by Tara West
Chapter Two
ANNIE TOSSED AND TURNED in bed, trying to fall asleep, but she had too much on her mind. Were the Ancients angry with her? They had to be, to punish her with such awful mates. She swiped away hot tears, wiping them on her pillow and cursing herself for crying. She’d survived the foster care system, rape attempts, and even ravenous werewolves. She could survive being mated to four idiots. Couldn’t she?
She didn’t remember how or when she fell asleep, but surely she was dreaming. She found herself at the bottom of the most beautiful canyon, carved into a V with a waterfall splashing into a shimmery pond at the narrowest point. She sat on a rock ledge overlooking the water opposite the waterfall, smiling at her distorted reflection in the ripples. She gasped when a man’s face showed up beside hers but didn’t jump to her feet and defend herself. She recognized his alluring scent and his handless shadow. Slowly she turned to Magnus, saddened though not surprised by his frown.
He held up the arm with the missing hand, and his thought projected into her head. I’m a useless protector.
She stood and gently settled a hand on what used to be his wrist, now just a lump of angry, scarred skin covering misshapen bone. She searched his eyes, where flecks of gold, brown, and green swirled together like rare jewels. “You are enough of a man for me.” She squeezed, her heart clenching when he pulled away, tucking his arm behind him.
I’ll never be able to protect you like I should. He caressed her cheek with his knuckles. Love you like I should.
“You don’t need two hands to love me.” She grabbed his solitary hand and kissed the palm, her eyes fluttering as she looked up at him. “You just need one heart.”
She thought it odd how familiar she was being with him when they’d never touched before. How she knew him so well in this dream but didn’t know him in real life. Perhaps her soul knew his. Maybe that’s why she’d recognized his scent.
“I want to love you, Annie.” He spoke aloud, searching her face with a look akin to desperation, his irises swirling a blinding gold and back again. “You don’t know how badly.”
She pressed her hand to his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart beneath her palm. “Then love me,” she said with an urgent whisper. “Don’t overthink it, Magnus. Just love me.”
With a low growl, he dragged his fingers through her hair, skimming the back of her neck before tracing down her spine and cupping her ass.
She shivered at his touch, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck, sighing when his arms circled her waist. Her mouth sought his, pressing into his full lips with a groan, pleased when he opened his lips to her. She teased him with the tip of her tongue, clutching his collar like a lifeline while tasting his succulent essence. Great Ancients, he tasted even better than he smelled.
He deepened the kiss, then gently laid her across the rock. She cried out when his hand explored her chest, squeezing one breast before pinching the nipple into a hardened peak, then repeating the action on the other breast.
She felt his frustration as he growled into her mouth. He wanted two hands to explore both breasts at once. Instead he ripped open the buttons on her shirt, exposing her breasts to the elements.
She arched her back while he rubbed one bare breast, then the other. The feel of his skin branding hers was so exquisite, so perfect, how could he think he wouldn’t be able to please her?
When he trailed kisses across her chin and down her neck, his lips finding the hard peak of one nipple, she sighed, cupping his head while he sucked her.
“That’s it, Magnus,” she begged. “Please, please don’t stop.”
He answered with a grunt, then kissed her from her breasts to her navel.
Her legs fell open when he kissed her mound, nuzzling her tight button and then kissing and nibbling the tender spot until it swelled with need.
She opened her eyes in surprise when she felt two hands spread her thighs. Magnus’s second alpha brother, Raine, flashed a wicked grin before scraping her thigh with sharp fangs. She tensed, then relaxed, when his teeth grazed her just enough to make that ache between her thighs unbearable.
Her legs spread like melted butter, her eyes rolling into the back of her head when Magnus began to suckle her sweet spot like a calf trying to draw milk, swirling his tongue around the sensitive flesh and making her cry to the heavens.
When two familiar men knelt beside her, she held out her arms to them, giggling when they nuzzled her neck and toyed with her breasts.
Magnus pulled away and sat back on his heels, frowning while his brothers lavished her with kisses.
“Magnus,” she called, waving him toward her.
He didn’t move, resting a hand on his knee and hiding the arm with the missing hand behind his back.
“Magnus,” she cajoled. “It’s okay. Please come to me.”
But he sat as still as stone, lines etched deep into his face.
She was about to call to him again, then sucked in a sharp hiss when Raine slid a thick finger into her pussy. She cried out when he tunneled into her while stroking her inner thigh with the other hand. His brothers continued to nibble on her breasts and neck. She wanted to call to Magnus to join them, but the pleasure was suddenly so intense, she could barely breathe, much less speak.
Raine’s finger hit a magic spot that awakened every nerve ending in her body, lighting her on fire from the inside out. With a low growl, his eyes shifted from chestnut to a blinding gold as he fucked her harder, faster. Her climax came without warning, the impact so cataclysmic, she was paralyzed beneath his touch, crying out Raine’s name and then shuddering when she fell over the edge, her pussy throbbing against his fingers like a heartbeat.
Raine let out a low, deep chuckle before falling on top of her, the tip of his thick erection pressing into her swollen juncture.
She blinked at him and placed a hand on his chest. “We can’t have sex.”
He arched a thick brow. “Why not? Are you the only one who gets pleasure?”
“No, but I know the rules. Head alpha goes first.” She nodded to Magnus, who simply sat there, a lone tear sliding down his cheek. “Magnus,” she said. “Do something!”
But he simply blinked at her, saying nothing.
She squirmed under Raine, trying to scoot away, swearing when his brothers pinned her down.
“Hey!” she cried. Then she yelled when his face shifted to that of his drunken father, Vidar.
She shifted, snarling at him when he refused to back down, her senses overwhelmed by the putrid stench of stale whiskey. When he lunged for her, she lashed out, grabbing Vidar’s neck and giving him a good, hard shake. Coughing and sputtering, she spit out a mouthful of feathers. When her eyes shot open, it took her a moment to realize she had a pillow in her mouth, or what was left of it. She spun on the bed when Tor burst through her door as a ten-foot beast.
“Annie, what’s wrong?”
Whimpering, she tucked her tail between her legs, looking around at the mess of feathers everywhere.
“I think she had a nightmare.” Ioana ducked under Tor’s massive arm and sat beside Annie, stroking her neck.
She cringed as the entire Coyotechaser family, kids included, gathered in her doorway and the hall. How embarrassing.
“Go, everyone!” Ioana shooed them away like they were stray dogs. “Give a girl some privacy.”
When they left her alone with Ioana, she sighed in relief and shifted back into human form, digging under the covers for her nightgown, which was in tatters.
Ioana handed her an oversized T-shirt from her suitcase. “Is everything okay?”
She slipped the shirt on over her head. “I had a bad dream.”
“What happened in it?” Ioana threw her a pair of underwear.
A shudder coursed through her as she remembered how much her mates’ touch had aroused her. “My mates were touching me.” Averting her eyes, she slipped into her undies, hoping the thin cotton would be enough to soak up the moisture between her leg
s.
Ioana arched a brow, a subtle smirk tugging at her lips. “And?” You go girl, Ioana’s thought projected into Annie’s head.
How fucking humiliating. Ioana knew she’d had a wet dream.
She looked around the room, anywhere but into Ioana’s assessing gaze. “Magnus pulled away when Raine tried to have sex with me.” She shivered again and rubbed warmth into her arms. “Then Raine turned into their father. He tried to rape me, and Magnus did nothing to help me.”
Resting a hand on Annie’s arm, Ioana searched her eyes. “I think he would help if it ever came to that.”
“It felt so real.” She bit her lip, repulsed by the memory of Vidar’s hands on her. Even though it had only been a dream, she still felt unclean, soiled by his touch.
“It’s natural to dream about your mates,” Ioana said. “I had several about mine before we bonded.”
“But what about the part with their father?”
Ioana grimaced. “Well, that part was unusual, though the man is frightening, so I can see why you’d have that sort of dream. Nothing to be ashamed of.” Ioana flashed a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Do you think they have dreams about me?” Annie clutched her chest, imagining what she’d be doing in their dreams.
Ioana’s grin turned positively wicked. “I know they do.”
She wondered if their erotic dreams had also ended badly. “I hope they defended me in their dreams.”
Ioana looked away. Her silence wasn’t reassuring.
TIRED OF STARING UP at the ceiling and thinking depressing thoughts, Annie finally dragged herself out of bed. The morning sun was barely peeking over the horizon when she stumbled into the kitchen.
The open room with the new white cabinets and a breakfast bar that faced the living room was devoid of people, save for Tor and Van, who were sitting at the counter, elbows resting on the gray granite, clutching steaming cups of coffee while they eyed her expectantly. Figured they’d be awake at the butt-crack of dawn. She was beginning to wonder if they ever slept, or if they simply haunted her door, making sure the boogie man didn’t run off with her. She eyed the sofas where they’d spent the night. Their blankets were neatly folded on the edge of an armrest, their backpacks tucked away in a corner of the room. They’d hardly left a trace of their existence, while Annie had shredded her host’s pillow and woken everyone up in the middle of the night.
“How did you sleep?” Tor asked.
She shrugged, knowing full well they knew she’d had an erotic dream. There was nothing those two didn’t know. “Meh.”
Tor cleared his throat. “We’ve received word from the Wolfstalkers.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and she gaped at him like a deer caught in highbeams. “And?”
“We’ve been invited to dinner,” Tor said without inflection.
Her erratic heartbeat came to a grinding halt. “When?”
Tor gave her a stony-eyed look. “Tonight.”
Annie stiffened. “I’m not going over there.”
Van arched a brow. “You want to negotiate peace, don’t you?”
She crossed her arms, pent-up anger making her temples ache. “I want better mates.”
“You don’t even know them yet.” Tor flashed an annoyingly patronizing smile. “You may like them once you get to know them.”
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I doubt it.”
Tor’s eyes narrowed to slits, and his voice dropped to a commanding rumble. “Dinner is at eight.”
Eight? That was late—not for her, but for a pack of drunks. If they were anything like her mother’s boyfriends, the closer to nightfall it got, the worse their demons became. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing Vidar at all, but the steely look Tor gave her made it hard for her to disobey.
“Fine.” She threw up her hands. “What do I do until then?”
“Roy will be here soon,” Van said and took a long drink from his coffee.
She glared at both of them, impatiently tapping her foot. “But I’m not allowed to leave with him, right?”
Tor shook his head. “It’s not safe.”
Not safe? Had he forgotten she’d killed a freaking werewolf? That she’d lived on her own for almost a year? Turning on her heel, she marched to her bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Tor called.
“Back to bed,” she called over her shoulder. “Wake me up after the apocalypse.” Though she’d wanted to slam the door, she feared the others in the house wouldn’t appreciate being woken up by her tantrum.
She needed alone time to regain her composure while she adjusted to the idea of dinner with her cowardly mates and their drunk, abusive father. What could possibly go wrong, other than Annie losing her cool and ripping Vidar’s throat out?
She flopped on the bed, mentally calculating the time difference between Texas and Alaska. Amara would be asleep and probably wouldn’t appreciate a phone call, though she really needed someone to talk to. At the very least, she wanted to hear her dog Mako’s sweet bark. How she missed him and wished she could’ve taken him with her to Texas. If she did end up mating with the Wolfstalkers, she’d send for him. She couldn’t live in Texas without him. But she was getting ahead of herself. No way in hell was she mating with the Wolfstalkers until they learned to stand up to their father. Until they proved themselves worthy of her. She looked at the ceiling through a misty haze. What if they didn’t stand up to him? Or worse, what if they turned out to be just like him? She couldn’t possibly mate with them if that was the case, which meant she would be destined to live as a lone wolf. How positively depressing.
ANNIE PICKED AT HER undercooked hamburger, feeling more like she was the main course. She stole cautious glances at her mates. Tor and Van flanked her, growling at them when they stared at her for too long. She had never been more grateful for their presence than at that moment and not just because they served as good shields from her mates. They were also protecting her from the constant glares she was getting from Vidar.
The old wolf and his two brothers were stupid drunk. Maybe that’s why the gamma didn’t realize the food was undercooked. She couldn’t believe the condition of their house. Her mates mentioned they’d been cleaning all day in anticipation of her arrival, which made her wonder exactly how dirty it had been before, because there was still food stuck to the walls and spider webs in every corner. Not to mention the entire place smelled like rotten cabbage. She understood her mates’ gamma father probably had a hard time keeping up with housework, with only one eye and such a pronounced limp, but the rest of the family could’ve helped out more. Who thought cheese stuck to the walls was the definition of a clean house?
No fucking way was she living here.
Annie took a bite of bland broccoli, hoping she wouldn’t get salmonella from it. She didn’t smell anything odd, which she took as a good sign. Magnus stared at his food with only one arm on the table. The other was stuffed in his pocket as if he was ashamed to reveal his missing hand.
Second alpha Raine acted like first alpha. He gave her bold looks, like he was undressing her with his eyes. It was unnerving and maybe a little exciting. He’d been the one to greet her at the door and hold out her chair before she sat down.
His brother, Jax, the beta, handed her a burger that was still half raw. Jax had a feral look about him, like all betas, but he also had a subtle, sweet smile. His dark hair was buzzed short, but from what she’d heard, he’d followed Vidar’s orders and never enlisted in the military. She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d cut his hair that short to defy his father.
Frey, the youngest of the brothers, had a difficult time controlling his trembling hands. He ended up sloshing half a glass of lemonade down his arm before he set it in front of her plate. Frey had a deer-in-the-headlights look whenever she caught him staring at her. He also had the typical gamma baby face, with squeezable cheeks and an infectious smile. She’d smiled at him a few times and been rewarded with a goofy
grin and flame-red cheeks.
She’d wanted to pop into her mates’ heads, but she’d been too terrified to try. What if she heard something she didn’t like? Besides, she knew it was an invasion of their privacy. She’d hear their thoughts soon enough after their mating. If that ever happened.
“So, Annie,” Vidar slurred, spilling his mixed drink all over the table. “Rumor is you killed a human. Is that true?”
Wow. So he was finally addressing her? He hadn’t said two words to her since she’d sat at the table, and now he wanted to talk about the time she was forced to defend herself against a rapist? The way he smiled at her, a wild gleam in his eyes, made her flesh crawl. She refused to be intimidated by him. “Yes.”
His eyes lit like fireworks. “How did you do it?”
What a sick fuck. Did he really think she’d want to talk about something so traumatic? She set her fork down and folded her hands in front of her. “I really don’t like talking about it.”
“Nothing to be ashamed of.” Waving his drink in the air, he splashed amber liquid down his arm. “If I could kill every damn human on this planet, I would.”
She eyed him coolly. “My brother is human.”
“I know.” He flashed a fanged grin. “So how’d you do it?”
Her spine stiffened, her veins turning to icy sludge. “I’ve already said I don’t want to talk about it.” She shuddered at the memory of the taste of Gus’s coppery blood filling her mouth when she’d shifted into a wolf and bit down on his neck. She hadn’t meant to kill him, but the big, drunk bartender had nearly knocked her unconscious when he’d thrown her against the table and torn off her clothes. Instinct had taken over, and she’d reacted as a trapped, savage wolf.
His smile faded as he leaned toward her, his eyes shifting from brown to gold. “You realize I’m the fucking chieftain, don’t you?”
Tor and Van growled until Vidar leaned back, his eyes returning to brown.
Even though her heart was racing, she forced a note of indifference into her voice. “I know what you are.”