Fated Mate

They heard a stir, and then a grumble. They all looked toward the door, waiting. The next minute they heard a glass shatter and an enraged growl. Billy sprang out of his seat and stood in front of the door, Joe flashed beside him, blocking the girls’ way.

“Where is she?” Ash gave a loud roar from the living room. It made the guys stiffen. The last time she saw them so alert was at the diner. Surely Ash wasn’t going to go on a rampage?

“Ash is awake,” Maria spoke above a whisper.

“Is he going to turn into a wolf again because he really sounds mad scary?” Ann looped her hand with Maria’s. She sounded scared. The girl who was hitting out on the drunk wasn’t so courageous now that the drunk was awake.

There was a loud break then a crash from upstairs. “Where is she?” Ash’s temper was mounting.

Lee was wrong he was already on a rampage. He was taking out his frustration on the furniture. Her sisters looked more frightened.

She put her fork and knife down and reluctantly pulled away from her meal and went for the door. “Guys sit down. If he sees you on guard like that; he’ll think something’s wrong. I’ll go show myself to him before he brings the house down.”

Billy pulled her back. “Lee, Ash is dangerous when he’s like that.”

“What, sober or suffering from a massive hangover?” Ann spoke behind them, her tone sarcastic, but Lee could still hear the fear at the edge of her voice. Billy was the one who showed his displeasure this time.

He spoke, his eyes still fixed on Lee. “Ann, this isn’t the time for your humor.” His jaw tightened. “He hasn’t fed for a while, and his senses are crazy right now. If he doesn’t catch your scent right away, he may attack you if he hasn’t seen you first.”

“And we won’t be able to help you.” Joe spoke, his voice level and direct. She remembered the diner, how they hadn’t been able to stop him when he was attacking Steve. But Steve he didn’t know, and he despised him with a passion, she was the woman he loved, he wouldn’t hurt her even if he were deaf, dumb, and blind.

Something crashed and shattered. Ash was getting out of control. She pulled out of Billy’s hold. “He might, if it was someone else, but he won’t attack me.” She took a step closer but Billy placed himself in her way.

“You may have faith in Ash, but don’t be too trusting about the animal inside him.”

“It’s love that makes me so sure of both of him. His animal didn’t attack me at the diner, so why would it now?”

“You saw what he did to Sabrina, even in her wolf form.”

“I didn’t see much and she had it coming.” She sidestepped trying to go around Billy but there was no room to go past him.

He hasn’t fed!

She didn’t see any lips move, but she was sure one of them spoke. It sounded like Billy. She looked at him astonished. She had forgotten her new ability to read minds, but she didn’t see anything, instead she heard him. It felt different and very familiar. Did I do that, or did he?

“He won’t hurt me.” She spoke out loud, with emphasis trying to reassure him, and then turned her eyes away from him. Whether or not he knew what she was doing, she wasn’t comfortable picking stuff from his head. He didn’t budge.

She exhaled and gave in. They weren’t going to let her anywhere near him. “Ash, I’m in the kitchen.” The guys went rigid; they looked above her, fear in their eyes. She turned-they were staring at the girls. Something inside her triggered, she went rigid, more alert and defensive. “Ash, you need to be calm before you come in here.” She moved closer to the girls, ready to shield them from whatever was going to come through that door.

Ash was there in a flash, he was about to charge past the guys but he stopped. He looked the three of them over, taking his time to assess the mood in the room. His eager face dropped. He shifted his gaze between the guys.

“At least he’s dressed,” Ann whispered. Lee fought the urge to turn and look at her.

“I won’t hurt her.” He tried to sound calm but there was a connotation of hostility in his voice.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“It’s not me they are really worried about.” She spoke to him as calmly as her voice would allow. She hadn’t moved and she was still on the defensive. She longed so much to be back in his arms, where she was supposed to be and never should have left, but after the events of the past week she wanted to make sure her sisters were safe, even from him.

He looked past the guys to Lee. Then he leaned his head to the side to look behind her and looked back at her, reading into her posture. His jaw clenched, he looked mad, but his eyes were sad. He didn’t have to speak for her to know what he was thinking.

She almost broke into a run, squeezing herself in between the two guards by the door and leaped at Ash, wrapping her arms around his neck and putting her head on his shoulder, her lips close to his ear.

“We are just being cautious we don’t mean anything by it.” He didn’t say anything he didn’t even put his arms around her they stayed dead at his sides. “Ash, we are sorry. We just needed to make sure you were okay.”

“You are right. I’m not safe to be around any of you when I haven’t…” he didn’t finish his sentence, his voice sounded urgent and scared.

Lee’s hands were getting tired of holding her weight up, and Ash wasn’t offering any help. She pulled her dangling feet up and around his waist, and then leaned back to look at him.

“I know I’m safe with you always no matter the situation.” She smiled at him, kissed him lightly on his lips and then reached up with her fingers to iron out the worry lines on his forehead.

“What’s that?” Ash’s tone sounded strained. The veins in his neck were visible. He swallowed hard, his eyes wide with desire.

“What?” she asked him, more guarded than she should have been.

“That scent…” His eyes settled on her lips.

“Lee…” Joe said her name sounding out a warning. She heard Joe shuffle forward then he pushed a stool away.

She kept her eyes on Ash, monitoring his expressions. His eyes hadn’t moved from her lips, but his mouth was now parted slightly. Without warning, his hand flashed up and pressed her head down. He caught her lips and kissed them viciously. His other hand was on her back, pressing her hard against him. It wasn’t his normal kiss; there was no pleasure in it. It felt like he was sucking on her mouth rather than kissing her.

When she realized what he was doing, she stayed perfectly still, holding a warning finger behind her back to the guys. Her breath was bloody and fleshy from the meat she had been eating for the past few hours.

The hunger, the feeding, and the caution Billy and Joe had with Ash around them, she finally understood it. They were cannibals. They took wolf form-she was sure Ash and Sabrina did, so why wouldn’t they feed like the animals they were.