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

“Do you think I care? My mate is dead! I have nothing to live for.” This was a mission of death, and David just confirmed what Cole feared all along. He wasn’t going to be reasoned with, and Cole knew he had to make a decision. Either run headlong into bears or hit his pack mate from behind. It was risky and David would hate him, but he’d be alive. “I wish your brothers were here to witness their little
human
being killed.” Decision made, Cole sprang forward, hoping the bears wouldn’t kill David.
Please don’t fucking kill him. Damn it, David, stop this.

A vicious growl followed by a roar of pain filled the air just as Cole and Charlie crashed on to the scene. Heart pounding in his chest, Cole slid to a stop before David. Charlie almost slammed into him when he came to an abrupt halt behind him. They were too late. David’s lifeless form lay at an awkward angle at their feet and blood flowed freely from his ripped open throat. A howl rent the air, and Cole barely registered it came from him. Charlie echoed his grief a second later as he crouched down next to David’s broken body. Cole took a deep breath and pushed his anguish aside to deal with later.

Right now he had a clan of pissed off bears crowding around them. The low rumbling growl confirmed that as he brought his head up and turned to face them. A naked man held a human woman, and if she died, wars would be unavoidable. He took a hesitant step toward them.

A giant bear stood between them, blocking him from moving closer to the man and woman. His intention was to provide aid, but the bear swiped out, preventing him. His lips curled back over his massive teeth and he rose up on his back legs and roared.

Cole felt his muscles bunch and had to force them to relax. The bear was only protecting his injured mate. He would have done the same thing in his place. He understood the aggressive actions of the big beast currently snarling in his face. He glanced once more at the injured female and lifted his gaze to the man, begging her not to die. Understanding and regret washed through Cole, and he did something he’d never done before. He nudged Charlie back and lowered his head. It was a submissive position and went against everything in him, but it wasn’t about dominance…it was about respect.

* * * *

Wolves
, she thought in disgust
.
If there was one thing that Emily hated, it was other shifters in their territory. The idea that wolves had come for Emma, the Youngblood brothers’ mate, was a disgrace. Mates were a very sacred thing. When the call went out that a wolf had taken Emma, she had joined in, wanting to help her clan and her friend. Circling around the two wolves, she could tell they wouldn’t go down without a fight. Luckily, with a dozen bears surrounding them, they would be taken out without much effort.

The Alpha, Adam Novikov began to shift, taking his human form, and the rest of the clan stood behind him ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Adam alone could probably take on both the wolves without even breaking a sweat. He wasn’t the Alpha of their clan for nothing.

The two wolves were bigger than most she’d encountered in her life and it was obvious they also held rank in their pack. Sentries, perhaps. They were wolves that were trained to fight and protect their pack. They also kept order and peace. Her clan had many sentries that held rank and did a similar job.

They both shifted, and where the wolves had been stood two of the sexiest men she had ever seen. Her mouth instantly began to water, and her bear wanted to rush forward and rub against them. Emily shook her head, trying to expel the thought immediately. No, wolves were not sexy.

Emily took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. Her body’s reaction stunned her, and she cleared her throat, trying to cover her nervousness.
What is wrong with me?

Bears had incredible senses and would scent her arousal if she didn’t get it under control. Too late. Many heads turned in her direction with curious looks. She noticed a few nostrils flare, and heat rushed to her face. Wishing a huge hole would swallow her whole, Emily moved back, trying to hide herself behind her other clan mates.

As quietly as she could, Emily made her way to the back of the group without paying attention. A sharp pain shot through her paw, and she collapsed onto the ground.
Where the hell had that small ditch come from?

“Shift,” the Alpha demanded, and Emily couldn’t disobey a direct order even if she wanted too.

Shifting from her bear form to human wasn’t too difficult. She stared down at her hand and knew without a doubt that something was broken. Holding her wrist gently, Emily stayed calm. It would heal within a short period of time, but her ego was shattered. How embarrassing. Leaning her head down, not wanting to make eye contact, she slowly stood. Being the center of attention wasn’t usually a bad thing, unless of course, it was the beginning of a potential fight.

Emily was shocked to see the two wolves coming toward her. She glanced around at the bears, wondering why no one attempted to stop them.

“I spoke with your Alpha. He said there were two sentries following one of their own out here.” Adam said to the wolves as he inspected her wrist.

“Yes, sir. I’m Cole and this is my brother, Charlie. Sorry we didn’t make it in time. We’ve been tracking David.” He pointed to the dead man on the ground. “His mate was killed.” The wolf’s voice was deep, making her tingle.

“You can collect your pack mate and head out,” Adam rumbled, and both the men nodded.

They turned to leave, and she breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. Both men suddenly stiffened and inhaled deeply. Twin heads jerked toward her and stared openly, their gazes traveling up and down her naked body. She had never felt so vulnerable before. Emily’s heart pounded frantically, threatened to beat out of her chest, and she felt the blood drain from her face as recognition dawned.

“Fuck,” she whispered, and her Alpha raised his eyebrow.

“Mine…” they growled in unison, and Emily could only stand there shaking her head, rejecting that one word.

She should’ve realized that her body’s instant reaction to them had meant something, but she never thought fate would pair her with wolves. They had just claimed her as their mate, in front of her Alpha and clan.
Why didn’t I listen to my brother and stay home?

Emily stood there, naked in the snow, shivering, but she couldn’t move. Her mind rebelled as her body rejoiced. Her mates, two sexy wolf shifters, were close enough to touch, but she just shook her head, her mind reeling. Emily inched backward. She had no idea where she was going, only that she wasn’t staying here. She knew it was useless to run, as they would follow. That’s what mates did. They followed, chased, and tracked. She would never get a moment’s peace.

Without thought, Emily shifted and ran. Her giant paws slammed into the icy earth, and she moved as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels. She almost laughed at her own analogy. Using her keen sense of hearing, she concentrated on her surroundings. Her ears were alert for any sign the wolves may be tailing her. Wolves were faster due to their smaller mass, but bears had some advantages. They were more powerful. Emily had never taken on a wolf before, much less two. Her adrenaline spiked and she ran faster.

Shit, shit, shit. How the hell can my mates be wolves? A bear with wolves…yuck…this has to be some sort of sick joke. How I am going to have the family I always wanted? Their animal makeup is so different, that if we did have any babies, they would shift into some weird-looking crossbreed. They would never be accepted, not by the bear clan or the wolf pack.

Emily made up her mind in that moment. She would refuse them. They could go back to wherever it was they came from, and she would continue her life the way she wanted. If only her body, head, and heart were on the same page. Damn conflicting emotions. Her head immediately rejected them, while her body craved both of the sexy men, and her heart, her heart just, well, it ached. That’s the only word that described the feeling deep inside. How could fate, destiny, or whatever crap picked out mates decide that she should be with wolves?

Emily shifted back into human form when she reached her home. She bounded up the steps and rushed inside, locking the door behind her. She exhaled slowly and ran a shaky hand through her hair. She needed a quick plan. It felt cowardly to hide, but she’d be damned if she’d let her false bravado get her caught. Instantly an image of two men formed in her mind. She shook her head to clear it, but the pictures only intensified. Sweat broke out over her top lip.

Twin bronzed, naked gods, their bodies cut from granite, forming muscles that begged to be touched, licked, and nibbled on. Their eyes had been dreamy, like milk chocolate, and hair cut short, begging for her fingers to glide through. Just thinking of them made her body shiver and her pussy gush with recognition, begging her to seek them out and be claimed.

Emily stomped her foot and fisted her hands. She would not let her body decide her fate. She was in charge of her life. She pushed away from the door and stalked through her home, trying to shake off the vision of her twin nightmares. She went straight to her bathroom to shower, needing to cleanse herself. She wanted to wash away the memory of them. When steam began to billow out of the small stall, Emily climbed in and stood under the spray. The hot water beat against her neck and shoulders, relaxing her tense muscles.

She couldn’t understand why fate would be so cruel. Didn’t she deserve to be loved and desired? Didn’t she deserve to have a family? Resigned to always being single, she grabbed the bar of soap and lathered her hands. Was it possible that she had another mate somewhere, another bear perhaps? So far, none of the males in her clan was a match, but there could be another clan. Emily exhaled and scrubbed at her skin, wanting to rid herself of the nightmare on Overwhelm Street.

After what seemed like an hour, Emily shut the water off and climbed out. Grabbing a towel, she wrapped it around her body and went over to the large mirror. It was steamed over and she made a swiping motion with her palm on the surface to see her reflection. She stood there staring at herself, wondering what everyone else saw. Chloe, Katie, and Emma had all envied her looks. Men had always lusted and wanted to bed her, but no one ever saw the real her. She was more than a pretty face and firm body. There were deeper layers to her that were easy to see if anyone bothered to peel them back and glimpse the woman beneath.

A soft noise caught her attention, and Emily started. She turned from her musing to see her wonderful brother, Thomas, leaning against the door frame, feet crossed at the ankles. She didn’t miss the look of concern on his handsome face.

She cleared her throat. “Is something wrong?” Although she knew the answer, she hoped she was wrong. He cleared all doubt with his next words.

“Why are you here Em, when you should be out there with your mates? What made you run?” His piercing gaze never left her face, and Emily felt a bit self-conscious.

When she didn’t answer right away, he raised an eyebrow and waited. She wasn’t sure how to explain it to him where he would understand, but she needed to try. This was Thomas, he loved her.

“I didn’t run exactly.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Emily tried to appear casual.

“Fine.” Thomas pushed himself off the door frame and mimicked her pose, crossing his muscular arms. “What do you call it then, a fast jog?” His sarcasm wasn’t lost on her, nor was the spark of humor in his eyes.

“They’re wolves,” she sneered, and he just stood there with that same twinkle in his baby blues. How could he not understand? Why didn’t he show pity or at least console her on her impending doom?

“Let me put this in a way you’ll understand…mates are sacred.” He threw her words back at her, and Emily ground her teeth. She took a calming breath to keep from lashing out at him. This was her brother. He loved her.

“Emily, what are you doing?” His tone softened.

“I don’t know!” she bit out. “I just wanted to be mated to my own kind. I wanted to have cubs, beautiful little bears, and to grow old here with our clan. That dream is gone now. I don’t know how to do this, Thomas. This wasn’t in the cards, it’s a mistake…it has to be.”

“Emily…” he groaned. “You can have all of that, sweetheart. You can still have a life and a family.” He took her hands in his and gave them a light squeeze. “Your mates are here.”

“Here? Where?” Emily jerked out of his hold and glanced around frantically. Her heart threatened to flutter its way out of her chest. This was her home, her safe place.

“I mean here in our territory,” he clarified, looking almost apologetic. Almost.

Thomas was a little shocked with his younger sister. She’d always been such a romantic dreamer, weaving together magical stories of when she met her mates. Looking at her now, he wondered when all that had changed and how he hadn’t noticed it. Instead of being overjoyed, she was angry with fate for giving her wolves as mates. He never would have thought her to be so jaded. Sure, it wasn’t the norm, being with someone outside one’s own species, but it wasn’t as horrible as she was making it out to be either. Humans married outside their race all the time.

It had always been just the two of them. He could barely remember their parents. Even now when he tried to picture them, they were like distant shadows. What would their advice have been? He’d been raising Emily with that question in mind, always trying to be an older brother and a parental figure. He would give anything for their mother to be here now to guide her daughter in the right direction and soothe her fears. He was suddenly at a loss.