MoonlightBundleSet

by Moonlight Protector, Hero, Guardian, Champion (mobi)

  Gabriel crossed his arms. “Last time I checked, I’m the alpha, and I make the decisions. If Chloe doesn’t wake up and has to go to the hospital, we’re definitely calling Ramsey. And if she wakes up and wants to call Ramsey, she most certainly may.”

  Michael grumbled under his breath as Kiera walked past him and out of the room.

  “You know, you’ve harped on me most of my life about settling down or at least dating someone. I finally find my mate and now you’re helping her settle down with someone else,” he complained.

  “How do you know she’s your mate and not Ramsey’s?” Gabriel asked.

  “She’s carrying my baby,” Michael pointed out.

  “And if you were half as careless with everyone else as you were with Chloe, most of the women in this city would be carrying your baby,” Gabriel replied. “You’ll have to do better than that.”

  Michael had the grace to blush. “I got carried away with Chloe. It’s the only time I lost my head and didn’t use protection. I think that alone should prove she’s my mate.”

  Gabriel sighed. “Michael, I would love to believe she’s your mate, but Ramsey obviously cares for her. I have to also do what’s right for the two of them.”

  “What about her comments about Ramsey leaving for Colorado?” Michael asked.

  “The alpha called and asked if Ramsey could come out there to help him with something. I gave my permission. It was just rotten luck that he had Sabrina call and ask him to come out,” Gabriel said. “And the real guard that he left for Chloe?”

  “I told Lucas that Ramsey had changed his mind.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “You know Ramsey is going to tear you apart when he gets back.”

  Michael puffed his chest out. “He can try.”

  Gabriel snorted. “As protective as he is of Chloe, I have a feeling he’ll do a lot more than try. Especially if he finds out you saw her naked. I can’t believe you did that Michael!”

  He shrugged. “Not like I haven’t seen her without clothes before.”

  Gabriel balled his hands into fists and counted to ten. There were times he truly wanted to knock his baby brother on his ass. “Do you have to act like Dad?”

  Michael stiffened. “I’m nothing like Dad! If I were, she’d be black and blue, and she’d still be in my damn house.”

  “She might not be black and blue, but you’re starting to lose your temper more and more. I heard about you grabbing her arm the night she went to the hospital. Can you say one hundred percent for sure that you won’t hurt her? Can you guarantee that she’s safe with you?” Gabriel asked.

  Michael looked away, unable to stand the questions his brother asked. Even worse, he hated that he wasn’t sure of the answers. “I don’t want to hurt Chloe.”

  “I know you don’t, Michael, but can you promise that you won’t?”

  He shook his head. “I just get so jealous of her. I want her to myself. Just the smell of another wolf on her drives me crazy.”

  “I’ve felt the same thing with Kiera, but I fought against it. You have to fight the urge Michael. You can’t be like Dad, not if you want a life. I can’t let you have a mate if I can’t be sure of their safety.”

  “I’d give my life for her,” he whispered as he looked over at Chloe.

  He walked over to the bed and gently caressed her cheek. “I’d give anything to have her in my life, to be a father to my child. I want her to be my wife, Gabriel.” He looked at his brother with tears shimmering in his eyes, “I want the life you and Kiera have, the life Cole and Marin have. I’m tired of being the family screw up. I want the peace you have, the happiness. Is that so wrong? Is it so wrong to want to be with the woman I love?”

  “Have you told her that you love her?” Gabriel asked quietly.

  Michael shook his head. “What good would it do now? It’s too late.”

  “It’s never too late. If you love her, you need to tell her. Don’t make her decisions for her, Michael. Tell her how you feel and then let her decide what she wants to do. She may still choose Ramsey over you, and there’s nothing you can do about that. But at least you’ll know that she made the decision knowing how you feel.”

  “How’s that supposed to be better?” Michael asked.

  Gabriel shrugged. “It isn’t going to feel good either way.”

  “Why can’t you force her to be with me?”

  “Is that really what you want? To know that she’s with you because it was a decree? Or do you want her to be with you because she chose you?”

  Michael sighed. “I want her to choose me, but that’s not going to happen.”

  “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “When does Ramsey get back?” Michael asked as he looked down at Chloe.

  “The day after tomorrow.”

  “She still needs a guard while he’s gone.”

  Gabriel laughed. “And you think she’s going to let you stay with her?”

  Michael shrugged. “She doesn’t have too many options right now.”

  “She might decide to take Kiera up on her offer. Unless you think she won’t be protected enough in my house?” Gabriel asked.

  Michael snorted. “As long as vampires aren’t involved, I think she’ll be fine.”

  Gabriel winced, but nodded. “If she isn’t awake by dinner, we’ll take her to the hospital. For now, I think it’s best if we let her get some rest.”

  They walked out of the room pulling the door closed behind them, trying to be quiet. Chloe had had a very traumatic day, between her near robbery and her discovery that werewolves existed. Neither of the brothers expected her to wake up anytime soon.

  ***

  Chloe woke up two hours later in a strange room. At first, she was scared, but then she remembered she was in the Victorian. She started to shake when she remembered the man with the knife outside of her office and her rescue by her guard dog, which she now knew had really been Michael. He’d saved her life!

  Chloe lay back against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. Werewolves! They really existed. Magic was real. Things she had only dreamt of had a place in reality. She was still having trouble wrapping her mind around it.

  She remembered chasing Michael up the stairs after she’d realized he'd seen her getting ready for work. Then she’d seen a flash of light and he’d been standing before her in his human form – naked! She blushed at the memory. Some things hadn’t changed. The man was just as yummy now as he had been the night she’d gotten pregnant.

  Groaning, she rolled to her side and buried her face in the pillow. What was wrong with her? She was laying her thinking naughty thoughts about Michael while Ramsey was in Colorado. He’d only been gone for one day and she was already being mentally unfaithful to him.

  She sighed and sat up. Might as well face the music… or rather the wolves. Struggling to her feet, she walked to the door and slowly opened it. She bit her lip when she saw the stairs. She couldn’t believe she’d run up the stairs without a thought for her safety. If Ramsey had been here, he’d have scolded her for sure.

  She held onto the banister and carefully walked down one step at a time. When she reached the bottom, she followed the voices to the kitchen. Gabriel, Michael and Kiera were gathered around the kitchen table. The guys stood when she entered the room.

  “We were worried about you,” Kiera said with a smile. “Are you feeling any better?”

  “A little,” she said quietly. Sitting down at the table, she gave them a tentative smile. “I’m sorry for scaring you earlier.”

  “We’re the ones who should apologize to you,” Gabriel said.

  “No,” Michael said quietly. “I’m the one who should apologize, for a lot of things.”

  Gabriel nodded to Kiera and they left Michael and Chloe alone.

  “Michael, what do you have to apologize for, other than tricking me today?”

  “I’ve done a lot of things wrong since meeting you. I knew you were special when I first met
you. I should have stayed away, but I couldn’t resist.”

  Chloe listened patiently.

  “I tried to forget you after our short time together, but I couldn’t. You haunted my dreams, and my days. When I saw you in the living room, I was stunned. Then I noticed you were pregnant. It was like being punched in the gut. Here I’d been thinking of you night and day and you’d kept something so important from me. It hurt – a lot.”

  Chloe opened her mouth to respond, but Michael held up a hand to stop her.

  “Let me finish. I’ve reacted badly and I’m sorry. I let my baser instincts take over on several occasions and that was wrong of me. If I could take it back, I would. I’d give anything to have you back at home with me, Chloe.”

  “What are you trying to say, Michael?”

  “I’m trying to say that I want to be a father to our child. I want to be there for you. I want to be the guy you rely on, the one you come home to. Can you give me another chance?”

  “Well now, isn’t this touching?” drawled a voice from the doorway.

  Chloe jumped up from the table. “Ramsey! You’re back!”

  “Maybe I should have stayed a little longer, given the two of you some more time together.”

  Chloe hesitated. “Ramsey, I…”

  “I was only gone for a day, Chloe.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  He shook his head and pushed away from the doorway. Turning his back to her, he walked out of the house.

  Chloe reached behind her blindly and sank into her chair. Stunned, she felt numb. “What just happened?”

  “I can’t say I’m sorry for that,” Michael said. “Maybe now you’ll have no choice but to give me another shot.”

  Chloe didn’t say anything. She got up and walked out the door, hoping to see Ramsey. She knew Michael wanted another chance, but right now she needed to talk to Ramsey.

  His SUV was still parked in the driveway. Unless he shapeshifted and ran home, there was a good chance he was across the street. Chloe walked across to the garage and hoped she was right.

  When she stepped into the first bay, Hunter slid out from under a car.

  “Is Ramsey here?” she asked.

  He looked her over from head to toe, trying to decide if he was going to answer. “I think he’s in the office.”

  Chloe nodded her thanks and made her way to the office. Ramsey sat behind the desk with his head tipped back and his eyes closed. His face looked strained. His jaw was tense and Chloe knew he was clenching his teeth.

  “You’re going to give yourself a headache,” she said quietly.

  “What do you want, Chloe?”

  “I wanted to explain what you heard a minute ago.”

  “I think it pretty much explained itself,” he replied.

  She shook her head. “After everything I’ve been through today, I think I’ve earned the right to be heard.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I woke up to an empty bed. I burrowed into your side of bed because it still smelled like you and I cried because I didn’t know when I would see you again. All I knew was that some woman you’d dated had called and you’d left for an emergency in another state.”

  She reached for a chair and sat down. “I found my guard dog lying beside my bed, which it turns out wasn’t really a guard dog. When I left work today I was held at knife point, but my guardian managed to tackle the man until the police arrived.”

  Ramsey came around the desk and knelt at her feet. “Are you okay? You weren’t injured?”

  “No, I wasn’t injured. Although, I did run up the stairs at Kiera’s when I found out my guard dog was really Michael, who it turns out is a werewolf.”

  “So you know.”

  She nodded.

  “And you’re okay with it?”

  “As okay as I can be. It isn’t every day that you discover make-believe creatures aren’t so make believe after all. Although, it might take me a while to get over the fact that I changed my clothes in front of Michael this morning.”

  Ramsey’s jaw clenched. “Michael is not the wolf I left to watch over you.”

  “I figured he probably wouldn’t have been. I’m guessing he ran the other one off somehow. But that brings me to the conversation you heard when you got back.”

  Ramsey started to stand, but Chloe put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Michael was apologizing for all of things he’s done over the past few weeks. He was asking me for another chance. But you didn’t stick around to hear my answer.”

  “What was your answer?”

  “I didn’t give him one since I had to come find you.”

  He looked at her intently. “What answer would you have given him?”

  “That he’s already had a second chance. I’m not sure he deserves a third one.”

  “He’s the father of your child, Chloe. If you wanted to give him another chance, I would understand.”

  Chloe looked away. “Do you know what it was like waking up without you this morning?”

  Ramsey sighed. “Chloe, I have to go back to Colorado tomorrow.”

  She looked at him to see if he was serious. “But why? You just got back!”

  “I came back because one of their psychics said there was trouble here at home. I’m guessing that would be the ordeal you went through today. But the issue they wanted my help with isn’t over yet. I have to go back for a few days.”

  “Then take me with you.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t.”

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “Because I have to pose as the mate to one of their women.”

  Chloe paled. She pushed at his shoulders and stood. Backing away from him, she turned and walked out of the room. He’d had the audacity to be angry with her for listening to Michael and yet he’d been pretending to be mated to someone? She might have just learned about werewolves, but she knew enough about wolves to know that being mated was serious.

  She heard Ramsey call her name, but she kept walking until she reached the Victorian. Running inside, she grabbed her purse and keys. Hurrying back outside, she jumped into the SUV and sped out of the driveway. She saw Ramsey standing in the middle of the street in her rearview mirror, but she didn’t care.

  When she reached the house, she gathered her things and moved everything back into the garage apartment. It was obvious to her now that Ramsey didn’t care for her half as much as she cared for him. If he did, he wouldn’t have been able to even pretend to be with someone else. Even if he’d been ordered to go, surely he could have told her something, anything to keep her from worrying. It was best if she was on her own after all.

  ***

  The next morning, Chloe went through her regular routine of getting ready and going to work. When she arrived at the office, Matt was waiting by her desk.

  “Why didn’t you call me yesterday?”

  “I didn’t think about it. The police took my statement and arrested the guy.”

  Matt shook his head. “It isn’t safe for you to be here by yourself.”

  “But you hired me so you wouldn’t have to be in the office all the time,” she said.

  “I’m not allowing either you or Cassie to be here alone. I’m hiring a security guard for this whole shopping strip. You could have been seriously injured or killed.”

  She nodded. “Thankfully I had Michael the werewolf around.”

  Matt crossed his arms. “So they finally told you.”

  Chloe sighed. “Yeah. I didn’t take it too well and passed out, but at least I know the big family secret now.”

  “Are you going to give him another chance?”

  “Technically he had another chance. He’s had two. I’m not sure I’m ready to give him a third one.”

  “Does that have anything to do with Ramsey?” Matt asked.

  Chloe looked at her computer screen while she checked her emails. “That’s not a good name to mention around me right now. Actually, I’m ta
king a break from men. I’ve decided that the good ones are taken and the rest are scum.”

  Matt chuckled. “Ramsey and Michael are both good guys.”

  “Yeah well, Michael seems to have issues with his temper getting out of control and Ramsey is off pretending to be someone’s mate in Colorado. I’m not feeling very forgiving toward either of them.”

  Matt turned serious. “He’s pretending to be someone’s mate?”

  “So he says. Of course, a woman kept calling the house from Colorado before he left to help with their emergency. She’s probably the one he’s been mated to for the emergency,” Chloe said bitterly.

  “Did y’all talk about it last night?”

  Chloe shook her head. “I left him at the garage and I moved my stuff back into the apartment last night. I don’t even know if he went home and I don’t really care right now. I’m too damn angry.”

  “Chloe, you do realize that you’re part of their pack now, right?”

  She stopped scanning her emails and looked at him. “What?”

  “You’re part of their pack – the Ashton Grove pack. Which means you’re going to have to choose a mate, and soon. Gabriel probably hasn’t pushed the issue because things were going so well between you and Ramsey, but if you’ve moved back out he’s either going to tell you to pick someone soon…”

  When Matt trailed off, Chloe got nervous. “Or?”

  “Or he’s going to find someone for you. Especially since you’re pregnant. It’s going to be important to make sure you and your baby are taken care of. He might choose Michael or Ramsey, or he may choose someone else entirely. If Michael isn’t the wolf that was chosen to guard you, he might select your true guardian.”

  Chloe didn’t like any of those options, but if she had to pick she’d prefer to choose her own mate. The question was, who would she pick? Michael had already struck out twice, Ramsey was off doing heaven only knew what, and she didn’t know anyone else. She was screwed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chloe decided to bite the bullet and confront Gabriel. When her shift was over at work, she drove over to the garage. She didn’t recognize the mechanic on duty, but he was kind enough to tell her the alpha was working in the back.