Tessa's Chosen

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Publishers Note:

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is coincidental.

3

Lucien was about to take his shot at the pool table in the Shifters Inn situated in Sugar Creek Ohio, when he inhaled a delicious scent wafting to his nostrils. He stood up straight, away from the pool table and inhaled deeply the vanilla and jasmine scent. Lucien noticed his brother's, Rafe and Gabe also inhaling the delectable scent. As one they all turned to face the entrance door to the inn and froze as they watched a petite blonde woman sway across the room to the bar.

Luc noticed the sleeve of her shirt was ripped away entirely from her left arm, and the left side of her cheek was swollen and bruised. It looked as if she had been used as someone’s punching bag. He let out a low growl deep in his throat for the pain the woman was suffering and also to all the other males in the room staring at the gorgeous woman, warning all the other weres away from the female.

In an unspoken agreement Luc, Rafe and Gabe sauntered from the pool room behind the bar, just as Flynn the bartender, placed a cup of coffee in front of their woman. Rafe and Gabe pulled up stools on either side of the woman and Luc stood directly behind her. All three men inhaled deeply, drawing in the scent of their mate.

Gabe leaned forward on the bar crowding the petite blonde from the front. Rafe leaned his arm around the back of the stool and blocked her in from behind. Luc stood behind the female so she could not scoot the stool back and try to escape.

Rafe asked, “What's your name little darlin'?”

Tessa stiffened as she was crowded from the front and back, on the bar stool sat two of the most gorgeous drool worthy men she had ever seen. The man on the right had hazel eyes and dark blonde hair; and a masculine face with 4

the most beautiful smile Tess had ever seen. It lit up his whole face and made him look like an angel. The male to the left of her had brown hair and blue eyes which seemed to dance with mischief and his smile was a crooked tilt of his lips which almost seemed predatory.

Tess tried to shrink into herself with fear and trepidation as the two men crowded into her personnel space. “My name is Tess,” she abruptly replied, “Please move out of my way?” she asked as she tried to stand and scoot back her stool at the same time.

The two men crowding her shifted away slightly as she placed her feet on the floor and hopped off the bar stool. Lucien took advantage of the situation and took hold of the back of the stool moving it behind him. He positioned himself in front of it, wrapped his arm around the woman's waist, and pulled the stool back in towards him, seating himself and hauling Tess onto his lap.

Tess struggled against the arm of steel around her waist and gasped as she was hauled against a rock hard masculine chest and thighs. Pushing against the arm wrapped around her waist, Tess turned her head to see who was holding her. She found herself unable to pull her gaze away from the piercing green eyes of the mountain holding her firmly in place on his lap. Her gaze roved up to his black shoulder length hair to the strong masculine cheek bones and jaw. Power and confidence seemed to radiate from the Alpha male holding her securely. Tess looked back into the hypnotizing green eyes asking “What do you think you are doing?” pushing ineffectually at the steel band of an arm around her waist.

“I'm just getting both of us more comfortable little lady. My name is Lucien Woolf and these are my brother's Raphael and Gabriel.” Lucien indicated with a nod of his head to his brothers.

Tess shivered as Lucien spoke to her in a low rumbling sexy voice. Sighing in exasperation she again 5

asked, “Please release me. I don't know you and I don't like being man handled.” Tess thought she heard Lucien growl as a result of her statement, but when she looked up into his face, he had a blank expression.

Grasping her chin gently in his hand, he turned her face back to his and said, “I'll let you go if you come over to our table and chat to us for a while.” Lucien negotiated.

“Okay,” Tessa sighed in exasperation as she made to move from the warm rock hard lap she was sitting on.

Lucien slowly and reluctantly released his hold on Tessa as they both stood. He moved back allowing room for movement as he directed her to a booth in the corner of the room, closest to the bar.

Tessa tried to suppress the shiver of awareness racing the length of her spine as a large masculine hand guided her to the booth close by. She slid along the curved booth couch and watched as Lucien slid in beside her. He got as close to Tess as he was capable of without actually touching her. Glancing up to Raphael and Gabriel, Tess was astounded to see the gigantic sized men tussling over who would sit on the other side of her. Gabriel won the tussle by his lightning quick reflexes and pure slyness as he slid in the booth underneath Rafael's body. Tess was amazed by the juvenile behavior of such masculine men; and she could have sworn she heard Raphael growl at Gabriel.

Lucien leaned in close to Tessa sliding a finger up and down her forearm, “Where are you headed Tessa and where do you live?”

“Um... well, I'm headed on an extended vacation at the moment; and I've just recently sold my house in California. I decided I would travel for a while. I have no current permanent address.” Oh god, Tessa thought to herself, she shouldn't have told these three men that.

Goodness knew what they wanted with her and what they would do, knowing no one knew where she was.

6

Lucien could smell the fear emanating from Tessa in waves and the anxiety she was feeling showed through by the way she was fidgeting. Luc and Gabe exchanged glances and they both immediately started stroking her forearms in a soothing manner.

“You have nothing to fear from us pajarito. We will never harm you. I want you to tell me who hurt you. Who would do such a thing to a small fragile woman?” Lucien asked in a husky voice, trying to keep the rage from his tone.

Tessa stiffened with anxiety as he asked who had hurt her.

“Umm no one hurt me. I fell over while I was packing my car this morning and hit my face on the trunk. My sleeve got caught on the catch and ripped as I picked myself up again.” Tess stated not meeting Lucien's eyes, scared he would tell she lied.

“She is lying about what happened, but we will have to wait for her to trust us more before we can expect the truth.” Lucien advised his brothers through their mental link.

When Lucien did not say anymore Tess let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed a little more into her seat. Taking a sip of her coffee she glanced at all three men and felt desire turn her insides to liquid molten lava, heating her lower abdomen and sending trickles of her need to dampen her panties. As she looked at all three men, she could have sworn they smelled her desire.

Lucien, Rafe and Gabe inhaled the sweet essence of Tess' desire, making them all instantly hard. Lucien spoke to his brothers mentally stating, “We cannot let her escape!

We have to keep her with us, she is our mate and she must stay with us even if we have to make her stay with us forcibly. We need to protect her from whoever has harmed her.”

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Rafe replied, “Yes we don't want her to escape, but we do not want to frighten her. Since Gabe is the most diplomatic of us, why don’t we see if he can get her to stay with us?”

“Okay,” Gabe replied mentally, “but what do we do if she won't leave with us? She seems very frightened already and it's no wonder with the bruise marring her sweet face.”

Lucien was about to reply to Gabe when they were distracted by their mates inhalation of fear and distress.

Tess grabbed the edge of the table in front of her, until her knuckles turned white. Darren Smythe her ex fiance had just walked through the door of the inn. He stood in the entry way scanning the faces in the room until his gaze landed on Tessa's face. She gasped in horror as her gaze connected with her exes. She started hyperventilating as this mornings events started to flash through her mind.

Tess whimpered as she recalled Darren standing over her with his fist raised and recoiled as she felt his fist connect with her jaw. Yelling at her that she would be his fiance whether she wanted to or not. Telling her that she would not escape him no matter where she moved to.

Luckily she had everything packed into her car already. She had waited for him to move back from her and she had been out the door slamming it locked behind her before Darren could reach her. She had jumped into her car and sped off, keeping her eyes on her mirror hoping he would not follow her.

Tess did not even realize she had moved closer to Lucien as she stared at Darren from across the room.

Lucien had wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders and Gabe suddenly leaned forward and to his left trying to block Tessa's view of the man across the room.

The three men close to Tess glared threateningly at the strange man as Tess trembled with fear.

Lucien thought the man frightening his mate was either very brave or very stupid, as he watched the man 8

saunter across the room towards his mate. Lucien heard Rafe's illicit a low growl as he watched the man come closer.

“Let the man come to Tessa, maybe we can find out why she is so frightened of him and use that to our advantage! Gabe, back off and let him see our little mate.

Nothing will happen to her whilst we are here.”

Gabe leaned back in the seat and placed his left arm below Lucien's, tucking it around Tess' waist and watched as the stranger approached. Tess emitted another whimper as the man came closer.

Lucien leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Do not fear pajarito, he cannot and will not harm you while we are here to protect you.” Lucien kissed her temple just as the man came to a stop at their table. Taking his time Lucien nuzzled his nose to the side of Tessa's head and smiled when he felt her shiver of desire. Lucien slowly lifted his head and let his stare penetrate the man standing in front of their table. The man would not meet any of the brother's eyes and stood leering down at Tessa.

Darren stood staring at his fiance Tessa. He could not believe she had the audacity to be sitting in front of him sandwiched between two men. Darren saw the men glaring at him in his peripheral vision as he glared at Tessa. Pasting a smile on his face he addressed Tessa.

“Tessa honey what are you doing here? Why did you run over a silly argument darling? You should have stayed and talked to me. We would have been able to work things out. Come over to a private table with me and we'll discuss things,” He demanded as he reached a hand out towards Tessa across the table.

Tessa cringed back as he reached out to her. Darren nearly smirked with glee until he felt heated breath against the back of his neck and a low grumbling growl reverberated behind him. Darren slowly lowered his arm and stood staring at the men in front of him; not daring to 9

turn his back on the two men but fearing the man so close behind him.

Lucien slowly unwrapped his arm from around Tessa's shoulders and gently grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, “Do you know this man little bird?”

he asked softly.

Tessa's whispered, “Yes,” to Lucien's question and tried to tug her chin from his gentle grasp.

“Do you want to talk to this man or have him in your presence?” he asked gently.

“No,” Tessa almost whimpered the answer and felt tears sheen her eyes, her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. Blinking rapidly she tried to free herself from Lucien's grasp.

“Usted nunca me escaperá mi compa ero peque o; y nadie le dolerá Al mucho tiempo como tiene suyo aparea para protegerle alrededor, (You will never escape me my little mate; and nobody will hurt you as long as you have your mates around to protect you)” Lucien stated. Without warning he settled his lips over hers, gently sipping at her lips until the rigidity left her body.

Tessa took a breath and was about to ask what Lucien had said to her in Spanish, when he leaned down and settled his mouth over hers. He sipped and licked her lips until Tessa gasped in surprise. Taking advantage, Lucien deepened the kiss by thrusting his tongue into her mouth and groaned with arousal at the first sweet taste of his mate.

Lucien didn't relent from the kiss until Tessa responded by tentatively placing her tongue against Lucien's and melted into him. Lucien's groan of arousal brought her back to the present and she placed her palms against his chest to push him away.

Lucien allowed Tessa to break the kiss but would not allow her to move away from him. When she placed her hands against his chest to put some space between them, he gently took her hands palm up and placed a kiss in the 10

center of each palm. He then gently lifted her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap, snuggling her head against his chest and held her firmly so she could not move.

He then stared at the other man with a hard glare and said, “Tessa does not want to talk to you or even see you. I suggest you leave now. Go back where you came from and not come back. If I catch you anywhere near her again you will not like the consequences.”

Darren glared at the man holding his fiance in his lap, but didn't hold his gaze for long. There was an edge of steel in his eyes and knew he would not win the staring contest.

With one more glance at his fiance, he turned and walked out of the inn.

“This isn't over bitch,” he muttered to himself as he walked to his car and headed back to the small town he had passed on the edge of town. No more than ten minutes drive away.