Roslyn nodded, embarrassed for being so weak. Her eyes lowered to the floor. Before Carl and his father, Jasper, she had been strong and independent. How quickly that had changed. They had broken her down to the weak woman who now stood in front of the man she wanted nothing more than to crawl into his arms and hide from the world. Pathetic.
All her talk about going back to Cylus, as if she were a sacrificial lamb, was only done out of desperation. She had hurt too many people because of Carl and Jasper, her stepfather. She swore when given the chance, she would make up for it all. And here it was, her chance, yet she was terrified. No one ran from Cylus and got away with it, especially a mate.
Dell’s large hand appeared in her line of vision as she stared at the floor. The warmth of his touch on her chin and cheek had her raising her eyes as he lifted her face up toward him. Her insides vibrated with a need she had never felt, and it was powerful.
“What happened, Roslyn?” Dell’s deep, rumbling voice was like warm liquid seducing the truth from her.
“Carl sold me for his life,” Roslyn whispered, praying that the tears burning the back of her eyes wouldn’t leak. “Cylus is a cruel alpha. He doesn’t care who is used to get what he wants.”
“And he wants you,” Dell growled, and she could feel the anger radiate off him.
“I’m his mate.” Her voice shook, the feeling of doom and despair almost making her double over.
Dell leaned down and whispered into her ear, “You are not his mate.”
She stumbled back at his words. “But I—”
“Do you have feelings for the bastard?” He caught her, pulling her close.
“No. No!” She shook her head. Shadows of confusion, despair, and feelings of doom, even shame that had followed her every second of every day began to part, letting in a ray of hope. “I despise him. I lived in fear of him. He hurt me and….”
The tears she had kept at bay broke free from the dam she had built to keep all her feelings behind. Before she knew what was happening, her walls shattered, and so did she. It took her only a second to reach around his thick waist and hold him tight. It was the first time in a long time that she felt safe, and she cherished the feeling.
“He won’t hurt you again, Roslyn.” Dell’s whispered promise was warm against her hair.
“That sounds nice.” She hiccupped against his chest.
“What? That he won’t hurt you?” Dell responded, his arms tightening around her.
“No, my name,” she whispered. “I thought I would be looked at like less of a woman if men called me Ross. I made myself as smelly and unattractive as possible.” In another lifetime, she would have laughed at the idea, but in her new world, she’d done all she could to survive.
“Well, I hate to tell you this.” He actually chuckled. It was the first time she’d heard him laugh; it was nice. The sound caressed her skin and settled around her, offering her comfort. “That definitely hasn’t worked. Do you go by the last name Simone?”
Roslyn shivered as she pulled away to look up at him with red swolleneyes.“Never,” she responded with a hiss.“My last name I take from my father who Jasper Simone killed.”
“I’m sorry.” Dell frowned, as he wiped a lone tear that escaped.
“My name is Roslyn Starr.” She was surprised to hear the pridein her own voice, but she was proud. It had been a long time since she’d said her name without fear of punishment by Jasper, Carl, and even Cylus, who wanted all his whores to be called by his last name. Without a doubt, she was not Cylus’s mate. It was just his way of trying to control her. What she didn’t know was if Cylus would ever let her go.
“I will never let him near you, Roslyn Starr.” He bowed his head slightly, but his eyes never left hers. It was as if he’d read her mind, and maybe he had, but the fear remained, but not just for herself. Now it included a whole town, and a man she was falling for.
Chapter 9
Dell held Roslyn’s hand tightly as they made their way back to Garrett’s. He still didn’t have the whole story, but he knew it would come. He needed to show her that she could trust him, and that was fine. He understood that better than most. Trust had to be earned, especially by one who had no reason of late to trust anyone.
Walking into the kitchen, he felt her hesitation, but he urged her forward. The women were gone, but Jonah was there. He gave Jonah a nod, then turned and looked down at Roslyn. “Go ahead and tell them what you can.”
“My name is Roslyn Starr,” she started and even smiled shyly.
“As in Kenneth Starr’s daughter?” Jonah’s eyes shot wide open.
“You knew my father?” Roslyn asked, her voice pitching in shock. She squeezed Dell’s fingers tightly.
“Hell yeah, I knew your father.” Jonah leaned back, still staring at her. “My God, you look just like your momma. I never put two and two together.” He shook his head in bewilderment. “I lost track of them years ago. I thought they up and moved, never heard anything from him, and then I got busy here,” Jonah said. Then his eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute… if Carl was your stepbrother, then that means—”
“Jasper Simone killed my father, most of our pack or at least the ones who wouldn’t kneel before him, and he took my mother for his whore,” Roslyn spat in anger.
“Where is your mother, Deana, now, Roslyn?” Jonah’s hands were in fists at his side.
“Dead” was the only answer she gave. Dell noticed she closed up after that and wished Jonah hadn’t brought it up, at least yet.
“I’m so sorry.” Jonah sighed. “If I would have known, I could have helped.”
Dell figured during that time was when Jonah was deep in a bottle of booze with troubles of his own. He watched Roslyn closely and saw her shake it off, her eyes going to Garrett. He listened as Roslyn revealed everything she had told him at the shop. He listened carefully to make sure she left nothing out. She didn’t.
“I was hoping that he would never find me here. I knew Carl hid our tracks well, yet he must have known his time was near and threw me under the bus, so to speak. Carl’s the only person who would have told Cylus where I was,” Roslyn added, then glanced toward Dell and let go of his hand. The anger he felt at her action was swift, but he controlled his reaction, giving her the space she seemed to need, for now. Her gaze went back to Garrett. “I’ll understand if you send me packing. With your babies, you’re the one he will come after and knowing Uric was here, it will only be a matter of time.”
The kitchen was silent, but Dell already knew what was going to happen. He just wanted to see what Garrett’s response was going to be.
“I know you hardly know me.” Roslyn broke the silence. “I’m asking a lot. If I go back, that will save—”
“I accept.” Dell cut her off as he stepped forward toward Garrett.
“Holy shit,” Hunter, who had been strangely silent, whispered loudly.
He ignored Hunter. He actually ignored everyone other than the woman at his side and his alpha in front of him. Until this very moment, he didn’t know what he was going to do about taking over the pack, but what he did know was that Roslyn was right. This Cylus fuck would come for Garrett first, and that rubbed him the wrong way. It was his responsibility to protect her, and he’d be damned if anyone else got a shot at the son of a bitch.
“Are you doing this in some heat-of-the-moment bullshit?” Garrett glared at him intently before his eyes went to Roslyn, indicating he knew exactly what was going on. “Because if it is, I retract the offer which means you will have to fight me for the position.”
“And shit just got real.” Hunter’s voice echoed in the room.
“Hunter, shut up,” Marcus growled, as he stepped up beside Garrett. “I agree. If this is just because you just want to get in her—”
“Finish that sentence and you’ll be picking your teeth up off the floor,” Dell warned Marcus, his fists tightening at his sides.
“What position?” Roslyn looked up at Dell with a frown.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Garrett turned on Marcus.
“He needs to realize this isn’t a spur of the moment decision.” Marcus’s eyes narrowed at Dell.
Hunter laughed, as if trying to ease the tension in the room. “Dell has never in his life made a spur of the moment decision.”
“Apologize,” Dell ordered Marcus, his anger radiating off him in waves.
“I’d apologize if I was you, son.” Jonah had eased his way closer, watching Dell.
“Yeah, ’cause Garrett might be able to take the big son of a bitch, but you… I have serious doubts about,” Hunter said from the side of his mouth, but everyone in the room heard him.
Marcus sighed. “I’m sorry, Ross. I really didn’t mean anything by it, but sometimes I forget you aren’t one of the guys.”
“Ah, dude.” Hunter glanced at Dell. “If she was one of the guys, I doubt Dell would be wanting to get in her—”
“Hunter!” Garrett shouted.
Hunter actually jumped. “Sorry,” he said to Garrett, then turned to Roslyn. “Sorry.”
“Everybody out!” Garrett rubbed his eyes. When he removed his hand, no one had moved. “Out!”
Everyone filed out of the kitchen. As Roslyn turned to leave, Dell stopped her. “Wait on the porch for me.” When she gave him a questioning look, he tried to give her a reassuring smile. “I’ll explain, but please give me a minute.”
“Okay.” With a nod, she turned, but he caught her arm, stopping her.
“Do not leave the porch, Roslyn,” he warned, before letting her go.
She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and nodded again and then left the room.
“She’s my mate,” Dell announced as soon as he and Garrett were alone.
“No shit,” Garrett responded with a chuckle devoid of humor. “I could have told you that weeks ago. How long have you known?”
Dell sighed and relaxed. “Day one.”
“Welcome to the club, you poor bastard. Don’t get me wrong, Janna means more to me than anything, but the worry over your mate is enough to drive you insane.” This time Garrett’s laugh was genuine. He walked over, opened the fridge and grabbed two beers. “Here, man, drink up. You’re gonna need it.”
“Thanks.” Dell took the beer, but didn’t drink it. He wasn’t really a drinker, never had been.
“I meant what I said. If you’re only doing this because she’s in trouble, then I retract my offer,” Garrett said, then took a long drink of his beer. “Even with Janna I’ve had to weigh things that weren’t easy because my main concern was her, but as alpha, you have to realize it cannot be all about your mate. You have many lives in your hands, not just that of your mate.”
“I understand that and have given it a lot of thought, right after you approached me,” Dell replied. His instinct told him that it was a right fit for him, and now even more so. “I’m not going to lie and say this situation hasn’t pushed my decision, because it has, but I will swear to you I will not let you down. I never have in the past, and if I feel that I cannot fulfill my commitment as alpha, I will come to you.”
Garrett stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “Fair enough.” He stood and shook Dell’s hand. “We will make it official after tomorrow night.”
Dell set the full beer on the counter. “Sorry, I don’t really drink.”
“Yeah, I know.” Garrett clapped him on the back with a laugh. “But you might want to rethink that. You’ll make a good alpha for our pack, Dell.”
“I appreciate that coming from you.” Dell meant it. Out of all the men he had ever known, Garrett Foster was the best of the best. He could only hope he could live up to his standards. He knew without a doubt he would die trying. “I won’t let you down.”
“I know that,” Garrett replied, his voice turning serious. “I wouldn’t have offered it to you if I had doubts, Dell. You’ve been the most loyal, next to my brothers. I consider you my friend as well as my brother.”
******
Roslyn walked out on the front porch wondering what just happened. Jonah, Marcus, and Hunter all stood outside staring at her.
“So, you’re it, huh?” Hunter’s grin was so wide all his teeth were showing.
“It what?” Roslyn wasn’t for sure what he meant. She was confused as hell, and she’d always considered herself a pretty smart cookie. Her brain seemed to be on vacation, though, because nothing was making sense to her. One minute they were talking about her situation, and then Dell was saying he accepted something and then he got angry. Now she was standing on the porch completely clueless.
“It’s actually a pretty good fit.” Marcus gave her an approving nod. “I mean, once you get used to the idea, you’ll be giving him so much shit it will be funny to watch. You’re a badass in your own right, so yeah, this will be very entertaining.”
“Well, at least now I can stop worrying about him and Emily.” Hunter snorted. “Me and him came to blows and let me tell you, I’m not looking forward to throwing down with him again.”
“I kinda knew already.” Marcus grinned, staring at Roslyn.
“Bullshit.” Hunter shook his head. “You don’t even know your ass from a hole in the ground most days. No way did you know.”
“Oh, like you did?” Marcus rolled his eyes as he thumbed toward Hunter. “Well, if there is any bullshit being spewed around here, it’s from your mouth.”
“Boys, shut the hell up.” Jonah sighed, shaking his head. “Welcome to the family.”
Jonah reached out and hugged her, totally surprising her.
“Yeah, Ross.” Hunter clutched her to him, knocking the breath out of her. “Welcome to our dysfunctional family.”
“Watch out.” Marcus nudged him out of the way and gave her a tight hug. “We couldn’t have asked for a better mate to that big bastard.”
Marcus let her go so quickly she stumbled back, but all three men were already off the porch and walking off. “Mate?” She stared after them with her mouth hanging open. Slowly, her head turned as she looked back at the house behind her. “Mate?” she mouthed, because she was absolutely breathless.
Chapter 10
Dell hurried outside to see Roslyn standing alone at the end of the porch, her arms wrapped around herself as she stared out toward the woods. She was beautiful, and she was his. For a split second, he felt like a fifteen-year-old with a crush and totally self-conscious. He was a mechanic with not much to his name. What did he really have to offer her? Those thoughts pissed him off.
The porch board creaked under his weight, making her spin around to face him. Her eyes were wide with questions, questions he knew he needed to answer.
“We need to talk.” Her voice cracked.
He nodded, reached out and took her hand. The walk back to her place was silent other than the few tree frogs, those that hadn’t taken to hibernation, croaking their tunes. The sun was setting, and the October air was cool with a crispness that made one feel alive.
Once they made it to the house, Dell frowned when she just opened the door without a key. “You left it unlocked.” He growled, then pushed her behind him and walked inside. He did a quick search and assessed it was safe.
“I lost my key, remember.” She blushed, looking away from him as she walked deeper into the small house.
Yeah, he definitely remembered her bare ass hanging out the window. He couldn’t help the half grin that spread across his face.
“Listen…” She looked up at him before her eyes shifted away. “Hunter and Marcus said something and I, ah—”
“What did they say?” he growled, not happy that Hunter or Marcus may have said something to upset her.
“Well, I can’t remember their exact words….” She hesitated, and he could tell she was nervous by the way she was wringing her hands.
“First off, Hunter is an idiot, and Marcus is a close second. Whatever they said don’t put much stock into it,” Dell said, deciding then and there to kick bot
h their asses.
“Oh, okay.” She nodded, then cleared her throat. “You… ah, want something to eat. I don’t have much, but I’m sure I can fix something.”
“What did they say, Roslyn?” Dell knew it was something that was bothering her, and he was going to get to the bottom of it. “Whatever it is it’s probably bullshit, but let’s just be sure. Knowing those two, you never know.”
She blew out a large sigh, crossed her arms over her chest and glanced away from him again. “They said something like I was your… mate.”
“Ah.” Dell nodded, then grasped her chin gently, easing her gaze to his. “That is not bullshit. You are my mate.”
Roslyn’s eyes widened as she quickly pulled her face out of his grasp. “No.” She shook her head.
“No?” Dell growled, his eyes narrowing.
“I can’t be your mate,” she said with another shake of her head.
Dell saw the fear in her eyes and, for a split second, he was enraged that she may not want to be his mate. But he quickly fought for calm, knowing it was more than that. He took a step toward her. They were so close they were almost touching, and she didn’t back up. That said everything he needed to know. It wasn’t him.
“Is that because you don’t want what we both feel?” Dell’s voice eased, even though his wolf howled inside his head with a restlessness that made him edgy.
“Huh?”
A smile slipped across his lips at that one word. She looked so innocent when she spoke the word he expected to hear from someone younger. “Am I so disgusting that even the mention of you being my mate makes you shake in fear?”
“No!” she said loudly, reaching toward him, but pulled her hand back quickly before she touched him. “No, that’s not it at all. It’s just… Cylus thinks I’m his mate.”
Okay, he thought he was enraged before, but just hearing the bastard’s name connected with his mate had him seething. The look on her face told him she felt his anger, and he did his best to settle down. Taking a deep breath, he took a second before speaking.
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