Convincing Emily [Wolff Pack 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (7 page)

He panted, his tongue out of his mouth. It was a “tasting-her-fragrance” sort of panting. Never in his life had a woman affected him so strongly. He wanted to run to her, throw her to the ground and claim her. It took every bit of willpower he had to dig his claws into the hard ground and not let the wolf have what he desperately wanted to take.

“You’re awful quiet,” Cole said, breaking through his silence.

“Yeah.” He really didn’t know what to say.

There were so many different thoughts running through his mind. Would Emily come back to their territory? That was at the forefront, besides of course thinking about her full ass. Damn, that ass. He wanted to sink his teeth into it and leave his mark of ownership behind. Then he wanted to lick and kiss it better.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

Cole let out a frustrated sigh. “She’ll be packed and ready. Her brother guaranteed it and so did her Alpha.”

Charlie only grunted in response. He didn’t want to delve into this conversation. He didn’t want to get his hopes up that she would in fact be waiting for them. He planned for the worst-case scenario. Always had and probably always would. It just didn’t make any sense getting ones hopes up when other folks generally let you down. At least, Emily’s response to them had.

In all of his years, being part of a pack and a shifter, he’d never once heard of a mate rejection. In fact, his Alphas, Gabe and Josh Wolff, were mated to a human. He understood her initial concerns and fears, as she wasn’t raised around shifters, didn’t even know they existed for most of her life. Emily, though, was different. She wasn’t human, she wasn’t some fragile little flower that didn’t understand. She was a full-grown woman and a polar shifter. This whole mating concept should be quite easy to grasp and accept.

When Cole pulled the truck off the main road and headed toward Emily’s place, Charlie sat up straight. As they got closer, he noticed Emily standing on the porch, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked upset, and Charlie could only shake his head.
Here we go again.
He just hoped that she didn’t run. He didn’t want to take her back home kicking and screaming, but he would. Hell, he would do whatever it took.

The truck stopped and Charlie glanced over at his brother. He shoved the truck in park and then shut the engine off, the whole while staring out the windshield.

“Huh…that’s interesting,” Cole murmured, and Charlie looked back, wondering what the hell he was missing. When he didn’t respond, Cole continued, “Thomas is already in his truck.”

Charlie looked from the patio to the truck and realized that her brother was inside already ready to go. So, what was Emily doing? Women…he’d never understand. Her face was scrunched up, and it looked like she was ready for either a major tantrum or an argument. Neither of which he wanted to deal with.

“Let’s go find out what’s going on,” Cole grumbled as he opened his door.

* * * *

Emily was pissed. She stood on the porch, arms crossed, fuming. Cole and Charlie drove up the long driveway slowly. At first, she had wanted to run to Thomas’s truck and ask him once more to unlock the door, but she refused to look weak in front of her
mates
. Thomas was being a stubborn ass. After loading their luggage, he jumped in his truck and locked the doors. It was so bizarre. She went to him, knocking on the window, and he would only shake his head, completely refusing to even speak to her. She knew then that he was making a statement. She wouldn’t be driving to northern Minnesota with him. If that was case, then she wasn’t going.

Her feet firmly in place, she planned for two scenarios. One, her mates would argue, give up, and leave. Two, Thomas would relent and let her inside. Either way, it was a win-win. The truck doors opened, and Cole and Charlie stepped out. They reached her in a few long strides.

“Good morning, sweetheart. What seems to be the problem?” the talker, Cole, asked. He seemed to be the chosen “leader” between the two men. His voice calm and even, unlike his twin who seemed to be a bit gruffer.

“I’m not going today. My brother locked me out of the truck.”

“Is that right?” Charlie grunted.

He actually kind of sneered, and she wondered if he was asking the question to get an answer. His tone implied he wasn’t. Feeling a bit pissed, she decided to give him an answer anyway. Moving her hands to her hips, Emily stared at him.

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m
not
going with
you
! I only fuckin’ agreed to go because of my brother and idiotic Alpha. I don’t want to.”

Her rant was met by silence. She expected something, but both men turned toward each other before once again turning back toward her. It was kind of creepy. They didn’t even speak, but it seemed like they just had a whole conversation.

“There’s no reason to curse at us. We haven’t done anything wrong, Emily. We’re your mates and I’m pretty sure we’ve been quite gentle with you. In fact, we welcomed your brother, Thomas, to come along. I don’t see the problem.” Cole spoke calmly and clearly, which actually kind of pissed her off. She didn’t want nice. She wanted to stay home and she wanted them to leave.

“I didn’t
fuckin’
choose any of this.” She looked from Cole to Charlie and smirked. She could see their jaws tighten and decided to push it a bit further. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” She used the same calm tone that Cole used on her.

He moved faster than she even expected. One minute she was standing on the porch quite proud of herself and the next she was thrown over a pair of very strong thighs. She froze for only a minute and then started fighting and screaming. That didn’t stop Charlie. No, that man smacked her ass. Hard. He didn’t say one word, which made the whole thing a bit scarier. He just swatted her ass at least ten times, and Emily yelled and kicked out her legs.

Next thing she knew, she was standing on shaky legs on the porch. Emily didn’t look up, she couldn’t. Her boots were far more interesting and, of course, she was beyond mortified. Her brother hadn’t said one word, never even opened his truck door. He didn’t stop these barbarians from spanking her. She was losing her whole life and nobody cared. The seriousness of the situation sunk in, and she knew that nothing was going to change her fate.

“Emily, go get in the truck. We need to get on the road. It’s a long drive.” Again it was Cole that spoke, his voice still calm, and that frustrated her, but she said nothing.

Tightening her jaw, she stepped off the porch and headed to their truck. She lifted her head, her posture perfect, and walked straight there, never once looking in Thomas’s direction. She was so pissed, hurt, betrayed. The worst thing of all…that damn spanking had been one of the most exciting moments of her life.
Charlie
. She couldn’t stay here, and she wouldn’t be staying in Minnesota. Nope, first chance she got, she was leaving. She’d rather be alone.

Emily opened the back door of the extended cab and stepped in, slamming the door behind her. She buckled up before pushing the lock down and stared out the side window. The truck doors opened and she froze, muscles going tense. Neither of them said a word, and for that she was glad. She didn’t want to sit through idle chitchat, and she definitely didn’t want to have a conversation.

Three Days Later

It had been the longest drive of Cole’s life. Who knew that silence could last that long? His brother wasn’t the type to chat, and Emily was still upset, or she was punishing them for bringing her to Minnesota.
Damn it, why the hell did things need to be so difficult?
She hadn’t said one peep, not one damn word. Every stop they made along the way was full of tense moments. They slept, ate, and drove in silence. Even the radio hadn’t provided any real entertainment for him. His irritation level was rising.

Now, they were headed south on Highway 53 and were almost to their destination. North Ridge was their home, a small community located in northern Minnesota close to International Falls. The town consisted mostly of his pack mates, but there were a few humans. The humans knew about shifters and protected their secrets. They lived in peace together.

Cole pulled off the highway. North Ridge wasn’t too far away now. The anticipation was practically killing him. He wanted to get home. He wanted to see his friends again. It had been too long since he’d been able to run and hunt with his pack. Would Emily want to go hunting with them? Would she want to become part of their pack? He’d already spoken to the Alpha and hoped that her presence and Thomas’s wouldn’t cause a ruckus. Shifters generally got along, each species sticking to their own territory.

The small, withered
Welcome to North Ridge
sign greeted them, and Cole gave a sigh. Finally they were back inside their territory. Relief flowed through him immediately. It felt good to be home. Peering through the rearview mirror, Cole stared at Emily. She looked bored. Her elbow was propped against the door and her head was resting on her palm. She sat, staring out the window with a straight face, and he wondered what she was thinking. Did she like the woods? Was she hoping to run and hunt? Would she like their home?

He didn’t know her, not really. Fate had decided that they were mates. She was the perfect match for him and Charlie. So far, they weren’t off to a good start. She didn’t want anything to do with them. They needed some sort of plan, a way to soften Emily toward them. Maybe they could learn more over some time living together and ask some of the other female pack members for advice. He was willing to do whatever it took to win her over.

He needed to report to Gabe and Josh Wolff soon, but first he wanted to take Emily to their home and let her get settled. He was exhausted and assumed that she probably was as well. Maybe once she unpacked her belongings, ate a nice meal, and had a good night’s sleep, she would start speaking again. He missed the sound of her voice, even though she hadn’t really spoken kindly toward them. He could see the spark in her eyes and smell her arousal. It was obvious she was affected by them.
Why can’t she just accept us? We could spend hours, even days making love if she would just open her heart.

Using one hand, he rubbed his forehead. Damn, they needed to think of something and fast. His wolf was too close to the surface, pacing and growling, demanding his mate. It was becoming harder to push him back, to remain in control. It would’ve been a hell of a lot faster to fly, but he was hoping that fifty hours inside a vehicle together would allow them all to bond and get to know one another. Now, it seemed more of a punishment.

When they reached the small downtown area, he once again looked at Emily. He desperately wanted to see some sort of reaction. Anything. She looked around, perking up a bit, but her eyes were still sad. What would it take to see her smile? He focused back on the road and waved to a few pack mates that were out and tried to appear happy. Addison, Harper, and Nicole waved their arms high in the air, big smiles plastered across their faces. At least someone was happy to see him.

Once they passed down Main Street and headed up the mountain, it didn’t take long to reach their small home. He drove down the dirt road, and once their house was in sight, he grinned. It was a modest three bedroom, two bath that had seen better days. It was older. Most weekends, he spent long hours fixing it up, looking forward to the day his mate arrived. He hadn’t known that leaving home to retrieve one of their own would be when he met her. Right now, he wished that they’d worked faster.

Shutting off the engine, Cole got out of the truck and stretched. His back cracked loudly and he shook himself, taking a deep breath of the cool mountain air. The familiar smells filled his head.
Damn, it’s good to be home.
Walking to the front of the truck, Cole looked over his shoulder at Emily.

She was climbing out, looking at her new home. Still, there was no real expression to let him know what she was thinking. At that moment, Cole felt disappointment, and a hard knot formed in his throat.
It’s not good enough for her.
That reality was hard to accept. Here he’d been looking forward to showing her, hoping that she might like the small house tucked deep in the woods. He’d stupidly believed that her face would light up. He thought that she’d smile and want to explore.

Thomas slammed the door and groaned as he stretched his back, a huge smile on his face.
Great, her brother likes it.
Definitely not the sibling I was trying to impress.

“This is a beautiful place, Cole, Charlie. The town seems real quaint. I’m looking forward to checking it out. I saw a small motel. I’ll head over there in a bit.” Thomas strode over and slapped him on the shoulder. He looked at his sister, and Cole held his breath. “Emily, what do you think? Isn’t this great?”

What is she going to say?

She shrugged. The woman’s only response was a
shrug
. Cole took a deep breath and shook his head. Wooing this particular woman might be harder than he thought. He went to the house then, stepping up the two small steps that lead to the front door. He knew that everyone was following him, could hear their footsteps. Cole twisted the knob and opened the door. Maybe she would respond to the inside. It was in a lot better shape. He and Charlie had done all the woodwork themselves and he was quite proud.