Convincing Emily [Wolff Pack 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

“What happened?” Emily asked, wondering what exactly her story was. Harper’s voice was firm, but there was still that haunting look in her eyes.

“I was taken by an older man when I was sixteen,” Harper began. “There was a wolf that came into North Ridge, claiming he was looking for a pack to join. Actually, he was rogue, but no one was aware of it at the time. He said I was his mate. I wasn’t scared at first. I wondered if maybe he was and I just couldn’t feel the pull the way he did. When I didn’t respond to his come-ons, he took me and locked me inside this little broken-down shack a short distance from here. When I told him I needed to check in with my sister and Alpha, he punished me and became abusive.” The last word was whispered, and Emily didn’t push. She wanted Harper to explain and she was. The pang in her chest grew and she dreaded hearing the rest.

“He wasn’t a good man. He started out nice and then morphed into this demon right before my eyes. It was as if I could see the evil.”

“Why didn’t you leave?” Emily asked quietly.

“I tried to escape. That was the worst mistake. He took me then. He had been planning on waiting, but when I was going to leave, he snapped. He threw me on the bed and raped me, hit me repeatedly, and marked me.”

Braxton took a gulp and passed the bottle back to her. “Oh…God. Harper, I never knew all the details. Shit, I’m sorry.”

She was shaking, her small body racked with tremors. Some of the dark liquid escaped, spilling down the front of shirt, when she brought it to her lips. She took a few deep breaths and tried again, successfully. The sounds of the forest came alive around them. Emily could hear wolves howling in the distance and wondered how much time they had left before they were found.

“When…when he marked me that was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. It was a burning that rushed through my body, like lava, consuming everything in its wake. My wolf rejected him immediately, howling in rage that this man had taken what wasn’t his. He wasn’t my mate. He was sick and demented. It seemed like forever before Gabe and Josh found me, but it was only a day or two. They rushed the shack, killed him, and rescued me from hell.” Harper cleared her throat, and Emily could tell she was trying desperately to remain calm. No doubt she was reliving the nightmare.

“Anyway, since that day, everyone has treated me like a child. Breakable. Adrian and Evan…they’re my real mates, but they refuse to admit it.” Harper reached up and rubbed her shoulder where Emily assumed the mark was. “They follow me around, give me rules to adhere to, but they won’t touch me or claim me. Nope. Just rules, rules, rules, and if I don’t listen, they go to the Alpha.” She scoffed and rolled her eyes in a defensive manner.

“I’m sorry, Harper. I’m sure there is a lot more to that story, but I get it. Your innocence was taken from you, and now, your mates are here and they won’t claim you. I can imagine the pain you’re feeling.”

“They probably think I’m dirty…soiled. That fucking man took me.” Her voice broke and tears leaked down her cheeks. “It wasn’t my choice! I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t want to live with the shame it causes me to feel.”

Emily wanted to go to her and hold her. To tell her everything would be okay, but she didn’t know if she believed that herself.

“I’m sure that’s not true, Harper. Adrian and Evan know you belong to them. Maybe they just want to give you time. They don’t want you to fear them. Maybe they are waiting on you to approach them, when you’re ready.” Braxton’s voice was low and Emily could see the obvious pain on his face.

“I agree with Braxton. I don’t know your mates, haven’t met them. I have no doubt they want you though. It wasn’t your fault. Nothing that happened with that horrible bastard was your fault.” Harper held out the bottle, and Emily swiped it, taking a drink.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. Here I thought I was helping.
She felt a tad guilty for even having this conversation. She thought it would be something easy, like when she spoke to Emma about her mates.

“Now you know why I want to leave. I need to get out of this pack for a while. I want to have an adventure, a life. Maybe then I can come back here and my pack mates will see a woman. Right now, I’m still considered a victim. I try so hard to keep my head up, to not think about the past, but with everyone around me…it’s impossible. I still have nightmares. My wolf isn’t connected to me anymore. It’s a separate entity. Fuck…maybe I’m broken, and that’s why they don’t want me.”

“No…that’s not true. You aren’t broken. It’s obvious that you’re a survivor and you want to move forward with your mates. That tells me that you’re strong. As for the nightmares…I don’t know…I wish I had some advice for you. They will go away. Have you told anyone about not feeling connected to your wolf?” Emily couldn’t even begin to understand what Harper had been through. She’d never felt as if her bear wasn’t a part of her. It must be really scary for Harper to be experiencing all these emotions alone.

“I told my sister. If I told anyone else, I’m sure they would just feel sorry for me. I shift every night and run through the woods, but it’s like déjà vu, not like I’m actually inside the wolf, running.”

Emily passed the bottle back. This conversation was getting heavy. It may seem silly, but she really hadn’t expected the story that Harper had told them. She was positive there was a lot she left out. Maybe she was still dealing with the trauma and talking would help. She felt helpless.

“Braxton…it’s your turn.” Harper took a long pull from the bottle and passed it off to him.

“O–okay…” He took a deep breath and looked at them both, seeming really embarrassed and Emily prayed he didn’t have a similar story.

“It’s really hard to talk about.” He scanned the area and scented the air. Clearly he was afraid of being heard.

Taking a big gulp, he held the bottle by the neck and then closed his eyes. “I–I am…I like men.” He opened his eyes and stared at them both, obviously waiting for a negative reaction. When he didn’t receive one, he continued. “I know my mate has to be a man, I’m just afraid of how my family will react, especially my macho older brothers.”

“Do you think your family would really not accept it if your mate was a man?” Harper’s voice was sweet and full of acceptance. Emily smiled.

“I don’t know, but honestly, I really don’t think that they would.” He didn’t say any more and Emily wasn’t sure why his family wouldn’t accept it.

“Maybe they would. It’s not really your choice, it’s up to fate. I’m sure Prince Charming is out there looking for you right now.” Emily tried her best to be encouraging.

“Maybe you’re right,” he murmured, but didn’t sound convinced.

Emily felt bad for the guy. Here he was feeling disconnected from his pack, unable to tell his family that he preferred men over women. It must be hard to hold a secret like that inside and deal with it alone.

She thought about her own situation with Cole and Charlie. Her mates were here, they had accepted her, brought her to their home. What did it all mean? Her mind was a mess, and the alcohol was making her brain fuzzy as well as her speech.

“Here,” Braxton handed her the bottle. “Your turn.”

Emily accepted it, knowing it was a bad idea. She’d already had too much. She took a long pull. The alcohol was working its magic, making her body feel relaxed. She was glad Harper had given her food. Otherwise, she’d be passed out by now.

“I found out that Cole and Charlie were my mates when they came to our territory to retrieve a wolf named David.”

“Yeah…I heard about that. David wasn’t always a bad guy. He was really nice and completely dedicated to his mate. When she got killed, he snapped.” Harper’s eyes were sad now, her shoulders slumped.

Emily didn’t know the whole story, but she could imagine losing one’s mate would be horribly painful. Most shifters didn’t survive for long after their mate died. It was just the way things went. It was impossible to live without your heart and soul.

“That’s when I met them. It was weird because I was immediately attracted to them. I wanted to throw myself in their arms. The feelings inside me were that strong.” Emily nodded and took a drink, huffing out a breath before continuing. “I always had this plan. I would meet my mate or mates, they would be bears, and we would have a family with little cubs running around.” Those beautiful dreams filled her mind, and her eyes grew misty. She wasn’t a crier, not usually, but she was feeling mushy.

“You can still have that…don’t cry. Do Cole and Charlie mistreat you? Because, if they do, we’ll go over there right now and kick some ass.” Harper growled, coming to her defense, and Emily sniffled. It was nice to have some friends to talk to.

“No,” she paused, wondering if she should tell the whole story. After a moment of silence, she decided since they had both been so open and honest, she needed to as well. “I met this shifter once. He was a wolf. He and a few of his pack mates came to Alaska for a hunting trip. Anyway, I was young and naive. The crush was instant for us both, or so I had thought. He was so good looking, and he made me feel pretty and wanted. One night I snuck out to go be with him and I came upon him talking to his friends about me.” Emily swallowed the lump in her throat as the emotions of that night came flooding back.

“I was almost to the campsite. They were sitting around a fire, drinking beer. I stopped and smiled, checked my outfit, and took a step forward. The words I heard next…froze me. I stood where I was and listened to words my heart didn’t believe.” After a few nods of encouragement, she continued her story. “One of his friends asked him if he was going to fuck that fat bear chick again.” Harper and Braxton both gasped, and Emily’s eyes filled with tears. The story was painful, and admitting it was incredibly embarrassing.

“What a fucking jerk!” Harper yelled.

“He’s an idiot. You’re beautiful.” Braxton shook his head, his face full of sympathy.

“He told his friends he just wanted to try a bear out, that it was no big deal and I meant nothing to him. Like I was a piece of trash or something.” Emily wiped her eyes. “He said I smelled and that he had to take three showers to wash the stench away. I just stood there, unable to walk away, my heart exploding in my chest as they all laughed…at me. Since that moment, I’ve always been uncomfortable around a wolf who was interested in me. I’m a bear, and I should be with my own kind.” Emily shook her head.

“Emily, you had one bad experience with a wolf. That doesn’t mean Charlie and Cole are the same as that douche.” When she looked doubtful, Braxton spoke again. “It’s true and I can prove it.” She lifted a brow. “It’s obvious to anyone around. They both claimed and marked you.” He winked. “You aren’t just a bear, and they aren’t just wolves. You’re both human as well. I’m sure you can have children. What they shift into…I don’t know. Perhaps they won’t be able to shift at all or maybe they’ll be a hybrid, a mixture of bear and wolf.”

“Can you imagine that?” Emily crinkled her nose, not wanting to picture hybrid children. How would that even work?

“Yeah, I can.” Harper smiled at her, a real, honest-to-God, light-up-the-forest smile that totally transformed her face and made her completely beautiful. “Your children would be a force to be reckoned with. The best of both worlds. The wolf is loyal, intelligent, and friendly. The bear is fierce, smart, and cuddly. What happened in the past is just that, the past. Charlie and Cole aren’t like that. I’ve known them for a really long time. They’re good guys.”

Cuddly?
Emily wanted to laugh, but didn’t. “I guess I’ve never thought of it that way. I don’t know anymore, maybe that whole child thing was just an excuse. I kept thinking that any offspring wouldn’t fit in and would always feel alone, like an outsider. Maybe it was me that thought I would feel that way.”

“I’m fully wolf, and I feel like an outsider. It’s not because my pack makes me feel that way. It’s in here.” Braxton touched his chest, right over his heart. “You should know that Gabe and Josh are great Alphas. They’re both mates to a human, Nicole, and would welcome any shifter that wanted to join our pack. I can also say, Charlie and Cole would do anything to make you and any children feel included.”

“Are there any other types of shifters here?” Emily asked. She’d just assumed the pack was only wolves.

“Actually, yes.” He grinned. “We just welcomed this really sweet bear shifter into our pack.”

“Hahaha…besides me.” Emily couldn’t stop the smile from forming. The truth was, she did feel welcome, besides of course, that silly incident in the grocery store.

“There are a few others. They join the pack for events here and there but mostly stay to themselves. Some tiger shifters came here a while back. I’m not sure what their story was, but I hear their species is on the verge of extinction and they just wanted a safe place. Our Alpha offered it to them, and the rest of the pack is quite welcoming.”

Emily could only nod in understanding. It was strange to hear what Braxton was telling her. Most shifter species kept to themselves. It was a nice change. Putting the bottle on the ground, Emily rubbed her tired eyes and yawned. She was exhausted. After going days without sleep because of her intense heat, she was in need of some rest. Only one question remained…Was she staying?

“We’re not leaving are we?” Braxton exhaled loudly, and Emily cracked open her eyes, watching as he shook his shaggy brown hair.

“I don’t know. Should we run away from our problems or face them head-on? It would be easy to leave right now, but what would that really accomplish? Harper…you would be leaving Adrian and Evan when, in reality, you should step up and claim them like the strong woman you are. Braxton…I just bet the man of your dreams is closer than you think. As for me…I need to face my fears. My mates have already claimed me, and now…”