by Bryce Evans
Larken knew he couldn’t be rude since he was the owner and actually had a shirt on that had the lodge’s logo on it. “Yes, ma’am.” Larken smiled, but it wasn’t a wholehearted smile.
“Well, I think my sink is clogged up in my room. Do you think you could come to my room with me and put some type of pipe in it and unclog it?” The lady next to the blonde started giggling.
The lady looked over at Ash and smiled. Really? And no, you just didn’t say that. Now you are a slut. Ash didn’t smile back this time and looked over at Larken, waiting to see what he was going to say. Wow, what the hell. Did this woman not see that he wasn’t interested in her? Ash couldn’t believe how blatantly rude this lady was. She was standing right there. HELLO!
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m going to help this lady with a problem. If you will give me your room number, I will have maintenance send someone up to your room and unclog your drain,” Larken said.
Yeah, take that, Bitch. Ash smiled this time, enjoying the look on the lady’s face since Larken had turned her down. Ash could tell the woman was never turned down. The elevator stopped at the third floor, and before the door opened, Larken grabbed Ash’s hand, and looked at the lady, then asked what room he needed to send maintenance to. The lady didn’t smile this time and muttered she was in room 434.
They exited the elevator, walking toward Ash’s room. Ash was grinning as they walked toward her door. She then pulled her key from her clutch bag and placed it in the door. Larken never spoke as she inserted the key, waiting for the lock to flash green. As Ash pushed the door open, Larken cleared his throat. Ash turned around and said, “Thank you for dinner and walking me to my room.”
“Ash, can I kiss you?” Larken asked, uncertain.
Ash blushed, but the man was too much to deny. Thank you, Lord. She nodded as Larken leaned over and she titled her head toward him. He leaned over more and lightly skimmed his lips across hers. Ash loved the softness of his lips. He didn’t touch her body; just his lips ever so lightly touched hers. Ash couldn’t take it; she dropped her bag to the floor, reached up, grabbed his head, and pulled him closer to her.
Larken growled as he grabbed Ash by her waist and pulled her closer to his body. She could feel just how much he wanted her. His erection was pressing against her stomach. He pulled back, shaking his head. Larken opened his eyes with fear radiating from him. “I’m sorry, Ash. I lost myself for a minute. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Ash giggled, making Larken feel better.
“You did see me pull you toward me, didn’t you, and then kiss you. No, Larken, you didn’t hurt me. I enjoyed every bit of that kiss.”
Larken smiled. VICTORY, he thought.
“I will see you tomorrow, Ash. Sleep well.” Larken made no move to kiss her again as he adjusted himself. He bent down, picked up her bag, and handed it to her. Then he turned around and walked to the elevator.
Ash watched as he walked away and got into the elevator. Girl, you are in trouble now. She walked into her room and went straight to the shower.
***
The next morning, Ash walked out into the reception area, getting ready to go to class. She decided it would be safer if she stayed in her room until she could get control of these crazy thoughts and dreams. Running into Larken was becoming more and more prevalent. She would eat something later. They were sure to have snacks at this thing. Larken looked too much like a perfectionist and a control freak not to have a spread laid out for the people at the conference.
She walked toward the room that would hold the conference. People were mingling around outside getting coffee and food. She looked around and saw the food laid out on the long table. Ash laughed. She knew it.
Looking around and hoping she knew someone, Ash pulled the door open and heard Jonas calling her name. He had saved her a seat at the back of the room. She waved and walked over to him. He stood as she walked up to the table.
“Hey, beautiful?” Jonas said.
“Hey, yourself. Thanks for saving me a seat.” Ash sat down at the table, looking around at all the people talking. She turned and spoke to Jonas. “Did everyone show up for the meeting today?”
“Everyone showed up, so it looks like it will be a full house. Some of them will be in here with us, too.”
Ash looked back at the crowd flowing into the room when she noticed a tall man walking toward their table. He was good-looking so Ash figured he was probably a wolf, too. She laughed to herself thinking about the werewolf population and how good-looking these people were. Even Miss Betty, the waitress, was beautiful. The man made eye contact with her as he stalked toward the table. When he got to the table, Ash looked over at Jonas.
Jonas looked up and smiled. The good-looking man was smiling down at Jonas. “What are you smiling at, you old goat?”
The man walked over and shook Jonas’s hand then looked down at her. “Well hello, beautiful?”
Ash blushed, but she was used to cops, especially the flirting kind. “Hello,” Ash said smiling. What do they put in the water here? Is everyone beautiful? Do they have any ugly or average-looking people in the packs? I need to drink from this well.
“So what is a pretty lady doing here with an old goat like Jonas?”
“Hey, I may be old in age years, but I’m still a young one compared to you, Marcus.” Ash smiled at the bantering going on between the two Alphas.
“Marcus, this beautiful lady is Ashland Peters. She is a detective for the New York Police Department. She grew up with Nash Wilder. They are best friends.”
Marcus was looking at Ash as if she was a piece of meat, and he wanted to tenderize her. She looked away, feeling uncomfortable. She felt like she was betraying Larken. Ash shook her head thinking how stupid that was. He didn’t own her or say who she could talk to. You have done nothing wrong, Ash. Why do I feel like I’m betraying Larken by talking to another man?
“Hey, have you spoken with Larken since you got here?”
Marcus couldn’t take his eyes off Ash. He was about to start flirting hard with her when Nash walked in and came over to their table. Nash looked up, saw it was Marcus, and smiled. He turned his head sideways giving Marcus respect as an Alpha.
Jonas was getting worried. He didn’t think Marcus knew that Ash was off the market and Larken, his friend, would kill him if he touched his woman. He wouldn’t be able to control it.
“Good morning, Alpha,” Nash said.
Marcus barely could look at Nash because he was drawn to Ash. “Hey, Nash. How are you?”
“Fine, sir.” Nash watched how Marcus looked at Ash and knew he needed to intervene before his Alpha saw the looks Marcus was giving Ash. Marcus started asking Ash questions. Nash looked at Ash and asked if he could see her for a few minutes. Ash smiled and got up from her seat, following Nash outside the classroom.
Nash grabbed Ash’s hand and practically dragged her to a corner. “Ash, look…I know you don’t understand how possessive a wolf is when they find their mate so just watch out and don’t flirt with Marcus,” Nash said as he watched Ash take a step back. Her face turned red, anger radiating off her.
“What are you talking about, Nash? How dare you accuse me of flirting with that man? I just met him and furthermore, I can damn well do what I want with whom I want. I won’t have a man tell me who I can talk to. How dare you, Nash.”
Ash stomped off toward the bathrooms. Nash could tell he had screwed up big time. He didn’t mean to say it like that. He wanted her to be careful because Marcus didn’t know she was Larken’s mate yet.
Nash walked back into the conference room to talk to Marcus, but he could already tell Jonas had taken care of that for him. Marcus and Jonas were whispering when Nash walked back to the table. He sat down and slid his fingers through his hair.
“I take it she didn’t take it well?” Jonas asked calmly.
Nash sat closer to the table and leaned his head on the table, knocking it two times. Jonas and Marcus both laughed knowing he must have made Ash mad.
Two more Alphas walked up to the table and pulled up two chairs. The table was getting smaller and smaller. The Alphas shook hands with each other, talking, as the instructor walked in, announcing the start of his class.
***
Ash walked into the bathroom shaking. She felt the uneasy feeling she always got when her life was getting out of control or being controlled. She walked up to the sinks, washed her hands, and then breathed in and out, trying to get control of her anger. When she finished washing her hands, she went over to the bench and sat down. This was a mistake coming here. I should have stayed at home. I can’t even make conversation with anyone.
Ash looked down at her watch and knew she had been gone for a while and decided to go back to class and ignore Nash. When she walked back into the classroom, the instructor was already teaching. She knew this instructor was with the FBI because she heard of his work before on profiling. She never worked with him but used many of his techniques in her job.
Pelton Miller was known throughout the country. His work spoke for itself. He was also a good-looking man, too, but Ash didn’t even want to think about that. She was in enough trouble with Larken wanting her. As Ash walked back to her table, she could tell the instructor was watching her walk. She drew the attention of all the men in the classroom as she walked back to her table. Please stop looking at me. She sat down beside Jonas, pulling her notebook out of her bag, trying not to look up at the instructor. She was embarrassed since she had walked into the classroom late.
Nash was watching Ash as she ignored him. It drove him mad that he had pissed Ash off. She was his best friend, and he didn’t want that to change.
When Ash looked up, two other men were sitting at the table looking at her. She didn’t know who they were, but they were probably Alphas, too. She knew Nash probably thought she would try to flirt with them. Screw you, Nash. I can damn well do what I want. I will move to another table after the break. So take that. She knew she was probably blowing it out of proportion, but she was still pissed since her conversation with Nash. Actually, she thought it was more like an accusation.
Nash tried to smile at Ash, but she wouldn’t have anything to do with him. He could tell Ash had pretty much shut him down by ignoring him.
Ash sat and tried to listen to Pelton Miller talk about abductions that have been occurring across the country. The class was very informative, but Ash was having a hard time concentrating. She was feeling antsy and needed to get up, but the instructor was still teaching so she made sure she had her hand on her bags, ready for when the class was almost finished, she could get up and leave the classroom then sit on the other side, away from Nash, when the class restarted. She couldn’t believe that her best friend had said she was deliberately flirting with Marcus. She never flirted with anyone, and Nash knew that.
As she was trying to listen to the instructor, Ash heard the back door open. She looked up to see the most gorgeous man walk in and then went to stand at the back of the room. Ash thought he looked like Larken except this man had a mustache with a goatee and dressed in a suit and tie. He also had more of a rugged look about him. Ash couldn’t keep her eyes off the gorgeous man in the suit. He scanned the classroom until his eyes met hers. She could tell the man gasped when he saw her. He stared at Ash with lust-filled eyes. Ash looked away knowing that if Nash saw her looking at this man, then he would accuse her of flirting with him, too. Wow, is all I can say. I need to leave this place before I do something rash. I’m attracted to two men now. One man isn’t good enough for me.
The class was good as she took notes on some new techniques she planned to use when she went back to work. Ash looked up and saw the gorgeous man had walked out of the classroom and thought it was just as well since she didn’t plan to talk to him anyway. She could tell the instructor was winding down and was going to release them for a lunch break, so she took the opportunity to grab her bags and walk out of the classroom. Nash tried to tell her to stay, but Ash ignored him and walked out. She never turned around when she heard Nash calling her name; instead, she hurried out of the room and ran to the elevator. She knew she needed to lie down for a while, so she decided to rest her eyes and leave the men to their meeting. She felt like an intruder anyway and didn’t want Larken to get into a fight with another man or wolf.
***
Larken was sitting in his office waiting for the meeting to begin with the Alphas. His thoughts were with his mate, Ashland Peters. Her name alone made him hard. Her kiss sent electricity through his body. Her lips were plush and every bit kissable, her scent was of apples. He couldn’t wait until she was his. She was magnificent and brilliant. Larken was still daydreaming with his twin brother, Larsen, walked into his office.
Larsen walked over to the window and looked out toward the mountains. “What’s so important, brother, that you needed to talk to me?”
“Well, I thought you would want to know that I have found my mate.”
Larsen jerked around and smiled. “Where? Here at the conference? When can I meet her?”
“Hold on a minute. There is a slight problem.”
Larsen walked over and sat down in front of Larken’s desk with a worried look on his face. “What kind of problem?”
“Well, she is a human and doesn’t want me like I want her. She wants a choice, to choose her own mate.” Larken could see the look in his brother’s eyes. He was getting angry.
“Well make her.”
“It’s not that easy, Larsen. You know I can’t make her.”
“Then make her understand that this is your only chance at happiness.”
“She knows that. Nash explained it to her. You see, Nash is her best friend. Her name is Ashland Peters.”
“The woman Nash grew up with in the orphanage?”
“Yes.”
“Then she understands, Larken. She knows this is your only chance.”
“She knows that, Larsen, but you would have to know her history and what happened to her as she grew up in the orphanage. She was beaten a lot and never given a choice on anything in her life. They told her when to eat, what to wear, and they never allowed her to have an opinion. She has issues with it.”
Larsen sat there staring at his brother. Larken could see the sympathy in his eyes. “What now?”
“Well, I’m working on that. I’m letting her get to know me and of course, the family first before I introduce her to the pack. She is skittish as it is. I will need your help with this. I want her to feel welcomed here at the lodge and with our family.”
“Brother, you don’t have to ask me for help. You have it. When can I meet her?”
“Well, let’s go meet with the Alphas and I will introduce you to her after the meeting. She will be there, too. She wants to help and I’m allowing that. She is a cop, by the way, so you will have something to talk with her about.”
“Why is she coming to the meeting?”
“Well, that is another story,” Larken responded as they walked out of his office.
Chapter Six
Ash looked away as she saw Nash trying to catch her before she got to the elevator. She walked into the elevator and hit the close door button before he could reach her. When the elevator reached her floor, Ash quickly checked the hallway, hoping Nash wouldn’t be waiting for her. With no sign of him, she opened the door to her room, entered, then closed and locked the door. Leaning against the door, Ash thought how she hated the wild feelings she was having. She wanted to go home where everything was planned out and nothing was out of the ordinary. She didn’t like change in her life or letting new people in her life. They never seemed to get her. Ash walked over to her bed and laid down, letting out her breath when she heard someone knocking on the door. She knew it was Nash, but she continued to stay on her bed. Ash closed her eyes, put her arm over her eyes, and tried to calm her breathing. Please go away, Nash.
“Ash, I know you are in there. Please talk to me. What I said came out wrong. Please, Ash. You are going to miss the meeting
with the Alphas.”
Ash tried to be as still as she could, hoping that Nash would go back downstairs.
“Ash, I can smell you, baby, and hear your heart beating.”
Ash knew she wanted to help the Alphas and she knew Nash would just go get a key to get into her room. She got up and jerked open the door. Her expression said it all.
“Ash, I didn’t mean it like that, baby. You know me better than anyone. I love you. Please forgive me?”
Ash looked at Nash and shook her head. Nope, not this time. I’m pissed off now, buddy. She turned around, picked up her bag, and walked out of the room. Nash hurried and closed her door, then ran to catch up with her. He had to sprint and get into the elevator before Ash went down without him. Nash pushed the button that had a funny looking symbol on it then he put a key into the lock. Nash looked back at Ash. “The symbol means Wolf Spirit. Larken wanted only people like us to know what it meant, plus, you have to have a key to get downstairs to the private rooms.”
She didn’t want to talk to Nash so she just patiently waited for the elevator to stop. The elevator started going down past the reception area. Nash looked over at Ash with pleading eyes. He wanted her forgiveness. Ash continued to look away from Nash. He could tell that Ash was fuming with what he accused her of doing. He had always tried to get her to date and flirt with the guys that flirted with her. She never did. Now that she was his Alpha’s mate, well, let’s just say that his opinion of her had changed. Now that men were flirting with her, she shouldn’t flirt back. She was his Alpha’s mate and the stakes had changed. Nash acted like she wasn’t allowed to speak to other men or even look at them. Ash was hurt because she valued Nash’s opinion of her and she didn’t do anything wrong, but he was judging her as if she did.
The elevator stopped and opened into a big living room area that was very beautiful. Nash walked out into the room as Ash followed him. He opened the door to a conference room with about twenty people waiting inside. Ash noticed the two men who were sitting at her table, and at the front of the room were Larken, Pelton Miller, and the good-looking man who looked like Larken. His smoky gray eyes looked at her as she walked into the room.