Chapter Fourteen
Lindon
I stopped the second we stepped into the clearing, her wolf standing there looking like she was ready to bolt.
It was Hazel, but instead of the gorgeous woman I’d seen in the files, she was in her wolf form—equally stunning.
Gone were the protections of the scent blockers, oils, perfumes, herbs, and whatever else had been masking her scent in the shop she ran.
The only thing left was her raw scent and it slammed into me instantly.
Blackberries and honey tickled my nose, and it was the most delicious combination in the world, at least to me.
My wolf instantly pushed at me to be let loose.
He saw her for who she was, and being kept from her was pissing him off.
It took all that I had to keep him at bay and keep my own desire to cave to his whim, tamped down.
Mine.
Mate.
Our omega.
Mark.
He was right about all of that, but wrong about the approach. She was terrified, on the run, and surrounded by three intimidating alphas. I refused to do anything to make this harder for her, especially mating her against her consent.
I turned to see True and Shiloh standing firm at their spot, heads slightly tilted, and scenting the air deeply. A hint of arousal wafted on the breeze. Their wolves scented her too. I wasn’t alone in knowing she was mine. She was our pack’s mate, something I’d feared was only in fairy tales.
The reason I was so successful with my work was because I analyzed to a fault before making decisions. But with this, there was no hesitation. On every level, she was mine. Ours. There was nothing to decide.
Fuck the person we’d been tracking her for.
Fuck the contract.
Fuck our reputation.
Whatever fee was needed to break that contract, we’d find.
Excuses as to where she was? We’d make them up and seed evidence to support it.
Need to run to keep her safe? We’d buy a motorhome, if it came to that.
I’d bleed anyone who got in our way, because I was not delivering her to anyone.
I wasn’t restraining her for even a second.
I sure as shit wasn’t going to force her to do anything, not even accept me or our pack.
Our omega deserved so much better than that.
I could see the panic in her beast. Her wolf’s stance changed. Her eyes deepened and scanned the clearing constantly. Her fur stood up slightly. Our mate was terrified.
Hazel had every reason to be. She had three alphas she didn’t know staring at her. And that was bad enough for most omegas to encounter, but she was hiding from someone. She understood that we might not be random wolves on a stroll.
Crap. If we weren’t careful, she was gonna bolt.
“Guys, back up. Give her some space. We’re freaking her out.”
Understatement of the year.
My packmates seemed to understand the seriousness of my command and did, both of them baring their necks and moving slowly.
True’s beast was close to the surface, but as an observer.
He was completely in control. He almost looked like he was going to cry, but not out of sorrow.
True’s empathy made him stronger than most, something most alphas didn’t understand.
Shiloh, on the other hand, was struggling to obey. It wasn’t until I put a hand on the back of his neck, partially shifted my hand, and pressed down my claws slightly that he backed up. He wasn’t trying to frighten her. Shiloh was just struggling.
“Hazel. We’re not going to hurt you.” I spoke for us all. “We’re not going to make you go anywhere. We’re just staying at the inn.”
Given how gifted I was in contract negotiations, I sucked at this.
It was difficult talking to her beast with so much on the line and not being able to see her human reactions or hear her responses.
I wanted her to shift back and talk to us, but she wouldn’t want to stand there naked in front of three alphas.
I looked between us. I had the longest shirt and took it off, tossing it ahead of me.
“Listen. We’re going to step back. Can you shift and put this on so we can talk? We promise, vow it on our lives, that we won’t hurt you.”
We walked a short distance away and then the three of us sat down, in an attempt to come off as less intimidating.
It was difficult not to look in her direction, and not because I wanted to see her body, although under different circumstances, I definitely would.
But because I wanted to make sure no one else was there, that we didn’t miss any danger.
It felt like we waited for hours, but it was barely ten minutes later when we heard her paws heading in our direction and then her shift.
“I’m dressed,” her voice quaked. “You can turn around.”
And when I did, the shirt looked far too good on her, and it wasn’t even clean. Gods help me, I was picturing her in all my clothing, the last thing I needed in this situation.
This was the first time I’d had a really good look at her face in anything but photos, and those pictures did not do her justice.
“I’m Lindon. This is True, short for Truett, and this big guy is Shiloh. We’re here on pack business,” which was true, but not the entire truth. I wasn’t about to tell her why we’d come to this town. She was scared enough without that.
“I know you sensed this too. I saw you all recognize us the way we did you.” I wanted to shout that we were mates, but I needed her to say it first, to assure me we weren’t going to be pushing the idea on her.
Like it or not, there was a perceived power imbalance between us, and I refused to make that worse.
And that was when she said her first words. “We’re mates.”
Thank the gods.
“We are,” True said. “But that doesn’t mean we’ll try and control you or make you accept us.”
“Why were you following me?”
Shit. That wasn’t what I wanted to be discussing yet, especially not until I talked to the others.
“Because we’re mates. That’s why we stayed in the clearing.” True saved the day by answering for us.
She didn’t look any less scared than she was before, but she was trusting us enough not to bolt. That was good enough for now. Next, we had to figure out what the heck we were going to do. Because, like it or not, we were in a huge-ass mess.