I rest my head against the cold tiles of the shower as the hot water slams down on me. The shower gives me those few moments alone I need to think straight about everything that has happened over the last two days. How has it only been two days? Sometimes life just overwhelms me, and my usual response is to avoid or run away from the issue, but I know I can’t do that right now. Well, I could run, but I know I wouldn't forgive myself if I did. Over the years, I learnt that being at peace with yourself is so much more important than anything else in the world. I pick up the shampoo bottle off the shelf in the shower, opening it and smelling the lemon scent coming from it. This is why Cain smells like lemons. I shrug and wash my hair with it, knowing I need to pick up my own shampoo from a shop soon. I can just order it online, and all the other things I will need, and get Snow to pack my things to send here. I use the mint smelling soap to clean myself before turning the shower off and getting out a few moments later. I wrap myself in one of the fresh towels on the side and wring my wet hair out in the sink before running my fingers through it. Luckily, I have some coconut oil in my bag that I can run through my hair, so it doesn't turn into a curly, frizzy mess when it dries. There is nothing worse than frizzy, curly hair that looks like you could bounce right off it. I step out the bathroom, bumping head-first into someone, and we both fall to the floor as we slip. I land on top of the man I smell is a bear before I even open my eyes and see dark green ones staring back at me. I freeze as I stare into his eyes and feel his hands on my hips. My legs are straddling one of his, and every part of our bodies are pressed so closely together. I can feel his hard stomach, chest and I’m pretty sure my towel is loose enough that he can feel me too. I’m too shocked by how attracted I am to his bear to even speak, to even move. I just stare. Like an absolute crazy person.
"They told me you were here. I'm Chase, in case my brothers didn't tell you my name," he says in a /indifferent tone that still somehow sounds completely seductive in his gravelly voice. He grabs my hips through the towel, lifting me to my feet in one quick move as he stands up himself. Chase, my other mate.
"Thanks," I say, and he just walks around me to the last room next to mine, opening the door and slamming it shut behind him. What the hell is his problem?
"Bye, then!" I shout, knowing the bastard can hear me. I go back to my room and slam my own door just to make a point. I drop my towel once the door is shut and go to my bag, picking out my black Active-wear outfit I love. I pull the leggings and top on, which both have lace down their sides. The top has a built-in bra so I don't even have to wear one, not that I have much boobs to worry about. I rub coconut oil on my hands and smooth it through my hair as I walk to the full-length mirror that is, oddly, on the back of the door. When my hair looks half decent, and I give myself I once over for courage, I go back to my bag and pull out the file on my rogue. I stare at it for a second, not knowing whether I want to open it or not.
"Gold," Callum's voice comes through the door as he knocks twice. "Our mother has made us all dinner, and she would love if you wanted to come and meet her."
I put the file back in the bag and run to the door, swinging it open to see Callum stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, a big grin forming on his lips when he sees me. He looks amazing, with his brown hair combed to the one side, showing off his green eyes that I know I could look into for a long time and not move. I run my eyes over his black jeans, heavy looking black boots, and back up to the off-white shirt stretched across his massive chest. It has a slight dip in the middle, so I can see a little chest hair, and I have to stop myself from reaching out to touch him. I try to think back to when I last had sex, or was even kissed, and I honestly can’t remember. I think it’s been over twenty years. I guess time just passes quicker than we realise, and I have been so busy with work. Plus, it’s always dangerous to date supernaturals when they could just find their mate, and dating humans means you have to either watch them die or you turn them, which most don’t want to be turned. I learnt that the hard way once, and I've never dated a human since.
"Your mother?" I ask, wondering about their family, and knowing I have to meet them makes me feel a little anxious now.
"Oh yeah, our mother and baby brother live in the third house. I'm sorry, we should have explained that earlier. So, do you want to come?" he asks, looking tense now.
"Sure, though I will admit I'm a little nervous," I tell him as I step out and shut my door behind me. Callum takes my hand in his, linking our fingers, and I look up at him in question.
"I like to be close to you, is hand holding really that bad?" he asks, and when he words it like that, and his hand feels so nice in mine, I can't really argue with him. I just shrug and let him lead me down the hallway and to the stairs.
"Tomorrow, can I take you out for the day?" Callum suddenly asks.
"Like a date?" I ask.
"Nope, not a date. I wanted to show you where we all work and see if you are interested in helping out. Tomorrow is my day to run it as we take it in turns, but all of the pack works there throughout the month between their own local jobs," he explains.
"I feel like this is a date, without it actually being a date. You are pretty smart in how you asked, well played. But, yes, I want to come," I say, and he laughs.
"Figuring me out already? I like it," he says, making me laugh. He bumps my shoulder a little, and it makes me realise how small I am compared to him. I could literally climb him like a tree, and I weirdly like the idea.
"Tell me something completely random about yourself," I ask as we walk through the entrance hall, and he opens the front door for us to step out.
"I collect coins," he tells me, and I give him a slightly surprised look.
"Coins?" I ask.
"Yep. I can show you them sometime, but it might bore you. It does most people," he says, and I can hear the slight worry in his voice. Is he really that scared I will get bored and leave or something?
"I'm interested to be honest. I used to know a human who collected stamps. There were hundreds of them he had found over twenty years, and his favourite was one that was printed wrong, damaged in a way," I say, remembering Harry. Harry was a lovely human, one that knew what I was and didn’t judge me. He was just my friend, one who didn’t like to leave the house and had a few issues. Harry never married, never really made friends, and didn’t have anyone except for me and Erik. It was such a shame as he was such a good man. He gave us his stamp collection to hold onto and asked us to sell when it was worth something. He requested the money be given to children with no families, and we donated the millions we made on the stamps to just that. It is the only way we had to honour his memory, and now there is a foster house named after Harry. We were there when he died, which still hurts to think of, and it wasn’t long after that we found the Forest Pack.
"I have three coins like that. I believe the unusual, the rare, and what people often describe as wrong are the most brilliant things of them all," he says, making me pause to look up at him because I didn't expect such a heartfelt thing for him to say. There might be far more to the playful bear than I first thought, and it feels so odd to feel so close to him already. These bears are chipping away at my plan of not mating with them really quick.
"Now, where is your hug for your future mother in law?" I hear a woman ask, and I turn away from Callum to see a woman step out of the third house, walking over to us. She has beautiful, long blonde hair that is going a little grey at the roots, and it is plaited down her back. Her pale green eyes lock with mine before she visibly looks me over and smiles widely. I'm pulled away from Callum and straight into a hug when she gets to me.
"I see where Callum gets the introductory bear hugs from," I say, and she pulls away, smiling at me still.
"You'll find Callum is a lot more like me than my other sons. They all have their father's serious nature," she winks at me and hooks her arm through mine, leading me towards her house like we are best friends already. I don’t stop her, knowing I need to get used to her affectionate and friendly disposition.
"What's your name?" I ask her, glancing at my other side as Callum steps close to me.
"Betty Bearlay, lovely to meet you Gold Forest," and she smiles at me. "Well, it will soon be Gold Bearlay, won't it? As you are joining our pack."
"I guess it will," I say, unable to hold back the twinge of sadness at leaving my pack behind, my family.
"It's okay to be sad. Moving packs is always hard on anyone, but going from wolves like yourself to a pack of bears...well, your wolf is bound to be upset," she says, understanding on some level how I feel.
"Not just my wolf is a little upset. They are my family, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to be here," I say, looking up at Callum as I speak because it is him that I want to understand that. I will miss my pack, but I’m coming to realise finding a mate is so powerful and full of magic. Magic that is meant to lead us where we need to be. I have three mates in this pack, and I would be stupid to continue to ignore a sign like this. Destiny, fate, and whatever magic it is that leads us to our mates, wants me here. I have to give this place a chance, see if it could be everything I've been searching for.
"We won't ever stop you from going to see them. We aren't that kind of pack," Callum says, placing his hand on my arm for only a second. He steps in front of us, opening the front door to the house, and we walk in. Betty's house is much more homey, with cream carpets, pale blue walls, and various wooden furniture around the room. Betty leads us to the door on the left, which is a massive kitchen/diner, and Chase is sat at the table with a beer in his hand. I notice his hand visibly tightens on the beer when he sees me next to his mother. I look away from him to the room, loving the warm, comfortable feel to it. There are two, tall lampshades lighting the room, and the wooden cabinets have lights underneath them. Modern appliances complete the kitchen, and the dining table is made of glass, with wooden chairs with white fabric covers on the seats. Callum pulls a seat out for me, right next to Chase who doesn't look even a little bit impressed at his brother’s choice of seating. I walk over, sitting down just to annoy Chase, and Callum takes the spare seat next to me. Chase's eyes catch mine for a moment as he lifts his beer and takes a long drink, and I find my eyes tracing the little bead of water that drops off the ice-cold bottle and drips down his chin to his neck.
"Would you like a drink while we wait for the others, Gold?" Betty asks me, and I turn away from Chase's damn sexy face to his mother, who looks highly amused as she looks between me and her son. "We have beer, wine, apple cider or whiskey."
"I'd love an apple cider, please," I answer.
“Brilliant, do you want a beer Callum?” she asks him, he nods, and she walks off with a happy grin.
"You haven't run yet, then?" his deep, seductive voice asks. His voice is made for whispering sexy things to you and making your panties drop. I'm not sure if I hate his voice or want to listen to him talk more. It's about fifty-fifty.
"Who said I would run?" I ask.
"Don't be a dick Chase," Callum warns his brother who briefly looks at him before leaning back in his chair, grinning.
"You're a runner. I can see it. You won't stick around. You don't want mates or anything that means you could get hurt. You're a coward, and you will run," he states, and I turn to fully face him, lifting my hand and slapping him hard across the face without even thinking about it. I can't believe he just said that, and he is so wrong. I am no coward, and I will not run. I have already made my mind up about that. It seems Chase Bearlay has a lot to learn. He looks back at me, grinning even as blood drips down his lip where my silver ring must have caught him. There's a tense silence in the room as we just stare at each other, and I hate the tiny smirk that gives me like he just won something. I go to slap him again and he grabs my hand, lifting it to his lips and kisses the back quickly.
"You're an asshole," I state, pulling my hand away.
"Yes. Yes, I am, and so are you. I think I will enjoy chasing you when you run," he says, leaning back in his seat as I glare at him.
"You deserved that, son," Betty says, shaking her head at her son as I look away, and she slides a bottle of cider in front of me and a beer to Callum. "Now stop being an ass, and let's learn more about Gold." I shoot a surprised look in her direction. I thought she would surely tell me off for hitting her son, and instead, she looks happy I did. This pack is confusing.
"Do whatever you want," he waves a hand at his mother but keeps his eyes on me the whole time. I don't give him the satisfaction of looking back at him. He doesn't deserve it.
"Tell me Gold, how come you have no trace of an Irish accent, yet you were in an Irish born pack," she asks. I know all of them sound English because they only moved to Ireland fifty years ago, when the U.K. became too overpopulated to hide such a big pack.
"You will find most the Forest Pack is like the Bearlay Pack, we moved here. When I met Nikoli, he was young and had lost his pack lands. He was building a pack in England. London actually, where I was born."
"London you say?" she asks, sounding interested.
"Yes, though my accent shows how much I moved around, training to be a hunter with my brother," I explain.
"I trained to be a hunter once," Betty tells me, shocking me a little.
"What stopped you?" I ask.
"Getting pregnant with three troublemakers, that's what. My mate and I didn't expect a pregnancy only a few months into the mating," she tells me and sips on her glass of wine.
"Isn't Nikoli's mate pregnant after only a year?" Callum asks, and I nod.
"Yes, we were all very surprised. But she does have more than one mate, so there is a higher chance of unexpected pregnancy. We all know it’s rather easy to get pregnant in heat, but she hasn't gone through that yet, so it was a big shock," I shrug, knowing Harper will be an amazing mother. I remember when we found out, and Nikoli shouted it around the house. Colton looked so happy as he held Harper in his arms, and then she threw up on him. I felt so bad for her in the first few months when she couldn't even get out of bed without being sick. She kept shifting just so could be in wolf form and not throw up. Wolf pregnancies are always hard on the body, and it makes me shiver at the idea of getting pregnant. I guess I never thought about it because there was no mate or mates around. If I decide to be with any of them, it's something I need to think about because there isn't any kind of protection for supernaturals. Not even the elves have come up with something that actually works without bad side effects. I remember about five years ago when they thought condoms would work, but they kept ripping all the time.
"It must have been a shock for the girl, but how lovely to have a baby on the way. I did not know, and I will send a gift basket over tomorrow," Betty says and shakes her head in a disappointed way at Callum.
"Why didn't you tell me there was an alpha baby on the way in our neighbour pack?" she asks.
"Err...I didn't know until I spoke to Nikoli when he called me today," he explains.
"Did he scare you?" I ask with a smile.
"Nope, see, I remember this time we all went to Las Vegas, and Nikoli did something completely embarrassing that he would rather I not tell his mate," he says, and I laugh, wondering what it is. I will have to find out later.
"I remember that. I should have used that to get him to stop threatening my balls on the phone earlier," Chase grumbles, make me chuckle as the door opens and a little boy walks in, with Cain right behind him. The boy looks about ten, with lovely, thick black hair and pale brown eyes. He has a football shirt and shorts on that are covered in mud.
"Who is this, mum?" he asks, pointing at me.
"Gold. Gold, this is my youngest son, Liam," she introduces us. "We will be back in a minute. Callum, can you turn the oven onto the middle setting please." I'm really surprised that she is saying this is her son because he doesn't look, or smell like her. He has the scents of his brothers a little, but I highly doubt that Betty is his biological mother. I suppose she could have adopted him, but it’s all a little confusing. He smells human almost.
"Sure," he says, getting up as Liam and Betty leave the room. Cain slides into Callum's seat, pushing his bottle of beer to the other side of the table. I trail my eyes over Cain’s tight black shirt, which has three buttons undone so I can see his golden chest. I finally make myself look away from the little bit of his chest I can see to meet his green eyes that are fixed on me.
"How are you, gorgeous?" Cain asks.
"Good, you?" I reply.
"Better now you are here," he replies, and it feels like a completely honest answer instead of a line.
"Can I ask something personal?" I ask when Callum gets back to the table and sits opposite me, handing his brother an unopened beer. Cain twists the cap and pulls it off effortlessly. That's cool, and I need to learn how to do.
"Our alpha female can ask anything," Cain replies simply, resting back in his chair.
"Where is your dad? And is Liam your half-brother? Only, he looks nothing like you or your mother," I ask, just blurting it out, and then realising how rude it is to even bring it up or ask. I just can't help wondering, and part of me wants to know everything about this family.
"I'll explain this one to you," Cain answers, "But when we are alone after the meal. It's not a good story, and my mum doesn't need to hear it repeated."
"I understand that. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ask something quite so privately," I say, just as the door is opened, and Betty walks in before Cain can reply to me. She is closely followed by Liam dressed in a nice shirt and jeans, no mud in sight. He sits next to Callum, who fist bumps him.
"How was football training, little man?" Callum asks, and Liam's whole face lights up as he rapidly starts telling Callum all about the practice and how his day went. I have no clue what he is talking about, as sports have never been something I'm interested in. Unless you count hunter training sports, which it kinda is I guess, but it is way more fun. You get pretty weapons.
"Do you want some help, mum?" Cain asks as Betty somehow carries three bowls of pasta to the table and sets them down. There are three different flavours, and they all smell amazing. My eyes go straight to the bacon, chicken, and tomato pasta right in front of me. Betty puts down a bowl of chips, mixed salad and sauces before sitting down.
"I’ve got it! Dig in," she says, and I put some pasta on my plate, chips and salad before reaching for the mayonnaise but Cain picks up first. He hands it to me, and I catch Betty's pleased smile as I pour my mayonnaise.
"Here you go, thanks," I say, handing it back to Cain.
"I was thinking, tomorrow I could show you around the pack," he offers.
"I'm going on a date with Callum tomorrow, but what about the next day? I'd love to see more of the pack. I've heard you have beautiful lands, and I could do with a shift," I reply, knowing it’s getting close to a week since my last shift, and that is far too long.
"Sounds like a plan, gorgeous," Cain says with a wink.
"Are you not going to ask for some time with Gold?" Betty asks Chase, who just rolls his eyes.
"Gold knows where I am if she wants me, it's her choice," he says, watching me. His words feel like a dare or challenge of some kind. It makes me grind my teeth as I look away and finish my food.
"Desert?" Betty asks.
"Not tonight, mum. We have to check on the rogue, and I'm sure Gold needs an early night. She was driving for so long and had a busy week," Cain explains. "Plus, we have to find out answers about the rogue tomorrow and decide if he can be trusted in the pack."
"No problem. Gold must rest. I hope you will come and see me when your mates let you out of their sights for a little bit," she winks, and I laugh, nodding.
"I will. I think we will get along really well and thank you so much for dinner. Would you like me to stay and help you wash up?" I ask her, seeing how her whole face lights up before she answers.
"No need, dear. I'm sure Chase and Callum will be able to help with the washing up tonight."
"Okay," I smile when I hear Chase groan, but he doesn't say no. This woman raised them right. I stand up after Cain does, and he places his hand on my back, leading me out of the room.
"Do you want to see the rogue before we go back?" he asks me, and I shake my head.
"No, I haven’t read the file yet, and I think I need to figure that out first, before seeing him again," I say as we walk down the steps.
"Can I show you something really quick?" he asks, and I nod, letting him lead me around the houses and to the white picket fenced off garden at the back of the three houses. He opens the gate and lets me in. I spot the gravestones first, then the beautiful water structure behind it. It’s a stone carving of a woman holding up a bowl of water, letting the water fall down her body into the pool of water at the bottom. There are dozens of planted roses surrounding the one grave, and I step closer, seeing the white plague just has the letter 'C' and Bearlay written underneath it.
"Whose grave is it?" I ask quietly as Cain stops at my side.
"My dad’s," he explains and sits on the ground. I follow him down, sitting quietly next to him. "I felt like this was a good place to explain our family history."
"You don’t have to tell me anything...I shouldn’t have asked. I have no right to your family’s past, Cain," I say gently. Cain lifts my hand of my lap, holding it tightly, and for whatever reason, I like that he does. I like how his rough, large hand feels in mine.
"You are family to me now. You were the moment I saw you, and you are welcome to know the secrets our family hides," he says.
"Secrets?"
"My father was...well, he was a good man until an accident where his bear got run over by a car driven by a human. He never really recovered. It wasn’t all that long ago, and we all watched as my father changed dramatically," he pauses, placing his hand on the stone for a second. There is silence between us as we just listen to the owls sing and the trees creaking in the distance.
"Like how?" I ask finally.
"First, it was his temper, and he would take it out his pack members. We had to step in, challenge our father, and become the alphas before he destroyed the pack. We kept a very close eye on him in the pack after that, and he didn’t like it one bit. Then he started to figure out if he left the pack, he could escape us watching him. He started leaving the pack lands for weeks at a time, coming back for one night occasionally for his bear and then disappearing again. The worst thing is that he would never tell us where he was or what he was doing," he stops, sighing. “Mum just gave up chasing him. She couldn’t cope with who he had turned into.”
“That’s…I don’t even know what to say,” I whisper.
"We got a phone call one night...and it was the human police. They called to tell us that there had been a fire in a local house, and that they retrieved my father's ID from the wallet they found on a body inside," he says, his voice catching a little at such a raw memory.
"I'm sorry," I murmur, but it is like he doesn’t hear me as he keeps talking.
"We all rushed to the hospital, where there was a woman covered in ash, holding a little baby with black hair. She saw us, and ran over, handing the baby to my mother," his words come out so softly that I almost miss it.
"Did she say anything?" I prompt.
"Yes. She told us that the baby was called Liam. That he was her best friend’s son. She told my mother that our dad was the father of the baby, and that Liam should be with family now that both his parents were dead," he tells me.
"Oh my god, your poor mother," I whisper, not having a clue how anyone would cope with that.
"My mother is so brave. She held Liam close as she went to see our father’s body, and then asked to see Liam's mother. I don’t know exactly what happened that day, but we all came home with Liam, and my mother adopted him," he says. “Liam knows who his parents are, and he loves our mum for taking care of him when she didn’t have to.”
"She is amazing to have done that," I say.
"That’s true, not a lot of people could have done what she did. My mum even built this for my father, even if he didn’t deserve it in his last days," he says sadly.
"I am sorry your father did that to you and your family," I tell him, rubbing circles with my thumb on his hand as Cain turns to look at me. We are a breath apart as he leans in and brushes his lips gently across mine. I notice a slight taste of mint, but mostly, I'm stunned at the way one kiss sends butterflies through my stomach. I haven’t felt anything like this before, and I have dated over the years. One brush of a kiss, and I want more. I have to stop before I forget my common sense.
"Wait, no," I say, pulling my hand from his, jumping up, and striding in the opposite direction.
"Shit, I didn’t mean," I hear Cain comment behind me just before a hand grabs my arm, turning me to face him.
"It’s not you, honestly. I've spent years alone, and I don’t know how to let anyone get close to me. I think I need to think about everything, instead of rushing after just one day. This is all just-" he cuts me off by putting a finger against my lips.
"-too fast, and I am sorry. You are beautiful, and hard to resist...and I’m a bit of an idiot. I won’t kiss you again, not until you kiss me first, gorgeous. I know we don’t have that instant bond like you and Callum. Or the love/hate thing like you and Chase. Or whatever it is you have with the rogue, but I think we could be really good together. I swear, my life plan is to make you happy," he says, and I find it hard to be mad at him when he explains it like that.
"I'm working on trusting you all..." I whisper, suddenly finding it hard to not kiss him.
"I get it, you don’t have to explain anything to me. Plus, I want to get to know you before we take things any further. I want you to come to me, wanting me to your mate," he says, stepping closer to me and tucking some of my hair behind my ear. As his fingers graze the side of my cheek, he whispers. "I know once we start, and I’m inside of you, making you desperate for more of me, I will be making you my mate."
"Cain," I shiver as I can’t admit how much of a turn on his words are.
"And I know you aren’t ready for that with me…yet," he says, stepping away, and nodding his head towards the house. "Let’s get you back home."