“We can go inside as you explain, if you want?” Callum kindly suggests, waving a hand towards the house, and I nod my head. I look back once at my rogue as I lock the car doors with my keys. He just smirks, and I turn away before I decide to drag him out the car and leave him here alone as I go home. Cain surprises me by placing a warm hand on my lower back as he guides me up the steps and reaches to open the door for me.
“Such a gentleman. I didn’t know there were any guys like you left these days,” I tease.
“There is a lot you don’t know, G-G,” Cain laughs as I step into their house. The scent of forest and something sweet floats over to me. I look around the massive, open plan room I’m in. The room has stairs in the middle, separates the kitchen and lounge, which look modern and recently built. I walk over to the black sofas that have white blankets and cushions on them. There is a white fireplace, with a huge flat screen television above it and speakers on the walls either side of it. There are also flowers in the window and picture frames with paintings in them. The room feels like a female has designed it. I hate how jealous it makes me feel that another woman could already be in their lives.
“Please sit,” Callum asks, waving a hand towards the sofas. I sit on the only chair in the room, and both the bears just shake their heads at my seat choice, sitting down opposite from me. Always sit alone in an unfamiliar room, with unfamiliar people, it’s safer. Or at least that’s what I think.
“Well I think it’s best I get straight to the point. I need your help and before you ask, Nikoli can’t help me. You are more than welcome to say no, tell me I’m crazy, and I won’t hate you for it, or hold it against you," I say, and Cain’s eyes widen a little, most likely at hearing Nikoli and my pack can’t help me.
“Who is wolf in the car? The one that smells like a pub?” Cain asks, resting his elbows on his knees as he sits forward and focuses on me.
“A potential mate of mine, and also someone I was meant to be hunting for the royals. They want him dead, or brought to them for something I haven’t found out yet. I know this sounds mad, but I don’t think he is bad guy, and I’ve met plenty of them over the years. I can tell from one look,” I explain. Cain and Callum look at each other for only a second and in that second, they seem to have some kind of conversation without words.
“The rogue stays in a locked room we use for females in heat when they aren’t mated and want to be left alone. The room is impossible to break out of,” Cain demands, and I nod once. “As for him being your mate, he will need to earn that right.”
“I never said he would be my mate. I just can’t see him dead, like I couldn’t see any of you dead either,” I say, and both of them smile widely. I roll my eyes at their reaction. “That wasn’t a compliment.”
“It’s the nicest thing you’ve said to us, so I’m taking it as one,” Callum says with a cheeky grin, and I can’t help but smile a little. I turn sharply as the door opens, and my rogue walks in, his arms untied and stretching.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” he says, as we all jump up, with Cain and Callum instinctively shielding me from my rogue as low growls slip from their throats. I push in-between them both and stand just in front of them, surprised they don’t try to stop me.
“How the hell did you get out the bindings and the car? My car is fitted with no handles, so my prisoners can’t escape. Literally my key is the only way out,” I say, confused.
“I’ve been out the bindings since I woke up, darling. I didn’t want to worry you, so I sat still. Oh, and I broke the window. No point getting your car all done up like that without bulletproof windows,” he says, crossing his arms and smiling at me. Bastard.
“If you want to stay here, you can’t be free in our pack until we know everything about your past,” Cain warns.
“I won’t tell you everything, but I will talk about the last hundred years. You might find it useful to learn who you should trust,” he replies, staring Cain down. Both of them feel like alphas to me, and it’s never good to have two alphas challenging each other. One always ends up dead.
“In the morning you can tell us, but for now, you stay in the room we chose. Our mate needs to rest,” Cain demands, and I turn to see him carefully watching my rogue.
“Sure, I could use a shower. Our mate does need rest,” he says, stretching out the word our. A menacing growl slips out of all of their throats, and I step back a little, resting my hands on Cain and Callum’s shoulders. They stop growling and stare at me as I look back at my rogue. For a moment, I just pause, hearing no more growling from the bears and knowing that my touch calmed them down. Our bond is growing, and I don’t know if I want that. I remove my hands quickly, not liking how easy and natural it felt to touch them.
“Quit with the mate shit. I’m not any of your mates. Just potential, that’s it,” I snap at all of them now the posturing has stopped. I ignore all of their stares as I walk past my rogue and to the door. It’s not their fault, and I regret my words the moment they leave my lips, but I can’t change how scared they make me feel. I haven’t been scared of anything in a long time, and I can’t have all these men mated to me. It’s been hundreds of years of being alone, and no sexy mysterious wolf, no handsome, charming bears are going to change that.
“Where are you going?” Cain shouts after me.
“To get my bag and shit out the car,” I say and open the door, ignoring the way my heart is pounding against my chest as I walk away from them all.