8. Hettie
Chapter 8
Hettie
“ P ut me down, you motherfu— oof! ” The air leaves my lungs as I bounce onto his bed, landing in a heap in the center. That bastard tossed me. He tossed me! As if I were nothing more than a sack of potatoes he was discarding.
I grab the closest thing to me, which, unfortunately, is a pillow, and hurl it at his head. He steps to the side, and the pillow hits the wall behind him with a dull thud. It drops pathetically to the ground, only serving to piss me off more.
I lunge for another pillow, but Rip is on top of me in an instant, holding my wrists above my head. My breath comes out in desperate pants as I do everything I can to push the man off me.
“Stop. Struggling,” he growls, and I get some satisfaction when my knee catches him between his legs and he grunts.
It’s then I realize Rip is still naked, like butt-ass naked. His hardness presses into my thigh, and even through the thin layer of fabric that separates us, I can feel every inch of him. My traitorous body sends heat straight to my core .
I meet his eyes, and his pupils are blown wide with…something. Fuck, lust? Disgust? A mixture of the two? He growls, and my body responds in kind. I don’t realize I’ve stopped fighting him until he slowly, almost reluctantly, lets me go. He backs away and puts as much distance between us as possible.
Through all of this, I didn’t make sure Grass was following, but my panic quickly eases when I see him lounging in a doggy bed in the corner. That wasn’t there last night, meaning someone brought it up for him today. Grass is sleeping pleasantly, not concerned at all with the giant naked man in the room.
Well, that makes one of us.
“Do you want to tell me why you just dragged me back here like a runaway convict?” I glare, my ire unable to be contained. It’s honestly impressive how little we’ve talked, and yet he’s pissed me off both times.
“You are not to leave this house without me, Thorne, or a guard I appoint you.” He parrots what he said earlier, and I swear I see the back of my head when I roll my eyes.
Classic fucking alpha males. Always ready to dish out orders with no explanations.
“Who is Michael, and why did he know me?” The man got under my skin. I’ve run with many crowds before, but Michael’s energy…it’s different from anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s dangerous.
“Michael knew who you were?” Rip growls, ignoring my question. “How is that even possible?”
“Hell if I know. Who is he?” I will not be ignored for a second time.
“Michael is someone who should have never been able to get past our defenses. He’s a threat and won’t hesitate to take what he wants.” His reply is clipped and gives me little to go on. The lack of information is driving me feral.
“How the fuck do you expect me to be your little queen if you insist on leaving me alone and refuse to answer my questions?” I really want something to throw at him. Like a pan or a shoe. It wouldn’t hurt him since he’s the fucking Hulk, but it would make me feel better.
Rip presses his lips together in a tight line. He’s furious, but so am I. “You’ll know what I allow you to know.”
The words hit me like a ton of bricks. I blink, trying to process them. Even Rip’s eyes widened like he’s surprised about what he said. But he’s quick to school his features back into an emotionless asshole.
Did I just trade one toxic man for another? A new controlling asshole who feels like keeping me at arm’s length until he needs me?
I don’t get the chance to retaliate, though, because Tallie rushes into the room, ignoring her cousin’s nakedness entirely. “Hettie!” She clutches her chest. “Thank goodness you’ve been found.” She sounds worried, which shocks me. Not even those I considered friends ever worried when I went days, sometimes weeks, without communication.
“Get her ready.” Rip’s command freezes me in place. “I’ll prepare for the ceremony.”
“Ceremony? What ceremony?”
I don’t expect him to answer, but when he does, my jaw hits the floor.
“Our mating ceremony. It’s happening tonight.”
I stand in the middle of Tallie’s childhood bedroom. A small but tidy bed is pushed up against one wall, with a cute pink chair next to a window. This room also has a fireplace that is currently burning brightly to keep the chill out of this room.
Once Rip left me in the hands of Tallie and her mate, Thorne, the two of them brought me back to Tallie’s childhood home. Her mother runs the ceremonies in town, so Tallie explained she’s with Rip to prepare for this evening.
I knew today was coming.
I just didn’t expect it to come so quickly. Seeing Michael was the catalyst for Rip, but I still don’t fully grasp the situation. As soon as we were alone, I attempted to get answers out of Thorne and Tallie. Thorne was apologetic but said he couldn’t tell me anything until I’m pack. Tallie looked like she wanted to say something, but with Thorne there, her hands were tied.
So, in the dark I remain.
“This is definitely your color.” Tallie takes a step back, looking over the peach-colored dress she’s spent the last thirty minutes tailoring to my body. Thorne nods from his spot on the pink chair. He looks like a giant in a seat made for a gnome, and I fear the chair might break underneath him.
The dress is long-sleeved, protecting my arms from the cold. The skirts flow to the floor, fanning out around me. It’s both simple and elegant. Not the type of wedding dress I would pick if this were a marriage I wanted, but it’s still pretty.
“What does a mating ceremony entail?” I ask as Tallie fluffs my dress in the back. I doubt the ceremony is the same as a wedding ceremony, so I want to be prepared for what’s coming .
“The pack’s mistress of ceremonies will tie your hands together. She’ll say a few words that tradition calls for, and then she will ask if you accept this mating claim. After you both accept the mating claim, Rip will give you his claiming mark.”
Tallie points to a darkened spot on her neck. It looks like a tattoo, but with no real shape or meaning that I can understand. “This is Thorne’s mark on me.”
“How did you get it?”
“He bit me.”
“He what ?” Surely I misheard. “He bit you?”
Tallie laughs and shares a secret glance with Thorne. The two of them radiate love and adoration. He stares at her as if she’s the only woman in his universe. Love like that is rare. At the very least, it’s not something I have ever experienced. Something a lot like sorrow washes over me.
“It’s the best feeling in the world. It’s the start of your eternal bond. You can feel the person you mated to in ways you never knew existed. The best way I can describe it is a feeling of completion. Like you found the other part of yourself.”
The way Tallie describes it sounds magical. A storybook love, complete with the happily-ever-after. Like this one bite could change everything.
“Is that what you felt about Thorne when you mated him? Or did you mate him out of necessity?” My words are bitter. I don’t mean to cause offense, but the picture Tallie is painting isn’t one I believe I’m going to share.
A flush creeps over Tallie’s cheeks. “We were in love before we mated,” she says, almost apologetically. “But it doesn’t mean the bond won’t still snap into place and you’ll feel differently about each other,” she rushes, doing her best to console me .
Maybe for people like her and Thorne, who were in love to start with. But for Rip and me? The most I can hope for is a semblance of respect. “Does it hurt?”
Tallie shakes her head. “No, it feels fantastic, actually. But the bite is usually given…” She trails off, looking at Thorne for assistance.
“Given when?” I press, annoyed that they insist on keeping their secrets. I suppose I understand in a way. I’m still an outsider, but I won’t be for much longer.
Thorne takes over the question, and his answer immobilizes me. “The bite is usually given during sex. The bite is only half the mating ritual. Sex solidifies the bond.”
Pause.
They expect me to fuck Rip? I’ve barely accepted the fact that I’m to be mated to him for the rest of my life, but I’m not ready for sex. No matter how my body responds to him while he’s around.
But what if I don’t have a choice in the matter? Would he simply take what I’m not ready to give him? Would Thorne and Tallie stand by and watch while he…
My breath comes faster, and I sway on my feet. I think the room gets hotter, or maybe that’s just me. I can’t do this. I can’t go through with this. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…
“She’s in distress,” I hear Tallie say to Thorne, and then she’s in front of me, grabbing my arms in a vise-like grip. My feet slip from underneath me, and I realize she’s the only thing holding me upright.
“Hettie, I need you to breathe. Can you do that with me? Breathe with me, okay?” She demonstrates breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. She does this repeatedly until I finally follow suit. The rising panic that threatens to detonate slowly subsides .
“I don’t…can’t have…” I try to get the words out, but coherent sentences aren’t coming.
Tallie understands, though. She nods. “I know, and you won’t have to.”
“Tallie—” Thorne interjects, but she shoots him a reproachful glare.
“She won’t have to,” she says more firmly this time. I’m not sure if she’s directing that at me or Thorne. “The bite is non-negotiable, but she doesn’t have to have sex with Rip. Enough of the bond will be there without it.”
Tallie continues to rub my shoulders and whisper soothing words. My anxiety about this situation soon turns into embarrassment. I hate people seeing me like this. It’s not the image I want Rip’s cousin and second-in-command to have of me, a weak human who is far from home.
“I’m sorry. I...don’t know what came over me.” I step away from Tallie.
She drops her hands and offers me a reassuring smile that reminds me so much of my sister’s that I nearly lose it again.
“The hour grows late, My Star. We need to get our Luna to her ceremony,” Thorne says to her.
“Right, of course.” Tallie’s smile only amplifies her beauty. She is trying to put me at ease, and I appreciate that. “Let’s get you to your alpha. He’s going to be speechless when he sees you.”