by Sam Crescent
“It’s fine. I can walk.”
“You’re not walking anywhere. I’m going to carry you. Hold onto me.”
She saw no reason to fight him and placed her arms around his neck, resting her head against his chest. It felt nice.
It felt relaxing.
And it felt a little like she’d come home.
****
Luther watched her go. She was so fucking curvy, and he loved the size of her tits. Now was not the time to be thinking about her body or what he wanted to do to it. Out of all of them, Noah was the gentlest one, but he’d not been unaffected by her pain. His wolf wanted to go and protect her. To hunt the humans that would set out to hurt her.
“Humans hunting wolves, that’s new,” Billy said.
“Not unheard of though,” Luke said. “We’ve got to find out what the hell went on.”
“A pack full of females, that’s bad news.” This came from Ryan. “They’d have been easy targets.”
“Humans know about us. Anyone else finding that a little hard to believe?” Luke asked.
“It’s not hard to believe. Let’s face it, the humans have been hunting us for months. We’re a good sport to them. We move when we want. We fight back. We also change.” Luther ran fingers through his hair. His father had warned him about humans throughout their lives.
“What is it?” Luke asked.
“Humans are the worst pieces of shit. I don’t like that her entire pack went down.” Luther looked at his three brothers. They may not share the same parents, but they were his brothers.
“She’s in the shower,” Noah said, joining them.
Billy filled Noah in on the conversation.
“Well, shit. We all knew this was bad.” Noah spoke up. “What are we going to do?”
“Can we each acknowledge what the hell is going on right now? A little closer to home,” Ryan said.
Luther stared at Ryan, waiting.
“She’s our mate.”
“I’m aware,” Luther said.
Luke, Noah, and Billy each nodded.
“It’s not like it’s a secret, Ryan.” This came from Noah. “We all smelled her. We know she’s our pack, and now we’ve got to protect her.”
“Humans won’t come on this land. We all know that.” Ryan shook his head as if he thought the very idea was insane for a human to even think of entering his land.
“This is why we’d all be killed under your leadership.” Luther glared at his brother. Ryan out of all of them rarely saw any danger. He truly believed that as a wolf, he was above everyone else.
Luther had never had a problem with Ryan following him or taking orders, but wolf versus human and Ryan truly believed the wolf would come out on top every single time.
“What are you so afraid of? What are you all afraid of?” Ryan asked.
“I’m not afraid,” Noah said. “Far from it. Humans are dangerous, Ryan.”
“Oh, please. They’re weak and feeble and don’t stand a chance against all of us. You know that.” Ryan snorted as if he thought the very idea of humans hurting them a joke.
“Did you see the fear in her eyes?” Billy asked. “The blood on her clothes? She was afraid.”
“She’s a female,” Ryan said.
“And a wolf.” Luther had enough of this. Ryan needed to see the problem. “You think you’re so tough.”
“I am tough.”
Lucky for Luther, he knew how to handle him. Picking up some corded rope that had been left there, he pounded onto Ryan. Wrapping the rope around Ryan’s wrists, he locked them behind Ryan’s back.
“Hey, fuck, get off.” Ryan struggled.
“You’ve just been attacked. A tranquilizer dart has entered your back. It’s strong enough to knock out a good-sized horse, but this isn’t for a placid creature. This has been designed for a wolf. For you to go down hard. You’re not supposed to get back up. You can’t struggle.” With the rope around Ryan’s wrists, Luther pulled it taut, lifting him off his feet. “You think you can fight this, go ahead, but they keep on giving you enough of that special calming medicine that you can’t even break through a steel fucking cage door. They keep you locked up, but that doesn’t mean they can’t play with you. Starve you. When you’re at death’s door, they finally feed you crumbs so you’re begging. The humans may not be as strong as us or faster than us, but they have their ways. Anyone can sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention, Ryan. All it takes is one bullet. One tranq dart, and you’re down. You’re at their mercy.” He looped the rope around Ryan’s neck and started to squeeze. “You can’t stop them. You can only submit to whatever brutal games they want to play.”
“Luther?” Noah asked.
He released Ryan’s neck and let his brother drop to the floor. “While we have our female in this home—and we all know she’s our female so I’m not going to pretend she’s not—you will be on guard. You will understand that you’re not the best hunter in the world, and you will take care of us. Understood?”
Ryan was panting for breath, but he nodded, his hand to his throat.
If he’d put any kind of pressure on Ryan’s neck, he’d have snapped it. Easy as that.
Part of being the alpha in the Knight pack, he was the strongest of them all. Noah was the gentlest, and Luke, Billy, and Ryan were somewhere in the middle.
“What do we do about her?” Noah asked.
“Right now, make sure she’s comfortable. Attend the cuts on her feet because they may take a short time to heal. I’m going to make us all some dinner.”
“I’m not angry at you,” Ryan said, stopping him at the door.
Luther turned back toward his brother. They were all brothers and best friends. They were all family. “I know.”
“You do what you have to do to make us all safe.”
He smiled. “Ryan, you’re not telling me anything I don’t already know.”
“I will follow you until the day we all die, and that is a promise.”
“I’m not angry at you, either. I just want you to be careful. You’re too careless, and I’d hate to think of the humans having you. Of hurting you. Of being able to make you weak. Take care of each other, and we’ll make it.”
With that, he left the main sitting room and headed to the kitchen. He always had to be strong. For a short time after he’d turned twenty-one, what seemed like a lifetime ago, he’d gone out exploring. His father and the pack had encouraged it. They felt it would help him fight, help him become a better leader.
While camping, humans had stumbled upon him. He knew what they had been like. The hunters within them and the way they’d abused and tormented him. For six months they’d held him captive, and it was only when they thought they’d broken his spirit that they showed their true colors.
Pushing those memories aside, he stared into the fridge.
He’d gotten away. He had to remember that.
He’d survived and made a vow that on his return to Knight land, no human would ever live if they stepped a foot onto it. He would kill them all.
Chapter Three
Lucia liked Noah. He’d left her some clothes to change into, and much to her relief, they weren’t too tight. They were actually hanging off her. Tucking her newly washed hair behind her ear, she turned to her reflection.
More bruising had come out. She’d been hit in the face with a gun. If she’d been human, she’d have been knocked unconscious. She wasn’t, and it hadn’t done any permanent damage. Just a bruise.
Running her fingers across her cheek, she shook her head. The pain had been excruciating. She hated it.
There was a knock at the door, and she tensed up but told whoever it was to come in.
It was Noah again. He had lots of brown hair that came down to his shoulders. She found it kind of sexy and smiled at him.
“You’re ready,” he said.
“Yeah. The clothes fit.”
“Good. Good.”
“Erm, I’m Lucia, by the way.” She held h
er hand out, and Noah stepped forward, taking her hand.
“What a beautiful name.” He kissed her knuckles, and she was shocked to find herself giggling.
“You’re sweet.”
“Just speaking the truth. I’m Noah, and when we go downstairs, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
“Okay. I mean, you don’t have to do that. I can leave. I know that you’re not happy with having unannounced guests.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s all just a load of bullshit.”
“You don’t kill people who stumble onto your land?”
Noah’s mouth opened, then closed before opening again.
She chuckled. “I don’t even know why I’m laughing, because that’s not funny.”
“It’s not, but I promise you we won’t hurt you.”
“Well, that sounds a lot better.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I think it’s just the nerves. I haven’t eaten in a few days.” Longer than two. She still couldn’t believe she’d been down for the count for four days, just sleeping, nothing else.
“Good for you, Luther is cooking.”
She froze. “Luther’s the alpha?”
“Yes. Don’t worry. I can see you’re worried. There’s really no need to be. He’s a good guy.”
“He’s kind of scary.”
“He has that vibe, but don’t worry about it. None of us do.” Noah winked at her. “I’ve lived with him my whole life. He means well.”
This made her pause. “He’s your brother?”
“Well, yes and no. He’s our brother. We were all raised to be one big happy family, but we’re not actually related.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
Noah led the way out of the bedroom. “Do you have a last name?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, it’s just Lucia. My pack didn’t believe in last names. Just, you know, first names. Everything else was always so insignificant.”
“I like it.”
“Good.” She smiled at him, loving how relaxed he made her feel.
They walked out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and he didn’t stop until they were in the kitchen.
The other four men were all there, watching them.
She pressed herself a little closer to Noah. He seemed to be nice and friendly, and she wasn’t in the mood to fight for anything right now. She was exhausted still.
The scent of steak was heavy in the air, and her mouth watered. The lingering scent of bacon must have been from breakfast, and she’d slept through it.
“So, you know our boss and alpha, Luther.”
Luther nodded at her.
Staring into his grey eyes with their flecks of amber, she felt a pull within her body. Arousal struck her quickly, and it took every ounce of control not to let it show. From the way he took a deep breath and his gaze never left her, he knew she was turned on.
How could she be turned on by the sight of him?
Averting her gaze, she listened to Noah make the next introductions.
Luke had dark brown hair and was slightly taller than Ryan, who also had brown hair. He wasn’t overly talkative and seemed to blend into the background. Billy had black hair and brown eyes, and of course Noah had brown hair, but like Luther, his eyes were grey.
She imagined that as she got to know them, if that was even going to happen, she’d be able to tell them all apart. They weren’t twins.
Another quick glance at Luther and the attraction was there. Her wolf paced the walls of her mind, and she liked what she saw.
Considering the past couple of days, Lucia was in shock.
“Everyone, this is Lucia,” Noah said.
“She has a name,” Ryan said, coming forward.
Lucia saw some rope burns around his neck and instantly became worried. “Are you okay?”
None of them had shown any damage to their body when she’d left them.
She let go of Noah and touched Ryan’s neck. He let out a moan, and she put her hand against his chest. His heart raced.
Luther let out a growl, and she took a step back. She didn’t know why she did that, only that she had to. She didn’t want to upset him.
Everyone seemed frozen in place.
“Noah, take her on a tour while I finish up dinner.”
“Will do, boss.”
Noah took her hand, and she glanced back at each of them. “It was lovely to meet you all, and thank you so much for having me here.”
She didn’t get the chance to say much of anything else as Noah led her out of the room and down the long corridor for the tour.
“What was all that about?” she asked.
“I’ve no idea, but just so you know, Ryan deserved what he got.”
This made her stop. “What? Luther did that to him?”
“He deserved it.”
“How? How could anyone deserve to be harmed?”
Noah stared at her. “I get that you’re not used to the way this pack is run, but we all have to rely on each other to survive. It’s all we’ve ever known, and if we can’t do that, then how can we keep each other safe? Especially with the threat of the humans.”
“They’re a threat to you?”
“You ran from them. It only makes sense that they’ll be a threat to all of us. We’ll take care of you, Lucia. You will never know pain again. So long as you stay on Knight land, we will take care of it.”
****
The scent of her arousal had been intoxicating. Luther had never smelled a more delicious female, and he’d been around a lot. Of course, none of them had even been close to his mate or had that material to make him ache.
His cock was rock-hard, and judging his three brothers, they were sporting the same kind of wood.
“If Noah’s not affected by her, we’re selling him,” Ryan said. His fingers were at his neck, touching the spot she had.
Luther’s wolf hadn’t liked that.
He knew they were all going to mate with her, but as alpha, it would be his place to unite her as theirs, his bite that would claim her as the Knight that she was destined to become. He couldn’t wait to have her belong to them. Every single, curvy inch of her. He’d never been the kind of guy that liked a slender woman. Lucia was the perfect woman for all of them. Nice big tits, juicy ass, full thighs. She was their dream woman.
“Did you have to growl like that? You scared her,” Ryan said, turning toward him.
“I didn’t mean to,” Luther said.
“You know how it is.” Billy burst out laughing, slapping Luther. “As alpha, he has to make his mark known.”
They all knew that there were times he hated being alpha, that it didn’t sit well with him to be the one in charge, but he had to do it. He had to take leadership and to make sure they all survived.
“I want her,” Luke said, speaking up. The passion in his eyes was clear to see. Luther couldn’t recall a time he ever looked so fucking serious or needy. “My dick is so hard right now.”
“And we all know you only ever give your hand the time of day,” Billy said.
“Don’t joke.” Luther shrugged him off but laughed.
“Why does Noah get to show her around?” Ryan asked, a pout to his lips as he came toward the counter. He snagged a carrot and took a bite.
“Because he puts her at ease. You can see it. I was going to suggest you go, but I don’t think my wolf can handle it.”
“She touched me,” Ryan said, smirking. “Put her hands right on me.”
“Keep doing that, Ryan, and you’ll sport a black eye.”
“I know, and I bet I get a kiss for that.”
Luther saw his game now. “Congratulations. I won’t touch you.”
“Oh, come on, just one punch. Enough to leave a mark but not to knock me out.”
“Sorry, no can do. I want our future mate to like me, and besides, you already got a touch out of it.”
“But you carried her over the threshold,” Ryan said. “You being alpha sucks.”
; “Want to take my place?” he asked.
“No. Of course not, but you could give me a break and actually make it easy for me.”
“She likes all of us,” Billy said. “It’s not going to be a problem having her touch.”
“You all suck,” Ryan said, taking another carrot.
Luther chuckled.
Even though he’d given Ryan the demonstration, he’d not taken it to heart. His brother was still there, and they were able to deal with it. He never wished to hurt any of them. It was far from what he wanted to do.
Finishing up the chopping, he picked up the marinating steak and placed it on the grill. The potatoes were already cooked, and he drained them, adding a pat of butter and giving them to Ryan to mash.
He quickly stir-fried the vegetables, adding a splash of chili because they all liked it, and turning the steaks. Noah always liked his well-done, and he took the rest of their meat off the grill when it was at medium rare. He wrapped them up in some aluminum foil to keep warm.
Once Noah’s was murdered, he also wrapped that up.
Carrying everything over to the table, he put the steaks on their plates and left to go and find Noah so they could have dinner.
He found them both in the library, staring out the window.
The window was open, and Lucia leaned forward.
He watched her as she breathed in the fresh air, the scent swirling around her. She really was a beautiful, sexy young woman. His cock hardened at the sight of her, and he wanted nothing more than to strip her naked and fuck her.
The clothes she wore belonged to him.
They all knew that as alpha, he wouldn’t allow her to be dressed in anything but, at least not until the claiming.
His father had warned him of how possessive he’d feel. That being alpha came with a lot of responsibility and part of that was making sure she was well, that she was cared for. His wolf would demand his time and attention, but he wouldn’t stop the others from wanting her. He just had to do the claiming first.
Lucia glanced behind her, and she was the first to notice him. He stared down the length of her body, letting her know that he liked, more than liked, what he saw.