Pride to Pack (The Mount Roxby Series)

by Aimie Jennison

  Theo changes into human in a second flat. “What is Selena doing here?” He’s fuming. I don’t need to be an empath to know that.

  I quickly shift to human form while Theo strides to the cupboard and pulls out some sweats and a t-shirt, pulling them on instantly. He wets a towel and rubs at the visible blood on his neck and face.

  I quickly gather my clothes and throw them on.

  “She turned up this afternoon. She hasn’t said why, she just booked herself a room. Didn’t Bel tell you?”

  “No, Bel didn’t tell me,” he snaps, aiming his anger at me.

  Now wait a minute, why is he mad at me?

  “It totally slipped my mind. I have had a lot on it tonight. I did just kill someone for god’s sake. I’m terribly sorry she wasn’t on the top of my list.” Sarcasm at its best. On the defensive, I go.

  “Sorry, I snapped. I’m mad at her not you. She has no right to just turn up.” He comes and kisses me on the top of my head. “Come on, let’s go kick her out.” Grabbing my hand and interlocking our fingers, he pulls me out the shed after Billy.

  Just as we step out the door I pull his body back towards me. “One thing first.” He turns to look at me.

  I reach up and put my hand behind his neck and pull his head towards me, brushing my lips against his. He reciprocates by working his mouth on mine. I pull away and press our foreheads together as we both catch our breath.

  Breath caught, we step away and find Billy standing nearby waiting for us. The three of us head for the house and enter through the glass doors in the lounge without another word. I’m too busy thinking about how great that kiss was to bother speaking.

  “No wolves on the loose out there, but look who I found making out behind the bushes.” I’m sure Billy added that last bit for Selena’s sake.

  “TED!” Ruby screams as she pounces on him, throwing her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. “You’re okay?” she adds as she drops her legs back down to the floor.

  He gives her a squeeze before breaking away. “I’m fine, Ruby.”

  Ruby turns to me pulling me into a hug. “Thank you so much Bel.”

  “You’re welcome.” As soon as she lets me go, Theo grabs my hand again.

  I look around the room for the first time since entering. It looks so small compared to normal. I realise that’s probably because it’s full of werewolves; Wesley, Alyssa and Paddy are all squashed together on the sofa facing the stairs. Selena and Jared are on the other one, Ruby had been sat next to Jared. Eddie and Chloe are sitting on the kitchen bench top leaving Greg, Darren, Phil and Dave all standing around leaning against the walls throughout the room. Billy walks to the kitchen and leans against the side next to Chloe.

  Everyone seems to give Theo a little nod. I think they all probably want to come over and welcome him back just like Ruby had, but I’m sure Selena would ask why everyone was so pleased to see him. Ruby’s reaction looked suspicious enough! Ruby goes back to her spot on the sofa next to Jared, who ruffles her hair as she sits down. So typical of Jared.

  “Selena, what are you doing in my house? I thought I made it clear, you are not welcome anymore.”

  Theo, just cut to the chase why don’t you?

  She stands up, walks up to us and, do you believe it? She actually tries to cuddle him. Before she manages to get a hold of him, he takes a step backwards dragging me along with him.

  “Can we talk in private?” she asks, giving me a pointed look.

  “Anything you want to say, Selena, can be said in front of everyone here.” He waves his hand around the room. She follows his hand with her eyes falling on everyone, one by one.

  She looks down at her feet. I can see the contemplation on her face, deciding whether she should tell everyone her business. She must have decided to go with it because she opens her mouth to speak; only nothing comes out for a second while she lifts her eyes and looks at Theo. “I thought we could give our marriage another go.”

  Theo sighs shaking his head “You’re too late. A couple of months ago maybe I would’ve been stupid enough to take you back, but I’m with Bel now. I’m not giving what we have up for you. If that’s all you wanted, you can get your stuff together and leave.”

  Tears fill her eyes, but she doesn’t move. She takes a deep breath. “I’m pregnant! The dad chucked me out. I thought you...” She doesn’t finish her sentence.

  Theo’s body goes tense next to me before I hear Eddie’s whisper.

  “Oh fuck.” If I had human ears, I wouldn’t have heard it.

  Theo squeezes my hand, too hard. I’m actually glad I have super strength or he might have broken something. Then again, if he carries on squeezing much longer he might just do that.

  Selena is once again looking at the floor.

  Theo glances at me with his wolf eyes as he releases my hand before storming up the stairs. We all hear the door slam behind him, leaving me to wonder if it’s still going to be intact when I go up there.

  “Theo?” Selena shouts as she makes a move to chase after him.

  For the second time in a few minutes I find myself extremely grateful for being a were. I reach the bottom of the stairs first and manage to block her way. There is no way she wants to go up there when he’s as angry as that.

  “Just let him calm down. He’ll come down when he’s ready to talk,” I say forcefully.

  I watch the thoughts cross her face whilst she decides whether to tell me to get out of her way or just listen to me and wait. She chooses right, going for the latter, turning and sitting on the sofa without a word to me.

  I sit down on the stairs, not wanting her to try and sneak up to him when I’m not paying attention. I don’t know why he got so angry. His anger appeared before she mentioned the father so it can’t be because he kicked her out. I’m so deep in thought that I jump a foot off the step as I feel someone’s hand rubbing my knee. I look to my left to see Billy sat on the step along side me.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” he asks.

  I shake my head and shrug. “Just wondering what got him so mad. It’s still escalating, I can feel it.”

  “We all can. You should go talk to him. It might calm him down. Just be cautious,” he warns me.

  “Do you think he’s that angry at Selena, that he might attack me?” I really don’t think he’d hurt me no matter how angry he is, not after he managed not to attack me tonight when he was so hungry and injured.

  “I don’t have time to explain everything, Theo’s mood is affecting everyone, and we can’t risk exposing ourselves in front of Selena.”

  I look around the room at the others and he was right everyone was tense. Paddy is really struggling at fighting off his wolf.

  “The main cause of Theo and Selena’s arguments were because he wanted kids like, yesterday, and she never wanted them. Now she turns up pregnant. The one thing he wanted from her, she gave to someone else.”

  I have a really bad sinking feeling in my gut. “What are you trying to say, Billy?”

  I finally place that look he had in his eyes before he ran upstairs. Regret.

  “I honestly don’t know. I just figured you deserved to have a heads up.”

  I quickly kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks Billy.”

  I race up the stairs needing to know what Theo is thinking because my brain is coming up with too many scenarios I don’t like.

  Theo’s door has a crack running right down the middle and the jamb is a bit loose, but it’s intact enough to be serving its purpose. I knock on the door before opening, just to be courteous. He’ll have been able to sense me coming, not to mention hearing my footsteps. I open the door before he has time to reply to my knock and close it behind me.

  He’s pacing back and forth across the room.

  I decide to steal Billy’s line. “Penny for your thoughts?”

  He sighs and carries on pacing.

  So I sit on the edge of his bed ready to wait for him, but to my surprise he joins me, putting
his head in his hands. We sit in a silence that I’m not willing to break. If he wants to talk he can. He came up here to think and calm down. I haven’t joined him to make him more tense, if that’s even possible, by asking him stupid mundane question’s like ‘are you okay?’ when it’s blatantly obvious he’s not.

  He lifts his head out of his hands and looks at me with his beautiful emerald green eyes that are filled with nothing but love and regret. “Bel, I’m sorry,” he says, giving me a bad gut feeling that this is a conversation I don’t want to be involved in.

  “Billy is right isn’t he? You’re going to take her back.” It’s a statement, not a question to let him know, I know where his head is at. There is no need for him to go around the trees to tell me what Billy already has. There are tears running down my cheeks as I look at him making him a blur so I can’t read what his eyes are saying, but I can feel his emotions loud and clear, the love, regret and guilt.

  He’s made his decision.

  “Bel, I…”

  I don’t need to listen to him tell me his decision, not when I can already feel it. I close my eyes so I can let my body take me wherever it wants to.

  God only knows where I’ll end up!

  29. PRIVATE CELEBRATION

  Theo

  I see Bel prepare herself to teleport whilst I’m mid sentence. Her eyes close and her body relaxes slightly.

  I am not letting her disappear on me.

  “Don’t you dare!” I yell as I grab a hold of her, hoping to distract her enough to make her hear me out. Her eyes open as I’m kneeling before her and I quickly plead my case.

  “He’s wrong, Bel. How could you think I would do that to you? You are my true mate. You were made for me. I couldn’t love anyone else, no matter what. You have my heart and it’s not going anywhere. It belongs to you. Do you hear me?” I ask as I let my hands cup her face and roam around to her hair.

  “But I felt your regret and guilt.”

  “Being an empath, you should know not to jump to conclusions about what people’s emotions mean. I was feeling those things because I was planning on asking you if we could help Selena out, give her a roof for a while. I felt bad for even thinking about putting you in that situation,” I explain.

  “Oh,” she says clearly embarrassed. “I thought—”

  I don't give her a chance to finish her sentence I take her mouth with mine and as she relaxes into the kiss, I lay her back on the bed.

  “What about everyone downstairs? They’ll want to celebrate with you,” she says as our mouths part.

  “We can all celebrate together, tomorrow.” I pause to peck her pretty pink lips. “Tonight I’m celebrating with my mate,” I say before showing her exactly how I plan to celebrate.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  First and foremost I would like to thank my husband for believing in me.

  Boys, thank you for being mummy’s #1 fans. Love you to bits.

  Mam, the best friend and role model a girl could ever have. Love you. Thanks for being the first person to read this and giving me your blunt honesty.

  Dad, you will always be the hero for me.

  Lizzi Williams from Lizzi Williams Proofreading, thank you. It was a long time coming, but I kept my promise and sent it your way when it was finished.

  Sara Cartwright, I can’t thank you enough for designing all my bookmarks and this beautiful book cover. You seem to read my mind and know exactly what I want, even when I am not quite sure myself. I know I was so picky with the cover and you were such a trooper to just keep on going until I was happy. I love the cover.

  Heidi Hafner, I wouldn’t have written this if you didn’t talk me into it. Thank you for the push. I promise I will keep kicking your butt to make sure you get your book finished.

  Gemma Walker-Smith, you have been a world of information. I really appreciate all the questions you answered and all the help you gave me. You are a wonderful author, thank you for setting the high standard for me to strive for.

  EXCERPT

  Please turn the page for an excerpt of

  Forever, Young and Beautiful, book 2 of The Mount Roxby Series.

  Coming soon

  7. BLACKNESS DESCENDS

  Ruby

  I’ve seen unspeakable things in my life, considering I’m only seventeen years old. You wouldn’t think I would’ve had much chance at seeing such things. But having an alpha werewolf for a brother will definitely alter those chances.

  ***

  We walk out the movies giggling at how I managed to trip up the stairs and face plant on the floor, while dashing back from a bathroom break. I can never get through movie without having to dash to the bathroom. I blame the cola.

  "Ruby. One second… you were there, the next… you were gone,” Bel manages to spit out between fits of laughter. "I thought you'd turned vamp or gained a druid’s power of teleporting in and out whenever and wherever they want. Until I heard the grunt as you got up,” The laughter starts again.

  "I wish that was the case!" I say, hating the embarrassed feeling I have. I can’t help but wish I was a werewolf like Bel. She is so graceful and has such good instincts she would never have fallen so stupidly. It isn’t the first time I have found myself wishing I was werewolf. With two werewolf brothers, I have often wished I wasn’t the one who was the human of the family. The ugly duckling.

  “I better get home before Theo sends someone after me,” I say. “He’s more like a prison guard than a brother,” I add.

  “He just worries about you. You’re a fragile human; give him a little slack, hey? Tell him, I’ll be home soon. I love the fact that I’ve moved in with him, but I hate this packing business,” Bel says, hugging me goodbye. I watch as she dematerialises before my eyes. That druid blood she recently discovered she has comes in pretty handy at times.

  Having parked my car at the other end of the main road means I have a good ten minute walk ahead of me. Normally that would be fine but we had just watched a horror movie about vampires. You would think knowing vampires are real would make movies about them laughable but it's because I know they are real that it scares me.

  I start walking at a fast pace, hearing nothing but the click clack of my heels on the pavement.

  Click clack...

  Click clack...

  Click clack...

  The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and a shiver runs down my back.

  I freeze on the spot and look around having no idea what I expect to see. I don't have the sense of smell a werewolf has or the hearing of a vampire, but I do have gut instinct of a human and mine is speaking to me right now - telling me to get the hell out of there. I do just that.

  I run across the road not even looking for passing traffic. Luckily it’s clear.

  Once my feet touch the pavement, I notice all the feeling of worry has gone. I look around again and could have slapped myself upside the head. I’d been so distracted that I hadn't noticed during our giggles we had crossed the road and ended up outside Misty's, a bar that caters only for Supes. It's owned by a witch who puts wards on it that scare the bejesus out of humans, so they don't, won't, can't enter. It's impossible. What if a Supe carried them over the threshold kicking and screaming? I hear you ask. A human’s heart would just stop. Dead. Misty has been known to drop it enough that a human could be carried in but only for a few special people.

  I start walking again laughing at my stupidity, letting a silly horror movie distract me enough to not notice Misty's. I know my car wasn't far up the road. Another five minutes at the most. I start listening to the click clack of my heels again.

  Click clack....

  Click clack....

  Click click clack clack.

  I hear double footsteps in quick succession. Knowing I’m not walking fast enough to warrant that means only one thing - someone is following me.

  "You might as well come out. I know you’re there." I speak into the darkness, not bothering to raise my voice knowing which ever wolf my
brother has sent would have no trouble hearing me even if I whispered. But I get no response.

  I stop and turn to face behind me to where they must be hiding in a shadow or eave of a building because I can't see anyone, but I speak up anyway.

  "I won't tell Theo that you weren't covert enough." Werewolves can move without being heard. This one was obviously being sloppy for a human to have heard them following me.

  I still get no response so I give up and turn around starting for my car. I can see it across the road, when I’m suddenly grabbed from behind. An arm around my waist, the other hand over my mouth mutes my screams. The person holding me drags me into a dark alley between the shops.

  I’m pinned against the wall face first. All I can see is the bare red bricks on the wall.

  The hand over my mouth pulls my head to a side stretching my neck out, as the arm around my waist disappears.

  I wriggle to get free but I’m still pinned in place by the body behind me, as hard and strong as the wall in front. I feel the hand that had been around my waist brush my long blonde curls from my neck. He strokes over my pulse with his fingers.

  It’s then that I realise I’m not just trapped by a psycho; I’m trapped by a vampire.

  That recognition hits a second before the fingers disappear and sharp fangs pierce my neck. The pain’s horrendous. I can feel my heart beat rise with fear.

  I bite down hard on the hand over my mouth trying to distract the vampire at my neck. I try to fight with my body, but I don't have the room to move. The only thing I’m succeeding in is raising my pulse therefore giving the vampire a faster and easier meal.

  My mind starts to become sluggish, listening to the vampire moan as he sucks my veins dry makes me push the fog back and try to think of a way out of this. If I don't do something quick I won't survive this.