by Helen Scott
Nina was an old soul, and an empathetic one. It was part of the reason I knew she'd come out victorious in this endeavor. There was nothing that Jax could do to get her to stop caring about the people she met, and once they saw that, and understood it, they would side with her every time.
Serenity directed us to one of the tables where one end was fairly empty. There was a little bit of jostling for who got to sit next to Nina, Blake and Tate ended up winning that battle, while Roman and I chose to sit opposite her and Micah sulked on the end of the bench next to Blake. Serenity came and sat next to me. She may as well have been a door frame for the amount of interest I had in her as a woman, but as a pack leader she was completely the opposite.
A female alpha wasn't unheard of but it was rare and powerful. She could not only strengthen her pack but theoretically breed a line of alphas that would last for generations. A large part of me wondered if Nina could be an alpha if given the opportunity. She certainly had the fortitude for it and though her men might be considered alphas, if push came to shove I was fairly sure they'd step aside for her to lead.
"Please help yourself," Serenity said as a group of her pack members brought plates of food out from the kitchen. "We pretty much always have fresh food coming out of there. Everyone's schedule is different so we just keep a rotating meal service going."
"You have cooks that work all day?" I asked, surprised. In my old pack it was a set meal time for everyone. If you didn't show up then you were responsible for finding your own food, and we were lucky if there were leftovers from what was cooked. Most people went hunting in their wolf form if they missed dinner.
Serenity nodded and said, "We have crews that work in shifts. Mornings, afternoon, and night. After about eight in the evening we stop serving and everyone knows that so they are sure to get their meals in while they have the chance. It's a good system and keeps a lot of people busy, fed, and employed. Then we have cleaning crews and groundskeepers, among a few other things, and administration, obviously, so that people actually get paid."
"It sounds like you have a well oiled machine here," Roman said, sounding impressed.
"We like to keep things moving. If there's a problem then we like to tackle it head on. It's the only way to keep things from falling apart."
"But some pack members have to have jobs off pack lands, right? Working for someone other than you?" Nina asked.
Serenity nodded. "Of course, and we have pack businesses that are run off the property as well. Now, what's with the twenty questions? Surely we aren't the only pack you've encountered that runs like this?"
"No, probably not, but Jax's pack is more... militaristic and Thomas' pack is so big it doesn't have the closeness that you guys seem to have," Nina said.
She summarized it well, which was something else I'd noticed. She was a keen observer. Serenity seemed to be similar.
"Well, we try to keep it more family style here. Not just with the food either, though that's a big part of it. There's never a time when people have to be alone, there's almost always someone up watching a movie or TV in the entertainment room and when the dining room is open then there's always people in here. It helps keep us united, keep us connected with one another. It's also why Jax is such a threat. It's not like something can happen to one of us without all of us feeling it."
The way she said that sentence made me wonder exactly what they'd talked about when the two of them went off together. I had no doubt that Nina would tell us once we were alone and there weren't so many listening ears but for now I had to live with my suspicions.
To my surprise Nina reached a hand across the table and held it out to Serenity. "We'll take care of it together."
Serenity nodded and I knew that the two of them had already formed some kind of alliance, which was good. It didn't escape me that out of the five of Nina's mates, none of us came from a friendly pack, and yet she'd found one nonetheless.
It was the same conclusion I came to earlier. Once people saw how big Nina's heart was they wouldn't hesitate to help. She'd win loyalty and respect just by being herself, by fighting the battles that the fates put in front of her.
"Do you want to stay the night? Relax and prepare for tomorrow?" Serenity asked.
I could see Nina preparing to politely decline the offer so I tried to send my exhaustion down the mate bond. We hadn't really communicated like that before but I thought it was worth trying. I knew I wasn't the only one that was tired after the rollercoaster of events that took place today. Plus, if they had already formed some sort of alliance then this was the safest place to be. Jax and Thomas wouldn't cross territory lines far enough to go to someone else's pack house. That would start a war between all of the packs in the area. Sure, there was no man's land, but after that the territory lines were serious and crossing those was akin to declaring war. It was only because of our relationship with the oracle that the shadow forest pack hadn't done so when I first discovered Nina on our—their—land.
Nina shot me a glance before looking around the table and taking in the state of her mates. We were all filthy from running through the forest and could use a shower and fresh clothing for tomorrow, all of which she seemed to be realizing as the watched us.
"Would you guys be okay with that?" Nina asked as her gaze pinged between us like a pinball. Each of us nodded in turn when she looked at us and finally, she said, "That would be lovely, thank you."
Serenity beamed at the fact that Nina had accepted. The change in her facial expression and body language suggested that this was actually a surprise and she'd fully expected Nina to turn her down. It made me hopeful that she wouldn't betray us the way Thomas had. Though she'd also clearly seen that we were able to extricate ourselves from that kind of situation, so it would be futile for her to try.
Even Nina seemed relieved at the idea of staying somewhere that was actually safe for the night, though our room last night was supposed to be safe as well, and it had been, until Thomas had been able to negotiate a deal for his pack in exchange for Nina. The cynical part of me was curious how long the talks had gone on, how many back and forths were there between the two alphas. I probably didn't want to know.
Now we were actually staying somewhere safe. Even my wolf wasn't suspicious of Serenity, and I didn't think it was just because of her name.
"Thank you so much for your hospitality, for the food, for fighting for us. It's more than we've had anyone do for us in a long time," Nina said though her voice got soft toward the end. I knew she hadn't had a painless life, but it was easy to forget that she’d suffered in her past considering how strong she was and how she seemed to handle everything in stride. There was only one way a person could do that and that was if they'd lived through some shit first.
23
Nina
We had been given a small room at the end of the building, one with a sliding glass door that easily accessed the woods, which made me feel better. If we needed to run for whatever reason we could. There was nothing in the way, nothing between us and the anonymity of the forest.
The guy had crashed pretty early but I was restless and couldn't sleep so I'd come out through the door and was sitting on the small patio that covered the ground just outside the room. There was a small wood bench seat next to a table along with a few planters filled with flowers and a couple privacy trees that were short and thick evergreens. It was like this place was designed to feel like a vacation.
I laid back on the table and stared up at the stars as I wondered if this room was for newly mated couples to come and spend their time away from their families and get to know one another. It would explain the cozy feel of the room. A little home away from home type thing.
As I lay there listening to the forest and watching the sky above me, clouds drifting over the stars like boats on a lake, I tried not to let my anxiety get to me. We were down to one pack to ask for help and I honestly had no idea how it was going to go. I didn't want to think about what would happen if they
said no.
The sound of the sliding door opening pulled me from the negative spiral of my thoughts. I tilted my head back and saw Tate exiting, sliding the door shut quietly behind himself before he turned and came over to sit on the bench next to the table I was laying on.
"Doing okay?" he asked as he watched me, his gaze traveling over my face as though he was taking in every minute detail.
I nodded. "Just trying not to think about tomorrow even though it seems to be all I can think about."
"We'll get through it, just like everything else," he replied, grasping one of my hands with his own and squeezing. There was a note to his voice though, one that had my anxiety spiking even higher.
"What's wrong?" I pushed up onto my elbows and looked at him, my eye line just about level with his for once.
He seemed to debate telling me for a moment, and that only made me more nervous. "Do you remember that nightmare I had?"
I nodded. Waking up to him sounding pained and whining wasn't something I was going to forget any time soon.
"The dream I was having felt like more than a dream, which was why it scared me, why I didn't want to talk about it afterward. We were fighting Jax and his men in the woods and we were losing. When Jax found you though... everything changed and you went to him. Willingly. When he kissed you—" Tate's voice cut off as though he couldn't even put into words how much it hurt to see that. He cleared his throat and continued, "It didn't stop there though. Jax took control of everything, even the pack my mom and sister are in out east. Everyone fell to him and we turned into a society of cavemen who were constantly battling for position within the pack. We were nothing but animals."
When I was sure he was done I sat up and moved off the table to sit by him. He moved to face me at the same time, so I mimicked it which ended up with the two of us knocking heads and giggling about it before I hooked my legs over his and basically put myself in his lap. I held his face with both hands and looked him dead in the eyes as I said, "No matter what you saw, no matter how real it felt, I will never willingly go with Jax. I will never give you up. I will never give up on us or our people, even if they wished I would sometimes. We are important. Our love is important. I'm not going to sacrifice that. If I were to stand with Jax then it would only ever be as a ploy, a way to try and get him to let his guard down. Nothing, and I really mean nothing, could ever get me to want to be with him."
Tate nodded, but he still didn't seem convinced.
"I love you. Nothing is ever going to change that." I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. I wanted to convey how much he meant to me, but didn't want to touch him in a way that he wasn't comfortable with in that moment.
When his hands slipped around my waist and drew me closer before sliding down and cupping my ass, I kissed him again, letting him feel the hunger I had for him. As he pulled me close I could also feel the need he had for me via the erection that was straining against his pants.
"I need you, Nina," he groaned when I rolled my hips against his, rubbing my core up the length of his cock through his pants.
"Then have me," I whispered back as I reached between us and undid the button and fly of his jeans, reaching in and freeing his cock from the confines of his boxers. He was already so hard that it looked painful, the skin stretched to it's max as his hips involuntarily thrust his cock up into my hand.
I pushed up and popped off him, shimmying out of my shorts and panties as quickly as possible before I said, "Turn." I waved him toward me and he swung the leg that was on the inside of the bench to the outside. When he was positioned the way I wanted I sat back down, my knees resting on either side of him on the bench. "Do you want this? We don't have to." I was suddenly wary about assuming that he wanted to fuck me after confessing to having nightmares about me kissing Jax.
"I want you so much it hurts," he growled.
I grinned and ran my hand over the silky smooth skin of his cock before lining it up with my entrance and lowering myself. Maybe it was the mate bond, maybe it was just my body understanding what me and my mates needed, but I was already wet enough that it wasn't difficult to get Tate's cock in.
Once he was all the way in I sat there for a moment, just enjoying the feeling of him stretching me and filling me. When I started moving he groaned with pleasure. I bounced up and down on his cock, setting a fast pace, and when I had to slow down I added a roll of my hips at the end. Each time I did he grunted and his body twitched.
"I'm not finishing before you," he growled after a few minutes. "Turn around."
I wasn't going to deny him, plus I was fairly sure he was about to give me a fantastic orgasm, so who was I to say no? I did as he asked and stood, turning so my back was to him, before sitting back down on his cock, sighing as he filled me up once more.
His hands, which had been alternately clutching my hips and massaging my breasts through my t-shirt and bra, now spread my legs wide open on each side of him. He began to thrust up into me, the new angle making me moan with pleasure as his cock seemed to scrape against every nerve ending I had.
When we had a good rhythm going he slipped one hand around to my front and flicked his fingers over my clit, making my body buck and jerk at the sudden, intense sensation. It was like he'd wanted to get my attention because as soon as he did that he began circling it and pushing me toward the orgasm we were both chasing.
"Are you going to come on my cock, Nina? Make me lose control inside you?" His words had me panting and my whole body quivering.
"Gods I hope so," I moaned as I leaned back into him and let him work me higher and higher. My body seemed to tighten the longer he drew out the climb to my orgasm.
I held myself just above him so he could pound into me from below and work me with his fingers. He wasn't going to have all the fun though, and I reached down, past where his cock was sliding in and out of me and cupped his balls, tugging on them slightly as he thrust into me again and again. Our skin was slapping together, the sound ringing out into the forest, along with our moans of pleasure.
When his fingers sped up I knew that he was getting close to his orgasm so I released his balls and found my nipples through the fabric that was hiding them, pinching and rolling them as he played with my clit and fucked me. The sensations drove me to the peak even faster than before and I didn't even have a chance to warn him before I was tumbling over the edge.
Tate kept working me, driving me higher and higher though, drawing my pleasure out as he rammed into me, seeking his own release. He found it a moment later and though my body was still shivering and shaking from the force of the orgasm he'd just given me I could still feel his cock jerk and twitch as he pulsed inside me, filling me as he spilled himself in my core.
When he was done we both sat there for a moment, sweaty and breathing hard as we both came down from our orgasm highs. Finally I said, "How could I walk away from sex like that?"
"Fuck if I know. I guess I'll just have to keep giving it to you real good so you never have to find out," he teased as he nipped at my earlobe.
"Sounds like a plan to me," I panted.
I moved to get off him but his arm wrapped around my waist and held me in place as he said, "I love you, Nina. Never doubt that. You're everything to me."
I turned so I could face him and traced his cheekbone with my fingertips as I said, "I love you most. You're everything to me too, you know."
He kissed me and it was so tender, so full of love, that it stole my breath.
When he pulled away we separated and I got dressed. My mind was filled with the dream, or nightmare rather, that he'd described. Me kissing Jax? It was definitely a nightmare. It couldn't be real, could it?
24
Nina
It was barely even dawn when we woke the next day. We had decided to make the trek to the Shadow Forest and see if we could convince the shadow pack to join our cause. I wasn't exactly hopeful that they would, nor was I excited about the prospect of fighting them if they attacked on si
ght. At least we would all be at the top of our game this time though.
"Just head west from here," Serenity said as she pointed to what was basically the opposite direction from the sun. I knew we couldn't rely on that the whole time, since we would be going into the forest, but she handed Denver a compass and said, "Use this for as long as you need."
I half expected him to hand it back and say he didn't get lost or he could find his way or some other macho bullshit but he didn't he just nodded in thanks. I was so used to the way insecure men acted that seeing someone who was an adult and comfortable with themselves was taking me a while to get used to even though it was true for all of my mates.
We had been walking for a while when Roman spoke, his voice disturbing the quiet that only comes in the early dawn, "I feel as though I'd be remiss if I didn't pose the question, what if this is another trap? What if they are sending us into hostile territory to destroy our confidence before dealing the final blow?"
I considered his words for a moment and could feel the others doing the same. "My instinct is to say no, but that doesn't mean I'm right. What do you guys think?"
To my surprise it was Denver that spoke up. "I believe she was being honest with us. Plus, I'm hoping if we do encounter my old pack and they are hostile then I can talk them down. We aren't complete psychos."
Blake snorted with laughter as he said, "Yeah, you just kick a man while he's down."
Okay so maybe Blake wasn't as on board with this plan as I'd first thought.
"I was the one who was trying to show you that we healed when we shifted. It's not my fault that you guys took forever to figure it out," Denver huffed.
"We appreciate your efforts," I said, cutting off whatever retort Tate had perched on his lips. "The last thing we need is to be sniping at each other. Yes, this may be a trap. Yes, it may be hostile territory. Yes, we may get our asses handed to us like last time. But all that being said, I think this is worth a shot, especially if we know Thomas is siding with Jax. Those are the two biggest packs in the area to my knowledge, so we need the baddest, most skilled fighters possible in case it comes to that. I don't see another way to achieve that than asking shadow pack for help, do you?"