Alden ran his fingers through his crew-cut black hair. His wolf was on edge like the others, but this was ridiculous.
“I think we should give her a little time alone.”
“What? Are you out of your mind? She’s our mate. Two rogue wolves snuck on this land and attacked her. There is no safer place for her to be than with us and in our bed.” Kedar raised his voice, his wolf so close to surface. He was such a complicated man and superior wolf. He usually had patience but it seemed as though Maya was already pushing him.
“I know that. There are guards patrolling, and safety measures in place. I just think that she’s shy and probably scared. All we’ve been doing is fighting with one another.”
“She’s resourceful and quite cunning, considering that she pretended to be passed out in order to avoid meeting us properly. I think it was your doing, Kedar. You act uncivilized. Tango and I will go speak with her and make her realize she is safest with us,” Saxton stated.
The others growled and Kedar stepped toward Saxton.
“I’m uncivilized? That coming from a wolf who did some pretty uncivilized things while working for known criminal wolves.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Saxton stated and shoved closer. Kedar pushed him in the chest and a small scuffle began until Tango and Caton separated the wolves.
“This is exactly why she took off. Whether we all like the circumstances or not, Maya is the mate to all of us. We do this together. She can’t fight the inevitable just as we can’t,” Tango said.
Saxton and Kedar glared at one another and then Alden cleared his throat.
“Let’s go find our mate and see why she ran. As Task Force 8, we’ve been asked to begin the investigation into the rogue wolves and why they went after Maya. The best place for us to begin is to interview our witness, considering that the two rogue wolves are dead,” Alden said and then looked up at his brother Kedar as well as Saxton sarcastically.
“You would have ripped his throat out, too, with concern over your mate’s life,” Saxton added.
“We agree on that?” Kedar asked.
“Whoa, let’s not get too crazy now. You agree with something Saxton said. What’s next? A great big hug?” Tango teased.
Alden wondered if the wolf was a jokester. He sure looked like a pretty boy despite the muscles and the constant serious facial expression.
“Don’t count on it, Saxton. Let’s go,” Kedar stated. Alden looked at Saxton and Tango who remained straight-faced as they headed through the town, their mate’s scent still lingering in the air.
* * * *
Maya locked her doors, pulled down the shades, and headed toward the bathroom. She was so high strung but also spent, both emotionally and physically. She knew she needed to eat something. Her wolf was famished after the long run in the woods, evading an attack, and then dealing with meeting her mates. She ran her fingers through her hair and started the shower.
I can’t believe this. Five huge, badass wolves are my mates? How the hell did something like this happen? This should be Annabelle’s fate, not mine. She’s all dominant and filled with attitude. I hate aggression. I just want to live my life and make my jewelry and hear messages from the goddesses about how I can serve them and my people. This is insane.
“Where are you now, Goddesses? I haven’t heard a thing from you. A warning would have been nice.”
Maya stepped under the spray of hot water and instantly felt her muscles tighten and then slowly loosen up. She closed her eyes, her nipples hardened, and her pussy was on alert as visions of her mates filled her mind.
Saxton’s jet-black coat and fierce-looking teeth. He was huge, and so was Kedar. She remembered him from when they were children. Although they didn’t spend much time in the same circles, she knew of him and his brothers. Great things were expected of them, and they had proven the rumors of their commitment to the Were world. As Task Force 8, they were involved with protecting the Were from being discovered by the humans. They also served the public realm by being peacekeepers and enforcing Were laws and human laws.
She had heard lots of stories about them from Ariella. Considering that they were Ariella’s brothers, she ought to know them well. Maybe Maya could talk to Ariella about them. But what about Saxton and Tango? She knew nothing about them, just that they had been protecting Kamea, the Goddess of the circle for years, which made them quite a bit older than Maya. They seemed that way, too. She had peeked her eyes open in the medical center and noticed how both Saxton and Tango stood there with authority and calm.
Well, at least until Kedar and his brothers demanded to get into the room. Then the fighting started up again. Hell, she had wanted to see their faces and their skin close up, but she had passed out in the woods. They must have carried her. But as they fought, and their voices grew louder, she felt the anxiety and fear of their wrath. These men were trained killers. They were warriors through and through, and Maya was a nobody.
She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She needed to dry off and then think of what she should do next. Take a trip and get out of town for a bit? Can’t do that. They need me at work and Annabelle needs my help now to get the plans in motion and an approval for the party. Shit. The elders and the Venificus will never approve a gathering now. Not when there was a breach in security. I’m dead. Annabelle is going to flip out on me. Shit.
She pulled the dryer from the cabinet and dried her hair as quickly as she could. It was long, thick, and usually took forever to fully dry. She didn’t have the time. She needed to keep moving so they wouldn’t catch up with her. She knew they eventually would. They were hunters, trackers, whatever. She nibbled on her bottom lip as she looked into the mirror and held the towel around her body with one hand.
She noticed her flushed cheeks and the aroused sensation in her core. She sensed the men. Somehow she knew that they were closer.
“I have to get out of here.”
She grabbed the knob and pulled the door open that led to her bedroom. She let out a cry and jumped back as the men came into sight. Three were sitting on her bed, and two were looking at items on her dresser.
“Oh God, what are you doing in here? You can’t just break into my home,” she said, feeling her head spin as she stepped back and leaned against the wall for support.
“Just relax, sweetheart. We’re not here to hurt you. In fact, we’re here to claim what’s ours,” one of them stated. He had black crew cut hair, and facial hair around his upper lip and chin. He also had an earring in his ear, and tattoos along his left arm and shoulder, She could see the design creeping up his incredibly muscular neck.
She didn’t like his attitude and the way he seemed to demand his statement.
She looked at the others, and her heart raced faster. She gripped the towel tighter. These men were gorgeous.
They had more muscles than she had ever seen on any human man. Two of them stood side by side, with more tattoos.
“That’s Kedar, I’m Alden, and this is Caton. We’re brothers. Don’t you remember us, Maya?” he asked.
Alden was a little shorter than the others, with jet-black crew cut hair, and mysterious eyes. The three brothers shared the same eyes and same hair color. Except Caton’s was shoulder length.
She swallowed hard, and then tensed up as the other two looked like they were about to move closer to her.
“I’m Saxton and this is Tango. I’m sorry that we met under such scary circumstances. Perhaps you’d like to get dressed and join us in the living room so we can talk?”
She didn’t know why but she sensed the sincerity in his statement. He was kind, but he was a force to be reckoned with. He was very tall, like Caton, and he had just as many muscles, but didn’t appear to have any tattoos. But he was wearing a shirt and her wolf felt disappointed. The other one, Tango, winked and gave her body the once-over. He seemed sexy and flirty, totally the type of man to intimidate her and make her all nervous and jittery. He wore
a fedora hat, and stood there with his hands on his hips as his eyes ate her up. He was a flirt and then some, but definitely had character. He also pulled off wearing that fedora pretty damn well.
“What do you say, doll?” Kedar asked, as he looked her over and then licked his upper lip. Why she imagined his mouth on hers, she didn’t know, but immediately her pussy leaked and all the men appeared as if they had noticed. She quickly sidestepped toward the closet. Even as she turned she still felt Kedar’s and the others’ eyes on her. Kedar seemed bossy, slick, capable, but also a leader. He liked to be in charge. Caton and Alden hadn’t said a word yet, they just watched her and it was unnerving. As she looked in her closet, she glanced to the right and there was Caton, holding her gaze as he held a picture frame in his hand and glanced at it and then back at her.
“You’ve grown up, Maya,” he told her, making every feminine part react.
“She sure has, brother. Our Maya’s not a little girl anymore,” Alden added, glancing at the picture and then leaning against her desk as he watched her. He had shoulder length hair, piercing dark eyes and fierce looking tattoos on his arms that intimidated her big time. She swallowed hard and stood her ground.
“I’d like for you to leave.”
“Not happening,” Kedar replied from directly behind her. She looked at him, and felt her body shaking.
“Well, I don’t know you, and I’m not going to get dressed in front of you.”
“Why not? We saw you naked in the forest. You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about, baby. You’re a knockout,” Kedar said and then winked at her. He was trying to make her laugh, but all his statement did was intensify the already pretty damn intense feelings she had.
“Listen, I need some space, please. I need privacy to get dressed. I wasn’t saying that I was not going to talk with you out in the living room.”
“Nice, Kedar, just scare the poor woman more. Real suave,” Saxton whispered and then stepped closer to Maya. She saw Kedar give Saxton a dirty look, but then she was consumed by the look in Saxton’s eyes, and the way his nostrils flared, before he touched his palm to her cheek. She shocked herself by not pushing his hand away, but instead, she closed her eyes and absorbed the feel of such a manly, large, yet gentle hand touch her skin. She had dreamt of one day giving her body to a man, and having him take care of her and cater to her every whim. But that was fantasy. This was reality of being mated to wolves. They would dominate her, own her, and she would be at their beck and call. She just didn’t know if she was ready for that change in her life right now.
“We’ll give you the space you need, but we also want to talk with you, and get to know our mate. This is strange and difficult for all of us, but the Goddesses have spoken, Maya. We’ll get through this, together.” Saxton held her gaze. For such a large, strapping man he was gentle and empathetic to her emotions. She appreciated that. So far she realized that Kedar was very demanding and bossy, and confidant. Saxton was confident but also calm and passionate. Alden seemed to be the one to want to make amends and organize the situation to make it run smoothly. Tango seemed flirty and sexy, and Caton looked like he could go from sweet to pissed off in a bat of an eye. But then again she could be completely wrong. Maybe talking to them was a good thing.
“Okay, Saxton. I’ll meet you all out in the living room. There are drinks in the refrigerator but I don’t have much. I don’t really have company over and I work a lot.”
“We’ll handle it. Just make it quick. We’ve got lots of questions,” Tango said and then winked at her.
“We have the questions, doll. We’re investigating the attack on you. Our sister’s mates assigned us to the investigation,” Kedar said and then winked as he walked out of the room. Alden and Caton followed, but not before Caton gave her body the once-over, and held a firm expression.
“You’re a delicate little thing. Really sweet, I can tell,” he said, and she felt all giddy inside as well as freaked out. Why did his mention of her seeming sweet make her think of herself as a piece of candy for him to suck on?
She practically slammed the door closed and locked it before looking for something to wear.
“What the hell do I wear?” she stated aloud as she filtered through the clothes, suddenly more concerned about her attire than ever before. She even wondered if she had any makeup around or lip gloss, too.
“Am I accepting this fate? Am I really going to talk with them?”
She covered her face with her hands as she looked at her clothing options.
“Oh, by the Goddesses, I can’t believe this is happening to me.”
Chapter 5
“Why would you do this? Now they really won’t allow me to move forward with the party.” Annabelle stood in the office staring at the man she only recently met.
He looked her over and she shuddered. It was as if wherever his eyes roamed, she felt it against her skin.
“Things have a way of working themselves out, Annabelle. The wolves that went in search of giving Maya a little scare were not supposed to attack. However, it seems that Maya’s mates showed up on the scene in a very odd act of convenience none of us would have presumed.”
“Her mates? She has mates? Maya?”
The man stared at her with one eyebrow raised as he kept his hands clasped in front of him while leaning back at his desk. He looked pompous and vain. There was danger about him as well, but her sources assured her he was trustworthy, and a shrewd businessman. That was precisely what she needed to advance in the pack and to eventually secure a position in the circle.
“Well, it happened. So things didn’t go down entirely as expected.”
“Who are her mates that they were able to fight off two of your rogue wolves?” she asked with attitude.
Grath held her eyes as he spoke. “You know three of them. They are part of your pack. Alden, Caton, and Kedar. The other two are not from around here. Saxton and Tango.”
She gasped, and anger filled her to her core. Her father, Galan, had just spoken with her earlier about their arrival and about her meeting them. She should be the one mated to such supreme warriors, not Maya, that mouse. Those men were her ticket to landing a higher ranking position as an Alpha wolf.
“I sense you’re not too happy about this joining.”
She stared at Grath. “Maya is a weak, simple wolf. She is not an Alpha.”
“Well, apparently the gods feel otherwise, or perhaps the five men have enough strength and power so Maya does nothing at all. It’s happened before. The woman is at the beck and call of her mates, a simple servant instead of an equal. In many cases those wolves stray to fulfill the need they desire in another woman.”
“How absurd. Wolves do not cheat on their mates,” she stated.
He rose from his seat and moved in front of her. “Annabelle, I have seen so many things in my life, you would be shocked. However, if being a mistress upsets you, perhaps you can seduce them away from her before they complete the bond.”
“But the mating musk and bond is strong. Nothing can destroy it.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say nothing, Annabelle.” He reached out and caressed her hair. She felt him tug on it, but something stronger, a deeper sensation filled her body. It traveled under her skin, through her blood and deeply within her. She wondered if she imagined it. Unknowingly she rose to her feet, then she moved closer. Grath brought a handful of her hair to his nose and sniffed the blonde locks.
“You know of something that could stop the process?” she asked.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. She gasped as he whispered the word.
“Death.”
She shuddered at the thought. Yes, she disliked Maya, but killing her was not an option.
“No? You wouldn’t consider killing her?”
Annabelle shook her head. Grath caressed her cheek, as he remained holding her around the waist.
“There is another way. Someone I know from the dark side that has a way of f
orcing the mating between anyone he so chooses. In fact, if I wanted to, I could make you mine, Annabelle.”
She immediately felt the evil within him. His arm tightened and his face took on an expression of determination and power.
“How is that possible?”
“That’s not concern. It works, and he has already tested it out. The decision is yours, Annabelle. If you want Maya out of the way, and if you want to secure your position in the pack and gain power and control, then mating to the right wolves is imperative. What better choice than to the bloodline of the Venificus royalty as well as to the warriors of an elite somewhat secret organization like the Brothers of Were? It’s at your fingertips, Annabelle.”
She thought about it for a moment. Her desire for more power, a better position as a female Alpha wolf, had been her hopes and dreams despite her father’s failing efforts to abide by protocol. She couldn’t seem to make her father, a representative of the circle, proud. He followed the rules, despite the fact that he would do anything for her. If she did this, no one could ever find out.
“Your concerns?” Grath asked.
She stared at him, as the decision was on the tip of her tongue.
“No one will ever know about my involvement in this? You can assure that this formula works?”
He smiled at her, as he caressed her cheek.
“Bring me Maya, and you will see how easy this plan will work. Maya will be bound to another, leaving her wolves free to choose you as their mate.”
“But what about the gods? They are the ones who make the decisions. Would the men be weak or die from not binding with their intended mate and instead another?”
“The only one who may die is Maya. But she will be shunned for choosing another wolf over her intended, and it won’t matter anyway. You’ll be a hero. To your mates and to the people.”
Goddess of Unity [The Men of Five-O #8] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 4