by Sam Crescent
“Now, what can I get you?” Elle asked. The table gave their order. Alaric made her wait the longest for his order. She took the order to the kitchen and then grabbed the coffee jug. After serving the bears their coffee, Elle made her way back to the kitchen. Layla stood waiting for her.
“Brandon’s table are refusing to order from me. You’ll have to do it,” she said.
Taking a deep breath, she saw the comforting stare from Daisy before she made her way out to their table.
Notepad and pen in hand she walked over to Brandon’s table. Elle felt the customers’ gazes on her. She approached the table. Lewis gave her a quick smile. She didn’t understand the change in the other men. He seemed to go from liking and hating her. His moods confused her.
“What can I get you?” she asked, standing as far away from Brandon as she could.
“Don’t let another man touch you,” Brandon said.
“You don’t order me around, Brandon. You gave up that right when you let that slut Lori touch you.”
“You’re my mate. I’m doing everything I can to protect you.”
“That’s not your choice. You didn’t even give me a chance to make up my mind. Order, or leave me alone.”
He glared at her, but Elle wasn’t backing down. She might be human, but she was a stubborn fucking human; and it was about time Brandon realised it.
Chapter Eighteen
Brandon made his way up to the house with his men behind him. The first of the meetings were scheduled for tonight, and he needed to get there before the sun went down. He’d spent most of his time at the diner watching Elle. She served him without really seeing him. He’d never anticipated her anger like he did. Alaric had been right, and he’d get punished for keeping Elle secret. They all had rules, and lying about his mate broke the rules.
Lewis refused to talk to him, and he sensed Darcy and Drake’s disapproval.
Crazy Lizzy sat on the steps outside the house. She stared up at the sky.
“You’re early,” she said.
“I’ve got nowhere else to be.”
“Everyone is waiting for you.” Lizzy stood then walked into the house.
He turned to his men. “I know you think I did the wrong thing, but you’ve got to understand I was doing what I thought was right to protect her.”
“You’ve put her in more danger by refusing her claim by your side. I sense her leaving us,” Lewis said.
“I won’t let Elle leave. I promise I’ll sort this out. She’s my mate.”
“Do you love her?” Darcy asked.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a simple question. Do you love her?”
“She’s my mate,” Brandon said.
“No, being a mate doesn’t mean you love her. Couples can mate but not love each other. Elle is not a type of woman you fuck. She’s a forever kind of woman. When she opened herself up to you last night, she let us all inside. We’re connected to her. Taking her as your mate is not about you. It’s about the good of the pack. You either love her or let her go,” Darcy said.
The other man walked away. Lewis and Drake followed Darcy leaving Brandon alone outside to deal with his thoughts.
“Wow, they really made their thoughts known,” Alaric said.
Brandon turned to watch the bear leader approach. “Why are you here?”
“I agree with your men. You need to make a choice. Either way, Elle is in danger.”
“I don’t tell you how to handle your pack. Don’t presume to tell me how to deal with mine,” Brandon said.
“Noted.” Alaric walked up the steps, and Brandon followed behind him. They walked into the house and then went down to the basement. Alexander and Charles sat at the head of the table.
Taking his seat at the other end Brandon looked around the table. Witches, warlocks, vampires, bears, and a couple of panthers were present.
“You lied to us,” Alexander said.
“Excuse me?”
“You tried to pass the were-slut off as your mate. I refuse to deal with a liar and a cheater. Your pack is supposed to have morals. I agreed not to hunt because of the deal made by your father. I don’t deal with men like you.”
The tension built in the room.
“This is about more than my mate.”
“No.” Alexander stood. “No more words from you. I won’t speak with you until I see your mate. I want to be introduced to her, and you’ll make peace. Come, Charles.”
The vampires left followed by everyone else except Lizzy and Alaric.
“I did warn you,” Lizzy said, then got up and left.
Brandon dropped his head into his hands.
“This is why claiming your mate is important. You should have postponed this meeting rather than get Lori to accept your claim of mating,” Alaric said.
He was left alone with his men. The house was deathly silent.
“Shit!” He threw the chair into the far wall watching the wood splinter apart.
“Great, does this mean the treaty signed by your father is null and void?” Drake asked. “Can they hunt on our land?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Everything was messed up all because he’d put another woman in place of his mate.
You were warned. Why are you so surprised? A mate is for life, and a fuck is for fun. Elle is for life, and you pushed her out of that role.
“I need to win Elle back,” he said.
“Good luck,” Lewis said, muttering the words.
“Why do we have these meetings?” Darcy asked. “What do we accomplish?”
“I can answer that,” Lizzy said. She was eating an ice-cream as she walked down the stairs. Her gaze went over the broken table. “Did we have a temper-tantrum?”
“Why do we have these meetings?” Brandon asked.
“Naughty alpha. Weren’t you paying attention during class?”
“Cut the shit, Lizzy. Everything is out of control, and I need to fix it.”
Lizzy got up into his face. Her green eyes went brighter as she stared at him. Pain unlike anything he’d ever felt consumed him.
“I may be crazy, wolf, but I can still hurt you.”
As quickly as the pain came it went. Lizzy licked her ice-cream. “For many years we were all enemies. We fought over the silliest things. Our battles were legendary and are considered part of legends to the humans. The problem with our battles is we take human lives down. No one species is supposed to rule the earth. By a select few of each species meeting up, it provides the balance for all our kinds. A sort of truce has been born. However, that truce is as fragile now as it was back then. We’re primal beings. Tip the scales the wrong way, and our kind will be extinct. Our kind will become extinct if we keep going on this path,” Lizzy said. She glared at Brandon. “Fix it, wolf.”
She turned and walked away.
“Shit, you better get your female on your side,” Drake said. “That is one powerful fucking witch.”
Brandon couldn’t agree more. Her bite was far worse than her bark.
****
Elle made her way out of the diner. Layla followed behind her.
“What do you want to do tonight?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. I’m tired. I think I’m going to go home and face my mom and dad. They have a right to know what’s going on between me and Brandon.” Elle pulled her bag over her shoulder.
“Don’t leave, Elle. I can’t leave here.”
She saw the sadness in Layla’s eyes.
“Elle,” Brandon said.
Turning to the sound of his voice she saw him coming out of the forest. He didn’t wear a shirt as he made his way over to them.
“What do you want?” she asked, tired of their fighting. Today had been a long day.
“We need to talk.”
“I’m tired, Brandon. Can we talk tomorrow?”
“No, it’s important.” He looked at Layla. “I’ll take her home. Lewis will escort you home. I don�
��t want either of you alone in the dark.”
“Great, another babysitter,” Layla said. “Call me when you can.” Her friend walked off. Elle watched Lewis join Layla on the way home.
“He won’t let anything happen to her,” Brandon said.
“I’m not concerned.”
She turned away and stared at him. “What more do you want from me, Brandon? I’m tired. I’m hungry, and I want to go home.”
“You’re angry at me. I get that. Come home with me. I need to talk with you.”
Elle nibbled her lip debating her options.
What’s the harm in going with him?
He broke my heart.
Don’t let him inside.
“Okay,” she said, folding her arms under her breasts. He reached out to touch her. Elle pulled away. “I don’t want you touching me. I can’t handle it.”
He closed his hand into a fist.
“Fine.” They walked side by side toward his house. The night air was cold. She tried to supress the shivers working up her body. “I can keep you warm,” he said.
Staring at his open his arms was too much temptation. She let him enfold her in his embrace. The heat of his body warmed her up instantly.
“I’ll always warm you, baby.”
She tensed, which caused him to sigh.
“I made a mistake.”
Shaking her head, Elle walked with him in silence.
They didn’t encounter any of the pack on their way to his home. Brandon opened the door for her. She went in. The heat of his home replaced his arms.
“Make yourself at home.”
He left her for several minutes. She took a seat on the sofa.
Within the small time he’d been touching her, her body had heated.
You still want him even though he picked another woman.
Fool!
“Here you are.” Brandon came around the corner. He carried a steaming mug and a plate of bread. “I’m not much of a cook.”
“Soup and bread is good,” she said, taking the food he offered. He sat beside her. His thigh pressed against hers. Elle took her time eating. She didn’t want to talk to him. His presence was affecting her nerves.
You can do this. Be strong.
“I know you don’t want to talk to me,” Brandon said. He rubbed his hands together. Elle kept eating. “There is so much shit going on. I shouldn’t have kept any of it from you. I fucked up big time. I never expected to have a human for a mate.”
She lowered the cup then let out a sigh. “I’m tired of you blaming my being a human. I’m human, Brandon. I tried to stop you mating with me, remember? You were determined to claim me, not the other way around.”
“You don’t know what this is like for me. I need to keep you safe. You’re my lifeline, Elle. I couldn’t handle anything happening to you. You don’t know what it’s like to have all these emotions and to know you’re not feeling them. Wolves are so much more than humans.”
Elle stared at him in shock. Was he really saying those things to her? “You’re saying you’re superior to humans because of your ability to feel?”
“Of course. We’re far more than humans, Elle.”
She laughed, amazed he’d say such a thing. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”
“I don’t blame you for your lack.”
Putting her food down on the floor Elle stood. “I’m done hearing this shit.”
He got up following her. “You can’t leave.”
Whirling round she pointed a finger at him. “How dare you say I don’t feel? I may be human, but I feel far more than you.”
He chuckled. “Elle, that’s not possible.”
“I don’t kill people, Brandon. You killed those men without thought or feeling. You hunt animals, and you look down on humans as if we’re lower beings. There is no respect for us. You may talk about taking care of us humans, but you don’t really care. Grace Hill is a joke of the highest order.”
Brandon made to speak, but she put her hand up. Elle lowered down her walls. She allowed him to get the full force of her feelings.
He paused, staring at her wide-eyed.
“I’m human. You went into the arms of another woman, Brandon. You chose Lori over me. Can you feel how painful that is? Can you imagine what it would be like if I went to another man?” She waited for her words to sink in. “I was a virgin because I hadn’t found the one. I gave myself to you. I lowered down everything because you asked me to, and how do you repay me? You push me aside. Lewis showed me more care last night. So, please, tell me of your superior feelings, Brandon. From where I’m standing, I know a hell of a lot more about feeling than you do.”
She waited for his response. Staring at him, she waited for him to react or to give her something.
Nothing happened. Spinning on her heel, Elle headed for the door.
Chapter Nineteen
Brandon watched her head toward the door. Her depth of emotion startled him. And she’d been right in everything she said.
You can’t let her get away.
She’s our mate.
We need her.
Fix her and keep her.
Charging to the door he placed a hand on the hard wood against her head. He closed the door. Her shoulders slumped as her head rested against the door.
“What are you doing?” she asked, quietly.
“I’m sorry.” With his free hand he brushed the hair off her neck. “You’re my mate, Elle. I’m an idiot. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I’m a wolf, and I’m the alpha, and for the first time I was scared.” He cupped her neck, stroking the pulse that pounded under his touch.
“You’re doing this on purpose,” she said. Her voice sounded breathy. Arousal gripped him as he pressed against her. Every time he was around her, Brandon craved her touch. Seeing the pain in her eyes was like a kick to the gut. He never wanted to be the cause of her pain. She meant everything to him.
“You feel it, too,” he said, scenting her arousal. The heady aroma of strawberry and vanilla was back.
“I don’t want to feel this way. You hurt me. You took me and then hurt me.”
“I’ll never do it again. You’re my woman, and I’ll prove it to everyone, please, Elle.”
She shook her head. He heard her counting inside her head.
Don’t let him win. He’s a bastard. He used you and then went to his were-slut.
Did she know he could hear her thoughts?
Closing his eyes, Brandon let down his shield letting her sense the way he felt towards her. Moving his hand on the wall, he touched her thigh. The naked contact of their skin provided the connection for him to channel his thoughts inside her.
I’m here, baby. I’m a fool.
I love you.
Brandon opened his eyes at the revelation.
You don’t love me.
I do.
Leaning in close against her ear, Brandon licked the delicate skin of her neck. “I do love you, Elle. I just didn’t know it.”
She moaned, whimpering. Her pussy was on fire for what he could give her. His cock thickened. Moving his hand up under her skirt, Brandon pressed his palm against her panty-covered pussy. The heat of her arousal soaked through to his palm. She cried out, whimpering from his touch.
In one smooth tear, Brandon tore the panties from her. With his other hand, he cupped her breast through her uniform.
Pressing his fingers to her clit, Brandon worked her slit open, coating himself with her cream.
She gasped.
“That’s it, baby. Feel me touching you. Your body knows who its master is.”
Elle shook her head, fighting him.
He wouldn’t back down. This was for the good of his pack and for the good of his sanity. When he’d seen Alaric’s hands on her this afternoon, he’d almost lost control. No one touched his woman but him.
She’s our woman for the taking. Take her.
Undoing the buttons at the front of her dress, Brandon exposed
her. Tearing in two the bra she wore, he filled his palm with her naked tit.
Their combined groans filled the air.
“You’re my mate, Elle. I’ll announce our mating in front of the entire town with the visitors present. I’ll take a fucking ad out in the paper if I have to. I don’t want Lori. I never wanted Lori. You’re the woman I want. You’re the woman I crave.”
“Why?”
“Because you complete me in a way no other can. When we’re together, can’t you sense our connection?”
“Yes,” she said, gasping.
He tweaked her nipple, loving the sounds she made from the slight pain.
“It’s like that all the time. The need to be together never stops. Even today with you being pissed at me, I wanted you.”
“How can you be sure you love me?” she asked.
“I know what I feel inside. That never goes away.”
He felt the fight she was having. She wanted to trust him, but at the same time she wanted to hurt him.
“I’m not giving up. You may run from me, but you’ll never get far. You’re not going to the city. I’ll come for you.”
She tensed. “How do you know about that?”
“I’m alpha. I know everything. There is nothing that escapes me. I’ll come for you.”
Elle groaned in frustration. “I never wanted to be your mate.”
“I know,” he said.
“You’re a bully.”
“I’m not going to argue with you, sweetheart. You call me what you need to call me.”
Brandon stroked her pussy waiting for her verbal attack. Elle needed to fight him to get her pain off her chest. He accepted it and waited for her to start.
“You’re a bastard.”
He stroked her clit, gathering juice and then pressed a finger inside her tight cunt.
“I hate you.”
Moving up to her clit, he pinched the nub. She cried out, thrusting onto his hand. The scent of her arousal started to get stronger.
“You’re old.”
He chuckled. “Keep going, baby.”
“Your breath smells, and I hate the fact you hunt animals. Animals are cute.”
“Keep going.”
“I don’t want to be your mate.”