“Thanks to you guys, I’m late,” Massa grumbled as he plopped down beside me. I don’t know what he did, but Sia and I are way much better. Sia is sitting against a tree, staring intently at the fire he had made to keep me warm. I’m hungry but Ruarc says we’ll hunt in the morning. I know he is still pissed off so I don’t argue with him.
He hasn’t let go of me since I recovered, his arm wrapped securely around my waist. He also made sure Sia didn’t come near me. I want to apologize, but the word ‘sorry’ doesn’t seem to leave my lips. I snuggle closer to him, letting out a content sigh.
This is where I belong, right here in his arms but my eyes couldn’t help but find Sia. He doesn’t look at me, but I won’t stop looking at him.
Here I am in the arms of my mate, ogling another man.
“You can always disappear,” I tell Massa. He rolls his eyes.
“Thank you,” I say out of nowhere. “For healing me.”
“It’s not like I had a chance,” he says and I frown.
Ruarc’s fingers rub Sia’s mark on my shoulder and I gasp. I didn’t even remember it was still there.
“This doesn’t belong here,” Ruarc said.
At the declaration, Sia jumps to his feet and I watch him surprised.
“I’ll be back,” he said curtly and walked deeper into the forest, out of sight. I started to panic.
“Where’s he going? How can you guys just sit here and let him go out alone? You don’t know what kind of monsters are out there. He can’t shift and he might get hurt,” I say out of breath.
“Baby, calm down,” Massa said stretching the word baby. Ruarc grows softly at the endearment. “He will be fine.”
“I’m just worried that’s all.”
“It pains me to see just how worried you are for another man Crinka,” Ruarc says and his statement pissed me off. I push him away, getting up. He is surprised and Massa leans back on his elbows, a smirk gracing his lips.
“Another man? Seriously? Sia is not and will never be another man. I like him a lot and it’s not the bond. I liked Sia even before we bonded,” I paused, taking a deep breath.
I know these are not the kind of things you should be saying to your mate but at this point, I don’t care.
“And you have no right to treat Sia the way you did today. Yes, he pissed you off but you have forgotten that because of that ‘another’ man, you get to meet me. If he hadn’t created the bond and I would be dead and as far as I know, no man wants to be making tall claims on a dead woman.”
He winced. Massa sits up, clapping his hands. “I’m pretty impressed. I know I liked you for a reason.”
I smile back.
Ruarc hasn’t recovered from my outburst and I don’t care.
I like him, I really do, but he has to understand that this is hard for me too. I want both men, but it’s impossible to have them both. I can’t choose one without hurting the other and the whole drama is starting to tire me.
Ruarc and I haven’t spoken since my outburst and Sia hasn’t returned. I find it funny that both men have left me be.
“Can’t sleep?”, he asks as he enters my tent. I scoot away to make room for him.
I nod. “You?”
“Can’t sleep either. You look tired.”
“I am.”
“Man problems?”
I blush, looking away. “Yeah.”
“You can talk to me about it. I won’t tell.”
“I don’t know how to feel about my mate bond with Ruarc. I want him but if I accept him, what happens to Sia? What happens to the blood bond between us? It’s all messed up.”
He puts a reassuring hand on my arm. “Everything will be fine. If you give it too much thought, you’ll become sick and so will Sia. Is that what you want?”
“No.”
“Good, now try and get some sleep,” he says and leaves my tent.
I lie down on the makeshift bed, hoping to get some sleep. I was getting down to it but the unzipping of my tent has me opening my eyes and sitting up. Sia comes in and I realize I can’t smell him. He zips the tent back, and sits there, his long legs brushing mine. My eyes widen.
“What are you doing here?”
“I got you something.”
“Well, you can give it to me later,” I whisper. “If Ruarc finds you here, he’ll beat the shit out of you.”
“He won’t now that he knows you would be affected.”
“Still.”
He put his hand in his pocket and brought out something wrapped in foil. He hands it to me, and I take it unwrapping it. My mouth waters as I inhale the sweet aroma. I look at him, smiling at his kind gesture.
“You got me pocket steak. Thank you.”
He smiles. “You’re welcome.”
I dig in, my eating is very unladylike. I finish it in minutes, licking my fingers.
“Um did you bring water? I’m kind of thirsty.”
He chuckles lowly and replaces the foil wrapper with bottled water. I chug it down letting out a belch after I was done drinking.
Sia smiles amused and it is refreshing to see him relaxed.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll go now. Sleep tight,” he says and leaves.
I’m cold and I don’t have a blanket to keep me warm. I stiffen when I feel strong arms around mine.
“Sia?”
He hums.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I feel hurt.”
“I’m just…”
He cuts me off. “Sleep. I’ll leave once you sleep.”
…..
I need to learn how to listen to instructions and obey them.
The morning had come so fast and I woke up alone, wrapped in Sia’s cloak. I didn’t take it with me when I left my tent because I didn’t want Ruarc to know that I went to sleep enveloped in his brother’s warmth. The last thing I need is another civil war.
Sia was in fighting gear when I came out. He wore leather pants with silver knives strapped to his thighs. He bore no shirt, wearing only bullet straps. In his hand was a machine gun.
Ruarc was still in yesterday’s clothes, a white tee, and beach shorts. Massa still had his leather pants on but is now wearing a shirt.
“Good morning,” I say to the men. “So where are we going to hunt?”
Ruarc looks at me. “There is no WE in this. You’re not coming with us.”
This guy is an asshole. “That’s not what you said yesterday. You deprived me of food last night and now you won’t let me hunt for my next meal. What exactly is your problem?”
He rolls his eyes. He is actually rolling his eyes at me. “It’s not safe for you out there. We can’t afford to let people see your wolf.”
“Oh, cut me the crap. We’re like the only ones in the forest.”
“Don’t fight with me on this Crinka please. I let you come with us, but I am not going to let you hunt with us. You can at least respect that.”
“So, you expect me to just stay here while you guys go hunting for me? I’m not a damsel. I can hunt for my meal. I don’t need your help.”
He doesn’t budge. “Fine! I’ll stay! But this doesn’t mean I have forgiven you.”
So Sia and Ruarc went hunting while I stayed back with Massa. I sit down on a log of wood, counting the minutes they have been gone. Massa left my side to go take a piss and that was my chance. I run away until I’m far from him, peeling off my clothes and shifting into fur. Taking my clothes in my mouth, I surge forward, listening for any sounds of life. Nothing. I come across a river and shift into skin before bathing in the river.
I’m done zipping up my pants when I see them. Men. Their faces are masked, chest bare, and they are armed. If there weren’t other people in the forest, there are now.
One stepped forward and I took a step back. He whips off his mask and I’m horrified by what I see.
In place of his nose, he has an eye. A very big one. His lips look like they are stitched together but he can talk. His eyebrows and lashes have been shaved off and his ears? The flesh is gone.
“We won’t harm you if you come with us,” His voice is slippery and utterly vile.
I should have stayed back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Anger marred his features and suddenly it is replaced with… lust?
And not just him, his men too looked at me with raw want and desire. I must have been too scared to not notice that my scent has changed and my sweat pores are slaving itself. There’s only one explanation for this.
Heat.