by Bryce Evans
Larken knew the place Ash left her mark would always be an erogenous zone for him. Thinking about this made him smile.
“Well, I love these kind of talks,” Larken said as he pulled back from Ash.
“Sorry, couldn’t help it. You two have possessed me.” Ash titled her head backwards, smiling at Larsen, who was sitting on the couch watching her. His smoky gray eyes stared back at her. No emotion was showing in his eyes then something other than lust flashed in his eyes. Ash only caught a glimpse of jealousy before his eyes held no emotion again.
Larken pulled out of Ash then reached into his desk, pulling out some paper towels. He wiped off his semen as it trickled down her leg. Ash continued to watch Larsen as he sat on the couch watching Larken wipe her down. She leaned up and turned around, narrowing her eyes at Larsen. “What is wrong?”
Larken looked up, not knowing what was going on.
“Nothing,” Larsen responded as he continued to stare at Ash. She jumped off the desk and pulled her underwear and pants back on. Ash didn’t like the look in Larsen’s eyes.
“Then why are you looking at me like that?” Ash asked as she sat down, putting her shoes on. Larken looked over at Larsen wondering why Larsen was staring at Ash.
Larsen couldn’t explain his mood. He didn’t even know how to answer her. He looked away from Ash and looked out the window. “Sorry.” Larsen jumped up and headed for the door. “I’ll talk to you later.” He walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
Ash looked up at Larken. She had tears in her eyes but didn’t want to cry in front of him. This is what she was worried about. Brother against brother, and the jealousy of sharing a mate. Before Larken could get his clothes on, Ash jumped up and headed for the door. “I need some air. I will see you in a few minutes.”
Larken tried to get to her before she got out the door, but Ash was too fast and he didn’t even have any pants on.
***
“Okay, Johnny, where is my mate? You said she was here at the lodge.” Johnny looked around, trying to locate the woman he had seen yesterday. This was the woman who threw him and Pez into the fence without breaking a sweat. He knew Lex would break her down as his mate. This was payback for her throwing him into the fence.
“I don’t see her yet. I tell you, Alpha, she is beautiful,” Johnny replied as he looked around the grounds. He was nervous because he had to deliver this woman since he had talked about her beauty so much. Johnny didn’t want to tell Lex the whole story, where the woman got the best of him and threw him into a fence. He knew that Lex would probably kill him. All he wanted was to get Kammy and mate with her. She was the one for him. Johnny knew he couldn’t do this on his own and he had heard that someone was taking young girls from the other packs. Johnny had put two-and-two together and had come up with his crazy cousin. He was the only one crazy enough to kidnap people and wouldn’t be afraid of the consequences.
“You better be right. I would hate to make my only aunt cry because I killed her son.” Johnny swallowed hard knowing Lex didn’t just threaten people. He carried his threats out. He told everyone that he would be an Alpha one day, and he is. A crazy Alpha, but still an Alpha. Johnny looked back toward the lodge as someone walked out the front door.
“There she is. Right there coming out the door.” Johnny pointed toward Ash as she sat down in one of the rocking chairs.
Lex stared as he watched as Ash titled her head back, pushing one foot on the ground, rocking the chair up and down. He liked what he saw. She was beautiful, with long brown hair and a curvy body. She was tall with long legs. “Well, Johnny, you did good. Now we have to lure her out.” Lex continued to stare at Ash.
“Can you control her if I get her out here?”
Lex flared his nostrils, trying not to shoot Johnny with the gun. “Yeah, I have enough left in the gun to put her out for a few hours,” Lex responded as he pulled his gun out of the bag he was carrying. Lex didn’t understand why Johnny wanted him to shoot her with the gun. She was only a human. He could handle her and anybody else that tried to get in the way of his plans.
Johnny was about to come out from behind the bushes when he watched as Jonas came out the front door and started talking to Ash.
“Hold up, Johnny. Do you see who that is?” asked Lex.
Johnny looked and saw it was Jonas Glenn.
“Bastard. I thought he would have already been back in Glenndale.” Lex hated Jonas Glenn. He blamed him for his family being excommunicated from his pack. Lex glared as Jonas sat and spoke with his new mate. His vein pulsed on the side of neck as the growl vibrated out of his throat. How dare Jonas talk to his future mate? My time has come, old wolf. Lex and Johnny sat back in the bushes, watching and waiting for Jonas to leave. Time continued to tick by as Lex and Johnny sat in the bushes waiting for Jonas to leave.
“Let’s go and get the other two and come back and get her. This will be great since Jonas is still here at the lodge. We will go right in and take the two girls and leave. This will break Jonas Glenn. Um, don’t you think, Alpha?” Johnny asked Lex, watching as Lex became agitated watching Jonas Glenn with his mate.
“Alright, but I want to be back here by tonight and get her. The full moon is tomorrow.” Lex took one more look at his mate and walked back to his van.
***
“What are you doing out here by yourself, beautiful?” Jonas asked Ash.
Ash watched as Jonas pulled another rocking chair closer and sat down.
“I don’t know what I’m doing any more, Jonas. One minute I’m happy thinking that I have two mates who want me, then I feel like they will get mad at each other because I have se…” Ash stopped talking and realized that she was about to tell Jonas about her sex life with Larken and Larsen.
“It’s okay, Ash. What you say to me won’t go any further. I know you are having trouble understanding wolves and what happens when they find their mates, but it will work out.”
“You think so?”
“I have known Larken and Larsen for a very long time. Larken has been my best friend for a long time, too. He is a good man, Ash, and so is Larsen. Just give them some time. They have shared all there life and they will learn to share you. Just give them some time.”
“Time is what I don’t have at the moment. I leave to go home after the Valentine’s Day dance on Sunday. I don’t want to be the person who breaks a family up. Brother against brother. I’ve seen it before, Jonas, and it ruined a family. Nobody wants to share. Alphas are jealous people and you of all people should know that.”
Jonas leaned forward looking up at Ash. “What brought this on? You three looked happy a few hours ago.”
Ash leaned her head back closing her eyes. “Yeah, well, like I said, maybe it’s not meant to be.”
Jonas reached out and held Ash’s hand. “What happened, Ash?”
“Larsen got mad at me for being with Larken and I guess he didn’t want to share. I don’t know, but he just gave me a dirty look and walked out. I can’t take that, Jonas. I think I need to go home and let them find their own separate mates. Somebody who they don’t have to share.” Ash clenched her hands together. She didn’t want to leave her mates, but today was only the beginning in her eyes. They would fight over her and she wouldn’t stay if that’s what she had to look forward to.
“Ash, are you bat shit crazy now, too? Let them find their own mates. Ash, they have found their mate and it is you and only you. They won’t look at another woman, love another woman, or go find another woman. It’s you and it will always be you.”
Ash stopped rocking but didn’t know what to say. She loved Larken and Larsen, but she knew this would only cause them trouble. She would cause them trouble.
“Just think about what I said. Pelton called in a favor so the video results may be back tomorrow. So think about this. Think about what I said, Ash, before you make any rash decisions. Okay?”
“Okay, Jonas. I just need some time alone. So if you see Larken and Larsen, just tel
l them that I will see them in the morning. I need to be alone,” Ash said calmly. Jonas got up and kissed Ash on top of her head then walked back into the lodge.
***
Johnny drove the van to his mom’s house. Lex got up after they passed the guard post. Johnny parked the van behind his mother’s house. She was still at work and wouldn’t be home until later that evening. “Let’s go get them,” Johnny muttered as he got out of the van.
“Who are these two girls, Johnny? Why would they be so important to Jonas?” Lex asked Johnny as he stopped him from walking further down the trail.
“The girls are his nieces. His sister died and her kids came to live with them. Peggy and her mate were killed in a car accident outside of Mississippi. They came to live with Jonas two years ago.” Johnny knew now that Jonas would go crazy when they took his dead sister’s kids.
Lex gave an evil smile. “Alright, let’s go get them.” They took a trail behind his house to get to the Alpha’s house. Jonas lived in the biggest house on pack land. They walked down the trail, trying to be quiet. Johnny whispered that they would need to knock these two out cold so they wouldn’t make any noise. Johnny crept to the kitchen window and looked in. Kammy and Kerra were sitting at the table doing homework. Nancy Melton was washing dishes at the sink. They needed to get her away from the kids.
“I’m going to shoot her first then the kids. We need to get them then get out of here and go get my mate.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. Let me knock on the door. She won’t open it for a stranger.” Johnny walked up to the door and knocked, waiting for Mrs. Melton to come to the door. When she opened the door and saw who it was, Johnny shot her with the tranquilizer gun. He then rushed into the house before the girls knew what was happening and shot both of them. Lex rushed in the house, swept Kammy up, and threw her over his shoulder. Johnny grabbed Kerra and they ran out of the house with them. They made it to the van without anyone seeing them. Lex hid in the back, where the girls were passed out. Johnny drove the van out and the guard stopped him at the gate.
The guard held his hand out stopping the van. He paused as he looked at Johnny. “Where you going now, Johnny?”
“To pick up my mom. Her car broke down at work. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” The guard waved him through. Johnny laughed as they got onto the main road.
“What dumbasses,” Johnny muttered.
***
Ash felt antsy and decided that she had spent enough time in her room. She changed into her running clothes and decided to run the trail to the ski slopes. It was late and she figured nobody would be out this late so she decided she was probably safe at the lodge, plus she was a super hero, too. Ash laughed out loud—at least Pelton thought she was anyway.
As Ash walked off the elevator, she waved at the clerk behind the desk who waved back as she walked out the front door. Ash couldn’t wait to start running. She needed to get rid of the agitation she was feeling. She wanted her mates to love her and share her. Ash knew she needed to relax before she made a rash decision that would affect her life forever. She didn’t want to leave her mates, but they would have to come to some type of agreement before she could stay.
Johnny sat in the van half asleep with Lex waiting until morning so they could get that woman. Lex got out of the van, stretching his legs, when he heard someone coming down the path. He walked over to the ledge and looked down toward the road. He couldn’t believe his luck. He ran to the van and yanked the van door open. “Get ready, Johnny. It’s her and she is jogging up the fucking road.” Lex grabbed the tranquilizer gun, ran to the edge of the trail, and waited for her. Johnny fell out of the van, picked himself up, and ran to the edge where Lex was standing. Lex watched as Ash ran up the hill. He put the gun up and looked down the barrel as Ash ran further up the hill. Just as she was about to run into his line of his sight, Ash stopped running and started looking around each side of the trail.
“What is she doing?” Johnny whispered.
Lex grabbed his arm tightly then looked at him and placed his finger over his lips. Johnny wanted to yell out because Lex had a damn death grip on his arm and was hurting him.
Ash could feel her spider senses come out. She didn’t hear anyone or see anyone, but she felt like she was being watched. Scenting the air, she turned in each direction, assuring herself that she was just paranoid. She walked slowly up the hill until she looked down and saw that her shoe was coming untied. She bent down to tie it when something whizzed by her head. She looked up and saw a man standing at the edge of the wood line pointing a gun at her. As Ash turned and took off running, she felt a sting on her ass cheek. She kept running, but her legs didn’t want to move. She almost tripped but grabbed a tree limb, trying to stop from falling to the ground. Ash rapidly blinked as the darkness tried to take over. Her mouth hung open gasping in air. She hung on to the limb, trying to move her legs, but her legs didn’t seem to want to work as she tried to run, when she felt another sharp pain to her back. Then blackness took over her vision and Ash fell to the ground.
Chapter Eleven
Larsen continued to pace the floor in his bedroom. He had sat and listened to Jonas tell Larken and him that Ash would come around, but she wanted some time to think. Jonas explained how Ash believed that she would break up their family if she stayed with them in Colorado. She wanted to stay with her mates but only if they could agree to share her and get along with each other. They agreed with Jonas to give her until the morning before they went to her room and begged her to stay. Larsen sat and talked with his brother and then apologized to him about getting jealous and walking out of the room.
Larsen had paced in his bedroom until he smelled her scent lingering in the air. He picked up the shirt he had on yesterday after they made love—it held her scent. He pressed his nose to the shirt and inhaled. Larsen laid on his bed with the shirt lying on his stomach so he could still be near her. He knew that he was in love with Ash and he never wanted to be without her again.
Now he needed to apologize to his mate. He never wanted to be away from her again. He would do whatever he needed to do to make this relationship work. He knew he loved Ash and that Larken loved her, too. They needed to work out all the details with her, letting her know that there would be no more arguing or any jealousy amongst themselves. He wanted this to work and he knew after sitting in his bedroom alone that he never wanted to go to bed without her again. He needed his mate.
It was five in the morning and Larsen couldn’t sleep. He was pissed at himself for getting jealous. He loved his brother and knew she was meant for both of them. He wanted Ash any way he could have her. Larsen was about to go knock on Larken’s door to tell him that he couldn’t wait any longer, when he heard someone knocking on his door instead. Larsen opened the door and his brother looked just as bad as he did.
“Let’s go and get our mate,” Larken announced.
“Now you’re talking.” Larsen grabbed his coat and walked out of his room, following Larken to Ash’s suite.
***
“Who do you think she is?” Jamie asked, looking at the other girls.
“I don’t know. She sure is pretty,” Lori responded.
“My uncle will come for us. I know it,” Kerra whispered as she wiped the tears off her face. Kammy pulled her sister closer to her, trying to calm her down.
“I hope you are right, because if they don’t soon, we will be mated to those animals out there. And I don’t think it will be how I was told growing up when you meet your mate,” Lori added. All the girls huddled together, praying that help would come soon.
***
“Ash, baby, open up the door.” Larken looked over at Larsen as he knocked on her door. “Do you smell her in there?”
“I smell her scent, but I can’t hear her breathing.”
Larken picked up his phone and called Nash. “Hey, can you bring me the master key. Yeah, I’m up at Ash’s room. Hurry please. I don’t like the feeling I’m having.” Larken look
ed over at Larsen as he rubbed his face, pulling on the whiskers covering his chin.
Larken and Larsen paced the floor, waiting on Nash to bring the key. The elevator door opened and Nash came out with Jonas.
“Here.” Nash handed Larken the key, who opened the door and walked in. Larsen and Nash followed behind him. “She isn’t in here. Thank God her stuff is still here.” Larken sat down on the bed. Nash could see the stress on his face. This had to be torture for his Alpha and cousin. He knew this was going to be hard for Ash, but he had hoped that she would come around. He knew Ash well enough that she wouldn’t leave without her suitcase and pocket book, both of which were sitting on the table beside the bed.
“She’s got to be in the lodge somewhere. Did you check the dining room? Maybe she went to eat early or get some coffee,” Nash asked. “She has always been an early riser so she is probably at the dining room eating breakfast since she just about passed out yesterday.”
“Okay, let’s split up and try to find her. Jonas, can you stay here in case she comes back and we don’t see her,” Larken asked.
Jonas could see the worried look on Larken and Larsen’s face. He didn’t think Ash would have run from the twins. He could tell she loved them. “Sure. Go find her. I will call you if she shows up here.” Jonas closed the door and sat in the chair, waiting for Ash to get back.
Larken went over to the reception desk and asked Becky, the clerk, if she worked night shift. “Yes, Alpha. I did. Is something wrong?”