Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
S era
“Ignore them,” I tell myself while staring at the burner phone in my hand. Whatever the three—now two—of them are hashing out downstairs is none of my business.
What is my concern is whether or not I make the call I’ve been contemplating for the past hour.
So what if the three of them are talking about me and Erik’s inability to scent me. He probably had trouble because I’m not a wolf like them.
Then I shake my head as the reminder comes to me that wolves do easily scent humans. Which means Erik should’ve tracked my scent to that park without a problem. According to Montgomery and Noah, they can scent me.
Montgomery.
He’d stormed out of the house after arguing with Noah over me. Over almost losing me.
Does that mean he cares about me?
Something stirs in my chest, but I push it away, shaking my head.
Of course he doesn’t. He wants what the other two want—to solidify the mate bond so that no one in their pack can challenge their right to remain alphas of the Blackclaw pack.
That’s it.
My gaze moves back to the phone in my hand.
I have my own problems to worry about. Do I make the call to the Nightwolf pack?
It’s been a few days since Emery and Chance’s wedding. They must still be on a high from the wedding, and it’s likely they took a honeymoon.
I shouldn’t bother Emery now, especially since she probably thinks I just skipped out on her wedding.
I think of who else I could call. Not Reese. She would likely tell Alpha Chael it was me and he’d demand answers.
My mind briefly considers the woman who raised me until I was twelve. The one I thought was my mother.
My body flinches.
“You’re a curse to anyone who comes in contact with you!” she said right before throwing me out.
I never told anyone what she said, or that she admitted that she and her mate weren’t my real parents.
I shake my head. There’s no way in hell I can call that woman for answers.
But maybe there’s someone else. I tighten my hand around the phone before pressing the power button.
My heart begins to beat at a faster rhythm as I wait for the phone to turn on. Once I make this call, there’s no turning back.
“Serafina!”
I startle, nearly dropping the phone from Ronan’s deep voice breaking my concentration on the other side of the door.
I tuck the phone under the bed’s mattress before stalking toward the door.
“Why are you yelling so loudly?” I sass as I whip the door open.
Ronan’s perfect, pink lips bend downward. “Dinner.”
He holds up the tray of food in his hands as evidence.
I scan the tray, noting the bountiful amount of roasted potatoes, medium rare steak, and steamed vegetables. A simple meal, but with the homecooked biscuits with honey on the side it has my stomach rumbling.
The rumbling isn’t loud. I can’t even hear it, but I can feel it and it reminds me that I haven’t eaten since breakfast.
“You’re hungry.”
How does he know that?
I shake my head. Of course he just caught me practically drooling over those biscuits.
“Not really.” I fold my arms across my chest.
His frown deepens, which sends a thrill down my spine. I don’t know why, but I can’t get enough of riling Ronan up. Maybe it’s because of his clean cut, unmovable outer demeanor.
I want to see him emotional and out of character.
Though, just downstairs he seemed to lose control of his emotions for a split second with Noah.
I want to be the reason he loses control.
“Do you remember that night you stayed with me for hours?” I ask out of the blue. I hadn’t meant for the question to come out, but once it’s out, it’s out.
Ronan blinks, a rare moment of surprise showing on his unnaturally handsome features. Then his eyes darken.
“The night our packs went on a run, and you stayed with me because I couldn’t shift …” I continue as if needing to remind him. “We were in the mountains only a few hours from here and?—”
“I remember every moment.”
His words have air catching in my lungs.
“The moonlight reflected in your eyes to create the most incredible mixture of fire and light. You shed a tear when you talked about how much you missed your aunt.”
The same tear he wiped away with his thumb. For the first time since I can remember, emotion swells within the pools of his green eyes.
With a shake of my head, I take a step back.
“Yeah, and only a few days later is when you came to tell me to fuck off.”
“Serafina, I?—”
“So, you can take that meal and do the same.”
I try to slam the door in his face, but he catches it with his foot.
“Stop being stubborn and eat.” He now barges into my room, almost knocking me over in the process.
“Excuse you,” I insist to his back as he marches across the room and places the tray onto the wooden desk that sits in front of the window.
He turns to me, looking me up and down. “You haven’t eaten since breakfast.” His eyes narrow. “And that little escape attempt you pulled while in town must’ve worked up an appetite.”
He points to the food. “Eat.”
“I’m not a dog you order around.”
“A dog?” There’s mocking scorn in his voice. “Never, ever liken yourself to a dog again.”
I swallow not only at the harsh tone in his voice but more so the heated look in his eyes. He looks me up and down, this time, his gaze moving much more slowly. With intention.
“We are wolves. Not dogs.” His voice comes out tight, strangled.
“I’m not a wolf, remember?” I have to remind him since he’s forgotten.
His jaw tightens.
More emotion. But is it disgust? Disgust that Mother Moon cursed him with a mate that can’t even shift?
As I contemplate the question, Ronan moves closer, invading my space. His scent was damn near overpowering before.
Now it’s inescapable.
His smell wraps around my body, pulling me to him as if it was an arm.
It takes me too long to realize that it’s his actual hands that have wrapped around me. Ronan holds me tight against his body, his large hands dropping to my ass.
A rush of warmth, thrill, and shock that is a rare occurrence courses through me.
“You’re whatever I say you are,” he says, his lips almost touching mine.
“And what am I?” I whisper.
The question causes what had been a small spark of light in his eyes to combust into full-on wolf glow in his eyes.
“Mine.”
My nipples instantly harden. My pussy weeps, soaking the seam of my panties. The self-aware, common sense using part of my brain tells me to pull away. To get away from him.
But the stubborn part of me, the piece of me that can’t help but be drawn to the way Ronan’s wolf infused that one word … “Mine.”
Well, that part of me wants to see where this will lead.
Too bad I don’t get that chance.
As quickly as the glow appeared it disappears and he releases me.
He looks back at the tray on the desk.
“Eat.”
After that one-word command, he pivots to the door and exits, shutting it behind him.
“Fuck you,” I murmur because my throat remains too clogged with emotion to yell or even speak at my regular level.
But as I walk toward the desk, the smell of the food pulls me in.
The pull isn’t as coercive as being in Ronan’s arms, admittedly, but it’s enticing nonetheless.
It also helps that in addition to the aroma from the food itself, I can scent Montgomery in it.
He prepared this food.
I don’t know why but that brings me a sense of satisfaction and pleasure. And hell, if I’m not going to gain satisfaction from one brother, I might as well take my pleasure where I can.
So I eat.
After my third round of sweaty tossing and turning, I push the blanket and sheet away from my body and throw my legs over the side of the bed to stand, but I stop before my feet touch the plush carpeting.
In total silence, I pause to listen for any movement coming from downstairs. From what I can make out, the house is silent. Ronan and Noah must’ve gone to bed by now.
Montgomery, though, is a loose cannon. He could be asleep in his bedroom, but I highly doubt it. The first night here while given a tour of the house, I noticed that his bedroom looked untouched.
Since then, I hear him go out every night for a run in his wolf form, but I don’t ever hear him come back.
Is he out there alone somewhere?
The question shouldn’t plague me the way it does. What the hell do I care if Montgomery’s out in the woods? He’s a big boy who can handle himself.
For no reason at all, I head toward the bedroom door in the green silk nightgown I bought on my shopping trip. It’s not like I can get out of the house, so I only plan to go down for a glass of water.
Maybe that’ll calm this unusual heat coursing through me.
I peel open my bedroom door and again pause to listen for any sounds.
Nothing.
In my bare feet I slowly make my way toward the kitchen, trying not to make too much noise. No, I’m not trying to escape or anything, but I still don’t want to encounter any of the Blackclaw brothers in the middle of the night dressed in only my little nightie.
Liar!
I jolt my head at the sound of the shocking internal voice that just lashed out at me.
“Pull it together, Sera,” I mumble to myself.
I gently and carefully pull open the fridge and grab a bottle of water. I don’t think as I rip the plastic cap open and devour almost half of the bottle in one swallow.
Strangely, by the time I place the half-filled bottle on the counter, the water is … warm.
Not as cold as I would expect from just coming out of the refrigerator. I shake it off and realize it must’ve been put in the fridge right before one of the brothers went to bed.
Warm bottles of water aside, I peer through the window. From this angle I can see a few stars in the night sky. A yearning to see more wells up inside of me. Before I can remind myself there are locks on the doors, my hand’s on the doorknob, turning it.
Realization only hits me when the lock disengages and the door easily opens.
My mouth falls open. “What—” I slap my free hand over my mouth and go completely still.
Not a sound.
No one comes out from the bedroom or from up the hall.
I open the door just wide enough to slip outside of the house.
Were they lying about the locks being on the door? No. Out of the three of the brothers, Ronan is the one least likely to bluff about something like that.
So, why am I able to get out so easily now?
I shake my head, and don’t think as I start for the pathway toward the woods. I don’t know where I’m going or even why, but it’s as if something’s pulling me out there.
I don’t feel the twigs or dirt beneath my bare feet. All I feel is the pull deeper into the forest, something beckoning me, calling me as if it wants me alone.
Time becomes irrelevant, but soon enough, I come across a figure I instantly recognize.
“Montgomery,” I whisper.
I’m too far away to clearly make out that it’s him, but some instinct inside of me senses it.
The figure jabs out an arm, striking something. Not something . A tree. Montgomery strikes the thick tree trunk with his bare fist.
I have to cover my mouth at the wild gasp that tries to break free. I move behind a tree as I stiffen my body.
When I peek out from behind the tree, Montgomery has gone completely still. I fear that he might’ve heard or sensed me out here.
Moving behind the tree again, I count down from ten to zero before leaning forward to see if he’s still there.
Once again, he’s turned his back toward me. I continue to hold my hands over my mouth as I watch the scarred skin of his back ripple and flex from the muscles moving as he actively punches the tree.
Why the hell is he doing that? I have to fight everything inside of me not to call out to him.
He’s going to hurt himself.
“Get … it … through … your … head,” he pants out as he punches. “Not … for … you.”
What is he doing?
And what are those scars on his back from?
Why is he hurting himself like this?
I watch for some time longer while he continues to punch the tree. Yes, he’s a wolf and as such tougher than most humans. But he’s not indestructible.
Out of nowhere, the memory of Montgomery lying lifeless on that cold, metal table in the basement of the home of that horrible doctor comes back to mind.
Bile rises in my throat as fear, agony, and guilt well up inside of my body. My head becomes fuzzy from the overwhelm of all of the emotions moving through me. I don’t know what’s happening.
What I do know is that I can’t watch this anymore.
“Montgomery!” I call, though my voice sounds almost broken to me.
He immediately stops the punching, while his chest rises and falls in rapid succession.
Slowly, Montgomery turns to face me. His eyes glow with the essence of his wolf. Not only that, but he bares his teeth. His incisors have descended.
Not one word or explanation is given as he stalks toward me.
My ability to move leaves me. Just like the moment Ronan wrapped me in his arms and I couldn’t push him away. Montgomery’s wild and feral gaze zeroes in on me, leaving me unable to speak.
My eyes roam over his face and then down his chest. I wasn’t expecting the huge tattoo that takes up about eighty percent of his torso. As he approaches, the images of the tattoo become clearer.
It looks two dimensional.
The top half is a human skull while the lower half is the face of a wolf.
His wolf?
I try to recall what Montgomery’s wolf looks like. I only got a brief glimpse of him as he defended me that day, before he passed out and shifted back to his human. The tattoo hadn’t been there before.
Was it?
Everything from that day is a blur.
“Stop!” a voice behind me shouts, scaring me out of my stupor. The ground beneath me quakes.
I spin around, finally able to move, to see Ronan and Noah storming in my direction with glowing eyes and bared teeth. However, their incisors haven’t descended.
I expect them both to stop and glare me down for trying to escape, but they don’t.
The two barge past me, completely focused on Montgomery.
They plant themselves in front of me as if they’re my guards getting in between me and danger.
Over their shoulders I see Montgomery’s top lip curl even higher over his teeth. His still-glowing eyes meet mine. The brightness of his stare rivals that of the moon overhead.
He doesn’t say or do anything. But in the next breath he’s shifted into his wolf and takes off running in the opposite direction.
“What the hell is with—” I can’t get my question out before Noah scoops me over his shoulder like a rag doll.
He completely ignores me pounding on his back and kicking to break free.
“Let me go, you damn barbarian!” I rage to no avail.
Noah doesn’t say anything, but his arms tighten around my body, anchoring me to him as if he plans to never let me go.
I hate how the thought of that soothes something that’s felt ruffled inside of me for years and years. So, I fight and struggle and kick to try to break free. Even though it’s to no avail.
“If I had my bow and arrow, I’d shoot it right through your damn chest!” I scream right before Noah drops me onto the couch inside of the living room.
I shoot up to my feet, coming face to face with him.
His eyes haven’t ceased glowing, and with his nostrils flared and chest heaving, I can see him struggling to keep control over his wolf.
“Go to your room,” Ronan has the damn nerve to say.
“Fuck you,” I throw at him. “I’m not your damn child. You don’t tell me?—”
“Did you not just see the danger you were in?” Ronan roars.
At first, I’m stunned by the pitch and tone of his voice. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen him raise his voice.
But I shrug it off.
“Danger? What danger? Are you talking about?—”
“Go upstairs.”
“No. First you insist I come out of my room, and now you insist I stay inside of it? Which is it? What do you want? Let me know so I can do the exact opposite of whatever it is!” I scream in his face.
My frustration is reaching its tipping point. Between the damn sexual frustration being around these three has stirred up in me over the past few days, and whatever the hell that was outside with Montgomery, all I want to do is scream and yell.
But I don’t have the time to have a temper tantrum.
Because I’m soon hoisted off of my feet, again, and carried to the stairs.
“Put me down.” I kick and wail, thinking it’s Noah who’s carrying me.
But it’s Ronan’s scent that punches me in the face.
“You will not be leaving here until I say so,” he says as he, not so gently, plops me against the bed in my bedroom.
“Who the hell do you think?—”
I move to charge him but his hand around my throat stills me. His nostrils flare, and he tightens his hold around my neck. It’s not firm enough to stop me from breathing but the message it carries is relayed.
“That’s enough,” he grits out.
My thoughts scramble and I don’t have time to think before removes his hand and storms out of my room, slamming the door behind him.
I run to the door to pull it open only to find that it doesn’t budge.
“I will kick this fucking door down!” I scream
There’s no response on the other side.
I have half a mind to do exactly what I threatened, but then I remember I’m not wearing any shoes. I’d only hurt myself, needlessly.
Whatever.
I curse myself for realizing I had another opportunity to escape tonight, and I completely failed. What the heck is wrong with me?
First it was the kids this afternoon playing in the park. Tonight it was the sight of Montgomery. As if some force bigger than me keeps pulling me back here.
And then there’s Montgomery …
Why was he out there like that? Hitting a tree? And what did he mean by not for you ? Who’s not for him?
Oh, Mother Moon, and the scars? The tattoo? Are they related?
So many questions. All I keep getting is more questions with zero answers about everything.