Her Wolves: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Candace Wondrak

  “That was…” Ivy whispered, wrapping an arm around Violet again, holding her up. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

  To say that had been unforeseen would’ve been the decade’s largest understatement. Violet only nodded along, finding her voice still evaded her. Her dress was torn to her hips, but at least it allowed her an easier time walking, though her strength was still nowhere to be seen. Like she was still scared. Like she still felt trapped by Fletcher.

  Like this was all some sick joke, a trick. Not really happening.

  They walked for what felt like hours. Once Violet was able to stand on her own without collapsing, she yanked off her heels and threw them to the woods, swearing as she tossed them as far and as hard as she could. Ivy did the same, only she was meeker about it, silently slipping off her studded heels and leaving them on the side of the dirt road.

  They followed the dirt road, moving at a slow but steady pace. At least there were no rocks in the road, so walking barefoot wasn’t too impossible. Their dresses got dirty, their skin sweaty. The blood coating Violet’s neck and face dried up, cracking and itching. She needed about a thousand hot showers to wash off the blood and the memory of that place.

  Only she couldn’t forget, because there were still other women trapped there, except now the only difference was they were stuck under Iris’s rule. Violet had no idea what Iris planned on doing, whether she would treat the women better, let them be free—let them have a choice in what they would do next.

  A nagging feeling lingered in her gut, because deep down Violet knew: they’d just traded one overlord for another.

  Chapter Twenty - Everett

  The car ride to the compound had never felt so long. Everett knew it was the same distance it had always been, but for some reason, today it felt like quite the journey. Brice was mostly silent in the driver’s seat, grumbling to himself over every bump in the road they hit. The tension in the car was high; neither he nor his older brother knew what they were about to walk into, but they both knew it wasn’t going to be pretty.

  Why would Fletcher want both Brice and Everett to come? Why demand they come today, at such a specific time? The shifter was playing at something; Everett just didn’t know what.

  Whatever it was, there was no way it could be good. Nothing Fletcher ever touched was good. Or happy. Or even normal. It was always a freakshow, every move he made a calculated one. As if remembering, Everett’s back itched. He did not want to get lashed again, though if he had to choose between his sister or Violet being lashed versus himself…he’d choose himself every single time.

  There were other possibilities of what Fletcher could’ve called them back for, and none of them were good. Most of the ones Everett thought of during the drive there were both terrifying and rage-inducing. If he touched Violet again, if he hurt her, or worse, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to take it. He would snap, and the only thing one could do to a dog once it went rabid was put it down.

  He hated comparing himself to a rabid dog, but in this case, the analogy fit quite well.

  “I don’t feel good about this,” Everett muttered, staring hard out of the window. The road had long become dirt below their vehicle; it was only a matter of time now before they arrived at Fletcher’s.

  Brice’s hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles white. “Me either, but we have no choice.”

  He nodded to himself; there never was a choice when Fletcher was in the picture. At least now Everett was not assaulted with Violet’s scent so much; it had worn off a little after his older brother had showered, but even after twenty-four hours, it lingered.

  “I want to kill him,” Everett said. Never had he felt like committing such violence against anyone before. Not once in his whole life, until his pack was destroyed, did he ever imagine himself taking claws to someone’s throat and ripping them apart. It just wasn’t him. Time changed everyone.

  It was only a second before Brice added, “Me too, but we wait until we know we’ll survive. There’s no use in us dying. If we die, Fletcher will have Ivy and Violet anyway—” As he spoke, they rounded a turn, and he abruptly yanked the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes.

  The car came to a sudden, jerky halt, and both Everett and Brice stared at the women in the road. Two familiar faces, both looking like they’d seen better days. Ivy and Violet. Both women wore dresses, although Ivy’s was still whole and untorn, not a single spot of blood on her, while Violet…Violet’s sparkling dress was covered in maroon, along with her chest and her face. And her dress was split from the bottom all the way up to her midsection.

  Before Brice could even put the car in park, Everett was out, though his older brother wasn’t too far behind. Ivy was the closest one to him, so she was the one he pulled to his chest first, wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tightly against him.

  “Everett,” Ivy whispered, her arms snaking around his back as she embraced him. From the slight hiccup in her words, it sounded like she’d practically burst into tears.

  Everett found he couldn’t say anything. He glanced up when Brice came, engulfing her back in another hug. Together, they made a sibling sandwich, their emotions running so high, none of them knew quite what to say.

  And there was a lot to unpack.

  How did they get out? What happened? Why were they so dolled up? Why was Violet…

  When he thought of her, Everett slowly drew his gaze to her, trying to untangle himself from his sister and his brother. Though he’d known his sister for nearly his entire life—and they’d been apart for years—he couldn’t help but feel like he should’ve gone to Violet first.

  Violet had watched their reunion with an expressionless face, as if she tried hard not to reveal her inner thoughts, and then she turned and headed toward the car, not saying a word as she climbed into its back seat.

  Before Violet could reach for the door to close it, Everett had removed himself from the family hug and stood before her. She looked so small in the car, in that dress…the blood on her was not hers, he realized as he breathed in while staring at her.

  It was Fletcher’s.

  He was still too giddy to have them back to ask what happened, and before he could think better of it, Everett leaned into the car, grabbed Violet by the waist, and held her close. He was half in and half out of the vehicle, and it was one of the most uncomfortable positions he'd ever been in, but he didn’t care. There were no words to describe how happy he was to have both Ivy and Violet out, and he couldn’t let Violet think he was thrilled only about his sister.

  Though she was covered in dried blood, Everett buried his nose into the crook of her neck. He wanted to say something, but he found words would not come. There were no words to say.

  He hugged her harder, breathing in her hair, feeling her small body trembling a bit in his. Whatever had happened had scared her; Everett could tell, and he would do anything to make her feel better.

  Everett gently pushed Violet deeper into the backseat, which allowed him to get inside. As he reached to close the door, he overheard Brice talking to Ivy.

  “What happened?” Brice asked, his hands on Ivy’s bare shoulders. He studied their sister to see if she was secretly broken, scarred like Violet was. “How did you…”

  Ivy glanced to the car. “I’ll tell you later. Let’s just get out of here.”

  Everett closed the door, turning back to Violet, once more hugging her to him. She didn’t fight him, but she did tense in his grip. “Are you…” He trailed off, not knowing what the right thing to say was. The blood was Fletcher’s, but nothing else on her reeked of him, so he knew the bastard hadn’t taken her.

  Leaning her forehead against his neck, Violet muttered, “I’ll be okay.” She seemed to burrow herself into his chest, her hands little balled fists on his lap. She wasn’t exactly hugging him back, but Everett wouldn’t push her.

  He was just glad to have her back, in his arms. Right where she should be.

  Inside, Everett f
elt his wolf humming, almost purring. His wolf was content, too. Blood-soaked or not, Violet was here, and now that she was in his arms, he wouldn’t let her go again. He swore to himself he would never be so stupid, so foolish. He would protect Violet with all that he had and all that he was. She would never fall into anyone’s hands again.

  As Everett leaned his cheek on the top of her head, Ivy and Brice climbed into the car in the front. His older brother turned to look at them—at Violet—and for a split second, the two brothers met eyes. Brice wouldn’t say anything, he knew, and it was only a quick moment before his older brother returned to the steering wheel and started the process of turning the car around.

  Silence took over the vehicle as Brice drove them back to their shitty apartment in the city. During the entire drive, Everett never let Violet go, and she did not once try to escape his grip. He knew better than to hope it meant she liked him; odds were, she’d been traumatized by whatever she’d seen, and Everett hoped with an aching heart she would let him help her eventually.

  He wasn’t going to leave her again. He couldn’t, not when Violet was his, not when both he and his wolf were in full agreement on what they wanted. That rarely ever happened, because his wolf was always the more primal one.

  Time crawled by, and when they arrived at their apartment, Brice had to get out of the car first and scope out the hallways and stairwells to make sure no one was out, no one would see the blood soaking Violet’s top half. When the coast was clear, they made their way up. Third floor, at the end of the building. The whole place kind of looked like a motel, like some kind of dingy place in a horror movie, but it was the cheapest place in town.

  Still not worth what they had to pay for it.

  Although…if Fletcher was injured or dead, Everett had a feeling he was going to stop paying them, which meant they didn’t have the money to live here for long. Which was just fine by him, because he didn’t want to stay in this forsaken place. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do or where to go, but he knew this place needed to be in the rearview mirror.

  Once they were inside their apartment, Everett and Brice watched as the women checked the place out. Neither Violet or Ivy seemed too impressed with it, though Ivy was a bit blunter when she said, “You guys live here? Why? Tell me you weren’t kidnapping girls just to live in this dump?”

  At that, even Violet cracked a smile, and for a moment, the two women met eyes.

  “Shower, change out of those dresses,” Brice said. “I’ll run to the store, pick you guys up some new clothes—”

  Everett knew what his brother was saying, but he was too busy watching Ivy and Violet stare at each other. Did they bond when they were in the compound? The way his sister’s pale face flushed when Violet looked at her…did Ivy like her too?

  Sharing a mate among siblings wasn’t common, but it was done, sometimes. Odds were it would be tougher for Violet to become accustomed to it than it would be for them—if Ivy liked her, that was.

  As Brice left, throwing one last look at both Ivy and Violet, Everett went into the bedroom and started taking out some clothes they could wear until he got back. Violet went into the bathroom first, and it took all of his concentration not to think of her, naked in the shower, the moment the water turned on.

  It was…extremely difficult.

  Ivy had followed him into the bedroom, glancing around, her white eyebrows lifting high. She looked out of place all dressed up; she wasn’t the kind of wolf who enjoyed sparkling things or curled hair. A natural beauty, like most shifters were, regardless of gender.

  “What happened with Fletcher?” Everett asked, starting to pile up the first outfit. A shirt, athletic shorts that Brice usually wore at night. That would be enough until he got back with clothes. Hopefully he remembered enough to buy them underwear and stuff.

  “I’ll tell you guys what happened once Brice gets back, that way I only have to say it once,” Ivy said, crossing her arms. Though she was the youngest out of them, she had the maternal, knowing look down pat. “And then you two can tell me what the hell you were thinking when you were kidnapping those women.”

  Ah, yes. Of course his sister would demand to know that. It was not a conversation he looked forward to having.

  Everett said nothing, starting to put together the second outfit.

  Taking a step closer to him, Ivy asked, “What’s the deal with Violet?”

  “Deal? There’s no deal.”

  She was not impressed. Tilting her head, Ivy said, “It’s obvious you like her. Does your wolf?”

  Everett nodded.

  “And what about Brice? Does he feel the same? You know Fletcher made him…” When he nodded again, Ivy trailed off. “I hope you two idiots realize it doesn’t matter how you or your wolves feel. She’s human. She’s not like us. Humans don’t make connections that fast, especially to the two shifters who kidnapped her and handed her over to a maniac.”

  “Trust me, I’m well aware of it,” Everett said, not needing the reminder. It was a hard truth he would have to face eventually, though—Violet wouldn’t want to be with him, with them. He studied his little sister then. “And what about you?”

  Ivy’s brows came together, her big blue eyes blinking once. “What do you mean, what about me?”

  “I mean, how does your wolf feel about her? I saw the way you looked at her.” Okay, so Everett might’ve only said it to rile his sister up, but apparently he’d stepped a bit too close to the truth.

  “It doesn’t matter how I looked at her. She has a life to get back to—remember? The one you stole her from? How exactly did you mistake her for a shifter? I don’t think Fletcher was in the market for a human.”

  “She was wearing a shifter’s clothes…”

  Ivy frowned. “You’re idiots, you know.” The kind tone she always had hardened when she spoke to either Brice or Everett, but that’s how family was. Brutally honest, always. Never one to sugarcoat anything.

  “Yes, you’ve said that already.”

  “I have to repeat it a few times to make sure you realize it,” Ivy spoke, a smile crossing her lips.

  Everett shrugged his shoulders. And then he said something he probably shouldn’t have said: “You know, maybe you could go into the bathroom and join her—” His words were met with a smack on the arm and a glare from Ivy before she stormed out of the room, and then he did something he hadn’t done in what felt like ages. Years, even.

  He laughed.

  Chapter Twenty-One - Violet

  Violet stood under the hot water of the shower for what was probably considered too long, enjoying the feeling of the warm water running down her body, washing away all the dirt and filth, not to mention blood, left over from that horrible place. She wanted to forget all about what she’d seen, but she couldn’t, because she wasn’t sure whether or not the women still there were safe under Iris or not.

  As she washed herself off with whatever soap she found, she couldn’t help but remember the way Everett had held onto her in the car. Not quite possessive, but definitely protective, almost like he was afraid to let her go. Like he didn’t want her out of his sight, even for a minute.

  The old Violet, AKA the Violet of two years ago and the Violet who knew nothing about shifters and the horror the females faced, would’ve been instantly turned off. But today’s Violet? After seeing everything she’d seen, after being friends with Maia for so long and getting to know Alarick, Farkas, and Grimm…

  This Violet kind of liked it.

  Which was downright stupid, considering the fact it was Everett and Brice who’d gotten her into this mess to begin with. Violet shouldn’t feel shit for them, and she definitely shouldn’t crush on their sister. Just because Ivy was the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen…and she’d been stuck in that house of horrors for so long didn’t mean anything.

  She should honestly just forget about all of them.

  Forget about them.

  Fuck. Why did the mere notion of forgetting the
m make her stomach twist? Why did she feel something stirring inside her chest when she imagined going home without them? Damn it. Violet had it bad.

  She turned off the water, stepping out after grabbing a towel. The nearest one. She brought it to her face and started to dry herself—and to her utter mortification, Violet caught herself sniffing it. Like she was some kind of damn shifter, as if she could differentiate the smell between Brice and Everett.

  Violet swore in her mind, running the towel over her hair—staining the fabric a bit purple, but she didn’t care. Whoever’s towel this was, well, he could just suck it up. They’d brought her to a shifter prostitution ring, so the least they could do was let her stain their towels.

  She was in the middle of drying her legs when a soft knock echoed from the door. Violet paused, standing straight, moving to hold the towel in front of her. Once she was sure all her important bits were covered, she stepped over the torn, bloodied dress on the floor and went to open it.

  Ivy stood just outside, looking as gorgeous as ever. She offered her a small pile of clothes. “Until Brice gets back,” she said, her azure stare falling to Violet’s bare legs. “Although if you wanted to, I’m sure no one would complain about you walking around here naked.” Almost instantly, her cheeks flushed, and she quickly added, “Oh, God. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Totally inappropriate. Growing up with two brothers…”

  Violet was still caught up on the whole naked bit. Was she trying to flirt with her? She…wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

  Okay, that was a lie. She did know how she felt about it—she just knew she shouldn’t. She knew she should feel nothing toward Ivy, nothing for Everett, and most definitely nothing for Brice.

  But, fuck it, she did.