A Wolf's Pride (19 page)

“
Well, we’ve
made progress in the few days we’ve known each other. The first day
we were together you were convinced that I was going to kill you at
almost every turn. It’s good to know that you’re trusting in your
mate. What happened to cause the change?”

“
I had a ‘chat’
with Alex,” she chuckled. The word sounded odd on her tongue,
almost as odd as it had sounded when Alex had said it and it
brought a smile to her face.

“
I trust that
she had only good things to say.”

“
She was
singing your praises so well I was tempted to offer you to her
since she liked you so much.”

“
I don’t think
that she would have me and even if Tobias didn’t attempt to take my
head off my shoulders for even looking in her direction I wouldn’t
want her. I only want you. There’s no one as beautiful, as special
and as important to me as you. There’s only one mate for each male
and you’re mine. The instinct couldn’t have chosen a better woman
for me, you’re the most perfect woman in existence.” A blush rose
to her cheeks and she turned away from him, it was hard to believe
that this specimen of male perfection thought such things about
her, chubby Chloe. Cupping her chin within his palm, Ryan forced
her to look at him. “It’s true Chloe, I wouldn’t lie about
something like this.”

She sighed.
“You know under different circumstances I would really have loved
for you to fall for me.”

“
We can’t
change the situation now Chloe, we have to work with what we have.
All I’m asking for is a chance, is that so much to ask
for?”

“
When your
chance involves taking me away from the only people I’ve ever loved
and the only ones who have truly loved me in return? Yes, it’s a
bit much to ask.”

“
Anything but
that Chloe, ask me for anything else but please don’t ask me to let
you go. I can’t, I won’t.”

“
So you’re
intending to keep me prisoner here forever then?”

“
No Chloe,” he
groaned in frustration turning away from her. “If things between us
were different then the whole situation would be different too. If
I knew for certain that if I let you go to them that you would come
back to me, I would take you to them myself even if I run the risk
of getting shot. With things as they are though to let you leave me
for even a day would mean me running the risk of losing you and
that I just can’t have.”

“
You’d be
willing to let me go?” she whispered, disbelief evident in her
tone.

“
When I know
that you’ll come home to me then of course. There’s a whole world
out there one I wish to share with you. Seeing as you’re a city
girl I’ll even contemplate going to one of those hells. When I know
that you love me and want to be with me as much as I do, how could
I even think about limiting your freedom? Whatever you want I’ll
give you happily, just give us a chance Chloe.”

“
How can you be
so certain that will ever happen? We might hate each
other.”

“
Impossible,”
he said with confident assurance. “The instinct led me to you. So
long as both of us are prepared to give our relationship a chance,
we’ll be happy in the future.”

“
You could
promise me that you’d let me go?”

“
When the
circumstances are right, yes. They aren’t at the moment so I can’t
let you leave.”

“
What would I
have to do to make the moment right?”

“
All you have
to do is give us a chance. We can start with something simple. Have
dinner with me tonight. That isn’t much to ask. What do you say
Chloe?”

Chapter
Sixteen

She had said
yes. In spite of all logical reasons to the contrary and in blatant
disregard of common sense, she’d agreed to go on a date with the
man who claimed to be her mate. As the time drew nearer and concern
began to fill her, Chloe laid all blame for her willingness to go
through with his request on his seductive brown eyes. They were
magnetic, drawing her in like a moth to a flame and she couldn’t
deny him when he had looked at her with such desperate intensity as
though his life hung on her response. No man should be allowed eyes
like that, especially given their circumstances. But he did and so
she had thrown caution to the wind and agreed to give him a chance
and it was for that reason that she was now staring at her form in
the bedroom mirror, frowning with disappointment with what she
saw.

Looking at
her body never ceased to disappoint her, there were times that she
truly believed the wisest thing to do would be to ban mirrors from
her personal space. She had never been pleased with what she saw
but her upcoming date with Ryan only made her eyes more critical in
their appraisal. Ryan was the perfect specimen of masculinity.
There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his muscular frame, his eyes should
be considered a lethal weapon to the female gender and his smile
seemed to wreak havoc on her body. While the few men who had passed
the harsh tests her family demanded from those she wanted to be
involved in weren’t hideous, none could compare to Ryan. Admitting
that she found him physically attractive was one thing, admitting
to the intense emotions he invoked within her was a whole different
matter. She shouldn’t even be considering this meeting; his
physical perfection didn’t give him licence to kidnap her.
Regardless of that fact and his werewolf ancestry, a sense of
nervous anticipation had filled her since she had agreed to the
meeting. It was quickly replaced with dismay as she looked again at
the dress Ryan had insisted she wear.

The cream
sheath lay against the bed sheets, the material shimmering in the
light of the bedroom. When she had first tried it on, she had
immediately been dismayed with what she saw. The material clung to
her skin like a second skin highlighting each and every bump that
she normally hid beneath loose clothing. A large slit ran up the
length of one of her thighs, exposing flesh she would rather
remained hidden. The low cut neckline of the dress revealed far too
much to her way of thinking but Ryan had been insistent that she
wear it. Resorting to his usual high handed tactics, he had refused
to provide her with anything else that would be suitable, resigning
her to the dress she would rather not wear. It was beautiful; it
was a shame to waste it on someone like her who could never do it
justice.
What was Ryan thinking?
she groaned as she approached the bed, the dress
firmly in her sights. As her fingers skimmed over the almost sheer
material there was a forceful knocking at the door that quickly
gained her attention.

She frowned
in confusion as the knocking continued, there was no one here that
should be knocking on the door, Ryan had said he wouldn’t come into
the room until she was dressed and refused to see her until dinner.
Curiosity had demanded that she ask him why he was placing such
limitations upon himself and his answer caused her body to shiver
as she remembered his response. His eyes had darkened seductively,
his rumbling voice making her body hot as he had told her that if
he were in her vicinity, he wouldn’t be able to prevent himself
from attempting to seduce her. She believed him, the words had been
direct, his gaze searing.

“
Who’s it?” she
called cautiously unsure of if her visitor had good intentions or
not. Her new surroundings were dangerous, strange as it sounded the
only one she could entrust her survival to was the man who had
brought her to this place and even then his intentions were still
circumspect.

“
We’re sorry to
disturb you Lady Chloe, Lord Ryan sent us to help you prepare for
tonight.”

She stood in
front of the door, unsure of what to do. “Why?”

“
He said he
wants everything to be perfect tonight.” The speaker paused as
though waiting for Chloe’s response. When it didn’t come she
continued, “He said that he wouldn’t waste the chance that you had
given him. We know that you have reason to fear us especially after
what happened to you earlier but I assure you Lady Chloe if we
wanted to enter your room, the door wouldn’t stop us.”

You’ve got me
there,
she conceded. When she’d walked to
the bedroom with Ryan earlier she’d seen a woman tear a door right
off its hinges. She pulled the door open a crack and was stunned as
two women pushed into the room, forcing the door out of her grasp.
She was immediately aware of the differences between their slender,
athletic bodies, angelic faces and her body. Her lack of clothing
didn’t help.

“
Lady Chloe,”
one began, her glossy brown hair and bright green eyes instantly
making Chloe jealous.

She reached
for a towel to cover her state of undress. “My name is Chloe, just
Chloe. I’m not a ‘Lady’,” she corrected.

“
You’re Lord
Ryan’s mate, that makes you a Lady of the southern clan,” the other
woman answered swiftly her tone brokering no compromise.

“
Alice,” the
brunette scolded the other woman. “Lord Ryan told us to help her
not judge her. She isn’t one of us, our ways must seem strange to
her, pressuring her will only damage her relationship with the
Lord, he wouldn’t be pleased,” her tone hardened, “and neither
would I.”

“
I’m sorry
Helen, I didn’t think,” Alice’s tone was apologetic, her mannerisms
deferential. Helen was clearly the superior of the two.

“
Clearly,”
Helen responded, her voice frosty. She warmed the instant that she
turned her attentions back to Chloe, a smile gracing her face. “I
apologise for Alice’s behaviour,” she hesitated, “Chloe. We only
came to help you dress.”

“
I’ve been
dressing myself for years, I don’t need help.”
Especially not from people who look as beautiful as you,
you’ll only make me more self-conscious and I’m nervous enough as
it is.
Her gaze wandered to the
dress.

“
But Chloe,”
Alice began. “The Lord told us to help.”

“
Well I’m
telling you I don’t need it.”

Alice opened
her mouth as though to speak but a simple gesture from Helen
quieted her. “I’m sorry Chloe but Lord Ryan insisted.”

“
Thanks for the
offer but I really don’t need it.”

“
I apologise
Chloe but I really can’t take no for an answer,” Helen
persisted.

Chloe
groaned, long and loud. “Is there nothing I can do to get you to
change your mind? Honestly, I’m fine dressing alone.”

“
While that may
be true Lord Ryan demanded that you be more than simply fine. This
may seem strange to you but many of the clan Ladies have help, he
isn’t singling you out or asking us to do this to make you
uncomfortable.”

“
Am I meant to
take comfort in that?”

“
Yes,” Alice
replied surprising Chloe. She had forgotten that the other woman
was there so absorbed was she in talking to Helen.

“
If you find
our help that distasteful then you can bring it up with Lord Ryan,”
she concluded. “I’m sure if you say something then you can avoid
something like this happening in the future.”

“
Where do you
want me?” Chloe sighed in defeat, resigning herself to whatever was
about to come.

Alice beamed,
grasping her lightly by the arm and pulling her from the room and
through a door that led into a smaller room that seemed to have
been designed with the sole purpose of getting ready for formal
occasions. A large mirror spanned the length of one of the walls, a
chair and table sat in the centre, the table lined with what looked
like every form of make up available. To her left was a rail, she
presumed was for the hanging of clothes and to her right a series
of empty wooden compartments that she guessed was for
shoes.

“
Has this
always been here?” she gasped, she hadn’t noticed it when she had
conducted her brief scan of her surroundings that
morning.

“
Of course,”
Alice giggle, cheery now that Chloe had agreed to their assisting
her. “Most males have their rooms prepared in anticipation of their
mate arriving. We’ll have this place filled up soon
enough.”

Chloe’s eyes
widened as she took in the large space she was expected to fill.
“How am I meant to do that?”

“
Lord Ryan said
your things should be arriving soon,” Helen began, silently moving
into the room and hanging the dress on the otherwise empty rail.
“Once we see what you have, we’ll get to work on getting you
anything else you might need. Please sit down Chloe.”

She did as
she was instructed and Helen moved around behind her, gently
lifting the strands of her hair as she set to work. “Chloe, this
may be presumptuous of me but I would like to ask of you a
favour.”

Chloe’s eyes
narrowed in suspicion. “What is it?”

“
Please don’t
hurt him.”

The request,
simple as it was took a moment for her to understand and when she
did she chuckled, “Me hurt him? Impossible. He’s bigger, stronger
and faster than I am. If anyone is in danger of being hurt it’s
me.”

“
I know that
you can’t hurt him in that manner but there are other ways to
injure someone. I’ve known both Lords Ryan and Sebastian since they
were children and while Ryan may seem tough on the outside, he’s
just as vulnerable to being hurt as anyone else. That’s especially
the case should you be the one to inflict the blow. He would
undoubtedly let you do whatever you wanted, regardless of the
damage it would cause him. He cares deeply for those around him and
you’re his mate, his world. With everyone else he may be impervious
to harm but he hangs on everything you do and say.”