by Becky Wilde
“I think you may have something there, bro. We'll wait and see, give her some time to adjust,” Zane agreed as he snuggled in closer to Holly.
Holly came awake with a start when she realized she was in bed naked between to naked male bodies. She gave a gasp and tried to sit up so she could move away. They wouldn't let her.
“Shh, it's alright little darlin'. We won't hurt you. We were trying to give you some comfort. How are you feeling?” Brock asked in a low soothing voice.
“I'm good. Can you please let me out? I can't breathe,” Holly said in a high pitched voice, as she felt two hard male cocks against her thighs. She was so embarrassed now that she remembered how they had pulled her sobbing from the shower. She must have fallen asleep on Zane's lap. The last thing she remembered was wrapping herself around him and sobbing into his chest. God she must look such a mess.
Holly knew her eyes would be red and swollen, let alone what her hair was going to look like, after falling asleep with it still wet.
Holly closed her eyes as she felt the two men on either side of her get up. She heard the rustle of clothes as they got dressed. She hoped they left the room soon so she could get dressed and try to make herself look better, than she knew she did right now.
“We'll wait for you out in the living room, baby. Come out when you're ready and we'll go down to dinner. You've got about half an hour,” Zane said over his shoulder as he and Brock left the room.
Holly got up, got dressed and went to work on making herself more presentable. There was no way in hell she was meeting a lot of people looking like something the cat dragged in.
Chapter Four
Holly took a deep breath and tried to pull back, so she was hidden behind Zane and Brock's large bodies. They wouldn't let her. They each took a hand and pulled her in between them, as they entered a large dining room full to the brim of people. There were a few women but most of them were men. Holly felt her cheeks redden as everyone stopped talking and turned toward her. They were all staring at her and she tried to look confident, but knew she had failed when a woman at the other end of the room got to her feet with a wry smile on her face and began to walk over to her.
“Hi, you must be Holly, I'm Jade. Welcome to our home. If there's anything you want or need don't hesitate to ask,” Jade greeted as she held out a welcoming hand.
“Hi Jade, thanks for letting me into your home,” Holly replied quietly.
“Oh Holly, it's not just my home. This house belongs to my husband and his brothers and anyone else who lives here. We all share,” Jade replied and then surprised Holly by leaning forward, giving her a hug and kissing her cheek, her very pregnant belly getting in the way. “I just know we are going to be great friends. Come on and I'll introduce you to everyone.”
Jade pulled Holly along by the hand and took her to meet Sloan, Hunter and Grady first. Then she went down the table and up around the other side, pointing out who was who with a finger. Everyone seemed to be nice enough, they all waved in greeting as they said hi.
Once the introductions were done, Jade pulled Holly down to the seat beside her as she shoved one of Sloan's brothers out of the seat. Hunter got up, kissed Jade on the forehead and moved around to the other side of the table.
Holly looked at Sloan, to see his expression of indulgence as his brother kissed his wife. Holly sat down next to Jade and gave a sigh of relief as Brock sat on her other side. She tried to hide behind her usual bubbly facade, but she just couldn't seem to keep it up. She was too nervous.
An elderly woman and two younger women began to bring platters of food out to the table. Jade introduced the housekeeper and the two women to Holly, telling them she would be staying with them for a while. Holly couldn't believe how accepting everyone was, having her within their midst.
“Holly, what do you do for a living?” Sloan asked from the end of the table.
“Um, I'm currently unemployed. I decided to leave my job as a secretary and take my first holiday. I'll be looking for another job when I go back home,” Holly replied, keeping her eyes on the table in front of her.
“Where are you from, Holly?” Jade asked curiously.
“Omaha, Nebraska.”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters” Hunter asked.
“No,” Holly answered quickly.
“Do you still live with your parents, Holly?” Grady asked.
“N…no,” Holly answered, clearing her throat as her voice cracked, as she answered.
“Do you want some steak, little darlin? How about some of Emma's famous potato bake?” Brock asked as he held each of the platters for her. Brock really wanted to ask Holly about her parents but knew the question had upset her, so he quickly changed the subject by offering her food.
Holly couldn't believe the size of the steaks. She picked one up and put it on her plate then sat staring at it, because it covered three quarters of her plate. She looked to see if there were any small pieces but realized she had the smallest one left. There was no way in hell she could eat a piece of meat that size. She looked to Jade and nearly giggled at the way the small pregnant woman was devouring her huge piece of meat. Then she nearly gagged when she saw how rare the steak was, and knew there was no way she would be able to eat something that was still practically bleeding.
She took a small amount of the potatoes and other vegetables and began to eat. Not once did she touch the steak.
“Are you a vegetarian, baby?” Zane asked her quietly, from around the back of Brock.
“No,” Holly replied.
“Then why aren't you eating your steak little darlin'?” Brock whispered in her ear.
“I'm not that hungry, I guess,” Holly replied, not wanting anyone to hear how the thought of eating the half raw meat, made her feel ill.
Holly sat back in her chair and watched as everyone around her devoured their meal. Seeing Jade relish the taste of her steak and then beginning to eye the huge slab on her plate made her stomach churn. Holly pushed her plate toward Jade and gave her a weak smile in return, as Jade's eyes lit up when she took the steak from Holly's plate. As Jade cut into the meat and Holly saw the red juice flow from the cut, she knew she was going to embarrass herself.
She quickly jumped up from her chair with a quick,
“Excuse me,” as she hurried from the room.
Holly made it back up to Zane and Brock's rooms and into the bathroom in the nick of time. She leaned over the toilet and sank to the floor as she lost the contents of her stomach. She had just finished throwing up and flushing the toilet when Zane and Brock burst through the bathroom door.
“Are you alright, Holly? Do you want me to call a doctor?” Zane asked as he helped her to her feet.
Brock moved to the sink and filled a glass with water then handed it to her. After rinsing her mouth out, she took a few sips of the water to settle her stomach. Zane wet a wash cloth and wiped Holly's face and mouth then took her chin in a gentle grip so she couldn't look away from him.
“Are you sick, baby?”
“No, I'm fine.”
“You are not fucking fine,” Zane replied with anger and frustration. “Now, I suggest you tell me why you were sick, because I'm not letting you go until you do.” Holly pulled her chin from his grasp and stared at Zane angrily. She hadn't wanted to hurt anyone's feelings but he had asked for it, so she was going to be honest and damn the consequences. “The sight of you lot eating nearly raw steak made me sick. I can't believe you all could eat that.
Don't you realize you could get sick eating half raw meat?
It turned my stomach, alright. I was fine until Jade took the steak off of my plate and cut into it. When I saw all the blood seeping out of it I couldn't hold back my nausea anymore.”
“Aw shit. I'm sorry little darlin'. We tend to forget how not everyone likes to eat meat the same way we do. I'll make sure Emma cooks yours longer than the rest of ours,” Brock stated.
“Look, I really don't think this is going to work. I th
ink it would be best if you took me back to the motel. That way, I can't embarrass you anymore than I already have.
There is no way I could sit at the table for another meal and watch y'all eating raw meat. Please, just take me back?”
“No. It should be us that's embarrassed, not you, Holly.
We should have thought about it before dinner, but we just wanted to make sure you were safe, and forgot all about our propensity for very rare meat,” Zane replied. “How about we eat up hear from now on?”
“Thank you but you still don't get it. I can't sit and watch you eat raw meat without getting sick. Not even you two,” Holly's said with a hitch in her voice. Once again she felt like the odd one out. She was just never destined to fit in anywhere. It would be for the best if she just left.
“We can't, won't let you leave, baby. You could be in danger and the last thing we want is for you to get hurt,” Zane reiterated.
“Look, I'll stay the night of your sofa, but tomorrow I want one or both of you, to take me back into town. I think the best thing I can do, is get on a bus tomorrow and continue my journey, or just head on back home.”
“Fuck it, Holly. That's not gonna happen. You're staying right here. I'm not letting you leave. Not now that we've finally found you,” Zane raged at her.
Holly took a step back from Zane as he glared at her.
The fire and rage in his eyes was enough to scare the shit out of her, but that wasn't the only thing she felt. Her panties began to dampen as he glared at her. She took another step and another, until she was in the doorway of the bathroom. She turned on her heel and ran.
Holly didn't get very far. Zane moved without making a sound and he moved fast. One minute he was in the bathroom and the next he was behind her, wrapping one of his large muscular arms around her waist and hauling her up tight against his chest.
Holly let out a loud scream as she tried to get away from Zane. She used the heels of her feet, kicking backwards into his shins. It didn't seem to have any effect other than hurting herself; he didn't even make a noise. She was about to start scratching and slapping when the sound of their sitting room door slammed open, hitting the wall.
She froze in Zane's arms as Sloan, Hunter, Grady and finally Jade walked into the room.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Sloan yelled as he took in the scene. “Zane have you...?”
“Not yet. We were going to but, she hasn't given us a chance yet,” Zane replied as he eased his hold on Holly.
Holly watched as Jade pushed her way through the three big men in front of her. She stood with her hands on her hips as she glared at first, Zane then Brock. She took in Holly's frightened face, stepped up and went toe to toe with Brock and Zane.
“I want you to go downstairs and let me speak to Holly alone. You will not come back up here until I tell you it's alright, and take my husband and his brother's with you,” Jade growled out.
“As you wish, my Queen,” Brock and Zane replied, bowed their heads to Jade and left, taking the others with them.
“Let's take a load off, Holly. God my feet are killing me,” Jade stated, as she sat on the sofa and put her feet on the coffee table.
Holly sat on one of the arm chairs. Still not feeling very comfortable, she sat on the edge of the seat as she watched Jade try to get comfortable.
“When are you due?” Holly asked.
“Yesterday. I can't wait to get this baby out of me. I am so sick and tired of being a beached whale,” Jade replied with a sigh.
“God Jade, you don't even look pregnant from behind.
You look like you have a ball shoved up your jumper,” Holly said with a laugh.
“Well thanks, but when you get pregnant one day, you'll know how I feel,” Jade said.
“Oh, I don't think I'll ever get pregnant,” Holly replied as she looked down at the floor.
“Don't you like kids?”
“Oh no, I mean yes. I love kids, but I don't think I'll ever find someone to have them with.”
“Why not?” Jade asked curiously.
“I don't know. Well I do actually, but I don't want to bore you with the details.”
“Come on, Holly. Give. How are we going to be friends and stick together like women should, if you won't talk to me?”
“Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you,” Holly said with a sigh. She took another deep breath and began to tell Jade about her childhood and how wherever she went she never seemed to fit in.
“I think you fit in here just fine, Holly. You're too hard on yourself. You're the only one who thinks those things.
There is nothing wrong with you girlfriend.”
“Then how come watching all of you eat, made me vomit?” Holly asked facetiously, then covered her mouth as she realized how rude she sounded.
Jade burst out laughing. Once she started she couldn't stop. She held onto her large belly, as tears coursed down her cheeks. Holly had to wait for Jade to get herself under control once more, before she could speak.
“What is so damn funny?”
“I was just remembering when I first came here. I felt the same way you did. In fact I didn't even eat meat. It used to turn me off watching those men wolf down their half raw meat and then go back time and time again for more. It was sickening.”
“So what changed? You were eating it too,” Holly stated.
“I am going to tell you quite a lot, and I don't want you to freak out like I did. I want you to wait until I've finished and then, if you have any questions, I'll answer them as best as I am able to. But just remember, this is still all pretty new to me as well. I've only been here for about ten months,” Jade declared.
“Really? It seems like you've been here a lot longer.
And what was with Zane and Brock calling you their Queen?” Holly asked with a frown.
“Come over here, get comfortable and I'll tell you everything,” Jade patted the seat beside her. She waited until Holly had made herself comfortable, watching as she curled up into the end of the sofa. Once she was ready, looking at her expectantly, Jade began to speak.
“I first met Sloan at the little café in Eagle River. I had come to fulfill my mother's dying wish of seeing where she had grown up, and it just happened to be in the gate house of this estate. I came here and agreed to stay for a week to look around and get a feel for the place. For my mom, you know. Well, everything was okay until I decided I was going to have to go home, eventually.
“Saying that in front of Sloan, tipped him over the edge and he claimed me. You see, Holly, everyone who lives here is a werewolf; and are all part of the Eagle River Pack.
Sloan is my mate and his wolf felt threatened when I said I was going to leave, so he claimed me. He is the Alpha of the pack and when he claimed me, I became their Queen, much to my disgust. Zane and Brock are also werewolves and you are their mate. They want to claim you, just like Sloan claimed me. If you decide to bond with them you will have to go through the claiming ceremony, just like I did. That means you are going to have to have sex outside, with the entire pack watching you. Once you have mated with your mates, then you will have to mate with one or two other weres, so you are safe if anything happens to one of your mates, or both your mates at the same time. Female mates are so rare; the pack likes to anchor the female to other wolves, in case your own mates die. That means you won't follow them into the afterlife, and you can mate with whoever you're anchored to. Oh, I forgot. Your mates may like to share you with others to enhance your pleasure, and you can often find single males having sex with each other.
I love it when they do that; I find it such a turn on,” Jade declared as she looked at Holly.
Holly was staring at Jade as if she had two heads. Jade knew exactly how she felt and held up her arm for Holly to see. “Watch my arm, Holly.”
Holly watched and covered her mouth in horror, as fur began to sprout from Jade's skin. She saw claws push out from the tips of her fingers and wanted to bolt away from her, but she
knew her legs wouldn't hold her, as they felt like jelly. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, then gave up as no words came to mind. She just sat and stared at Jade, then gave a sigh of relief as the claws and skin withdrew back into Jade's arm and fingers.
“As you can see, we're not really delusional. I know it's a lot to take in and process, but just bear in mind, no one here would ever hurt you. Women are precious to these men and they would give their lives to protect you.”
“Ar...ar...are you going to have a puppy?” Holly asked with horror.
Jade burst out laughing again. She had asked that same question not long after she had found out she was pregnant.
“No. A were doesn't make their first change until they reach puberty. Which I thank God for. Could you imagine trying to run after a puppy and keeping it under control? Now that would be a nightmare,” Jade replied, as she covered her mouth and yawned.
“If I mated with Zane and Brock, would I have to be changed into a werewolf as well?”
“No. That is your choice to make, and no one would force you to do that if you didn't want to. If you decide to mate with them, your life span will be prolonged.
Werewolves live a lot longer than a normal human.”
“How long?” asked Holly.
“Hm a couple of hundred years I think,” Jade replied around another yawn. “Now, do you want to stay in here with these two or would you like a room of your own?”
“Um, if it's okay with you I think I'll take my own room. I need to think things through,” Holly replied.
“Yeah, now that I can understand. Oh by the way, werewolves can smell when your horny and they have exceptional hearing. Watch this. Hunter, Grady, can you come here please?” Jade asked in a normal voice.
“What can we do, baby?” Grady asked as he entered the room.
“Are you alright, sugar?” asked Hunter as he followed close on Grady's heels.
Jade looked at Holly with a smirk and raised eyebrow.
When Holly responded with a nod, she looked back to Hunter and Grady. “I want you guys to see Holly settled into a guest bedroom, please. Give her the one next door, that way hopefully Zane and Brock won't kick up too much of a fuss.”