I pulled at my necklace, wishing I could somehow remove it. Maybe then I could run away and hide out until my family forgot about me. I sighed, shooing Nate over on the couch as I plopped down beside him. “My family’s here.”
“We saw them.” Noah grimaced, realizing his admission after the fact.
Bitterness resurfaced swiftly. “Did everyone know they were here except me?”
“I take it the boss didn’t tell you about their announcement?” Josten interjected, joining Noah, Anden and Jake at the table.
I shook my head negatively. “What announcement?”
“Uh oh.” Jake covered his mouth. He shifted in his seat.
“Don’t ‘uh oh’ me, guys. Please just tell me,” I pleaded. I hated being left in the dark about things that concerned me. I wasn’t generally a nosy person, but when it impacted my life in any way, I wanted to know about it so I could prepare—prepare to run or to face it.
“I don’t know if we should be the ones to tell her this,” Noah stated.
“Fuck it,” Nate said. “Your parents called a few days ago. They just got married and told Marco they planned to honeymoon here with the whole family.”
My head swung around to stare directly at him. “Come again.”
“I told you we shouldn’t have told her,” Noah huffed.
“Calm down, Emma,” Josh cooed, laying a hand on my shoulder. I jerked away and stood, walking towards the opposite corner.
“Oh, shit.” Josten eyes widened as he studied me.
Nate rolled his eyes and shook his head at Josh. “Don’t you know shit about women, man? You never tell them to calm down.”
I crossed my arms and glared bullets at Josh. “Calm down? If that’s the only piece of advice you have for me, then you’re better off not sharing it.” The arrival of my parents was revealing a whole other side of myself that I couldn’t say I liked. I started to head for the door, needing to be alone. I was too on-edge. I couldn’t be nice right now. “Thanks for the info, guys.”
“Emma.” Micah was quick on my trail.
“Way to piss her off, man,” Jake snickered.
“Women,” Josh mumbled under his breath, frustration evident in his tone. A second later I heard a bedroom door close.
“Emma.” His tone was sharper this time. Micah raced past me and stood in front of the door, blocking my exit.
I stopped and looked up at him. He was taller than the others, minus Nate. His dark brown hair was full of thick curls that puffed outwards. His hazel eyes stared back down at me.
“Emma, you can’t run forever.”
“I know that,” I said, glancing down at my Uggs. His bare feet were huge next to mine.
“Then why are you still doing it?”
“Because I don’t know how else to handle this. I’m not ready to face them. I don’t know if I’ll ever be,” I admitted. I was so close to choking up. My emotions were stirring just beneath the surface; it was taking all my strength not to cry. The tears stung the back of my eyes as they ruthlessly gathered once again.
A knock at the door interrupted us.
Micah looked at me sympathetically just as a tear escaped my hold. He reached out and wiped it away. “It’s Marco. Is it alright if I let him in?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded a curt ‘yes.’
“You’ll be okay, Em. If they mess with you, we’ll beat ‘em up for you. I don’t care if they’re royalty. You’re our family. We got you.” He winked.
It was a good feeling to have someone in your corner. I patted his chest, giving him a small smile. “Thanks.”
Marco immediately pushed past Micah when he opened the door. “About damn time,” he grumbled. He came right for me. “You okay, mi amor?”
Seeing him had all of my earlier frustrations rushing back to the surface. I felt so volatile, borderline out of control with my emotions lately. I knew one thing though: I didn’t want to argue. I didn’t want to be upset with him, or any of them. I just wanted this day to be over.
I nodded my head, trying to muster up a reassuring smile, but failed.
He cupped my face and kissed the tip of my nose. “Come with me.” His was gentle this time; there was little command in his voice.
I acquiesced with a shake of my head.
As if I were glass, he softly petted my upper arms before breaking away and opening the door. I walked out ahead of him, stopping short in the hall when the door shut behind me without him.
I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I heard a mighty roar bellow from within the room, no doubt Marco’s. Goosebumps broke out all over my flesh, a minute shudder worked through me as his voice nearly shook the walls.
“I am your alpha! You are to obey every order I give! You’ve angered my mate by breaking my law and now you’ve angered me! If you can’t follow my rules, you can fight me to the death to get out from under it!”
I jumped back as the door swung open. My eyes were wide, gaping with uncertainty at the large, feral alpha standing before me. He seemed to tower above me. His muscles bulged, his veins plumping his flesh; his eyes glowed an eerie amber with honey striations. I found myself stepping backwards until my back touched the door on the opposite side of the hall. He loosened his fists, took a calming breath and began to approach me.
“Stop!” I cried, my good hand stretched out in front of me signaling for him to not come any closer.
“Damn it! Stop trying to push me away, Emma,” he huffed.
“Why did you lie to me? Why didn’t you tell me?” My voice cracked, damn traitor that it was.
“What’s going on here?” a gruff voice demanded from down the hall. I looked to find my father bounding towards us.
Marco squeezed his temples with his thumb and middle finger, sighing in frustration. “Nothing, sir.”
“If it’s nothing then why the hell is my daughter trying to get away from you?”
My skin boiled at him calling me his daughter. He’d treated me like anything but.
Suddenly, the door behind me whisked open. I screamed as a strong hand grabbed hold of my bad hand. Pain shot up my arm; pulsating, throbbing agony swallowed my lower arm as I was yanked inside the room.
I watched Marco and my father scramble to reach me, but the person was too fast. The door was slammed between us, effectively barricading them and encapsulating me in darkness.
I knew I was in another suite, but could see nothing. My eyes couldn’t adjust as I was moved around. The motions were a blur that I stumbled through until I was effectively slung into the arms of another man, his muscles holding me tight. Abruptly, I was thrown through the air. My scream echoed around the quiet space, ending in a groan as my body collided with a slightly firm mattress. No sooner had I fallen than something was tied around my eyes, further blinding me.
“Let me go! Stop!” My heart raced and head pounded as I fought against the strong clutches trying to bind me. I heard an electric drill screwing something into the wall followed by repeated muffled thuds.
Pounding bangs sounded in rhythm. Each thump had my heard beating a little faster, my hope rising a little higher. For the first time, I wanted to be rescued. I wanted a Savior.
I continued to struggle with the two sets of hands now binding my arms and legs together. I froze at the sound of her voice in my ear. “Don’t fight them. It’ll be easier that way.”
A chill ran through me, the pain stinging my spine. How could she? How could Sarah betray me—the pack—like this?
Muted shouting could be heard off in the distance, outside the room. I knew it was Marco’s voice, but I couldn’t make out his words.
They sat me back up against a stack of pillows on the bed right as his villainous laugh echoed around me. I knew that laugh too. Oh, how could you, Sarah?
“She’s always been mine. I’m just taking her back,” Ryan announced.
I swallowed hard. My stomach was a ball of dread, wrangled with fear and fury. What was he planning to d
o to me?
“I’d advise you and your men to retreat. Right now I have a gun aimed at Emma. You break through that door and I’ll shoot.”
A blurred voice carried through the barrier, again, unintelligible to my ears. I could only tell it was my father this time.
Ryan laughed ambiguously. What was wrong with him? How did someone so crazy manage to run an entire pack? “Fuck you and the royal throne you piss upon, king!”
My breath hitched. I wasn’t in love with my father or my family at the moment, but at least I had enough decency not to openly disrespect him.
“I’m sorry, Emma,” Sarah whispered.
“How could you? Why did you?”
She hesitated. “What can I say? I love him.”
“You love a man who wants another woman?”
She sighed, the sound placing her close to the bed still. “I’m not the same woman I was before my son died. Marco will understand such a loss once you’re gone too.”
“What do you mean once I’m gone?” My heart doubled its efforts. My flesh tingled with uncertainty.
“I’m sorry, Emma.” I heard the bedroom door close.
“Sarah?”
No response.
“Sarah!” I yelled.
She’d left me though.
I twisted within the bands binding my wrists and ankles, fighting to break free. The fabric seemed to score my flesh, despite the protection of my boots. My right wrist screamed in agony, rebelling with each useless attempt I made.
Tears welled, making the blindfold even more uncomfortable. Bitter despair seemed to swallow me hole. I didn’t understand. This came out of left field. How could Sarah betray me like that? More so, how could she betray Marco and the pack this way?
I never should have opened myself up to any of them. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I should have kept my distance like I’d originally planned. Then I wouldn’t be dealing with a sexy alpha I couldn’t break away from, a large family of brothers who both entertained and annoyed me simultaneously, and now my biological family who, after all this time, wanted to welcome me as their own. My life would be simple, without complications from the many intricate relationships I’d developed recently. But could I really go back? Could I really leave them all behind now that they each owned a little piece of my heart? Could I really leave Marco? Despite his recent behavior, he owned my heart. I had tried to run before, but I was lured back to him as if I relied upon him to breathe. He was woven into the fabric of me now. I missed him when he was gone. I nearly collapsed under the worry of being apart from him after the fire.
Yup. It was too late. I was in too deep. I was too far gone now.
I was immediately at attention at the sound of the bedroom door being opened and then quickly slammed shut. The blindfold was ripped off me and a bright light shone in my face. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away.
“Sit up, Emma,” Ryan ordered. He moved the light away, allowing me to open my eyes without the strain. Two sconces on the far wall were lit casting a gentle glow around the room. Not enough to see the details, but enough to get a general layout of the room, which was identical to my own down the hall.
He stared at me for the longest time, really looking me over. His eyes flashed with his wolf a few times. My nerves spiked with each flare.
I swallowed hard. “What do you want from me?”
“I see we’re going to start with the questions right away,” he sighed, his face showing no emotion. He fixed me with a cold stare.
I shook my head, trying to make sense of it all. “What did you do?”
“It seems your alpha doesn’t have very good surveillance of his property.” He chuckled to himself. “I installed a steel door over the hotel room door and had it welded shut. Your pack won’t be getting to us anytime soon.”
Tension bound my body, beyond the restraints. How was I going to escape? There was only one way in and one way out and he’d just completely covered it. Better yet, how was he planning to escape? I looked down at my wrists, tightly bound and cutting into my skin. No wonder my arm won’t stop throbbing.
“How did you heal so fast?”
“I shifted.” I recalled that Marco said they could heal in hours in their wolf form. I looked up at Ryan’s dark form, scowling at me from the foot of the bed.
“What…what do you want?” I wiggled, trying to inch myself further back into the pillows.
“Why, my dear Emma, have you not listened to a word I’ve said over the last couple weeks? You are mine. So in essence, I want you,” he said, cocking his head slightly as his eyes skimmed me from head to toe again.
I squirmed, wishing there was a way to elude his stare. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Claim you.”
I knew my eyes were wide, my fear visible. I hated that I was so transparent in this moment, particularly since Ryan seemed to feed off of that.
He laughed deviously. “Relax. I plan to wait.” He approached the side of the bed. As he leaned into me, I leaned away. He brushed the back of his finger along the side of my face. I wanted to scrub my face until it was red and raw. “On the night of the full moon, you will become mine.”
He swiftly left the room, leaving me to stew over my fate alone.
Trust. I’d never given it to anyone, yet now I was being forced to. I had to trust in Marco. I had to believe that he cared about me enough to fight for me, to free me at any cost. A month ago, I thought I could survive anything without help from anyone. I’d done it all my life. Now, I was being forced to face my own weakness. Without help, I would never make it. There was an army, an entire pack, against me. How did my life spin out of control so quickly?
Even more mind-boggling was Ryan. He’d always seemed dark, but what triggered him to go into psycho mode? I knew wolves were territorial, but I thought they were only like that when someone else was trying to lay claim to what was theirs. I was never Ryan’s. Regardless, why would he fight so hard for me when there were plenty of others available? Sarah had already acknowledged that she loved him and wanted to be with him.
I stiffened as Urik entered the room. He smiled wide at me. “You vill be one of us soon, yes?”
He made no hesitation in walking right over to me. He towered over me, happily grinning down at me as if kidnapping didn’t bother him in the least.
I didn’t respond. I merely gazed up at his sheer volume looming above me. He didn’t seem to be posing any immediate threat to me. He was about to say something when there was a loud crash, as if the walls were collapsing. My ears perked, my heart sprinting once again.
Then I heard them—my pack. A smile split my face. I beamed with pride, with relief and unending appreciation. They had burst through the door. They didn’t leave me. They didn’t give up on me. They defeated my fears in one move.
Urik raced to the window and opened it. He took several steps back, and leapt through it, morphing into a wolf mid-air. His clothes shredded off of him, scattering across the floor. A few crackles echoed back to me, the relay of his bones breaking and reforming.
Marco burst through the bedroom door, knocking it completely off its hinges. My heart melted at the sight of him. He’d done it. He’d saved me…again.
His jaw clenched and muscles bulged as he went to work on the ropes. The others poured into the room, huffing and scowling as if they’d been worked up—as if their prey had escaped.
My smile faded. Before I ever asked, I just knew. “He got away, didn’t he?”
My father came around to my side. “Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll get the bastard and his whole damn pack.”
I stared deadpanned at him. His promises didn’t mean anything to me. I didn’t know him; I didn’t know the value of his word.
I winced as Marco jerked on the bindings, his snarl punctuating his moves. “And Sarah?”
Marco grunted.
Micah answered for him. “We’ve got her.”
“I’ll be taking care of her. T
his involves the royal clan now,” my father said.
I merely nodded my head.
“Someone get me a goddam knife!” Marco bit out. The ropes weren’t budging.
I was surprised when Christian stepped through the crowd and handed him a pocketknife. His face was set, his gaze angled directly at me.
“Thanks.” I offered him a small smile.
“Anytime, sis,” he said with a nod. Okay, maybe having an older brother to look out for you later in life could be just as good.
With the knife, the ropes were off in two seconds flat and Marco roughly pulled me to him. I nuzzled my face in his neck, breathing in his earthy scent. I knew I was safe now that I was wrapped in his arms. I was also alarmingly aware that I’d only ever be safe if he was around. No one else would ever protect me to the degree that he would. I relaxed into him as he kissed my head.
“Stop hogging the girl. I’ve yet to give her a hug and I’m her damn father for crying out loud.”
Marco held tight to me for another minute before finally loosening his grip. He held my hand supportively, waiting for me to decide.
I glanced back at my father. He stood waiting for me to make the first move towards him; he was giving me a choice. Some small part of me wanted to, I wanted to know what it was like to receive a comforting hug from a parent, but I was so hurt by my childhood, a childhood he forced me to endure.
My gaze traveled around the room. My pack members looked on, but not in an invasive way. More so, they were encouraging me, offering their support in whatever I decided.
And that’s when I knew. If I wanted to know him, if I ever wanted a chance at having a dad and not just a sperm donor, I had to start somewhere.
—
Chapter Thirteen
I met Marco’s gaze.
He stared into my eyes, giving me the strength I needed. He leaned down and whispered next to my ear, “He’s your father, mi amor. You only get one.”
He was right. Unlike other children in the system, I didn’t receive a foster parent, let alone an adoptive parent.
I took a deep breath as I released Marco. Slowly, I approached my father. I studied his blue eyes. There were the same blue eyes that reflected in the mirror. Something else that was familiar was a hint of sadness in his depths. I didn’t know what the sadness was related to, but, it was there; minute but visible.
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