Their Runaway Mate (7 page)

Chapter
Five

Anna was reluctant to make an appearance for breakfast after the episode from the night before. She felt both apprehension about how Drew and Carter would treat her and regret for running away and not taking advantage of what they were offering her. Even if she was still adamant that it was because they wanted to use her and not because they actually cared for her. No one had ever cared for Anna really, and everyone she knew used her for one thing or another before they discarded her. So why would Drew and Carter be any different?

Finally resolving herself to not hiding away in fear, she left her bedroom and went downstairs, but once she entered the kitchen and saw Carter was the only one sitting there, deep disappointment set in suddenly.

“Where’s Drew?” She found herself ask before she could take the words back.

Carter didn’t even turn around to look at her. “He left on his trip earlier this morning.”

“Oh,” Anna whispered, suddenly wanting to run out of the kitchen and back to her room.

It was apparent from the way Carter wouldn’t even look at her, that he was upset about the night before. She watched him as he just picked up his coffee cup to take a drink, then put it back down before reaching for his fork and knife again.

He cut into his eggs and brought them to his lips, but stopped right before they disappeared into his mouth. “Anna, instead of standing in the doorway, watching me eat, why don’t you come sit and eat as well? Ella made a plate of breakfast for you and it’s still warm.”

She heard the humor in his voice and tension seemed to release in her shoulders. Perhaps he wasn’t as angry as she thought. She walked around the table and sat across from him in front of the covered plate Ella had set out for her. She removed the metal cover over her plate and looked at the contents, while the succulent scent of bacon and sausage wafted up into her face. Ella always put too much on her plate and Anna was sure she had gained more inches since living in the house than she had in all her years combined.

A hot cup of creamed coffee was placed in front of her and she looked up to see Carter standing over her, having been the one to serve her. His smile was warm and showed no hint of him even remembering the night before, let alone being affected by it. He sat back in his seat and continued to eat from his own plate in a comfortable silence, too bad Anna wasn’t as comfortable.

She’d actually gone from being flustered and embarrassed to angry and annoyed. How dare he not be affected by what happened last night? How dare he act like it was nothing at all?

“Anna calm down, love, it’s not so bad. Drew will be back before you know it,” Carter stated, cutting through her mental rant.

“I know that,” Anna snapped, picking up her fork and spearing a sausage.

Carter visibly winced at her actions, but continued to smile. “Then what’s bothering you so much you want to take it out on your innocent breakfast?”

“Nothing’s bothering me. Why should anything be bothering me?” She retorted, and then shoveled the food into her mouth as if to end the conversation.

Carter just chuckled, which made Anna even more annoyed, “I don’t know, Anna. Why should anything be bothering you?”

She looked up at his knowing smile and just glared. “What you and Drew did last night was cruel and mean.”

She should have felt triumphant at how her remark seemed to wipe the smile right off of Carter’s face and his eyes seemed to appear almost shameful, but she felt more regret instead.

“I’m sorry, Anna,” Carter said, pushing away his plate, and then looking directly at her. “It wasn’t our intent to hurt you.”

“Then what was your intent?” She found herself asking, even though she didn’t want to know the answer. “Because taunting me and teasing me, telling me to join you two, then growling at me until you scared me half to death doesn’t seem like hurting me wasn’t your intent.”

Anna noticed the tick in his jaw as he took a minute to just stare at her before he answered, “I wasn’t growling to scare you away. I wanted you to join us just as badly as Drew did. However, you have to understand Anna, when you do join Drew and me; it will not be some one-night stand or some meaningless tryst. When you join us, we will claim you thoroughly, body and soul, as our mate and no one will be able to break that bond.”

Anna shivered at the hard look Carter gave her, as well as his words. He suddenly stood up and picked up his plate, taking it to the sink, where he left it before stalking toward the kitchen door.

He reached the entrance to the kitchen and stopped just before exiting to turn and look at her. “This isn’t a game to us, Anna. We aren’t going to use you and then toss you away. You are our mate, the missing piece to our souls. When you finally give yourself to us, we will all become whole. I know you still don’t trust us and I may not know much about your life before you came here, but I know you’re probably not used to people wanting you just for you. Drew and I do, I just hope you figure that out.”

A million arguments flew through Anna’s head, but Carter had already left the house before she had a chance to let them slip from her lips. As she sat there staring at the door Carter had just been standing in, she realized she was glad she didn’t have an opportunity to say them because she knew she’d regret them.

*****

Three days had passed since Carter’s speech in the kitchen and he’d managed to avoid her the entire time, she was becoming frustrated. If he really felt the way he said, why was he avoiding her?

She sat at the dinner table, alone, sipping a glass of wine and ignoring her now cold meal. She didn’t really feel like eating, she hadn’t since the other day. What he said continued to run through her head and each time that little voice would argue his points. As each day passed though the voice became quieter and Anna started to become lonely not having Drew around and having Carter avoid her.

She didn’t understand anything about what was going on, but she knew that she had formed very strong feelings for both men. She didn’t want to call it love for fear she would lose her heart to them if she did. It didn’t matter that she knew she already had.

She wondered why she held back from them. They had been good to her so far and they stated they wanted her as their mate, which meant they wouldn’t shove her away once they had heirs. So why was she holding back? It was a better hand than life had dealt her so far, two rich, sexy, strong, and powerful men wanting her. So what was the problem? Well, for one, neither man was anywhere to be found.

Just then Carter strolled into the room looking sexier than ever, or maybe that was the wine talking. He managed a small smile for her as he took a seat at the head of the table and Ella came in to serve him dinner, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes and Anna wondered if she had completely messed up this time.

After a few tense moments, Ella left them and Carter began to eat, while Anna pushed her food around her plate and sipped more wine.

“I don’t think it will do any good to keep stabbing it, love, it’s already dead.” Carter said, bringing her attention to the fact that she had been skewering her chicken continuously.

Anna felt her cheeks flush and she reached for her wine glass again in order to cover up her embarrassment, but she still could hear Carter chuckling at her.

“How have you been, Anna?” He stated so casually, as if he hadn’t been avoiding her the last few days.

“Fine, thank you,” she choked out, not really wanting to talk to him at all, because she was just simmering from being ignored.

He seemed to have noticed this because his next words were in apology. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been available to you in the last few days, Anna.”

She looked at him with this declaration and saw the genuine remorse written all over his face.

“I didn’t want to leave it like I had the other morning, but a lot of issues with the situation about the Rogues came up and I couldn’t seem to tear myself away to be able to get a moment to apologize for my harsh behavior.” He looked down at his plate, sorrowfully.

“Is Drew okay?” Sudden panic clawed at Anna for her other mate. Other mate? When had that happened?

Carter looked back up at her suddenly. “Oh yes, he’s fine, nothing like that, just having reports of them attacking smaller Packs in the area and throughout the Atlantic coastline.”

“Oh my,” Anna gasped, feeling relieved that Drew was fine and sympathetic toward the other Packs. “I hope they haven’t harmed anyone.”

Carter sighed, “Unfortunately, they have killed quite a few other wolves and left many others without homes.”

Anna felt tears well up in her eyes as she listened to Carter relay the bad news to her. “Is there something we can do to help them? Couldn’t you offer to let them stay with your Pack in the compound?”

Carter smiled warmly at her and reached for her hand, grasping it in his very warm hand. “Anna, you have a very big heart. Actually, we have offered to take in some of the families left from Packs that were closer to us, but we have very limited space as it is and expanding would infringe on other Pack’s borders.”

“Oh,” Anna sighed. “Well at least you can help some of them.”

Anna was suddenly acutely aware of the electricity that slithered up her arm from the hand Carter held, but she found she enjoyed the feeling a bit too much to pull away. The room grew quiet as they both just stared into each other’s eyes, searching for something.

Carter was the first to pull his hand away and break the silence. “Hey, why don’t we go into the parlor tonight and play a bit of pool to get our minds off of everything?”

“Umm, I’ve never played pool before,” Anna felt the heat creeping into her face with her admission.

Carter looked at her as if she had grown two heads, then suddenly jumped from his seat and dragged her with him. “Well, it’s time I teach you then, isn’t it?”

*****

Carter looked over at his sweet, little, innocent mate as she chewed on her bottom lip and concentrated on the pool table as if it were the biggest puzzle she had ever seen. He had a strong need to pull that abused piece of flesh away from her teeth with his lips then suck and lick the sting away.

Gods, he was so in love with this woman and it didn’t matter that she was human, everything was so perfect about her. When she’d said she’d never played pool before his mind automatically turned to her ever-present virginity and he thought he should act quickly to avoid any other thoughts on the subject. As it was right at the moment, his groin was aching and he had the worst blue balls he ever remembered having in his over 250 years of living. With Drew not being home, he couldn’t really find relief with him, not that he could when he was home for the time being, and his hand was not doing anything for him.

He made his shot and watched the cue ball bounce off the sidewall, missing his ball completely. His game was apparently off tonight. Not that it mattered, considering Anna hadn’t made one ball in and had mainly scratched through the entire game. She huffed out while she tried to line her pool stick up with the cue ball and made her shot, and scratched again.

“I don’t like this game,” she stated and Carter couldn’t help but chuckle at the pout on her face.

“Oh, come on, it’s not all that bad,” he said as he rounded the table and lined his stick up to take his shot. Luckily, this time he hit his ball and it went in the corner pocket.

“Carter?” Anna queried as he lined up for his next shot.

“Hmmm?”

“How many women have you been with?” Carter’s stick hit the side of the cue ball, which twirled a few inches along the table and hit nothing.

“What?” He said, trying to recover from her question.

Her cheeks tinted pink but she repeated the question, “How many women have you been with? I mean, how many women have you and Drew shared?”

“Anna, why are you asking this?” Carter swallowed, not wanting to really have this conversation.

“I just want to know and you want me to trust you, so I think a part of gaining my trust would be by answering the question truthfully.”

Well shit, she had him there. “I don’t know about twenty or so,” he muttered, hoping she wouldn’t hear.

No such luck, “Twenty or so? How? You and Drew couldn’t have been together that long, let alone lived that long to have over twenty women.”

“Drew and I’ve been mated for sixty years.” Carter defended, and then wished he hadn’t blurted it out.

She visibly paled, as she seemed to gasp in air. “Sixty years? How old are you?”

Carter really didn’t want to be having this conversation. “I’ll be two hundred and forty-nine next month.”

She looked as if she were about to pass out now. “And Drew?”

“He’s actually a couple years older than me. He’ll be two hundred and fifty-three in three months.”

Anna leaned against the table, then all together turned around and pushed herself to sit on it, “I need to sit down.”

Carter was nervous now, as he rounded the table to stand in front of her. “Anna, are you alright?”

“You’re two hundred and fifty years old Carter,” she said, her expression matching her deer in the headlights routine.

“Two hundred and forty-nine,” Carter corrected. “But yes, I guess it’s quite old compared to human years.”

“You guess?” She stared, indignant. “And when were you and Drew going to tell me this, when I was old and grey and you two still looked like you were in your early thirties?”

“Well actually, when you let us claim you, you will become like us and stop aging.”

“So I’ll become immortal?” Her innocent eyes looked at him with surprise and apprehension, and Carter felt an overwhelming pull to comfort her.

He chuckled softly as his hands swept her knees, then pressed on them, gently to force them apart. He stepped between her legs and wrapped his arms around her, letting her headrest on his chest as he rubbed small circles into her back. This was the first time Anna had let him or Drew even come this close to her and he was highly aware of her body pressed to his.

“Not immortal, my love,” his voice sounded lower and husky, even to him. “Just live for a very long time. We do age. It’s just a lot slower than humans.”

He kneaded her shoulders and she groaned into his chest, making his cock strain against the zipper of his jeans. Gods, I want her so badly, if only Drew were here, we could take her together, he thought.

Then his wolf spoke up, claim her without Drew and he can have her when he gets back.

Did he dare do something as important as this without his other mate present?

He had no time to decide, because while he was fighting an internal battle with himself, he felt the innocent, uncertain caress of Anna’s lips sweep across his, then press against him. He knew he shouldn’t return the kiss, but her lips were so sweet and succulent, he found himself taking control very quickly and deepening it.

He pressed his tongue to the seam of her lips, rubbing against it, gently asking for entrance, even though his wolf was howling for him to be more forceful. She opened slightly for him and his tongue speared passed her lips and swept through her mouth. Oh sweet, merciful gods, she tasted so sweet, Carter groaned loudly, as his hands traveled to her ass and pushed her to press closer to him. She moaned as her center was exposed to his hardened cock and tangled her tongue with his. Slowly, he began to rock his hips against hers, while one of his hands slid up to take one of her breasts and started kneading it, pinching her hard nipple and rubbing away the sting.

Her soft mewls were driving him crazy, he wanted this woman like he wanted no one else. He’d only ever felt this driving force with Drew and even that was different from what he felt now. He felt protective and possessive at the same time, he would kill anyone who intended to harm her and let no other man touch her, save Drew. He wanted to fuck her hard and furious, yet handle her like fine china. Her skin was like silk under his hands. Her taste was like sweet ambrosia in his mouth. The higher he pushed her arousal, the closer she got to the edge with the friction he caused by grinding his cock against her clit, her smell became more of a rich, delicious flow of honey and vanilla.

He needed to taste her everywhere, now. He guided her to lay back on the pool table while he pushed her shirt over her head and off. Next came her bra, it was white and nothing fancy, but thankfully it was a front clasping one. Carter popped open the clasp and watched her breasts bounce free of the fabric, her tight, swollen nipples a beautiful rose color, like the ripest, sweetest berry. He latched onto one of her nipples with a growl, sucking, licking, and biting, while she whimpered and writhed underneath him.

He went from one nipple to the other with his mouth, all the time teasing the abandoned one with his fingers. He couldn’t get enough; he loved the taste of her nipples, which tasted like the berries they mimicked.

After a few minutes, he looked up at her, but didn’t stop his assault on her breasts, to see that her eyes were closed tightly. Even though she appeared to be in ecstasy, Carter wanted her watching what he did to her. He pulled away from her nipple with a pop and braced his arms on either side of her head against the pool table.

“Anna, open your eyes,” he stated, then waited patiently for her compliance.

Slowly one eye popped open then the other and she stared up at him with a bewildered expression, “Have I done something wrong?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her question. “No, my sweet Anna, you’ve done nothing wrong. I just want you to be watching me when I take you.”

The aqua blue of her eyes turned dark with desire and began to glaze over with passion.

Carter kissed her hard on the lips, burying his hands in her hair and demanding her submission, which she gave willingly. He reveled in the way she opened herself for him without question, gone was the woman who first came here and refused to be his mate. She was his, now and forever.

He pulled from her lips and she bared her throat to him, which he kissed and sucked on happily, but he didn’t bite, yet. He wanted to leave his bite when she was in the height of her orgasm and he in his. Then he would drink some of her blood and leave his mark to let every wolf know she was his.

“Carter,” she whimpered, forcing more blood to go south and his cock to harden more. He knew once he got his pants off, his cock head would probably be purple considering all the pain she had him in.

“Carter?” she asked, and Carter wondered how she could concentrate on anything else, let alone talking.

Still he answered as he made his way back down her body, toward her delicious nipples, “Yes, my darling?”

“What about Drew? Shouldn’t we wait for him?” She said breathlessly, even though her hands were twisted in his hair, encouraging him to carry on.

His wolf howled no, that Drew wouldn’t mind and would be happy to claim her when he returned, but his human half knew that he’d be hurt if Carter claimed their mate without him.

However, it didn’t seem to matter which voice he was going to listen to because a faint knock sounded at the den door.

Carter jumped back from Anna and immediately wished he hadn’t from the look of hurt on her face.

“I’m sorry, Anna. You’re right, it wasn’t right of me to take such privileges without Drew present,” he tried to make amends for his abrupt action, but she just gave him a withering look and began to re-clasp her bra and grab her shirt.

Another knock sounded, but all Carter could do was watch her put her clothes back on, covering her beautiful body from his view. When she was done, she looked at him in confusion and her eyes appeared uncertain. She looked absolutely beautiful, like a goddess, with her hair all mussed, her cheeks flushed, and her lips red and swollen from his kisses, the last thing he wanted was for her to be uncertain.

He walked back to her and grabbed her face in his hands. “Anna, I want you so bad, you are so beautiful and perfect, and believe me when I say, pulling away from you is one of the hardest and most painful things I have ever had to do. However, I have to for now because Drew deserves to be a part of this too and he isn’t here right now. I know he wants you just as much as I do and he’d be hurt if we did it without him.”

She frowned a bit and her bottom lip came out in a pout, but before she could say anything, he continued.

“Wait for him to come home my love, and when he does, we will both give you so much pleasure you’ll feel like you’re in heaven. I promise we will make it worth your wait because Drew and I have been waiting a long time for this, and will not let it be anything less than perfect for you.”

A blush crept over her cheeks and her arousal permeated the air around him. He inhaled deeply then growled, bending to take her lips in a bruising kiss.

The knock was loud and impatient this time and Carter tore his lips from hers, yelling. “Yes!? What is it!?”

Aryk popped his head in the doorway and upon seeing Carter and Anna began to blush profusely. “I-I’m sorry Alpha, but there is a problem and we need you right away.”

Carter pulled away from Anna and began to walk toward the door, but Aryk stopped him, “No, I mean we need her right away.”

Carter looked back at Anna and then at Aryk, again. “What’s going on, Aryk that you would need Anna for?”

“Well you see,” Aryk hesitated. “There is this woman out here who has been beaten pretty badly and she is claiming to be Anna’s sister.”

With that, Anna pushed past Carter and raced toward the door. “Take me to her please, Aryk.”

The door hung open where Aryk and Anna had just exited and Carter just stood in the middle of the room, baffled by the turn of events.

“Her sister?” he muttered, then exited the room, following closely behind them.