Stolen and Forgiven

  Too soon, he pulled away, his breath coming in pants to match hers. He rested his forehead on hers once again, as she fought to catch up.

  “Wow,” she whispered then shut her mouth.

  He let out another rough chuckle, and kissed her forehead. “I like the sound of that wow.”

  “Pretend I said something eloquent and meaningful just then, okay?”

  “As long as you pretend I didn’t just paw you after all you’ve been through.”

  She pulled away and smiled. “I don’t think I can do that. I liked the pawing, even if I’m still confused as hell.”

  He smiled full out, his face brightening. Hell, he was so handsome, so freaking sexy. It was no wonder she’d latched on to him like a drowning woman, and he was a life preserver.

  “Confusion we can deal with. It’s not going to be any clearer with just one day of explanations. But what we just did? I’m not going to lie. I liked that. A lot.”

  She blushed and bit her lip. “Okay, then. Maybe we should do it again. Just to be sure.” Who was this woman, and where had she come from? Ariel kind of liked her.

  Holden just snorted then leaned forward and brushed his lips along hers. She moaned into him once more. She could get used to this.

  “It’s true. I thought it was a lie, but it’s true.”

  Holden froze and Ariel stiffened at the woman’s voice. He let out a growl then turned on his heel, blocking Ariel from view.

  “What are you doing in here, Claire?”

  Claire. Who was she? Ariel shifted so she could see around Holden and tried not to frown. The woman stood at the edge of Holden’s kitchen, her arms folded over her ample chest. She had to be a full six inches taller than Ariel and looked like a warrior princess with her long flaming red hair.

  “I heard what you said out there about her, but I thought it had to be a lie. You must have just used the mating excuse to keep her alive since you had a moment of idiocy in changing her. You wouldn’t have taken a mate you didn’t know after years of saying you wouldn’t mate anyone. You wouldn’t mate me. It doesn’t make sense, Hold.”

  Hold.

  This woman knew him, knew him intimately if Ariel guessed correctly. It had occurred to her that Holden would have a past, but she hadn’t thought he would push someone aside for her. She didn’t know enough about mating, but she knew enough about cheating and broken hearts.

  Cold, she pulled away from Holden and wrapped her arms around herself, ignoring the ache in her forearm from the brand.

  “Claire. This is my home. You cannot come and go as you please.”

  “You’re kicking me out,” the other woman whispered.

  “This is not your home, Claire. It never was. We aren’t mates, and haven’t been together in a year. I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish by coming in here and making a scene, but this is not like you.” Holden took a step to the side and clasped Ariel’s hand. “Despite what you thought, Ariel is my mate.”

  Ariel wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. So one of Holden’s exes wasn’t happy with the mating. That wasn’t surprising, but this was so not the way to go about it.

  “Holden.”

  “Go home, Claire. We will talk about this later.” He looked down at Ariel. “All of us will talk.”

  Ariel met Claire’s gaze and didn’t like what she saw. This woman had loved Holden, probably still loved him despite Holden saying they hadn’t been together in a year. Ariel didn’t blame the other woman for the animosity, but this was not how she wanted to start her new decision in becoming part of the Pack.

  Claire shook her head then turned on her heel and stomped away, slamming the door behind her.

  “Fuck. I’m sorry about that. I was so focused on the taste of you, I didn’t sense her coming in. I need to be more careful about that. You cloud my brain.”

  She shook her head and hopped off the stool. “I don’t think I should be flattered that I cloud your decisions.”

  Holden scowled. “That’s not what I said.”

  “But that’s sort of what it came out as. As for Claire, you say you haven’t been together for a year, but she looks pretty hurt, Holden.”

  He let out a curse. “I haven’t been with anyone in a year. My wolf didn’t want any of the women here so I had to be careful who I was with. I’m Alpha, siren. I can’t just mate with anyone and let them lead the Pack with me. I needed who my wolf wanted, too. We both want you, not Claire. I’m sorry that she’s hurt, but she shouldn’t have come in here like she did. There had been a distance between her and I, and now she’s tried to come closer.”

  “It’s a lot, Holden,” Ariel whispered. “Each piece seems difficult, the Pack, the SAU, my wolf, and now Claire. But put it together? It seems insurmountable.”

  He moved forward and cupped her face. She didn’t move away, needing his touch more than she wanted to admit. “It might seem that way, but it’s not. One step at a time and we will figure it out. Together. I promise you, siren.”

  He could make those promises, but that didn’t mean it would all work out. So much was out of their hands. Even if they could overcome that, she still had a fate she would need to learn to accept.

  Because she might have craved his touch, his taste, but that didn’t mean she would be able to survive the burn of a world that she didn’t know.

  Chapter 5

  The next day, Holden’s wolf ran him hard. Between Claire, Soren, and some of his packmates, he and his wolf were already on edge. Add in the fact that he’d put Ariel in his bed last night—he’d spent the night on the couch—and he was ready to jump out of his skin. His wolf wasn’t happy with the decision, but neither Holden nor Ariel was ready to sleep all night next to the other.

  She needed space, and he needed the ability to breathe since he wouldn’t have been able to hold himself back once she curled into him. He could just imagine the feel of her lush ass pressed against his cock when he spooned her.

  Holden growled and adjusted his dick in his pants. Sporting a hard-on while trying to think of how to integrate Ariel into the Pack that day wasn’t making any of this easier. In fact, it was damn near impossible.

  “Holden?”

  He turned as Ariel made her way to him. She tugged on her long-sleeve shirt covering her brand. Every time he looked at it, he wanted to howl, but he held back for her sake. He needed to act like everything was as normal as possible. Going off about something he couldn’t change wouldn’t help anybody.

  One of the submissives in the Pack had dropped off a few things for Ariel to wear and use. He was so damn grateful for those in his life. While he did his best to protect what was his and make the tough decisions, it was the submissives who nurtured the Pack and provided comfort through the little things, and sometimes, even the big things they did.

  “Everything okay?”

  His mate gave him a small smile before pulling her hair back from her face. The long locks curled over her shoulders and down her back—sexy as hell.

  “Yeah. I wanted to thank you and whoever brought me the clothes. And well, everything they brought.” She shrugged and let out a sigh. “I can’t even say I only had the clothes on my back when I came here since I was naked at the time.”

  He winced at the memory of the blood covering her body and held out his arms. “Come here.”

  She raised a brow. “Why?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Because I’m a wolf and you are, too. We hug. We touch. It’s a shifter thing. Let me comfort you.”

  She looked hesitant but walked into his arms anyway. He wrapped his arms around her body and sighed before inhaling her sweet scent. “Am I comforting you, too?”

  He let out a low growl and she froze. Damn it. He knew she wasn’t used to the ways of the wolf, but he couldn’t help his reactions sometimes. “Yes, siren, you comfort me.”

  “Good,” she mumbled then relaxed in his hold once more.

  They stood there, holding each other in silence for a few minutes until
someone cleared their throat. Holden had heard his friend and Beta enter the house, but he didn’t want to let go of Ariel.

  Ariel moved away from him and turned. “Soren, hi.”

  She was so damn awkward around the man and Holden didn’t blame her. Soren hadn’t been welcoming, but then again, he couldn’t blame his friend, either. It was all a big clusterfuck, but he hoped they’d all find a way to fix it.

  Soren nodded at Ariel before turning to Holden. “We have a problem.”

  Holden cursed. Of course there was a problem When wasn’t there a problem? “What is it?”

  “The sentries spotted the guards at the entrance,” Soren explained. “The SAU sent a few guards and soldiers into the compound. They should be in the den center in the few minutes. They want all of us there.” His Beta leveled a look at Holden. “They’ve come in for inspections, but this smells different.”

  “Fuck.” Holden ran a hand over his face and turned to Ariel. “We drew in the Pack tattoo this morning, so don’t rub on it just in case they look too deeply at it. We’ll have to get you properly inked tonight or tomorrow. The wound looks a little red still, but you’re healing enough that the brand won’t look out of place. Just act as calm as possible and stand by my side...”—he cursed again—“...unless it looks like they’re trying to get me to act out or shift then go to Soren.” He looked at his best friend who gave him a nod. “We’ll be fine.”

  Ariel’s eyes widened, but she nodded. “You’re lying, but thank you for trying. I won’t say a word, and I’ll do my best to blend in. But, Holden, what if any of them are the guards or doctors who held me? You won’t be able to hide me.”

  He nodded. “I know. But if we hide you right away and they find you, it will be worse for all of us. Hopefully, if we group together, they won’t bother looking at any of us specifically. They don’t usually look at our faces. They look at the brands and move on. We aren’t people to them, Ariel. That prejudice has saved our lives before and, hopefully, will again.”

  Soren cleared his throat. “They won’t be looking for you as a wolf or amongst the people Ariel. They’re looking for a dead girl. They want to place the blame for the body they dropped. When they don’t find it, they’re going to keep looking, but they won’t find you. We’ll just have to be careful.”

  Some of the tension that had plagued Holden since he’d first bitten Ariel eased. He was sure Soren would protect his mate. Of course, Holden had enough tension that he didn’t quite feel as relieved as he thought he should have.

  “Just don’t let me screw up. Okay?”

  He leaned down and kissed her softly, surprising them both. “I won’t. Now let’s go. We can’t be late, and I don’t want us to be the last ones there. Remember. Blend.”

  He gripped her hand and followed Soren out of the house. They made their way to the center of the compound, their senses on alert. Holden felt his wolf growl, but he remained silent. As they walked, others came out of their small homes and joined their party, flanking Ariel, shielding her from outsiders. If he hadn’t been watching it, he would have missed it. They’d done it so subtlety, that it looked perfectly normal. But he knew his wolves; this was deliberate. He didn’t know if they were protecting her for themselves or for Ariel’s sake, but either way, he loved his Pack right then.

  She would be their Alpha along with him. It wasn’t an easy task, but if they got through this, then they would be one step closer to Ariel taking her place at his side.

  They gathered with the others in the center of the compound, the tension rising with every passing minute. The place wasn’t that big so it wasn’t as if anyone had to walk far to get anywhere. However, the guards and SAU liked to demonstrate their power by taunting the Pack with a casual urgency in their movements that kept him on edge.

  There was a reason Holden had gone for a run the night he found Ariel. Being Alpha was almost too much for any one person. Ariel being by his side almost soothed him even with the added complications and secrecy. He couldn’t explain it, but maybe one day, he’d ask another true mated couple to see if it was the result of the mating or was it Ariel herself who helped him breathe again? She should have been a wreck after what happened, yet she kept it together, holding her head high as she rolled her shoulders back.

  He’d never been so fucking proud.

  He scented the humans before he could see them. The others around him shifted from foot to foot, the anxiety mounting. Ariel put her hand on his back in order for him to keep his hands free. Smart girl. The guards knew he was Alpha, even if at first they’d tried to deny any from of hierarchy when it came to animals. After all, they made Holden brand his Pack because of the position he held. They kept a watchful eye on him whenever they entered the compound and would notice a woman by his side. He just hoped they didn’t recognize her. The SAU, though organized, held too many cards too close to the chest. He’d noticed over time that not all arms of their organization talked to one another. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary if not everyone knew what she looked like. If they did…well he was fucked.

  They all were.

  “We’ve heard there’s a dead human on your grounds,” a member of the SAU announced with no preamble. “We will be searching the dwellings and the forested area for her remains. Once we find the body, there will be repercussions. You know the law. You kill one human; we kill ten shifters. It’s only right, after all. You’re lucky we don’t exterminate the lot of you animals.”

  Holden ground his teeth together. As far as he was aware, none of his people had ever killed a human. They’d fought for their lives after the Verona Virus and before they were collared, but that had been during what was essentially a war and long before the laws that now held them captive were passed.

  He didn’t answer their taunts, didn’t tell them he had nothing to hide. After all, that was a lie. He could hear Ariel’s breath coming in pants even though he knew she tried to calm herself. As it was, his hands were fisted at his sides, and he could sense the aggression of the others around him. Being told they were nothing, that they had no rights and deserved death and not being able to do anything about it was the worst from of impotence. He couldn’t protect his mate, couldn’t protect his people…he could do nothing but take the verbal lashing while the humans searched their homes, as if they meant nothing to them.

  Soren leaned closer, brushing his shoulder against his. Holden calmed down fractionally. His best friend, his Beta, was there. At least that was something. If it weren’t for the children held in their mother’s and father’s arms, and the submissives who couldn’t fight because their wolves craved nurture instead, they might have had a chance. But the bullets in the guards’ guns tore through flesh and bone, taking out life in swift and too casual measures.

  Protecting his people wouldn’t come from teeth and claws.

  It would come from words and secret alliances that, if they were to come out in the open, would kill them all.

  However, he couldn’t think about that. He could only think about the men in front of him, taunting him with their power, and the woman behind him, the one who could destroy his fragile hold on control.

  One of the guards moved forward, his gaze on Holden. The man held his gun to his chest, his finger near the trigger but not on it.

  “Is there something you want to say, Alpha?” The man sneered the title, but Holden didn’t care about that as much as he should. This peon wasn’t Pack, but an extension of hatred that didn’t have a true cause. Fear led them and their actions. Holden wouldn’t allow that to be the same of his people.

  He tilted his head, looking more wolf than man. A clear taunt, but with so many witnesses, it would be hard pressed for the guard to do anything about it. Sure, he could try to beat the shit out of Holden—again—but that would only lead to more tension.

  “Did you hear me? I asked you a question.” The young guard looked as if he hadn’t been born during the Verona Virus. So fucking young and so little brains.

&
nbsp; “I have nothing to say,” Holden said as calmly as he could. Ariel’s fingernails dug into his back but she didn’t make a sound. Good girl. This had to be scary as hell for her, but there was nothing he could do. She’d never see the cruelty of those who thought they owned the shifters. She’d seen the depravity of her own torture, and that was enough. He hated that he had to show her this as well—that he’d brought her fully into the fold with the bites that had saved her life.

  The guard moved into Holden’s space, trying to look bigger than he was. In reality, Holden stood a good four or five inches taller than the little-pricked bastard.

  “Do I sense an attitude, Alpha?”

  Holden smiled broadly, making sure he showed as many teeth as he could. The guard’s eyes widened, and he took a few steps back. “I have no attitude. I am merely doing what I was told. I’m a good, powerless shifter.” He let his eyes change to wolf, a subtle power play that might not have been smart, but was needed.

  The guard paled and scurried back to his friends.

  It didn’t matter they were collared and caged; they were still wolves. One on one, he could slice the little bastards up before they could even reach for a weapon.

  And the guards knew that.

  That was why they always came in force. They knew with one move, the tables could turn—at least until the other guards showed up with the big guns. These guys didn’t much care for risking their lives to wait on the others to save them. They were frightened underneath all that bluster.

  And that’s exactly how Holden wanted them.

  He stood there, glaring at the guards who thought they held the shifters’ lives in their hands. Only that wasn’t the case. Not now. These individual guards could be taken easily, while some of his soldiers protected the young and those who couldn’t fight. Holden had his own sentries, his own soldiers and fighters who would lay their lives on the line for the good of the Pack.