“Great, I’ve been wondering if that was a thing.” Liz breathed a sigh of relief. “Honestly, there have been guys weirdly checking me out from a distance, and I wasn’t sure if they were part of your pack or just creepers. I’d rather get it all out of the way at once if I can.”
Dre seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief as well. Garrett didn’t look nearly as thrilled with the prospect. What kind of cruel twist of fate made it so two people who seemed so perfect for one another were left hanging in the wind on this mate crap? It wasn’t fair. If Liz could be Garrett’s mate I wouldn’t even think twice about choosing Dre anymore. The other thing that had been holding me back, the one thing I couldn’t talk to Liz about, was her. What would we do when she went back to school and I had to stay here? What would we do if her mate was in a pack across the country and I was here? I wasn’t sure I could run off and make a life without my sister being a part of it. We’d always had one another. It was already going to be a difficult year with her finishing college and me wherever I could find work. To think that separation could last a lifetime put a hard knot in my stomach like I’d just swallowed a boulder.
“So, you don’t mind doing it?” Dre asked quietly.
“Not at all. I wish we had gotten this out of the way from the start, to be honest.”
“Oh,” Dre seemed surprised. “Iz, are you okay with this?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. You just looked…” he tipped his head to the side while studying me closer. “You looked a little green for a minute, like you felt sick.”
I sighed heavily then. “I just wonder what will happen if my sister isn’t a match for anyone here.” It wasn’t necessarily a question, more a statement, but Dre tossed out an answer anyway.
“No one is going to try to make the two of you stay apart. If your sister’s mate ends up being in another pack, and if you decide you want to stay, we will work that out. Whether we need to consider pack transfers, or travel plans, they are things that can be discussed when everyone is on the same page.”
I nodded while my sister’s big cheesy grin spread across her face. “Are you sure we can’t make a mating thing happen?” She asked again while fingering the collar on Garrett’s button up shirt. I saw the longing there in his eyes, and wondered if he had hoped for the same thing.
“I wish that were the case, but I’ve never heard of that happening,” Dre answered honestly. It seemed he wished for them to be a pair as much as the rest of us in the room did too.
“When did you want her to come in for introductions to the pack? And where?”
“Well, if you’re free now, we could all meet up over at the brewery before it opens for business. Drinks are on me if there’s a celebration, and even if there’s not, you ladies can blow off some steam when it’s over.” Dre smiled at me and then looked towards my sister to see if she was okay with that.
“Sure, let me go get ready. I’d hate to run into my supposed mate looking like some rag-tag bum.”
“If you’re mate can’t appreciate you looking naturally beautiful, then he doesn’t deserve you, and I’ll take you for my own.” Garrett offered with a wink and a smile.
Liz coyly looked back over her shoulder at him and sent him a little flirty wink of her own. “You two are begging trouble with that stuff,” I muttered. Garrett’s smile disappeared.
“I’ll just wait in the truck so you two can have a conversation,” he offered and then turned on his heel, and was out the door before I could object. That was what I got for opening my big mouth, I guess.
“Hey,” Dre started. “I’ve been…”
“Missing,” I finished for him. A slow grin crept up his face as he watched me from under his thick dark lashes before picking his head up to meet my eyes.
“Did it bother you?” He didn’t wait for a response as I stood there fidgeting he continued on. “I was trying to give you some space and time to process. I had to keep my distance in order to give you that. If I’d come too close…” He sighed again and looked down as if he were embarrassed. “Well, I didn’t want to push you too hard.”
“I appreciate the time,” I said, and I meant it. “Do you think…” Inhaling a deep breath while he waited for me to finish, I looked down too, not sure I could meet his eyes while I said what I needed to say. “Um, I just, well…” Ughh, why was I so awkward. “Could we just take some time to get to know each other? Not the bond we share, or the pull that’s felt, but like really get to know things about one another?” I turned my gaze back up to Dre’s and my heart bottomed out into my stomach somewhere. The look on his face was pure joy and it radiated out from him as if he was an angel and I was looking straight into the grace of God.
“I would like that,” his smile ticked up a notch as he moved closer to me. “Is there,” he swallowed thickly before continuing. “Are there any rules you want me to follow?”
“Rules?” I asked completely stumped as to what he was getting at.
“Yeah, you know, for instance is this like getting to know a friend or are we calling it dating? Can I hold your hand, or escort you places?” His ears actually looked a little pink as he asked his questions, and I think my heart melted a little more in that moment. He had no clue what he was doing with me, and that it made him all the more charming, because I knew he had plenty of experience with the ladies. The fact that I made him nervous was unexpected.
“How about we just play it by ear and do what seems natural?”
His eyebrow tipped up at that suggestion, “sweetheart, you’re going to have to do better than that, because natural to me right now is to sweep you up in my arms and never let you go. We can get to know each other along the way. Somehow, I don’t think that’s the direction you’re wanting to head in right now.”
“Um, probably a little slower paced than that.” I laughed, because honestly there was a part of me that wanted him to just come sweep me up in his arms, and relieve me of my stupid guilt so I could enjoy every moment without second guessing it.
“Okay, well, we can play it by ear, but you let me know if it’s ever too much. How about that?”
“That sounds reasonable,” I offered just as Liz flounced into the room in a cute little skirt and tank top ensemble that would have all the wolves drooling after her whether they were potential mates or not.
“What sounds reasonable?” Liz asked, and before anyone could answer she followed that question up with another one. “Where’s Garrett?”
“He went to wait in the truck for us so Izzy and I could talk.”
“Can’t he still hear you out there?”
Dre shrugged, “he was trying to give us the illusion of privacy. Maybe he tossed his ear buds in and cranked up the music.”
“Oh, well, I’m ready whenever y’all are. Do I need to go wait with Garrett until you figure out what’s reasonable and what’s not? Or were y’all done with that already?” My sister tossed a conspiratorial smile my way.
“I think we got it all sorted out,” I grabbed my small pack up off the kitchen chair and slipped it over my shoulder.
“If I didn’t know you better, I’d razz you about having an overnight bag. Unfortunately, I think you’re just too lazy to get your wallet and phone out of that thing.”
“Funny, it didn’t even take being my twin to know that.” I laughed at her as we took off out the door of our cottage and headed toward Dre’s truck. My sister hopped in the back with Garrett automatically and I turned toward Dre. “I guess we’re all riding together then?”
“I would prefer it that way, but if you’re not comfortable…”
“No, it’s fine. I just wasn’t sure.”
I quickly took off for the passenger side of the truck. It looked like I was going to be riding shotgun since Garrett and Liz had both claimed the back seat. I glared at the two of them as I rounded the front of the truck. Garrett was laughing as usual, only this time he was joined in his laughter by my traitor of a sister. I was
just about to reach up and open the door when a large manly hand came around me, and beat me to the punch. He had to get close in order to reach up before I managed, and I could feel the heat of his body at my back. His scent was something akin to being outdoors in the rain with a smoky flavor from a campfire. I assumed the scent he carried had to do with his work at the brewery. All I knew was that I couldn’t get enough of it.
I inhaled deeply as he leaned around me, opening the truck door cautiously so he wouldn’t hit me. I caught sight of the grin that spread across his face and figured I’d just been busted sniffing him. Heat rose up my neck and straight into my cheeks and the tips of my ears. Damn it. I tried to play it off like nothing happened as I climbed into the cab of the truck and buckled up before Dre could reach across to do it for me. The last thing I needed was his body pressed up against mine any further. A girl might just lose her mind and attack a man in that situation, and she might not care who the hell was around to witness it. A low growl seemed to rumble from somewhere in Dre’s chest as he backed away slowly. The black of his eyes swallowed up almost all the color that was once there as his locked on mine, and the flush that stole across my cheeks then had nothing to do with embarrassment.
Garrett cleared his throat uncomfortably in the back seat. “Maybe Liz and I should take another car?” He asked while trying to hold back the chuckle that no doubt wanted to escape. Yeah, he was totally calling us out, and it was then that I remembered werewolves had a ridiculous sense of smell. Oh boy! They could probably both tell I just soaked my damn panties.
“No,” was all Dre said as he climbed in the driver’s side of the truck, and pulled it back out of the driveway and onto the road heading back toward the brewery. My sister and I had purposely rented a cottage on the far side of town from the brewery so that we wouldn’t have as many people potentially listening in on our conversations. Plus, I wasn’t sure I was up for a run-in with Dre before today. While I’d missed his absence and wondered what it meant for us, I needed that time to gain a little perspective.
It didn’t take too long to get to the other side of town and the brewery. It was obvious that we were going to be walking into quite the crowd today. There were cars, motorcycles, and trucks galore parked out in the simple dirt lot behind the building. Dre’s face dropped a little when he saw just how many vehicles were there. “Let me go get everyone inside set up a little bit. That way we can make sure this goes smoothly,” Garrett offered as he started to push his way out of the truck. He turned before he shut the door behind and looked at my sister with a more than just a bit of longing. “Do you feel anything yet? Tingle in your belly? Longing to be inside? Hell, I don’t know what it feels like. Why don’t you two cover that?” He nodded to Dre and myself before closing the door and walking off.
“That must have felt like torture for him. He likes you,” Dre admitted to my sister. “I’m not sure you’ll feel anything from anyone that is inside the building, but once you get in there, if your Kindred Wolf is present you will probably know it and be drawn to them immediately. Even if you don’t feel anything, I’m afraid those knuckleheads inside are still going to want to get close to you to see if proximity will change anything. Sorry in advance if any of them sniff at you or say anything inappropriate. Garrett and I will make sure they keep their hands off of you, unless you let us know it’s okay.”
My sister finally looked more nervous than excited. “How many are in there?”
“Well, from the looks of the parking lot, the whole pack must be here. Maybe a few who aren’t pack.” Dre shrugged. “If I find out who put the word out to non-pack members their damn heads will roll. I wanted this to be low key for you.”
“It’s okay. The more I’m exposed to, the quicker we know if I belong here or not, right?”
“I guess so, but Liz,” he turned to me then, even though Dre was speaking to my sister. “As long as Izzy is here, you belong. No matter what, okay?”
Liz smiled at Dre, and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my own face then either. It was one of my fears, and he’d just laid it to rest. If my sister wasn’t meant to be mated to one of his pack I thought she would be taken from me permanently. Dre just made sure I knew that wouldn’t happen.
“So, everyone from your pack is here then?”
“All of the unmated males should be here, except Gage. He’s off on a scouting mission for the brewery. He should be back by the end of the summer. Sooner if he finds what we’re looking for.”
I smiled at the memory of Gage and the fact that he had been tasked with trying to keep Lana away from Dre. “Gage chose to go, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, he did.” Dre looked a little guilty before he schooled his expression.
“Shame you couldn’t meet him. He’s definitely interesting,” I told Liz.
“Well, maybe he’ll be back before I head back to school.”
“Maybe your mate is inside, and it won’t matter anyway.” Dre voiced what we were probably all thinking.
“Even if my mate is inside, I’m not giving up school. I have one more year left to get my degree and I am not giving that up.”
“Understood. I will make sure it happens.” Dre smiled at her then. “There are perks to being the Alpha.”
“I guess that means I reap the benefits too since my sister is your mate.” He laughed, and then looked over at me with what I could only describe as hope in his eyes.
“Even if she won’t have me, you’ll be taken care of.” Dre assured her. I had to look away, because if I continued to see that intense look on his face I wouldn’t make it another minute. My previous resolve was slipping, and I didn’t think there was a way for me to resist him and say no to our pairing much longer. The reasons I had in the beginning for doing so were just not good enough when he made me go all squishy with his declarations, and his proximity to me.
Before any more could be said, Garrett was standing at the back door signaling to Dre that everyone was ready. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure if my sister was more nervous or if I was. Sure, I already knew who my mate was, but I didn’t know if my sister’s was here. I needed her in a way that I couldn’t even begin to express to anyone else. We’d been together since we shared a womb, and our longest separation was the short time she spent trying to attend summer session classes at college while I traipsed out to the mountains to see family.
~*~ DRE ~*~
The three of us got out of my truck and started out for the back entrance to the brewery. “Remember, if you’re uncomfortable at all, you let me or Garrett know right away. That goes for both of you. Although, I’d prefer if you stuck to my side,” I looked Izzy in the eye as I spoke so there was no confusion that I was talking to her. “Since you guys are identical twins I don’t want anyone to get the two of you confused. We may not be mated, but I’m afraid the innate response in me to anyone who may accidentally challenge to be with you…” I tried to hold the growl in that was creeping up my throat. “I’d rather not take any chances.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t mind sticking by you,” Izzy replied quietly as she moved closer to me. I decided to test my own limits today, and put my arm around her, hand touching her hip, as I pulled her closer to my side. At the rate of sounding like a pussy, my heart double-timed in my chest when I realized she wasn’t going to protest the fact that I was touching her and pulling her in close to me. I leaned down so I could whisper in her ear. “I won’t introduce you as my Kindred in there. Most of my pack already knows, but until you decide for sure what you want, I won’t make the official introduction. That’s going to be one hundred percent up to you, okay? We’re on your time table, not mine.”
She tipped her sweet face up to mine, and the smile that graced her face choked me up. “Thank you.” The words were a whisper on her lips, and I wanted more than anything to dip my head just that much further and take those lips with mine. I knew I needed to pull back, because she wasn’t ready for that. Damn if I wasn’t ready though. I wanted to
take this girl any and every way I possibly could. I wanted to own her heart, body, and soul. I just hoped like hell one day she’d allow me that privilege. She already owned me.
It was almost obvious upon entering the brewery that Liz’s mate wasn’t among the men gathered, but as I had warned her there were plenty who thought things might change if they got closer to her. Unfortunately, there were a few who decided to test the same theory with Izzy, even though she was there in my arms. One in particular was from a neighboring pack to ours. He was the leader of the Morris Pack, Dreklin Morris.
“Morris,” I acknowledged him as he approached us.
“Andre,” he countered. “I’m wondering why I wasn’t contacted sooner about the fact that you have two potential, unmated, Kindred here.”
“Today, was supposed to be a day to introduce Liz to MY pack. I’m not sure how you came upon your invitation to be here, but I would definitely love to hear about it. I also assure you, there is only one Kindred here today that isn’t spoken for.”
“This one is yours then?” He tipped his head to my left where Izzy pulled closer, circling her arm around my waist and holding tight. It took everything in me not to take her somewhere and claim her then and there.
“She is, if she’ll have me.” I responded truthfully. Anything less than truth could lead to a challenge no one needed happening right now, least of all the two women who were among the wolves in the room.
“If she’ll have you?” The disgust that dripped from Morris was evident. “Why the hell wouldn’t she have you if you both feel the pull?”
“It’s complicated. They were both unaware of our world until a few days ago. It’s been somewhat of a shock to the system. I’ve been giving them time to deal with the fact that we exist and what that means for them and their roles in our society.”
“I see.” From the look on his face he really didn’t. Morris was from a faction of werewolves that felt women were there simply to breed more of their kind. Love didn’t factor, and choice wasn’t really a thing with them either. It was with me, and even if he had been a pair for Liz I would have still ensured that she was able to have her choice, for her sister’s sake. “Did they not know their own father?”
Entwined (Vukodlak Brew Book 1) Page 15