. She’d rather be alone.
Emily opened the back door of the extended cab and stepped in, slamming the door behind her. She buckled up before pushing the lock down and stared out the side window. The truck doors opened and she froze, muscles going tense. Neither of them said a word, and for that she was glad. She didn’t want to sit through idle chitchat, and she definitely didn’t want to have a conversation.
Chapter 6
Three Days Later
It had been the longest drive of Cole’s life. Who knew that silence could last that long? His brother wasn’t the type to chat, and Emily was still upset, or she was punishing them for bringing her to Minnesota. Damn it, why the hell did things need to be so difficult? She hadn’t said one peep, not one damn word. Every stop they made along the way was full of tense moments. They slept, ate, and drove in silence. Even the radio hadn’t provided any real entertainment for him. His irritation level was rising.
Now, they were headed south on Highway 53 and were almost to their destination. North Ridge was their home, a small community located in northern Minnesota close to International Falls. The town consisted mostly of his pack mates, but there were a few humans. The humans knew about shifters and protected their secrets. They lived in peace together.
Cole pulled off the highway. North Ridge wasn’t too far away now. The anticipation was practically killing him. He wanted to get home. He wanted to see his friends again. It had been too long since he’d been able to run and hunt with his pack. Would Emily want to go hunting with them? Would she want to become part of their pack? He’d already spoken to the Alpha and hoped that her presence and Thomas’s wouldn’t cause a ruckus. Shifters generally got along, each species sticking to their own territory.
The small, withered Welcome to North Ridge sign greeted them, and Cole gave a sigh. Finally they were back inside their territory. Relief flowed through him immediately. It felt good to be home. Peering through the rearview mirror, Cole stared at Emily. She looked bored. Her elbow was propped against the door and her head was resting on her palm. She sat, staring out the window with a straight face, and he wondered what she was thinking. Did she like the woods? Was she hoping to run and hunt? Would she like their home?
He didn’t know her, not really. Fate had decided that they were mates. She was the perfect match for him and Charlie. So far, they weren’t of
f to a good start. She didn’t want anything to do with them. They needed some sort of plan, a way to soften Emily toward them. Maybe they could learn more over some time living together and ask some of the other female pack members for advice. He was willing to do whatever it took to win her over.
He needed to report to Gabe and Josh Wolff soon, but first he wanted to take Emily to their home and let her get settled. He was exhausted and assumed that she probably was as well. Maybe once she unpacked her belongings, ate a nice meal, and had a good night’s sleep, she would start speaking again. He missed the sound of her voice, even though she hadn’t really spoken kindly toward them. He could see the spark in her eyes and smell her arousal. It was obvious she was affected by them. Why can’t she just accept us? We could spend hours, even days making love if she would just open her heart.
Using one hand, he rubbed his forehead. Damn, they needed to think of something and fast. His wolf was too close to the surface, pacing and growling, demanding his mate. It was becoming harder to push him back, to remain in control. It would’ve been a hell of a lot faster to fly, but he was hoping that fifty hours inside a vehicle together would allow them all to bond and get to know one another. Now, it seemed more of a punishment.
When they reached the small downtown area, he once again looked at Emily. He desperately wanted to see some sort of reaction. Anything. She looked around, perking up a bit, but her eyes were still sad. What would it take to see her smile? He focused back on the road and waved to a few pack mates that were out and tried to appear happy. Addison, Harper, and Nicole waved their arms high in the air, big smiles plastered across their faces. At least someone was happy to see him.
Once they passed down Main Street and headed up the mountain, it didn’t take long to reach their small home. He drove down the dirt road, and once their house was in sight, he grinned. It was a modest three bedroom, two bath that had seen better days. It was older. Most weekends, he spent long hours fixing it up, looking forward to the day his mate arrived. He hadn’t known that leaving home to retrieve one of their own would be when he met her. Right now, he wished that they’d worked faster.
