Their Runaway Mate

by Selena Cross

  Anna laughed, and looked ahead of her as they came to the large group of wolves standing in front of chairs on either side of a white rug covering the ground. As she got closer, the people parted more and she could see a judge, who happened to be a member of the Pack, standing behind a pulpit, and Drew and Carter standing on each side in front of it.

  They both looked so handsome in their tuxedos, and they both looked at her, perusing her body in her dress, hunger in their eyes, making her aroused and grateful Alyssa was keeping her standing upright.

  “You might want to knock the arousal down a notch,” Alyssa whispered, teasingly. “Everyone is probably getting a good scent of it right now and you’re going to leave some unmated boys very hard and jealous.”

  Anna blushed, wanting to push her friend away for embarrassing her, but by the time she considered it, she was standing in the middle of her two men and Alyssa was giving them a warning growl.

  She looked from one man to the other as they smiled down at her, and then they all faced the judge.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness, Carter Alexander Moorehouse, Andrew David Bentworth, and Anna Elizabeth Preston join in eternal matrimony.

  If there is anyone here who contests this union, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace.”

  The judge grew silent and waited, but all that could be heard was the sound of birds chirping.

  “I believe Carter, Drew, and Anna have prepared their own words.”

  Anna turned to Carter first, who looked into her eyes and swallowed, “Anna, before I met you, I hated everything to do with humans and thought the only good human was a dead one. Then you came along, confirming my thoughts,” Carter smiled devilishly as he teased her, as some people snickered. “Then I got to know you and found that I couldn’t be more wrong. You proved to me that not all humans are bad, and if I would just give one a chance, I could find something better than I ever knew. You are everything good and wonderful in this world. You are beautiful, compassionate, strong, wise, and a little bit too stubborn at times, but the most loving and caring person I know. I promise to love, honor, cherish, protect, and trust you for the rest of our days. I love you with every part of my being and will until my dying day.”

  Anna smiled at the tear that fell down her tough Alpha’s cheek as he spoke, and then she answered.

  “Carter, my Alpha, before we met, I had no idea there could be anyone quite so stubborn and pigheaded. You made me so mad and were so overbearing. However, after we called a truce and started to spend time together, I could have never been so happy to meet someone as strong, compassionate, intelligent, and wonderful as you are. You overcame your fear and let me in, not only into your home, but your heart, and you captured my heart in the process. I promise to love, honor, cherish, care for, and trust you for the rest of our days and I love you with every breath I take.”

  After a few moments of smiling at one another, Anna turned to Drew to repeat the process.

  “Anna,” Drew started, looking nervous. “Before you moved in with us, I met you at school and couldn’t have been more excited at finding my little human mate. I went home after school and told Carter about all the wonderful things you said and did every day, just to have him shoot me down when I asked to claim you. Then, I finally convinced him to move you in and give you a chance.

  “I couldn’t wait to claim you and each day that I had to wait seemed to be like torture. Then Carter told me that you were ready to be claimed and I raced home, excited to finally be with you, only to betray your trust and chase you away.

  “I had never felt anything as painful as I did when I lost you. The thought of never seeing your smiling face again, hearing your sweet voice, or smelling your delicious scent nearly killed me. I thought I would never see you again or get to tell you how sorry I was for what I had done, and I definitely didn’t think I deserved your forgiveness.

  “Then you came to our hotel room to confront me and you forgave me. Even though I still hadn’t forgiven myself, you gave me another chance and gave me back my peace.

  “Anna, I promise to love, honor, cherish, protect, and to trust you for the rest of our days. I love you, Anna, you hold my heart.”

  The look of uncertainty and vulnerability on Drew’s face made her want to kiss him and wipe it away, but not before she said what she had to.

  “Drew, you were the older professor that every college girl dreams of, just how much older was surprising though. I had a crush on you from the first class I had with you and it only grew the more time I spent with you.

  “When you had hired me and moved me into your home, I thought it was because you wanted to be more than friends and have a relationship with me. Then I overheard you and Carter talking about me in your office the night Carter came home and you thought I was in bed. You said my smell drove you crazy and I thought you meant I stank. Carter said it wouldn’t be long and you wouldn’t have to worry about it and I thought you were going to throw me out. Then I watched you two embracing each other.

  “Therefore, I went back to my room and packed to leave, but when I tried to sneak out the next morning, Carter caught me, and I found out the real reason I was in your home.

  “You asked me to trust you and to give you time, and I did. However, you didn’t trust me back and I ran away, but I never stopped loving you. I never stopped wanting to be with you and it ached to be away from you. Carter surprised me when he came to the diner and told me how you had been beating yourself up about what had happened, but I still wasn’t going to go back to you.

  “It wasn’t until my best friend, Alyssa, reminded me of how important you two are to me and how important our love is that I decided to go and confront you, and forgive you.

  “Drew, I promise to love, honor, cherish, care for, and trust you for the rest of our days, and I love you so much, with everything that is in me.”

  After smiling at each other, as Anna had done with Carter, they all turned back to the judge who stated, “I now pronounce you men and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  Carter was the first to kiss her, spinning her to face him and crushing her lips with his. Kissing her hungrily, his tongue delved into her mouth, wrestling her tongue into submission and making her dizzy.

  Just as soon as it began, it ended, and Anna found herself turning the other direction, where Drew slowly brushed his lips against hers until she relaxed into his hold. Then he pressed harder, kissing her more deeply, and enveloping her in deep loving warmth.

  Applause broke out as they parted and both men grabbed her hands to guide her down the aisle. As they went, people shook the men’s hands and congratulated the newlyweds.

  Alyssa hugged Anna and congratulated the men.

  “Oh Alyssa, thank you,” Anna said, hugging her friend back. “I’m so happy.”

  “I’m happy for you, doll,” Alyssa said as she pulled away and looked at the men. “It’s about time you two men made an honest woman out of her. I was beginning to wonder if you had any sense.”

  Carter gave a warning growl, but chuckled at Alyssa’s audacity, “You need to watch how you speak to your Alpha, little one.”

  Alyssa just laughed, “Yeah right, I could take ya.”

  Drew burst out laughing. “Now I know where Anna has been getting it.”

  “Damn straight,” Alyssa retorted. “And it’s only going to get worse for the next six or seven months. Wait until that pup pops out and meets her new godmother. Just name her after me, okay?”

  The men sobered immediately and Anna’s eyes went wide, “What?”

  “Oh come on guys, don’t tell me you can’t smell the difference,” Alyssa needled.

  The men sniffed the air, and then gaped at Anna.

  “You’re pregnant,” Drew announced, while Carter just scooped her up into his arms and began walking toward the house.

  “What are you doing?” Anna exclaimed.

  “I’m taking you to rest. I don’t need you wearing your
self out. It isn’t good for the baby,” Carter declared.

  Anna thought of arguing, but then Carter kissed her, stopping her response. He pulled away and Anna saw the devious smile he had on his face.

  “I love you, my little mate,” he said as he winked.

  She giggled and decided to let him run off with her, “I love you too, my Alpha.”

  Once the three were alone in the house, Carter let her stand on her own, but then Drew picked her up and started running up the stairs.

  “What are you doing?” Anna had to ask, but she just laughed as she watched Carter, chasing them.

  “I’m taking you to bed to make love to you,” Drew said, truthfully. “I love you, my goddess.”

  “And I love you, my sweet Beta,” Anna replied, kissing his cheek.

  Anna finally had someone who loved her and she loved them. She was finally home.

  Books by Selena Cross

  Blood Journals Series

  Damien’s Second Chance – Book One

  Look for more to come in series

  The Hunt Family Series

  Lizzy’s Lessons

  The Hunt Family Christmas

  Stand Alone Books

  Their Runaway Mate

  Excerpt from Damien’s Second Chance

  Blood Journals Book One

  By Selena Cross

  Chapter One

  The Interview

  Katie was nervous about her second interview for the high profile job she was attempting to land. If she were hired, she would be the personal assistant to the richest and most powerful man she had ever known, Damien Drake. He was richer than Bill Gates was and Donald Trump combined, he had the most prominent politicians in the country in his pocket, and he was the most eligible bachelor in the world. The only down side is no one really saw him, except for the people who worked very closely with him, and even they had only seen him once or twice.

  The knots in her stomach tightened as she looked up at the clock to make sure she was on time. Not that she had to go anywhere, the second interview was being held in her apartment. She thought it was strange but Mr. Porter said that Mr. Drake liked to see what kind of environment his personal assistants lived in before he decided to hire them. She wanted to impress him as much as possible, so she spent the entire day cleaning and cooking. Okay, so why did it have to be so late in the evening? Nine o’clock was just an absurd time to hold interviews for prospective assistants.

  She had enough time to put the finishing touches on the table setting before there was a knock at the door. She struggled with her apron as she made her way to the door, just able to get it off before she reached for the doorknob. Her nerves made her stomach turn as she opened the door. What was he going to be like when she finally got to meet him? She pictured an old decrepit man with liver spots and a receding hairline. The first person she saw was Mr. Porter, which she had seen before. He was okay looking for a middle-aged workaholic with a drinking habit.

  “Welcome, Mr. Porter,” she smiled graciously at him as she held out her hand to shake his.

  “Hello Katie,” he smiled, showing his yellow cigarette and coffee stained teeth. “I have someone with me I would like you to meet.”

  From around the corner of the door came a man, but not the old man Katie was expecting. He was young, around her age, beautiful, god-like, as if he were sculpted out of marble. His dark shoulder length hair curved around his strong jaw line, framing his beautiful face. His eyes were a dark brown, almost so dark they looked black, his lips were cherry red, soft and inviting. He smiled at her as he reached out his hand to take hers. He lifted her hand to his lips and gently brushed the top of her hand with a kiss.

  “Hello Katherine,” he said, staring deeply into her eyes. “I’m Damien Drake.”

  No one had called Katie, Katherine, since she was a little girl. It was what her mother called her to show disdain for her only daughter. She hated being called Katherine, but for some reason when he said it, it didn’t annoy her as it usually did. Still, she didn’t want to be called Katherine, “Please, call me Katie.”

  He smiled at her sheepishly, but he didn’t reply. They just stared at each other, looking in to each other’s eyes, as if they could see into one another’s souls.

  Mr. Porter cleared his throat, breaking their attention. “Well, Katie, aren’t you going to invite us in?”

  She looked at Mr. Porter; then realized they were still standing in her doorway and Mr. Drake was still holding her hand. She snatched her hand back, gesturing for them to come in, “Of course, I’m sorry, come in.”

  She shut the door behind them, circled around them, and led them into the dining room. She could feel Mr. Drake’s eyes on her butt as she walked in front of them. She turned around quickly when they entered the dining room, “I hope you’re hungry, I have been making a feast all afternoon.”

  She looked at the men. While Mr. Porter was scanning the table and swallowing back the saliva that was evidently pooling in his mouth, Mr. Drake kept his eyes locked on her and examined Katie closely from her head to her feet. Her heart pounded as she watched his eyes go down the length of her body, stopping briefly at her breasts then continuing down.

  She stepped back and grabbed one of the chairs, pulling it forward, then standing behind it, as if to block herself from his eyes, “Have a seat, gentlemen.” She ushered for them to sit.

  They both just stood where they were. Mr. Porter, looking disappointed, spoke up, “Well, we would love to Katie, but unfortunately this is just a short visit. We both have other engagements after this and can’t stay long.” He swallowed again, “It’s a shame….it smells so good.”

  “Yes, it does.” agreed Mr. Drake, but when she looked at him, she had a feeling he wasn’t talking about the food.

  Mr. Drake stepped toward her and reached out his hand to her face. Katie backed up, startled by his advancement. He smiled, “You have something on your face, my dear.” He ran his thumb over the corner of her mouth, and pulled away, putting his thumb in his mouth, as if to taste whatever it was he had wiped off her mouth.

  “Oh,” she laughed, embarrassed, “I must have gotten some on me when I was taste testing the food.”

  He smiled deviously, “It tastes better than it smells.”

  Now she knew he wasn’t talking about the food.

  Mr. Drake broke their stare this time, when he turned to Mr. Porter, “Well, shall we be going Mathew?”

  “Oh,” Mr. Porter began moving toward the entrance, “Yes, Mr. Drake, we don’t want to keep our other engagements waiting.” He said as he hurriedly reached for the door.

  Katie followed behind them, “Oh…well….okay then, but what about the job?”

  They both stopped and turned to her.

  “Yes,” Mr. Porter said as he held the door open for Mr. Drake, “You will start tomorrow Katie, eight a.m., nice and early.”

  Katie smiled in relief, “Okay, well it was nice to meet you Mr. Drake.”

  Mr. Drake took her hand again, “It was nice meeting you, Katherine.” He planted another kiss on her hand, then gently let go as she pulled it back.

  She smiled courteously, even though it annoyed her that he insisted on calling her Katherine, even after she asked him not to. However, she wasn’t going to say anything this time, since he was after all, her boss.

  “I look forward to working with you,” he flashed another devious smile. “Good night, my dear.”

  “Good night,” she said abruptly, trying not to sound too sharp.

  “Well, good night Katie, see you in the morning,” Mr. Porter shook her hand vigorously, and then turned to walk away.

  “Good night Mr. Porter,” she waved to them as they walked down the hallway, but neither of them turned around to wave back.

  She shut the door and leaned against it for a minute, bringing her hand to her lips. Realizing what she was doing, she then wiped the back of her hand on her dress pants and made her way to the dining room. She stared at all t
he food on the table, and sighed in disappointment. This evening didn’t go at all, as she had planned it to go. She began picking stuff up off the table and carrying it to the kitchen. Oh well, she thought, at least she got the job.

  Excerpt from Enough Time

  Stratum Series Book Two

  By Zach Collins

  Prologue

  “Uh….Ian, could you come into the office for a minute,” Trent asked his best friend, then stared at the large muscular man who was staring at him intensely.

  “Sure, give us a minute, guys,” Ian replied and nodded to the man he now called his husband.

  Trent frowned when Ian’s mate had to pull the large man from the room they were standing in. When his best friend showed up, and called him after a week of being gone with only one phone call pissed him off. Not that he needed to check in with him, but he was his boss, and his friend. It was bullshit; he was doing this right now.

  Trent paced around his friend’s apartment, looking at the boxes and the items they were packing. His best friend was leaving. It sucked, but he could live with it. What he couldn’t live with was both he and his friend had been fired from their jobs at the University, for stupid shit. Then his friend announced it didn’t matter because he was moving to another Stratum—whatever the hell that was—and Trent was on his own. Ian had started this shit, and he was the one left alone to finish it. Fired from his job was the least of his worries. Everything turned upside down in his fucking life, including his reputation, all because he refused to admit his friend was a thief. Now it didn’t matter, according to his friend. He didn’t need the job; he was moving.

  Great, dandy, but where the fuck did that leave him? Fired from this job, accused of thievery and covering up a crime was like having his career implode right in from of him—and he was spewing creepy weird shit. It pissed him off. He was going to have to ask Ian’s father for a job. It was just pathetic.