Mating Brand: 3 (Mating Heat) (13 page)

She nodded sharply. “I don’t want to talk about him ever
again.”

“What are you not telling me? You said you’d never lie to
me, hon.”

“I don’t want you to get angry.”

“Tell me because whatever I’ll imagine has to be worse.”

She studied his eyes. “I doubt it.”

“Damn it, Charma. Tell me.”

It was a direct order from her mate. She knew the tone,
although with Brand it wasn’t harsh or implied he’d inflict pain if she
disobeyed his demand. “I just didn’t want to ruin the moment by answering. It
doesn’t matter anymore. I’m off the pills and obviously I can go into heat.”

“You’re stalling.”

She took a deep breath and prepared for his rage. It wouldn’t
be directed at her but she hated to expose him to all the horrors she’d been
through. “Okay. I told you I took the pills to avoid going into heat and getting
pregnant when I was with Garrett.”

“Yeah.” His fingers caressed hers.

“He got angry when I didn’t go into heat. I never wanted to
be with him. I couldn’t stand him touching me and the thought of…” She closed
her eyes. “You know how I get. I couldn’t stomach knowing I’d…” She stopped
talking, unable to say it to the man she loved.

“Shit.” He sounded unhappy. “You’d have accepted him if you
were in heat. Welcomed his touch.”

She nodded.

“Look at me, hon.”

Her eyes opened and she met his gaze.

“It’s the bad part of being a shifter. When nature calls,
she’s one mean bitch in that regard.”

Tears slipped out though she tried to hold them back. “I
would have begged to be touched if the heat got hold of me and I hated him. The
thought of being that vulnerable and needy around him sickened me.”

“Fuck.” He was pissed but controlled his temper. “What did
you do?”

“I took the pills but then he got angry when I never went
into heat and he injected me with drugs, trying to force it.”

A snarl tore from Brand. “He drugged you to make you want
him?”

“He threatened me with it first so I was able to plan ahead
and avoid him forcing me into heat. I took the pills every day, Brand. I never
knew when he’d come after me with those injections. The pills counteracted the
drugs as long as they were in my system. They weren’t designed to be taken
every day the way I was popping them. After two years I no longer even felt the
heat coming on. There were no urges at all. They also suppressed my appetite so
I started losing weight. That was an added bonus because I wasn’t attractive to
him anymore.”

He lowered his head and brushed a kiss on her forehead. “I
understand. I’m so sorry you had to do that.”

“It’s not your fault.”

He pulled back and surprised her when he smiled. It reached
his eyes. “I don’t need to drug you to make you want me.”

“No, you don’t.” She was relieved he wasn’t punching walls
or snarling. “I love
you
.”

“I love you too, hon.” His humor faded. “I’m still going to
kill that son of a bitch the first chance I get.”

“Okay. Just don’t risk your life to take his. I couldn’t
stand to lose you.”

“It’s not ever happening. You’re stuck with me.” He winked.

She laughed. “Good.”

“Speaking of us, do you want to go another round or do you
want to eat first? I could fuck you all d—”

A knock sounded on the door.

“Go away!” Brand yelled.

“Um, you’re needed downstairs,” Braden called out. “I heard
you two going at it. Don’t I get points for waiting until you were done? Anton
said to get you pronto. The pride has been spotted in town and they are headed
this way.”

“Fuck!”

Fear gripped Charma as she stared up into Brand’s handsome
face. He could get hurt. She could have found him again only to lose him. They
stared at each other.

“Did you hear me? Are you coming? I mean, going downstairs?
I know you just came. My ears are still ringing from that howl and I was two
floors below, man.”

“Go away, Braden. I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.”

His footsteps faded down the stairs. Brand gently tugged to
get her to let go of his hands but she refused.

“I’m needed, Charma.”

“Swear you’ll come back to me.”

“Nobody is going to stop me from returning to this bed
really soon. I have too much to live for.”

She let go but it was a tough thing to do.

He paused before he pulled away. “You stay up here. Lock the
door and barricade it. I doubt they’ll get inside the house but… There’s a
shotgun under the bed with a box of shells. Use it if you come under attack.”

“I will.”

He inhaled. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anyone hurt
you.”

“The fear you smell isn’t for me.”

A smile softened his mouth. “I’m going to kick their asses.
No worries.”

She sat up to watch him dress. “Go for their faces.”

He glanced at her before pulling his shirt over his head. “Why?”

“Pride males are very vain and conceited.”

“Seriously?”

She hesitated. “Yes, they really care about their
appearances. Sometimes it’s the only thing they have going for them. You claw
up their faces and they’ll freak out.”

“Scars are sexy.” He winked.

“I think so but they don’t. Just be careful.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

He left and she slid off the bed to rush toward the door. He
waited on the other side until she locked it. A smile curved her lips. “I’ll
barricade it now. Go. Your family is expecting you.”

A deep chuckle sounded through the door. “You’re a great
mate for taking orders.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

He laughed as his footsteps receded down the stairwell.
Charma turned and glanced around, spotting some old heavy furniture in the
shadows. She highly doubted any of the pride would breach the house filled with
werewolves but she didn’t want to take a chance of coming face-to-face with
anyone from her old life. They’d kill her on sight if they discovered she’d
warned the Harris Pack of their pending attack. She was a traitor to her own
kind.

Her gaze slid to the bed. She should have told Brand she
didn’t know anything about weapons but it was a comfort to know a shotgun was
there.

* * * * *

Brand glanced around the basement at the pack males holding
various conversations while they waited for everyone to arrive. Anton frowned
at Rave for some reason, seeming upset. He walked over to the brothers.

“Is there a problem?” He kept his voice low to avoid being
overheard.

“Yes,” Anton hissed.

“No,” Rave answered at the same time.

“Okay.” Brand glanced between them. “What isn’t the problem
then?”

Rave crossed his arms over his chest. “Anton isn’t happy
that I brought a guest home.”

“It’s too dangerous.” Anton glared at his brother.

“She is safer with me than on her own.”

“Really? We’re at war with a bunch of pissed-off cats. Explain
to me why she wouldn’t be better off far from here.”

Rave hesitated. “It’s complicated.”

“I’m all ears.”

“I’m just nosy,” Brand whispered.

His cousins both shot him a grin and he was happy the
tension eased between them. The last thing anyone in the pack needed was for
the alpha’s sons to show stress. There was enough of that going around already
with the news of the approaching enemy. Rave spoke.

“She came to me for help. It’s a long story but she wasn’t
safe with her pack. She was already in danger from them. She asked for asylum
with our pack and I gave it to her.”

“Fine.” Anton looked annoyed but he calmed down a bit. “We’ll
discuss this later. Did you get her settled in your old room?”

“Yeah. Sorry we were late.”

Grady stepped into their tight huddle and smiled. “What are
we whispering about?”

“Rave brought someone here that we don’t know,” Anton
whispered.

“That’s not all that strange. He’s always bringing women
home.” Grady brushed his shoulder against the brother in question. “Is she hot?”

“Yeah.” Rave grinned.

Grady shrugged. “Mystery solved. Are we ready?”

Anton glanced around the room. “Yes. I think everyone who
was able to come is here.” He turned, faced the room and moved to the center of
it. One loud growl from him caused the room to go silent as all conversation
ceased.

“The pride males were spotted in town and at the bar where
they asked for directions to this house.” He paused. “We made sure no wolves
were there, hoping to draw them in. They were given that information by the few
humans we hired for that purpose. It was reported that the pride hasn’t started
any trouble yet. I’d guess they are going to attack really soon though.”

“What humans?” Clover Arris frowned. “You told them what was
going on?”

Rave answered. “No. They are some biker friends of mine who
have no clue what I really am. They don’t ask a lot of questions and some of
them owed me a few favors, which I called in. I gave them orders to just direct
anyone who came looking for a Harris to this house.”

“What do they think is going on?” Brand was a little curious
about the humans his cousin had planted at the family-run bar to feed
information to the invading pride.

“I said I’d gotten into debt gambling. As I said, my friends
don’t ask many questions.”

“Aren’t you afraid they’ll get hurt?” Thomas Krid frowned.

“No.” Rave chuckled. “These aren’t your typical humans. They
are good at lying and aren’t easily intimidated. They’ll also split right after
their shift ends and leave town, no questions asked. We couldn’t exactly have
Yon bartending or any of the other pack members on staff there. The pride would
have been on the attack, not just asking directions.”

“What about the other humans in town? The pride could screw
with our pack by causing trouble with them.” Raymond Borl shook his head, a
look of disgust plastered on his surly features. “They are lambs to the
slaughter if we aren’t around to protect them. We should go into town and
attack the cats there.”

“That’s why you’re not an alpha.” Anton glared at him. “The
last place we want this to go down is so close to innocent people. Some of
their houses aren’t far from the main strip and they’d hear the fighting taking
place in town.”

“What about the ones who do know about us?” It was Timmy
McQuire who asked.

“We told them trouble was coming and to go visit family.
Hopefully they all got out.”

“But what if these idiots do attack some of the humans?”
Timmy questioned him again.

“Prides are stricter about keeping secrets than we are,”
Rave answered. “It’s a death sentence in most prides to reveal what they are to
anyone who isn’t a shifter.”

“How do you know?” It was Raymond Borl who asked that
question.

Grady growled at him. “I’ve heard enough shit from you. What
is up with you being the loudmouth of contention lately?”

Rave stepped closer. “I know because I’ve dealt with all
kinds of shifters. Who do you think my father sends to talk to them when we’ve
had boundary issues? Me.”

The older man didn’t look convinced. “We’ve never had anyone
attack us before. This is what happens when you don’t stick with your own kind.”

Anton snarled. “What does that mean?”

Brand felt his own fangs growing longer. This conversation
concerned Charma too. “Be very careful of what you say, Raymond. You might be
the first to go if you want to start thinning the pack.”

Braden stepped between them and the older man and faced him
down. “I know you’re old school but you’re being an idiot. Brand’s way nicer
than my brothers. Have you noticed how they aren’t like Dad? Dad would have
just smacked you down by now but they will kill you. Now sit down and be smart.
Shut up.”

The older man didn’t look happy but he sat. “I’m still
worried about our human neighbors. They need us to protect them.”

Rave looked ready to lunge at Raymond but it wasn’t Brand
who prevented bloodshed. Braden handled the situation.

“I know about prides too. They are totally anal about
keeping shifter secrets. They make us look lax about that. Dad sent me to deal
with a few of them when Rave was busy. They aren’t about to do anything that
will expose what they are to our human neighbors. We’re the targets.”

“When did Dad do that?” Rave touched Braden’s shoulder to
get his attention.

The youngest Harris shot him a quick look. “Someone likes to
go to biker rallies sometimes. Life doesn’t stop just because you leave town.”

“Why you and not me?” Anton frowned. “I didn’t know that
either.”

Braden grinned. “Dad knows I’m up for anything that involves
pussies and I’m good with them.”

Grady smacked him on the back of the head. “Funny. Let’s cut
the shit and deal with this mess.”

“Yeah,” Brand agreed. He wanted to get this over with and
return to Charma as soon as possible. He knew she had to be afraid in a house
full of werewolves. He glanced upward, hoping she was okay.

Anton backed away from their small circle to address the
room. “The prides are coming here and they want a fight.” His eyes transformed
to show his inner wolf while his fangs grew. “We’re going to make them regret
invading our territory.”

“Hell yeah,” Kane growled, rallying his enforcers. “We’re
more than up for it.”

Brand laughed. “It was a bad decision to hit us during
mating heat. You know our pack motto. If you can’t fuck, fight!”

Braden chuckled. “I want a leather jacket with those words
printed across my back.”

Rave glared at him. “He was kidding.”

“I’m not. We should make it our official slogan while Dad is
allowing us to lead the pack.”

Charma couldn’t sit still after she’d barricaded the door.
Worry for Brand and his pack left her feeling nervous and edgy. She turned off
all of the lights and opened the window. Fresh air breezed inside the room as
she peered out into the night.

The moon gave off enough light for her enhanced vision to
take in all the details of everything going on around the side of the house she
viewed. Heavy woods surrounded the property but the trees had been cut back far
enough to make it impossible for anyone to sneak close enough to break in.
Sentries were posted, their dark shapes barely distinguishable unless someone
was looking for them, as she was.

She eased down to her knees, rested her chin on her folded
hands on the windowsill, and strained her ears for any noises beyond the
branches whispering in the wind. It was only a matter of time before the attack
began.

No way could she stand to lose Brand.
Life can’t be that
cruel, right?
She chewed on her bottom lip, hoping not. They’d both been
through too much for fate to separate them once more.

Temptation pulled at her to use the cell phone Brand had
forgotten when he’d left. She doubted anyone would try to retrieve her but she
wasn’t willing to chance it. Her car had been a piece of shit. No way would
Garrett have spared the expense of putting any kind of system on it that could
be tracked.

She crawled over and retrieved Brand’s cell phone. It was a
nice one and it took her a minute to figure out how to use it. She dialed Megan’s
cell, not wanting to deal with her parents. They’d be angry that she’d fled the
pride and she wasn’t sure she could trust them. It was sad but true. Both of
them were grateful to the pride for being alive. She understood but didn’t
agree with their beliefs.

It rang twice before her sister picked up. “Who is this?”
Alarm was clear in her voice. “How did you get this number?”

“Hi, Meg. It’s Charma.”

“Who is B. Harris? Where are you? Garrett called and came
over here, looking for you. He seemed worried.”

She refrained from snorting. He was such a good liar. “I
left him. I’m not coming back.”

Silence ensued and she imagined her sister was a little
shocked. “He beat you again, didn’t he?”

It was Charma’s turn to be a little stunned. Did her whole
family know?

“Char?” Meg lowered her voice and a door closed. “Are you
hurt? Do you need me to come to you? Some of the pride are nearby but I can
sneak out. Tell me what you need and where you are. I know Darbin and my mate
can’t protect you without starting a war between our prides but we can help. Do
you need money? Where did you go? Are you safe?”

“You knew Garrett hit me sometimes?”

A small sniff escaped Megan. “I suspected but had no proof.
I do now. I’m mated and I know how wonderful that is. I never saw your mate
treat you as well as Cole does me. I’m so sorry. You did it to protect us, didn’t
you? I wondered why you mated Garrett. You always said he was a prick but then
you agreed to be with him after you returned from college. You refused to
answer my questions but Cole and I talked. He said you might have done it for
us, the family.”

“Yeah.” Charma sat on the floor, leaned against the bed. “Percy
is a bastard. You know how he rules. He wanted me mated to his son and that was
the end of it.”

“Darbin isn’t anything like him. My father-by-mate is pretty
awesome.”

“I’m glad you ended up with a good pride, honey. I called to
tell you that I’m safe.”

“Have you called our parents?”

“No.”

“Are you going to?”

“No. You can’t tell them about the name on the caller ID. I’m
trusting you, Meg. I doubt Garrett will come after me but I’m not willing to
risk it. Okay?”

“Is this B. Harris a friend of yours?”

She hesitated. “It’s a long story.”

“I have all the time in the world for you.”

She hesitated but knew she could trust her sister. “I met
him in college and we fell in love. I had to give him up for the family. I ran
to him and that’s who I’m with. I’m safe and he still loves me.”

Her sister sucked in air. “A human?” She recovered before
Charma could speak. “Okay. I can deal with that. You can hide what you are from
him and hell, I guess you could get him drunk when you go into heat and feed
him Viagra to help him keep up with your sex drive. He’ll just think he became
some mega-stud. I won’t judge.”

“Um…”

“No. It’s okay,” Meg insisted. “Since you don’t shift, you
can pull it off. Just dye your hair, tell him those spots down your back are
faded tattoos you got while you were drunk as a teen. Contacts can be worn for
days at a time. You can take them out while he’s not with you. Does he live
near pride lands? Are you close to us because Darbin can order our people to
never mention it if they see you. Just be real careful.”

“He’s not human.” Charma hesitated.

“Oh my god. You ran off with a pride male? I don’t remember
a Harris as one of Percy’s. Is he one of Darbin’s? I haven’t met the ones who
live farther out.” Her voice lowered to a murmur. “Are you in our pride? Shit!
It’s okay though. Darbin can order them not to mention you’re here. That will
probably work out better.”

“Brand isn’t a pride member,” she admitted. “He’s a
werewolf.”

“What?” her sister shouted.

Charma winced. “Calm down.”

Her sister lowered her voice to a whisper. “A werewolf? Is
that what you said?”

“Yes. We met at college and lived together.” Total silence. “Are
you still there, Meg?”

“I am.” Her sister took a ragged breath. “I’m flabbergasted.”

“I know.”

“He doesn’t try to eat you?”

Charma couldn’t help but laugh. “Every chance he gets but in
a good way.”

“Oh!” Meg laughed too. “Got it.” She sobered. “Is he good to
you?”

“We love each other and he is amazing. I mated him.”

Her sister gasped.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“You’re already mated.”

“Was. Not anymore, not to Garrett. Brand is my true mate.”

“This is a lot to take in.”

“I know. I don’t want you to worry. You can tell the family
I’m safe but nothing else.”

“Mom and Dad would flip if they knew any of this. They’d
tell Garrett and Percy. You can’t trust them.”

“I know.”

“I’ll keep your secret. You saved our lives. Cole and I
suspected you prevented us from being turned into breeders. That was it, wasn’t
it?”

There was no reason to lie. “Yeah. Percy is a real bastard.
He threatened to kill our parents, along with Adam, and sell us off to other
prides.”

“What a fuckhead,” Meg hissed. “I always hated him. He tried
to prevent me from mating Cole. He wanted me to stay in his pride instead.”

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t give you any warning that I was
leaving but I didn’t have time.”

“The important thing is you’re safe and I know that.” Megan
paused. “I’m going to memorize this number and then delete it. I’ll buy a
disposable phone to call you and give you the new number. I don’t want to risk
Garrett hunting for you and trying to get hold of my phone to do it. I don’t
want to lose contact with you. Promise me that you’ll stay in touch.”

“I promise.”

“A werewolf.” Her sister chuckled. “You always were one to
buck tradition. First it was college and now this.”

“He’s amazing, Megan. I wish you could meet him.”

“I plan to see you. Once Cole gets home from his trip, we’ll
figure it out.”

Charma’s breath froze in her lungs. “What trip?”

“The prides called a joining and he’s been sent to help
fight our enemy.”

“Oh shit. Can you call him?”

“Yes. He always keeps his cell with him.”

“Tell him and the others of your pride to come home right
now. Save his life.”

“Why?” Megan sounded alarmed.

“It’s my pack, Megan. My mate’s anyway. That’s who the
council plans to attack. The werewolves aren’t plotting to eradicate our kind.
A neighboring pride came into their territory and kidnapped a she-cat mated to
a werewolf. They had to kill to get her back.”

“Fuck.” Megan panted.

“Yeah. Call your mate but you can’t tell him I’m here or why
he can’t allow your pride to fight with the werewolves. Whoever is with him
might overhear the conversation.”

“What a nightmare.”

Charma couldn’t agree more.

“I’ll tell him I smelled werewolf in the woods behind our
house. His duty to protect us overrides everything else. It will send them rushing
back here.”

“You’d lie for me?”

“In a heartbeat. I’ll tell him the truth once he’s home. He’ll
understand. Plus, talk about making bad first impressions upon meeting your
family-by-mate. A battleground isn’t ideal and no damn way are we going to allow
our mates to kill each other. I love you. I’ll call you in a few days or call
me if things go bad there.”

“I love you too. Call your mate now.”

“I’m on it.”

Charma replaced Brand’s cell phone where he’d left it and
hugged her chest. She should have thought about the fact that Darbin might be
asked to send some of his males to fight, probably his own son, but she hadn’t
considered much beyond reaching Brand’s pack to warn them so he’d be safe. She
knew Megan would talk Cole into coming home with their males. The werewolves
would have fewer pride to fight.

She crawled back across the floor to the window, staying low
in case any of the pride males were in the woods and had climbed trees to get a
look inside the windows. She peeked outside, searching the night with her
enhanced vision. She closed the window to mask her scent. It would be stronger
while she was in heat.

* * * * *

Brand kept to the shadows, pressed tightly against the trunk
of the tree he’d climbed. The pride wouldn’t expect wolves to attack from
above. He glanced across the open area to seek out the other members of his
pack, hiding in similar locations surrounding the house. The scent of their
enemy hadn’t reached them yet but reports had come in that out-of-town cars had
parked along the road leading into the woods.

A slight noise drew his attention. He turned his head and
saw a dark figure creep out of the basement door. His hands clenched in anger
as he watched Braden dart away. His cousin had been ordered to stay inside but
he’d obviously disobeyed Anton. He almost called out, to demand he get his ass
back inside but reconsidered, not willing to give away his location in case the
pride had approached without detection. It was possible.

His cousins were going to wring their youngest brother’s
neck when they realized he’d joined the fight. Part of Brand sympathized with
Braden. He knew all about being young and making bad choices. Charma talking
him out of mating her when he’d been lucky enough to find the right woman had
been the worst one. He’d come home angry and bitter. He’d been lonely without
her and used violence as an outlet. Braden might be experiencing the same
affliction since he was horny as hell and banned from fucking anyone in the
pack. The heat made it ten times worse.

The wind shifted and the faint stench of cat teased his
nose. He jerked his head in that direction and reached for the infrared
binoculars hanging around his neck. His eyesight was excellent but they helped
him see farther. He caught the slight movement and zoomed in.

A group of seven strangers were by the creek, about to climb
up the embankment on the north side. He started to signal his pack but
something odd happened. A tall blond withdrew something from his pocket that he
guessed was a phone. He seemed to listen for long seconds and then a quick hand
motion had all of them turning and rushing away in the opposite direction.

It worried Brand. They either had fled in fear from the
coming fight or they had a new target. Braden hadn’t gone in that direction so
he knew they weren’t pursuing his cousin. He used the binoculars to track the
strangers through the trees. They were moving fast, running at full speed,
heading directly toward the old cemetery. No pack homes were in that area but
there was a road.

He climbed higher when the tops of other trees blocked his
view and finally spotted the dark line of pavement. No street lights had been
placed that far out but lights came on. They were faint. He watched as two sets
of twin beams picked up speed, curving out of sight. They were leaving. The
road they traveled would take them away from the pack.

Brand climbed down to his original spot on the thick branch,
pondering why the seven pride members had fled. Had they scented all the wolves
lying in wait and decided it wasn’t a good night to die? A smile curved his
lips. They might not have a fight after all. The pride seemed to be on the run.
His lips parted to speak, his intention to tell the others but an owl hoot
silenced him. He craned his neck to search for the source, finding Rave in
another tree a few dozen yards away.

His cousin pointed and he caught a glimpse of movement. He
lifted his binoculars again and located nearly a dozen more strangers. They
cautiously used the foliage to advance. The wind blew in the wrong direction to
pick up their scent but it was obvious they weren’t friendly.

He removed the binoculars and hooked the strap on the tree,
staring at Anton. His cousin glanced around, seeming to wait until he had
everyone’s attention. A few quick hand motions signaled their orders. Brand
removed his shirt but kept the sweatpants on since they would not hinder
movement. His shoes had been left inside the house. He bent and crawled farther
out on the thick branch until he lay flat on his stomach. It wasn’t the most
comfortable position he’d ever been in but it was necessary. It was an easy
eight-foot drop to the ground. It was just a matter of waiting for the enemy to
draw closer.

He kept still, his rage building. The alpha blood would
allow him to shift completely within seconds of his feet hitting the ground.
His fingertips tingled as his nails grew into sharp claws and hair sprouted
along his skin to protect it against the rough bark of the tree. He and his
cousins would attack first to give the other enforcers at least thirty seconds
to complete their transformations into full wolves.