His Mating Mark

by Alicia White

  Gabe leaned down and picked her up, she didn’t struggle, just laid frozen in his arms. “She wants to go home.” He felt ill. His stomach churned, and he felt like he wanted to vomit. He would never know why she changed her mind. He would never have his mate. He would let her go. He had already caused enough pain in her life.

  He handed her to Josh and walked toward the house, passing his pack mates. He didn’t want to have a party. He wanted to be left alone. Gabe walked back upstairs and stared into the room that was meant for their mate. He turned and walked the opposite way, needing to be alone.

  Chapter 9

  Josh didn’t understand what the hell had happened. He stood in the middle of the yard, holding his mate in his arms and watched his brother retreat into the house. The other members of their pack looked embarrassed and confused. He could tell they were trying not to stare, but the whole situation was just so bizarre. Did Gabe expect him to take her home and drop her off? Did he think that they would be moving on and forgetting about their mate?

  “Go home, party’s over.” Everyone moved out of his way, immediately leaving. He didn’t have to explain himself. He knew they would follow orders.

  Josh hated to do it, but he needed to convince Nicole that they belonged together. He needed to get her over her insane fear, and he needed her to forgive Gabe so that they could be together. He wasn’t taking her home. Josh held on to her tighter and walked back toward the house. He didn’t say a word, and Nicole didn’t struggle or fight him, and he was relieved.

  He moved up the stairs, stomping his feet as he went. He sat her on the edge of the bed. His first priority was to make sure she wasn’t hurt. “Stay there. If you move, I will tie you up. Do you understand?” He spoke slow and clear, making sure that she could hear him perfectly. She nodded her head once and then looked at the floor.

  Josh walked back into the bathroom and inhaled deeply. Her scent still lingered, a mixture of fear and blood. He grabbed the cabinet door and pulled it open, cringing when it flew off the hinges. He dropped it to the ground, grabbed the first aid kit, and went back into the bedroom. She hadn’t moved an inch, and Josh walked toward her slowly, wondering what she would do next. The woman had actually punched out a window and climbed out, intent on escaping. Why would she do that? He would’ve taken her home.

  He kneeled down in front of her. “Give me your hand.” She sighed loudly but didn’t say a word, holding her arm out for him. She had cuts on her fingers and forearm. Most of them were small looking paper cuts, and he relaxed realizing that she wouldn’t need stitches. He started cleaning each mark he found with an antibiotic wipe, hoping that she wouldn’t get an infection. He didn’t have to worry about things like that, and he wondered if they should take her to see the doctor in town.

  “Nicole?” He waited for her to look up at him and saw tears streaming down her cheeks. “What happened? Talk to me.”

  She looked so miserable, and Josh stood up slowly. He grabbed her hand and walked to the sitting area by the large fireplace. He sat down on the couch and pulled her into his arms. She didn’t go willingly. He grabbed her and sat her on his lap and wrapped his arms around her. He wanted to comfort and love her, give her the affection that he craved. He hoped that she might be willing to open up, especially since they were alone. He had no idea where Gabe was, but he hoped that he could hear the conversation.

  Josh put his hand under her chin and raised her face so that she was looking at him. “I’m waiting.”

  “I promise I won’t say anything. Your secret is safe with me. P–please, just let me go home,” she whispered as huge tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He shook his head, using his thumb to catch her tears.

  “I know that you know that I know.” She hiccupped, and Josh just stared at her completely confused.

  “What?” He didn’t understand what she was saying.

  “Wolves,” she whispered. It dawned on him then that she did know their secret, and he wished that they would’ve told her sooner.

  “How?” He needed to know how she had figured it out. They had been careful, told their pack to keep their mouths shut. They had wanted her to meet them and to realize that they were all good people before telling her, showing her that they were wolves.

  “I went downstairs when I woke up. I was trying to find you and Gabe. I met Addison and Harper. They told me. I didn’t know that you were one of them. I swear. I’ll never tell anyone. You can trust me,” she pleaded with him, and Josh let go of her.

  “I do trust you. You’re our mate. We would never hurt you,” he told her, but he could see it in her eyes that she didn’t truly believe him.

  “What’s a mate? Gabe said that before.” She bit her lip, and Josh wished that he could kiss the abused flesh, wished that things had happened differently. They hadn’t handled things with her very well.

  “A mate is the perfect match, someone who completes the other. In this case, you’re both of our mates, Gabe and I. You have been for years, and we’ve tried to keep our distance.” He looked down at her arm, and she followed his line of sight, holding her forearm closer, protecting it. “That day in town, I followed your scent.” She stiffened, and he took a deep breath. “You smell wonderful. We, werewolves, have an acute sense of smell, thousands of times better than humans do. I know this is hard to believe. It drew us, Gabe and I, to you.” He wished that Gabe was here with him now, explaining this to her.

  She looked confused, and he moved her off his lap to the couch. He stood up and started pacing around the room, trying to find the right words, but he didn’t know what to say.

  “I can’t be.” She shook her head. “I’m not like you.”

  “You are,” he told her sternly.

  “I want to go home,” she said. Again, her voice wasn’t much more than a whisper. Did she think he was going to hurt her?

  “Okay. I’ll take you home.” That’s the last thing that he wanted to do. He didn’t want her to be out of their sight, but he wouldn’t keep her here at their home against her will.

  “You will?” She looked shocked.

  “Of course. You aren’t a prisoner. You’re our mate. We would never harm you. I love you. Gabe loves you.” He stared at her and watched as silent tears dripped down her cheeks. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, love her, but instead, he stayed across the room, giving her plenty of space.

  Nicole stood up on shaky legs, and he walked out the door, letting her follow him. He thought that it might make her feel more comfortable if he didn’t walk behind her or touch her. The house was silent, and he wondered briefly where Gabe was. Did he go running? Was he locked in one of the bedrooms, completely crushed by Nicole’s rejection? Josh felt guilty. He had convinced Gabe to move forward. He had convinced him that he should take a chance and meet her.

  Josh opened the front door and walked out, hearing it close lightly. He moved down the stairs and got into his truck. He waited for Nicole to get in and buckle up before he started the engine and headed down the mountain. He hated driving her home, hated that she was going to be away from them for even a single minute.

  He held the steering wheel tightly, which prevented him from reaching out and touching her. He inhaled deeply, loving the sweet, tangy aroma that was Nicole. He looked over at her, and she was leaning against the door, staring out the side window. He didn’t know what to say, the words frozen in his throat. He had already told her that they loved her, that they wanted her. Was she so full of fear that she wouldn’t even give them a chance?

  When they reached her house, he pulled the truck up to the front door and shut off the engine. “Nicole, I–if you need anything at all, please call me. You’re always welcome.” She only nodded, opened the truck door, and climbed out. She walked to the front door, and he waited until she disappeared from his sight.

  He stared at the closed door for a long time. “Please come back. Please love me,” he said aloud even though nob
ody could hear him.

  * * * *

  Nicole walked into her house, closed the door, and leaned back against it. She had been trying to keep it together. She really didn’t want to cry in front of him. Every word he said affected her, cut her, and she felt lost and confused. She slid down the door, hitting her bottom on the ground. She drew her legs up tight against her chest and started crying.

  The pain in her chest grew, stretching through her body. She held her arm where the teeth marks still stood out, proudly marking her skin. She hadn’t asked the one question that she had really wanted to. Did one of them bite her? Did one of them, Josh or Gabe, leave her that night crying on the ground? She didn’t really want to know any longer. It didn’t matter. She played the conversations through her mind, thinking about the different people she had met.

  For two years, they had waited for her, to claim her, their mate. Why wait two years? Did it have something to do with the wolf attacking her? Nicole sat on the ground, crying, sobbing harder, trying to put the pieces together, but she couldn’t. She didn’t understand what had happened. Gabe and Josh had shown up out of nowhere, gave her more mind-blowing passion than any other man did. Now, they were both gone from her life as fast as they had arrived.

  The sun had set and darkness ruled once again. She sat in the same place for hours, wondering if they might come back for her. She felt both hope and dread. She didn’t know what she wanted. Did she want them to talk to her, fight with her? Did she want them to disappear and never see them again? It hurt too bad to think that. She could barely breathe without them around.

  After hours of sitting in the dark, Nicole crawled to her bedroom. Her eyes were puffy, and her nose was almost too stuffed up to breathe through. She was still wearing Gabe’s T-shirt, her feet bare, and she finally looked down and noticed how awful she looked. There was blood on the shirt, and her feet and legs were covered in dirt. She climbed into bed and closed her eyes, praying that she would be able to fall into a deep sleep where Josh and Gabe wouldn’t be. She could still see the hurt in their eyes, the disappointment.

  She stretched and yawned, pulling the blankets over her head. She heard a wolf call in the distance and sat up, wishing she knew what it was saying. Could that be Gabe or Josh? Were they out there, running through the forest? The howling continued, turning into sad whines. She threw herself back against the bed and closed her eyes. They were better off without her. She wasn’t from their world and never would be.

  She touched her chest and wondered if it was possible for a person’s heart to actually ache. “What is wrong with me? Did I make the wrong decision? Should I have stayed? What if one of them bit me? God, why, why did that happen?” She yelled her questions out, hoping that she would hear some answers in return. She stared at the ceiling, listening to the wolves move together, closer to her house. She knew that they wouldn’t come too close, though, even though a part of her wanted them to.

  Nicole closed her eyes and pulled the covers over her head, trying to drown out the sound of the wolves. She could think about everything tomorrow. Right now, she just needed to sleep.

  Chapter 10

  Three weeks later

  She walked around her little house in a dazed state. She hadn’t been the same since leaving them. Her whole body hurt, and she wondered if she would ever be happy again. She remembered when her house felt like a sanctuary for her. Now she felt like she was trapped. She paced around the living room, wishing that she could see them, just hear their voices.

  She had heard from her publisher a few days ago. Alpha’s Mate was one of their favorite books. When she opened that e-mail, she had grabbed her phone, wanting to call Josh to share the news. She ended up putting the phone down and realized that there was nobody she could call. She had no one. She had rejected them, the two men that had shown her love and acceptance. She had not shown them those things.

  She wanted to run to their house and beg for forgiveness, but too much time had passed. They hadn’t come to see her once. She had even left her windows open at night, didn’t close the iron bars to lock them out. She had unloaded her gun and put it under her bed. She knew that she wouldn’t ever shoot Gabe or Josh. She didn’t want to hurt them or their pack.

  Her life flashed through her mind. She was lonely, had been for too many years to count. She had locked herself inside her home, becoming a recluse with no life. The only thing she had was the fantasy world she created on her computer and it wasn’t helping her escape any longer. She didn’t have the words, her heart still hurt and she thought of both Gabe and Josh constantly. They had offered her a life with them. She didn’t want to lose them. Only one question remained, could they forgive her?

  Nicole walked to the large window and looked out, staring up at the mountain. She wondered for the thousandth time what they were doing. Were they in as much pain as she was? Her stomach grumbled loudly, and Nicole stepped away from the window and dragged her feet to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she stared at the empty shelves. She had an apple and a container of mustard. She shook her head. She hadn’t left the house since Josh had dropped her off.

  She needed to take a shower and get dressed. She had to go into town and get some food. She just hoped like hell that Addison wasn’t working, but if she was, then she might be able to ask about Gabe and Josh. She smiled a little, forming a plan. Nicole rushed through the house, feeling giddy. She could talk to Addison and find out what was happening. Maybe then she could talk to them both.

  Nicole hummed quietly to herself as she stepped under the hot water. She scrubbed the washcloth over her body, washing off a couple of weeks’ worth of dirt and grime. She had been so stuck in her own world of self-pity and misery that she hadn’t thought about what Gabe and Josh might be feeling. She wanted to get them back.

  * * * *

  Nicole pulled up to the store, her heart in her throat. She tried to calm her nerves, but she was nervous, and her stomach churned. Climbing out of her truck, she walked into the store and grabbed a cart. Walking down each aisle slowly, she grabbed various items. She wasn’t really paying attention. She just kept hoping that maybe Josh would show up like he did that first day. Each aisle she went down brought more disappointment.

  She walked toward the checkout stand and saw Addison standing there staring at her. The girl looked as nervous as she felt, and that made Nicole feel better for some weird reason.

  “Hi, Addison, how are you?” She swallowed hard, wondering if she would talk to her.

  “Hi, Nicole.” She grabbed the macaroni and cheese and ran it over the scanner. She stared at her groceries, acting entirely too interested in what she was buying.

  “Um.” She paused and took a deep breath. “How are Gabe and Josh doing?” Addison’s eyes shot up, and she made a face, obviously wondering if she should answer her question. She had left Gabe and Josh, so it wasn’t really any of her business.

  “What do you want me to say?” Addison asked. Nicole shrugged helplessly before Addison continued. “Fine, they are both heartbroken and missing their mate.” She moved faster, throwing Nicole’s groceries in a pile. “I get it, you’re human, you don’t understand.” She shook her head, continuing to glare at her. “Each shifter gets one, one mate! You have completely ruined them. You have no idea what kind of pain they’re in. None. They marked you, claimed you, that means something to us, human.” She sneered the last word, and Nicole took a small step back.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I want to talk to them. I want to understand. I don’t want them to be heartbroken and sad.” Nicole rubbed her temples. Hearing that they both were in pain made her feel even worse.

  “What are you going to do about it?” Addison put her hands on her hips and glared at her. She knew what she wanted to do about the whole situation, but wasn’t sure if she could. She wasn’t sure if she was strong enough.

  “I don’t know.” She wasn’t sure if she could go to their house, but she knew that she needed to talk to them. She want
ed to fix their relationship. She missed them terribly.

  “I do,” Addison said and Nicole stood straighter, arching her brow, waiting for Addison to continue. “You need to make a statement, prove that you are willing to accept them as wolves. Prove that humans aren’t scared of werewolves.” Nicole swallowed hard and grabbed her forearm. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what Addison’s plan was. “I’ll tell you exactly what to do. The question is will you listen to me?”

  She took a minute to think. She did want to talk to both Josh and Gabe. She had questions that needed to be answered, and if she were completely honest with herself, she still wanted to be with them. She missed them both terribly. Her heart and body both ached for them. “Yeah, I’m willing.”

  Addison smile broadly. “Good. Now, we’re having a little get-together tonight. I’ll pick you up. Dress warm. Fifty-four dollars and twenty-three cents.”

  Nicole pulled out her cash and paid for her groceries. She picked up the bags, nodded at Addison, and headed out to her truck. She wasn’t sure what to expect, and her stomach started to hurt, thinking about being surrounded by wolves. She knew that Gabe and Josh would protect her. At least that’s what Josh had said. If she was truly their mate and she wanted to be with them, then she needed to overcome this fear she had.

  Nicole drove out of town, staring at each person, trying to figure out if they were human or possibly more. She didn’t know anybody, had cut herself off from the outside world, and she wondered if she had done more damage to herself by locking people out of her life. She headed home, letting the cool mountain breeze blow through her hair and on her face. It felt good to be outside, to let the sun touch her skin. She was sick of being locked inside, sick of being lonely. She planned to change that with Addison’s help.