by James, Honor
“Why would I ever hurt Rissa?” he asked with a frown. “You’re the only one that’s ever hurt her, old woman. Because of your constant nagging and badgering of her father, you hurt Rissa. I never had any argument with the pack, but they had issue with us. We only defended ourselves when they attacked us. Unprovoked, I might add. And we only went after them when they killed three of the women who were pregnant. For no reason other than they were there.” Shaking his head, he looked to Rissa. “I’m sorry, love, but I can’t stay here with this sort of venom. I know you love her, so if you’d like to remain I’ll find a room in the village and come back for you in a couple hours.”
She shook her head. “No, Michael. I told you where you go I go as well.” She looked to her grandmother. “I love you, Grandmother, but Michael is mine. He and I are betrothed. We will be wed as soon as humanly possible. He is right, it is your prejudice. It is your hatred for Grandfather that has you hating Michael as you do. He died, Grandmother, there is nothing you can do to change that. He didn’t leave you on purpose, but more so because he lost his battle with life.”
Taking her hand when she moved to him, he looked into her eyes. “Are you sure? If we go we won’t be coming back, Rissa,” he murmured softly. “Maybe you should take this time to have a last visit with her. I can be to the village and back in two hours, longer if you want more time.”
“I’m sure, Michael. You are my family. If she can’t accept that and be nice, then we won’t remain. I love you and I trust you.” And her mind was still reeling. How in the hell could she have had a werewolf grandfather and no one ever told her? So she was part werewolf? Lord help her.
“Then you should say your good-byes, love. I doubt we’ll ever be back this way again, not that she’d let us near here, I’m sure.” Lifting her hand, he kissed her fingers. “I’ll give you a few moments alone. I will be right outside readying the horse when you are ready.”
She nodded and touched his cheek lightly. “I love you, Michael. I will be out very soon,” she said and turned to face her grandmother. “This is good-bye, Grandmother. Michael and I will continue and go elsewhere. It’s truly too bad, because you are now truly alone in the world.”
“He will be the end of you, child. Why do you not see it? He will use you for what he wants and toss you aside,” she shrieked at her. “All he wants is to use your body for his own needs, and when that isn’t enough he’ll find someone else to slake his vile urges on.”
“It’s really too bad that you see it like that,” Rissa whispered. “Good-bye, Grandmother. I hope that your anger doesn’t take too much out of your life. I love him and he loves me. He and I are going to have a life together. Good-bye,” and moved away from her grandmother and toward the door.
Shrieking, she launched herself at Rissa but never made it, bouncing off Michael and landing on her ass on the floor.
Growling low, he hissed out a breath. “No one touches her without her permission,” he growled. “You ever try that again and I won’t restrain the side of me you’ve been warning her about. A side she knows all about.” Stepping back, he reached for Rissa. “Let’s go, Princess,” he said softly.
Rissa nodded. “All right.” She laced her fingers into his and let him lead her out of there. She held herself together. She held her composure for a long time until they were far from her grandmother’s, and then she broke. Tears fell and she whispered, “She has so much hatred inside of herself. What kills me is that she has it for you as well, and I dislike this a great deal.”
Pulling the horse to a stop, he wrapped her in his arms and held her to him. “Shh,” he whispered. “I don’t honestly care what she thinks of me, but when she tries to hurt you…” Michael growled deep. “That is something I won’t tolerate from anyone, especially her.”
Rissa nodded and licked her lips. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything,” she told him as she held onto him. “For being mine. For loving me. For always being there for me. We will always be together, right? We will always have each other’s backs, right?”
“We will always be together, looking out for one another,” he said softly. “I’m not going anywhere, Rissa. I’m not your grandfather or whoever your grandmother thinks I might be. I’m me, and I’m never leaving your side again. I couldn’t do it and survive.”
“I know you wouldn’t. I know that now that you are back, you are going to stay. I fully believe that you will forever be mine. I know that no matter what, we will have a life together. I truly hope that the others will be a part of that life as well, but honestly I need you,” she confessed.
Rubbing his nose to hers, he smiled slightly. “They will want to be a part of our lives, Rissa. They will also likely barricade you in a room with them to try and make up for the time they’ve missed out on. The time you and I are spending together.”
“I wouldn’t mind that at all,” she said with a smile. “I would like to have time with them as well, but only as long as they don’t ask me to stay from you at night as well. I never again want to sleep alone, please.”
“You’ll never be alone again, though I doubt I’ll see you the first couple of nights after they catch up,” he said, sitting up. “They will want to have you all to themselves, and I was not joking about the barricading.”
“They wouldn’t barricade you from our rooms, would they?” she asked with a frown. “No, they wouldn’t dare. They would know that I would need you and crave you desperately, right? Please tell me that they wouldn’t keep us apart.” If so, she was going to have to toss a bitch fit.
“It’s entirely possible,” he said softly. “While I’m Prime Alpha, they are both Alphas as well, and that means strong, determined personalities. They will do whatever they need to do to ensure they mate with you properly. After that they will relax some, but none of us is ever going to be anything but protective of you and possessive, Rissa.”
“I’m totally okay with that as long as you know that I’m going to be just as possessive of you. I happen to really adore you, and I refuse to share you or the others with anyone else.” She looked forward to being shared by the three of them though, a great deal.
“Perfectly fine by me, but you do have to share us to a certain degree,” he murmured. “We’re Alphas, which means you have to share us with the pack. Not all the time, but on occasion you will need to,” he said, getting them moving once more.
“As long as they don’t think that they will be able to make love with you as we do. I’m fine with you sharing your time with the pack, but intimacies I draw the line at, and I will certainly not be a shared toy for the pack either.”
Chuckling at that he shook his head. “Where you get your ideas I shall never know. But they are most amusing, yet incorrect. As Alpha, I need to be there to support and discipline, something I’ve been rather slack on of late. Occasionally that means a hug or being a shoulder to cry on. Other times it means going hand to hand with one of the dominants so that they can work out their aggressions in a safe manner and not hurt any of those lower than they are in rank and position. But you are the only woman that I will ever make love to, have sex with, or just plain grab up, strip down, and fuck until we both can’t see straight. As to the last, anyone but us three touches you inappropriately and they are meat,” he said on a low, dangerous-sounding growl.
Rissa nodded. “Good. I know I shouldn’t say that, but good,” she muttered. “I don’t want anyone but you three,” she said simply. “I don’t mind being a friendly ear or a shoulder to cry on, but that’s it,” she said softly. She looked up at him and asked, “Are you sure that Gabe and Raph feel the same way that you do, Michael?”
“I know they do, love. The only reason they stayed when I left was because of you. Otherwise they would have followed me right out the doors and dogged my heels all these years. They remained to look after you and keep you safe. Trust me, when they finally catch up with us, you will see it for yourself. Just don’t be surprised when they finally break the rigid
protocols of the Royal Guard and scoop you up.”
“Good. That’s been so frustrating to me. The fact that they haven’t even so much as touched me. I’ve needed it, been desperate for it, but they haven’t done it and that’s driven me batty.” She moved up closer to him and smiled. “But no longer, which is a very good thing. Let’s go and do what we need to do so that we can get indoors somewhere.”
“They were waiting on me,” he said quietly. “They couldn’t touch you without my being there first. Pack laws, love,” he whispered. Easing the horse down a path, they rode in silence for a time. “We should be coming up on a village soon. We should be able to get a room in the inn as long as they aren’t too full.”
“That sounds good to me. Hopefully there will be an inn there that we will be able to stay at and enjoy a bath and hot meal.” There was a pause and she said, “Are we going to be safe there? Or would we have been safer at my grandmother’s house?”
“I’d rather face the brigands than your grandmother. If you recall, she tried to hurt you, Rissa. At least with the brigands I know they want you dead. That I can anticipate and stop. Your grandmother was trying to make you doubt yourself and your own thoughts and beliefs. That’s much worse,” he said.
“I know.” She sighed. “Well, she’s gone and is out of the picture. Now it’s us. We will live the life that we deserve because we are meant to be together, Michael. Nothing she can say or do will stop us from being together.”
“I’m glad you and I are of the same thought.” Letting out a sigh, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I only wish that she was willing to work beyond her hatred of me. You deserve to have kin with you and around you, Rissa.”
Rissa shrugged. “She’s not been a part of my life for a number of years, so this is nothing new.” Sadly. “And I will have my kin with me. I will have you, Gabriel, and Raphael. You are my family. I will have you, and I know how much you love me so that’s what is needed and necessary, trust me.”
“I hope so, Princess,” he told her quietly. “I just wish it didn’t have to be that way. You deserve to have nothing but happiness in your life. You will always be loved, though, so that’s a good thing. At least I hope it’s a good thing.”
“That’s a very good thing. That’s what I want, honey. I only want to be loved and I will be because of you. I know that you and the others will love me fully and completely. I’m very happy with that, too. You will love me and I you. That’s what matters.”
Nodding, he kissed her cheek. “You will always be loved,” he murmured. “And there’s the village,” he told her quietly. Riding toward the bustling village, he inhaled deep. “Everything appears to be fine from what I’m seeing and from what I can scent. But we’ll be cautious and walk through once we get there. Ensure we’re not attracting any undue attention.”
“I think that sounds very, very good. I really and truly think that it will be best.” She trusted Michael, but she wanted him safe as well. “I will be very glad to be off the back of the horse, sorry but there it is.”
“I know, Princess, but the carriage was too big for the trails and much too obvious for us to travel in,” he said quietly. “It was a screaming and moving target.” As they got close, he pulled up on the reins. “All right, time to walk,” he told her, helping her down from the horse before jumping down next to her. Drawing the hood of his jacket up, he took the reins in one hand and one of hers in the other.
“I know that. I really do.” She accepted his hand with hers and pulled her hood up as well. Letting her gaze drop to the ground, she asked, “Are you worried someone will recognize us?” She hoped not. If they did, they simply did, but she was hopeful that they wouldn’t.
“Not really, but people tend to stare at the scars on my face and neck,” he said with a shrug. “It’s just easier to keep my face in shadow to avoid the looks and horror. That and the mothers scooping up their babes and running off to safety. Like I’d eat one of them,” he muttered with a low growl.
She frowned and shook her head. “That makes no sense at all. All that matters is that you are a good man. I don’t see your scars, I see you. Is that strange of me?” she asked softly. “And I seriously doubt that anyone would recognize me, so that’s good as well.”
“It’s not strange, darling. You love me and therefore can see beyond the scars. These people don’t know me, and all they see are the scars and assume the worst. It’s the way of our world, Rissa, too many only look at the surface and no further,” he said as they walked into the town.
“And that’s truly too bad. You are right, and that’s sad. Well, they will have to learn to deal with you because you are soon going to be their King,” she said softly. “You didn’t forget that one, right? You are not only going to be Pack Alpha, but you are also going to be King.”
“I was kind of trying to ignore it, thank you for bringing it up again.” He looked at her and smiled slightly. “Are you truly sure you wouldn’t rather have one of the others acting in that position, Rissa? One that doesn’t cause everyone to wince and look away merely by walking past?”
“I’m sure. Michael, you are the best man for the King. You are Prime Alpha and you are also amazing. Everyone will see that there is so much more than your scars. There is intelligence, honor, and there is knowledge hidden deep inside of you, love, and that’s what matters.”
“How do you figure I’m this intelligent, honorable, and knowledgeable man?” he asked softly. “I’ve been gone for a long time, Rissa, and you were much too young when I was there. So how do you figure that I’m all those things, love?”
Rissa snorted. “I had that figured out when I was a kid. Add to it that my father came to you more than once for advice, so that tells me that you are an exceptional man, honey. Is there something that I’m missing?”
“I suppose not.” He frowned at her. “Just trying to figure out when the world will kick me in the nuts again for hoping for too much, too fast. Happened the last time, likely to happen again,” he murmured as they walked slowly along.
“No, honey, not going to happen again, because I’m the one in control, and I want you. I love you, Michael, and we will have each other forever. We will be in each other’s lives forever,” she said with a smile. “You will be my King. If anyone has issue with it, then that’s just too damn bad because I am going to have you or they won’t get me.”
“The difference is they need you, Rissa, desperately,” he said quietly. “They need your quiet and gentle ways to guide them in all that may come. Like I need you,” he added as she opened her mouth. “I just need you on a more personal level and for so many more reasons.”
That had her smiling, and she nodded. “I will be there for them, but they need to make sure they understand that they need you as well. Simple as that. We are a team. Granted, we will be a four-person team, but that’s for another day. Honestly, I would be happy if all three of you could be my King.”
“Mm,” he rumbled, not saying anything to that. Walking with her slowly, he circled them through various streets before going to the inn. Tying the horse to a post, he loosened the saddle and grabbed the bags. “Let’s go and see if they have a room,” he suggested.
“Sounds good to me. Hopefully they will have one with a fireplace and we can rest before a fire before we bed down for the night. Will Raph and Gabe find us?” she asked with her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze as she did so.
“They might, but it depends where they are,” he said. “We’d planned to meet in another three days at a spot a little further to the west. But only if it was safe for us all to do so. It’s one reason we’ve been traveling as we have been. They were going to be doing different routes before ditching the carriage and riding to meet us.”
“So we will be there in three days? Will we be leaving after the night we spend here?” she asked softly. “If so, I don’t want to waste even one singular second of our time here at the inn. We should order our meal to be brought up to our room.”
“We can actually stay here for two nights if you wish. The spot we chose is only about a five-hour ride from here at a nice, slow pace. So you can decide what you’d like to do,” he told her, stepping into the inn and looking around. Moving with her to the front desk, he knocked on the top and waited for someone to come out.
“I think we should stay here then. We should have our mini-honeymoon here,” she said with a smile. “I think that will be a great deal of fun to spend two days and nights here with you so that we can enjoy each other and get to know each other, and we will be able to cement our bonds together.”
Nodding, he looked up when a man came out from the back room. “We’d like a room for two nights.”
“I only have one left, m’lord,” he said, looking at them suspiciously.
“I’m sure my wife won’t mind letting me share her room,” Michael told the man. Digging out coins, he passed them to the man.
“Of course, m’lord.” The man smiled and turned to grab a key. Handing it to them, he pointed to the stairs. “Go to the far end, last door on the right facing the back.”
Nodding, Michael took the key and dug out a few more coins. “If you could have a meal sent up for us both as well as a flagon of wine…”
“Absolutely, m’lord. Would you like a bath for the lady?” he asked.
“In the morning will be soon enough for that,” Michael told him and moved to the stairs, keeping Rissa tucked at his side.
Rissa smiled with her head down. It wasn’t until they were safely in their room that she said, “I rather like the idea that I’m your wife. A great deal.” Far more than she had thought she would. “I’m happy, Michael. Even though we are hiding to stay safe, I’m happy.”