“I’m fine, Wesley. I promise. They didn’t hurt me. They just scared me, that’s all. But thank you for saving me.” And then I remembered his words, ‘Take your hands off of my girl’. Was I his girl? I smiled up at him and there was tenderness in his eyes. I had never seen it nor imagined it coming from him, but there it was. We stayed like that for a moment longer, our eyes locked together as if in a trance. What was happening to me? Gone was the overbearing jerk who, like my father, tried to control and manipulate me; replaced with a gentle, protective man giving me a small glimpse of his vulnerability. Oh boy.
Charity started clapping and both of us straightened, jerking apart and glancing at her. She was watching us with great joy. What was that girl thinking anyway?
Chapter Ten
Wesley
We said our goodbyes to the others and headed back to the Windsor House. The car ride home was a quiet one. I wanted to speak to Hope about what happened, but I wasn’t sure about it myself. One minute I had been inside Happy’s talking to the guys and then I had looked over to where Hope was sitting and noticed her missing. I had asked Charity where she had gone and she told me Hope went to get her purse from the car. I zoned my hearing toward the parking lot and that’s when I heard the danger she was in. I can’t even explain the emotion I was feeling when I saw that guy’s hands all over Hope. I wanted to kill him so badly I could taste his blood in my mouth. The feelings I had when I thought she was in danger confused me; the tingling I felt through my body when she was pressed against me, how my heart pounded when she stared into my eyes. What could it all possibly mean? Had this girl somehow gotten under my skin? Ah man!
I walked her to her room in silence. I wondered what she was thinking but was too chicken to ask.
She stopped in front of her door and turned to face me but never looked up, instead fidgeted with her hands. Then she spoke. “You know, Wesley, for years I’ve rebelled against my father’s controlling and dominating nature. Don’t get me wrong, I love him very much, but he was never there for me, and when he was he was trying to control and manipulate me into conforming to his will. I swore to myself I would never be with anyone like that—ever. From the very first moment I met you, I thought you were just like him.” She gazed up into my eyes for a brief moment. “After tonight, I think I was wrong. I just wanted you to know that.”
Before I could respond, she turned and opened the door, stepped inside, and shut the door behind her. I walked all the way back to the Alpha Wing in a daze.
It was three days before I saw her again. She had been avoiding me, that much was clear. I had seen Nana a few times and had asked about her. She had said that Hope was beginning to enjoy working with her in Petals and was consuming herself with the work. Nana explained how she had given Hope an assignment to save a dying plant and she had taken the assignment very seriously. In truth, she was using this as an excuse to avoid seeing me. This kind of hurt, but what did I expect? I had been unreasonable with her; treating her rudely and worse. Classic Wesley.
On the third day, I made a visit to Petals to confront this thing, whatever it was. I stepped up to her door, taking a nervous breath, and knocked. I was suddenly so nervous my upper lip began to moisten and my hands became clammy. What in the world was going on here? She opened the door and my jaw dropped. She was covered in dirt, dusted lightly from her nose to her toes, but she was breathtaking.
She smiled slightly but then frowned. “Wesley, what are you doing here?”
I shrugged and stepped inside despite not being invited. “Well, I figured if I was ever gonna see you again it was up to me.”
She left the door open and turned to face me, stepping back slightly at the close proximity. “And why do you care if you ever see me again? I thought the only way you liked me was out of your way.”
I laughed under my breath. “Yeah, I thought so too,” I murmured.
“What?” she asked, stepping closer.
“Oh, well, I just thought that we might clear up some things.” Why was I so nervous? My hands were shaking, and she didn’t seem to be affected by my presence at all.
She shook her head. “You must mean about our embrace the other night at Happy’s. Don’t worry about that. I know that werewolves are protective of their families and that you were just acting as your nature predicted. It’s okay.”
I shook my head. What was she saying? “Wait. What do you mean? You think I didn’t feel anything?” Okay, I knew I should probably shut my mouth but the words seemed to do their own thing. “I felt something, Hope. And I thought that maybe you did too. I guess I was wrong about that. What did I expect anyway? It doesn’t matter.” I started for the door when she reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me. Our eyes met and my heart jumped. I could hear the fast pounding of hers too.
“I felt something, Wesley.” Her voice softened. “I’m feeling something now.”
I gulped in a breath and stepped back, rubbing my hand at the back of my neck. “Whoa! I didn’t expect that.” I laughed.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“No, no. I mean, it’s fine—more than fine. I just need a minute to adjust. I thought I was gonna have to come in here and plead or something.”
She laughed. “Plead?”
“Uh, yeah.” I happened to look down at her bed and noticed the heaping pile of stuffed animals, all with matching partners. Out of curiosity I picked one up. It was a monkey and it was wearing a blue scarf. I glanced down at the mate and it was wearing a pink scarf. I turned to her, holding up the strange thing in my hand. “Um, I’m guessing this is the male?”
She laughed, covering her mouth in embarrassment. “I know, but it’s a thing of mine. If I get a stuffed animal I have to find it a mate. I make them both scarfs to identify them.” I studied the animals more closely and sure enough they were all in pairs wearing either a blue or pink scarf. She pointed down to the female monkey. “That’s Squeaky, and the one you’re holding is called Leaky.”
My eyes went wide as I held the thing away from me. “Leaky? Is there something I should know?”
She studied me for a brief moment, and then, recognizing my teasing, she burst into laughter.
Her laughter drew me in like a fish on a line. In a flash she was in my arms as my lips crushed hers in a heated but soft kiss. She gasped in surprise before inching her hands around my neck and into my hair. This spurred me on, and I tilted her head to the side, giving me better access and ushering the kiss deeper. Our bodies melted together as we dropped to the bed. I pulled her on top of me, her hair cascading around my face and tinkling my cheeks, but I didn’t care. This was the most passion I had ever felt, and I wanted more—much more. I felt whole for the first time, and I knew she was feeling it too. As I continued to kiss her, our lips moving in perfect harmony, the realization hit me, this girl was meant for me and me alone. I was totally and completely in love with Hope Mason—once known to be only as Trouble.
Epilogue
Hope
I couldn’t believe how many people had shown up for the wedding. Most of my pack from Alaska was there. Of course my new pack was there, along with most of the Drake Pack. It was a bit overwhelming. Wesley looked amazing in his black suit, and Nana Butterfly (Nana, as she now allowed me to call her) had made the alterations to my mother’s wedding gown and it looked exquisite. I was overflowing with happiness.
Wesley and I had spent weeks together, discovering all there was to know about each other. We confided in each other about our upbringing. He was messed up just as much as I was. Independently we were wounded and broken, but together we were whole—a perfect puzzle. Gone were the days of his bossing me around and having power plays. I was in total control, and Wesley loved every minute of it.
We had the wedding in Windrake Mountain Park, under a beautiful canopy of trees of all shapes and sizes. Flowers of every color possible, thanks to Nana, cascaded along every surface and filled the air with the lovely aroma of love.
Afterward
s, we celebrated for hours, eating, dancing, laughing, and dancing some more. It was a day unlike any before it. My father had saved two dances for me. He shocked me when he told me how proud he was of the woman I had become in such a short time. He was grateful to Wesley for the part he played in my transformation. But it wasn’t just Wesley that was responsible. Nana had also touched me deeply, with her late night talks, her countless words of wisdom, and her stories of Wesley’s childhood. Those stories had slowly softened my heart toward Wesley and helped me relate to him in a way I couldn’t have otherwise. Nana had accepted me from the very beginning, even with pink hair. But my father’s words allowed me to feel peace with him for the first time in so long.
The wedding was over and Wesley and I were in the limo on our way to a secret honeymoon spot. He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed it softly. “I love you so much, Hope Windsor.”
How could I be so blessed?
I sat back and sighed in contentment as I reflected on the glorious day’s events. Suddenly, a scene I had forgotten replayed itself in my mind. I was standing at the altar, preparing to say my vows, when I glanced over at the rows of seats and the lovely people occupying them. The moment froze in my mind as my eyes landed on Levi and Charity. They were holding their three babies, two sleeping peacefully in Levi’s arms and the other in Charity’s. They looked at each other, their eyes locking as they shared an unspoken truth. It was such an intimate moment I felt I should look away, and yet, I was compelled to watch. He mouthed the words ‘I love you’ and her eyes turned so tender my heart constricted. Somehow I knew that those three words touched her all the way to her soul. This was a couple that shared a love I could never fully understand, nor did I need to. Just watching the two lovers, surrounded by wonderful, adoring people, gave me a comfort and hope that, as long as their love survived, all was well in the world—their world—and mine.
The End
Acknowledgements
I would like to give a special thank you to Ashley Stoyanoff, author of the Soul’s Mark Series. She is a gifted writer with a talent for the details. Thank you, Ashley, for your valuable input on all of these stories. It has been a pleasure working with you.
Also, thank you to Kellee Fabre, my one and only beta reader, for devoting your time and attention to this last book. It has meant so much.
Thank you, Dandria Young and Laura Hudson, you both are amazing women!!!
About the Author
DeAnna Kinney is a wife of nineteen years and mother of three amazing kids. She considers herself as fun-loving and a bit peculiar. Besides writing, she loves reading, the color purple, Star Wars, decorating on a budget, and dancing while she cooks(she can see her kids rolling their eyes as we speak). She believes whole-heartedly that chocolates and a good book go hand in hand. And, having experienced it herself, believes utterly in the power of true love.
You can find her on Facebook and Goodreads.com.
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Raven's Rose c-3 Page 13