His Mating Mark (3 page)

Josh drove back up the mountain, heading toward home. He knew he needed to take things slowly, and he would, but two years was way too damn slow. He knew that Nicole would need time to heal after her ordeal that night, but leaving her alone for this long was just damn foolish. He wondered if listening to his brother was a good idea. They should have approached her before now.

He remembered that night, even though he hadn’t been there. He relived each detail through his other pack mates. His brother had run to him and told him about meeting their mate. He shook his head even now, wishing that he would’ve been the one to meet her first. He wouldn’t have bitten her, marked her. He would’ve waited until the right moment, but it was too late. Time could not be reversed.

His truck hit the gravel driveway, and he held his breath, watching his older brother and Alpha walk out on the porch. Gabe sat in one of the chairs, kicked up his black boots against the railing, and took a long drink from his beer. Gabe stared at him, and Josh knew that this conversation wasn’t going to be pretty. He had ignored his calls while he was with Nicole. He jumped out of his truck and walked up the steps leading to the porch.

“Where have you been?” he asked, arching his brow.

“Nowhere.” He didn’t want to tell him that he had seen their mate or that he had cooked her dinner and spent a few hours watching her. He didn’t want to tell him that he was already falling in love with their woman. His brother had given him a direct order, but Josh couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“
Where have you been?
” His words were harsher this time, and Gabe slammed his boots on the ground. Josh couldn’t back down. He knew that. He had to lie even though he hated doing it.

“I said nowhere.” Gabe walked over to him, and Josh stood his ground and prepared for a fight. Gabe couldn’t hold back his temper. His brother had gone from calm to angry, and he knew the moment it happened. It was the night he bit Nicole. Everything had changed that night.

Gabe got closer, moving into his personal space. The wind blew at that moment, and Josh cursed his luck. His brother had the best sniffer around, and he was the best fighter as well. That’s how he was able to be the Alpha of their pack and keep his coveted position. It only took a moment for the scent on his clothing to register. Gabe’s face changed. Once suspicious, he was now angry, and Josh took a step back, needing a minute to gather his thoughts before blood was drawn.

“You touched her. Her scent is all over you. Why?” He cocked his head and waited for Josh to answer.

“I saw her in town. I actually noticed her scent first and followed it into the grocery store. Once I saw her. I just wanted to spend some time with her.” He kept his voice low, not wanting to upset Gabe further. Even though he was the younger brother, he tried to show respect to Gabe. He went against direct orders by seeing Nicole, and he knew that there might be a punishment. “Gabe, we’ve waited a really long time. Two years. I don’t think we should keep our distance anymore.”

“Do you think I want to be away from my mate? I know exactly where she is, and I have no idea what to do. I go to her house every night just to see her. I’ve marked her. I’ve been in hell.” Gabe shoved his fingers through his hair, and Josh cringed. He knew exactly what his brother did every night, they usually ran together. He watched Gabe rub against her house, whine and cry for her, but not once did he try to talk to her.

“You should try talking to her instead. She does have some fear still, but she’s wonderful, and I can’t keep my distance anymore. What are you afraid of?” He shook his head. He didn’t understand his brother at all. He was a great man, a terrific leader and very loyal. He hadn’t been with a woman since he marked Nicole, and he wouldn’t be with anyone but her.

“What if I meet her but she doesn’t want me? I’ve already marked her. She’s mine,” he said, and Josh wondered if he had heard right.

“Why would she not want you? That doesn’t make any sense.” He shook his head, totally confused, and Gabe pointed to the scar on his face.

“She’s already scared of wolves. I completely lost it that night and bit her arm. She cried hysterically, and I couldn’t even hold her or comfort her. She lay on the ground in her house sobbing by herself. How are we going to introduce her to this life? How could we possibly make her understand? She will never be able to forgive me. No. I’m sorry, Josh, but you need to keep your distance. That’s an order.” Gabe turned and started to walk away, and Josh grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“I’m not going to avoid her anymore. She’s mine, too, and she’s stronger than you think. You’ve read her books about shifters. If we take things slowly, she’ll accept us and she’ll forgive you. You have to meet her, she’s amazing.” He had such a wonderful afternoon cooking for her and watching her as she typed on her computer.

He knew exactly what she was writing. He had read every book that was published. They both had been following her since that night. They knew almost everything about her because they followed her and checked her mail. He was ashamed to admit that they pretty much stalked her. She had become Gabe’s mate that night. The bite on her arm sealed her fate. He couldn’t wait to claim her as his as well. One day, she would belong to both of them as they would belong to her.

“It’s not a good idea.” Gabe turned around and faced him. “She’s too scared of us, of what we are.” He pulled away and went into the house. Josh shook his head as the screen door slammed behind him.

“I won’t stop seeing her!” he yelled. He was so pissed. Why couldn’t his brother at least try? Why couldn’t he meet her and act normal? She would accept them. She had to. Josh stripped off his clothes, walked down the steps, and shifted before running into the thick trees that surrounded their home. He needed some time to think, and he wanted to give Gabe space. Things had been stressful lately, and Josh knew it was because Gabe was without his mate. The whole pack could feel it. They knew he was lonely and angry.

He ran through the forest, feeling a bit calmer now that he was in his animal form. Growling, he could still smell Nicole’s light fragrance hanging on to him. The woman was unbelievable. She was so sexy, and she didn’t even realize it. She walked around in clothes that were too big for her, covering the mark on her arm. He knew the moment that he touched it. Her reaction was immediate. He had felt it, too. The sharp jolt had run through his body. He hadn’t wanted to scare her, but he did want to touch her.

The pull he felt was overwhelming, and he wondered if she felt it too. Did she want him? Would she accept them both? Should he go against his brother and keep seeing her? Questions ran through his mind, and he howled, wishing he had the answers. She was supposed to be with them, the one woman that was chosen to be theirs. He wanted to yell and curse his frustration, but instead, he ran faster, pushing himself harder.

* * * *

Stomping toward his office, Gabe let the screen door slam shut behind him. The last two years had been the longest of his life, and he was starting to wonder how long he would be able to survive without his mate. He had made a huge mistake that night, and he had been suffering ever since.

He walked into his office and punched the wall, needing to get rid of his frustration and anger. His fist went through the wall and drywall, making a huge mess, but he ignored it, walking to his chair and sitting down. He leaned his head against his desk and felt his eyes burning but refused to shed a tear. He couldn’t show any weakness, he had to be strong and lead his pack. It was getting harder, though. The loneliness was building, and he knew exactly how Josh felt.

He thought about the night he had seen Nicole and wished he could change his actions, but it was too late.

It was another full moon, although they didn’t need a full moon to change into their werewolf form. The whole town was buried in the mountains with tall trees surrounding them. They loved to run, hunt, and play together as a pack, a community. The town and all the people were pack. There were a few outsiders, humans, but they never bothered them. In fact, most of them knew about werewolves, about the town itself, and were friends.

The pack usually went running together, that night being no different. One of the boys in the pack, Johnny, wanted to run with them. Gabe remembered listening to him arguing with his parents, but the kid was still in puberty and couldn’t maintain his wolf form for too long. They ran hard and fast, each member joining the pack as they passed their homes.

An alert had gone out. As Alpha, it was his duty to investigate and make sure his pack was taken care of. He went in search of Johnny with the boy’s parents and came across Nicole Bell. He had heard of her through her grandfather, but seeing her in the flesh changed everything. Nicole’s instant fear made him realize that she knew nothing of wolves or their town. When he had gotten closer to her and smelt her sweet scent, the beast in him needed to claim her. She was his mate.

She had been so brave trying to save Johnny, and he knew she was trying to protect him as she held him tight. When Johnny began to change, though, realization hit. He saw it in her eyes. She knew everything in that moment. Werewolves existed, and she was going to protect herself, lock herself away. He didn’t want to lose her. He was scared she might actually run away, leave the town behind.

Gabe had gone to her and bit her arm harder than he had meant to. He had drawn blood, made her cry. He tried to clean her up, stop the bleeding by licking her, but that seemed to scare her more. He wanted to comfort her but he couldn’t, not in his wolf form, and he couldn’t change, not with the fear in her eyes. Marking her meant that she was his. He had claimed her, and everyone in the pack knew that. She was to be protected.

Gabe went to her every night, even though he knew she was scared of wolves. He moved quietly, rubbing his scent on her door and around her home. Josh had caught him more than once whining at her door, but the loss in his heart was just too much to bear. He didn’t know what to do, being the one to make her fear wolves. He was the one that turned her into a scared woman.

Leaning back in his chair, Gabe stared at his computer. There was always so much to do and he was glad for the distractions. Thinking about Nicole every day was driving him crazy, but he couldn’t help himself. He knew that he would go running when night fell and everything was dark. He would go see Nicole. He had no self-control where she was concerned.

Josh walked into his office and sat down. “Did you have a nice run?” He hated fighting with his brother, and he knew that it was his fault. He was the one to claim their mate. He was the cause of her fear.

“Stop. I can see you beating yourself up, and you don’t need to. It was two years ago, Gabe. Give yourself a break. You’ve been stuck in self-pity for too long.” He knew his brother’s words were true.

“What do you suggest?” He was ready for some advice at this point. Their other pack mates were starting to think he was crazy. They stayed away from him and his house.

“Come with me tomorrow. I want to introduce you to your mate.” Gabe had a hard time breathing. He wasn’t sure he would be able to follow through, but he needed to. It had already been too long.

“Fine.” He agreed, and Josh’s face lit up. Gabe shook his head. If everything went to hell, at least he met her. At least he tried.

“One more thing…” Josh said as he stood up. “You can’t go to her house in wolf form anymore. The whole pack knows that she’s our mate. Everyone is keeping their distance, knowing that she’s a little skittish. If you keep going there, she’ll continue to fear us.” Gabe nodded. He knew that Josh was right.

Nicole woke up feeling amazing. She couldn’t remember a time when she had actually been able to sleep. It felt so good. Throwing off her covers, she climbed out of bed and stretched. Last night had been quiet. No scratching, no howling, and no whining. Nicole practically skipped out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. She clicked the button on the coffeepot and leaned against the counter, inhaling slowly as the steam began to rise. The smell of fresh brewed coffee always had that effect on her. It made her entire day better.

She grabbed her favorite cup and filled it to the top. Taking a sip, she walked to her small desk. As her computer booted up, she sat down and began humming, opening her latest book,
Alpha’s Mate
. She loved the hero even more now, especially since he became Josh. She jumped back into the hot sex scene, pretending that she was the heroine.

Closing her eyes, she leaned back in the chair and imagined his hands on her body. She wanted to use the right words to describe it to her readers, knowing that this book would be her favorite of all. The Alpha needed to be pure seduction, and Josh was fantastic. She moaned quietly and pictured him stripping off his clothes. What would his muscles look like covered in sweat? What noises would he make when he came? She took a deep calming breath and smiled. She wanted him to growl and yell her name. To hear her name on his lips would be a dream come true.

Loud banging noises broke through her daydream and drifted through the house. Nicole stood up and opened the window, her moment of silence over. She had no idea where the noises were coming from, and she leaned out the open window but couldn’t see anything. She could hear a chainsaw and a heavy banging of what she assumed might be an ax. Nicole slammed the window closed and walked quickly to the front door. Unlocking it, she leaned out, and her jaw dropped open.

Josh was standing right outside, holding a huge saw in his strong hands. He didn’t have a shirt on, and she had a perfect view of his back and his ass. He used the huge tool to cut through the bushes that wrapped around her house, giving her a view of the forest. She wanted to stop him, but she was afraid that she might scare him. She licked her lips, wishing she had the courage to touch him. She wanted to scratch her nails down his back and mark his skin.

Seeing movement from the corner of her eye, she jumped back. She peeked over and quickly realized that they weren’t alone. She stood frozen for a minute, knowing that she had been caught staring at Josh. She bit her lip and looked closer at the other man. He was an older version of Josh. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest, staring at her with a small smile on his face.

“Hi.” His voice was rough, and Nicole shivered a little, letting it wash over her. “I’m Gabe, his older brother.” He tilted his head to the side, but he really didn’t need to point that out. They looked almost identical, except that Gabe didn’t have any facial hair. His face looked smooth and soft, and her fingers itched to touch him. He had a scar on his cheek, and she wondered for a minute what it would feel like against her tongue. Nicole shook herself. She was turning into a crazy woman. She wanted to blame it on the men, but maybe she had just been alone for far too long.

“Of course. You two look so much alike. So, what are you both doing here this morning? What’s going on? I would’ve asked Josh, but I didn’t want to scare him. I kept thinking that he might cut something useful off if I did.” She giggled a little, feeling nervous under his scrutiny, and of course, she babbled too, which made an awful combination.

He stared at her, moving a bit closer, and Nicole wanted to step back but held firm. She didn’t have any reason to fear this man. She felt something inside her uncoil and knew he was safe. “Josh said that you might need a little yard work done so I volunteered to help him.” He smiled, but it seemed a bit forced, and she got the feeling that he really didn’t want to be doing yard work. “Hey, Josh!” he yelled, and Josh immediately turned around, shutting off the electric saw.

“Hey, Nicole, how are you this morning?” Josh asked. He acted as if he belonged there in her yard doing work. He put the saw on the ground and grabbed his shirt, wiping the dirt off his face.

“Hi. Um, I’m not sure what you’re doing here?” Not wanting to sound rude, she pasted a smile on her face and acted like she didn’t care that he was cutting down the plants that protected her house from the wildlife. She liked feeling hidden.

“Well, I just thought that these bushes were in the way. You can’t see anything from your front door. It could be a security risk. Also, on my way out yesterday, I noticed your woodpile was looking low, so I thought my brother here could help chop some for you. Oh… I’m sorry. Did you meet my brother, Gabe?” He looked back and forth between them, and Nicole nodded, holding her hand out. Gabe stalked closer. The way he moved reminded her of a predator, which meant she was his prey.

He took her hand in his, and she was surprised by how gentle he was. He rubbed his thumb along her knuckles before bringing his face down and kissing her wrist. He took his time, and she could feel his breath on her palm. It was all so interesting, and she couldn’t stop staring at his face. He looked so content, standing next to her, holding her hand and sniffing her. She didn’t want to pull away, his features seemed to relax the more she allowed him to explore. He closed his eyes. She caught a smile curve his lips as she heard a quiet growl.

“Okay.” Josh got his attention, and Gabe immediately dropped her hand. He stepped back, looking guilty, and she missed his warmth right away. “So, uh, we’re gonna do some work out here for you. I’m sure you need to get back to writing. Don’t let us stop you.” Josh turned her around so that she was facing her house and gave a little push.

Nicole took an unstable step, feeling a little shaky. She wondered if she should protest or, at the very least, send them home, but he was right that she had work to do. She knew they wouldn’t leave, and she really did need some yard work done. Closing the front door, she went back to writing.

Taking a deep breath she sat down in front of her computer, cracking her knuckles and rolling her wrists. It was going to be a long day. She could hear Josh start up the electrical saw, and she hummed, trying to drown out the sound. She stared at the computer screen and quickly started typing.