Snowdonia 1 - Wolf at the Door (12 page)

Evening came too quickly and Lillian dressed casually for Jake’s family, as that was all she’d brought with her. Skintight, faded gray jeans, white T-shirt, and a soft, loose cashmere sweater in a smoke gray, along with a pair of spike-heeled ankle boots. She dreaded being recognized as Ella Hart. She wanted to be Lillian for a few hours.

Jake held her hand on the short drive there, and used the time to talk about his parents, Gareth and Katy, his multiple cousins, aunts and uncles, and his two sisters, Mimi and Catriona. They all sounded reassuringly normal and the house, when they arrived, looked like all the other stone-built homes she’d seen in the area. A sprawling building, it nestled in the shelter of the mountainside, with bright lights welcoming them from all the windows.

The dark-haired woman who greeted them at the door had the same color eyes as Jake. She swept him into a hug and then ruffled his hair, before turning her attention to Lillian. “Jake said he was bringing a friend. I’m so pleased to meet you, Lillian. I’m Jake’s mother, Katy.” Her smile was genuine but Lillian saw the curiosity in the woman’s eyes. “Come on through and meet the rest of the family.”

Jake ushered Lillian into a long hallway and took her coat, turning to hang it on a free peg. Lillian turned to watch him and heard Katy gasp behind her.

“My dear.” She sounded shocked. Lillian glanced at her and then at Jake. Before she had a chance to say anything, Katy hugged her and then turned to whisper in Jake’s ear.

Something didn’t feel right.

Chapter 34

“Jake!” scolded his mother in an excited whisper. “I can’t believe you claimed your Mate and didn’t think to tell us yourself!”

Jake froze.
What
? How did his mother know? He could have sworn Lillian’s long hair covered the claiming mark, but it had faded so even if his mother saw it, she’d have thought it was just a love bite. In his mind and heart, he’d claimed her—he’d just intended to introduce the idea to her more slowly. As it stood, he’d fucked up. Royally.

Time seemed to slow down.

Lillian peered at him, her confusion visible, while his mother all but dragged her into the lounge before Jake could say anything. Sasha appeared, a bottle of champagne in his hand and a broad grin on his face. “Well done, Cuz, I didn’t think you had it in you.”

Fury swept through him.
Sasha.
Sasha knew that Lillian was his Mate. He must have been telling everyone. He grabbed the front of his cousin’s T-shirt and hauled him closer. “You fuckwit.” He had to stop, before he hit him. “Who did you tell?”

Sash tried to wriggle free. “Tell? I didn’t tell anyone!” He slapped at Jake’s fist. “What’s the problem? She’s your Mate.”

“The problem?” Jake’s head felt as though it was going to explode. “She doesn’t know. I haven’t
told
her. Yet.” He released Sasha, his anger spent.

His cousin gave a low whistle. “Guess you’re the fuckwit.”

*

Lillian felt a second of panic as Jake’s mother hauled her into what was clearly the family lounge—a lounge overflowing with people. Had they realized who she was? Jake’s mother was behaving beyond strange. And where was Jake?

Her sanity returned quickly. Jake’s family was keen to meet her. Maybe he didn’t take his girlfriends home very often. Maybe it was a big deal for them.

Katy rattled a knife against a bottle and silence fell. Lillian squirmed under the combined weight of expectant stares. What was keeping Jake? Ah, there he was, with his cousin. Judging by the tightness of his jaw and the depth of his frown, this was more like a
freaking
big deal. Her stomach churned. Whatever was going down, she had a bad feeling about it.

Jake strode forward. He gave her wary smile and stepped up to his mother, stooping to speak into her ear. The room seemed to buzz with excitement. Lillian strained to hear the whispered conversation but only caught a couple of words. Mate and claimed. Was Mate a wolf term for girlfriend? Even that status seemed premature for her. They’d known each other a matter of days.

“Mother, no!” Jake glared at his mother, who scowled back at him with an identical frown.

The smaller relations were fidgeting and two teenage girls were having a heated, whispered discussion. One of them tugged on Lillian’s sleeve. “Excuse me, miss, are you here with Jake?”

Lillian glanced across at Jake. Yep, still arguing with his mother. She took a deep breath. Maybe this was because of who she was? His cousin might have told everyone how they’d met. She conjured up an enthusiastic face and beamed at the girls. “Yes. My name’s Lillian. You must be two of his cousins?”

The slightly taller of the two girls bounced up and down on her toes. “I can’t believe it,” she gushed. “Our Jakey has a Mate!”

Lillian hesitated, not really sure she wanted to know the answer to the question at the front of her mind. Gritting her teeth, she smiled at the girls. “Mate? You mean he has a girlfriend?”

They squealed and clutched each other’s arms. “Girlfriend?” the girl repeated. “More like a wife!”

*

Jake knew the exact moment when Lillian found out just why his family was so interested in meeting her. His young cousins Cara and Yvette were chattering with her, but he could tell she wasn’t listening. Instead, her stare was fixed on him, her expression a mixture of shock and horror. He wanted to bang his head against the wall. His mother had
scented
the claiming mark on Lillian’s shoulder. He didn’t even know that was possible! He’d have to apologize later to Sash, but right now, he had to fix things with his Mate.

He pushed past the rapidly growing group that surrounded her and then grabbed her hand. “I need a moment.” He tugged at her. “Come,
Cariad
, we need to talk.”

She snatched her hand back. “You’re so right.” Her eyes flashed fire at him and his heart thudded.
Jesus
. In the history of giant fuckups, this one was monumental.

She followed him out of the room and he thought rapidly. Where could they go where they might not be disturbed? His parents’ house was filled to bursting point for their usual holiday celebration.
His car
. She stalked behind him, stomping through the snow and climbed into the passenger seat without a word. With the doors closed and the chance for some privacy, he turned in his seat to look at her properly. He’d thought she was angry, but he was wrong. She was upset. Her hands twisted in her lap, and when he slid a finger down her cheek it came away wet.

“I thought you were different, Jake.” She glanced at him and then looked away. “I mean you
are
different, you know, but I meant about being honest with me.” He tried to speak but she carried on, her voice dropping to a hoarse whisper. “Those girls, your family, they told me you have a Mate. A
wife
.”

What the fuck
? He covered her hands with his own. “No, God
no
! Why would you think that?”

She took an uneven breath and raised her eyes to meet his. He risked a smile. “No wife.”

Her brows dipped together into a V and produced a tiny crease that he longed to kiss away. “They said, and I quote, ‘Our Jakey has a Mate.’ I asked if they meant,” she hesitated, “a girlfriend, but they said a Mate was a wife.” Her eyes were steely. “Why would they say that if it isn’t true?”

Chapter 35

Lillian didn’t know what to think. Her heart longed to believe Jake, but her head screamed warnings that she couldn’t ignore. His smile disappeared and he squeezed her fingers. Her heart plummeted.

“I didn’t say anything,” he began, speaking slowly as though he chose his words carefully. “I didn’t want you to feel pressured. We’ve not been together very long.”

He placed one finger under her chin and lifted it to meet her stare. In the dim lighting, his eyes had an unnatural glow, and she reminded herself—
he isn’t normal
.

He continued, “As wolves, we mate for life. There’s no concept of divorce. We love our partners with a passion and devotion that you don’t see often in regular society.” He hesitated as though expecting her to leap in, but she stayed silent. “We share a bond with our Mates, and we believe that each of us has one special partner. Just the one. When we find our Mate it’s a cause for celebration.”

Lillian stared. Surely he didn’t mean… She replayed his words in her head.

“You don’t mean
me
?” It came out on a gasp, a hysterical laugh trying to break free.

He nodded.

She wasn’t getting this. She tried again. “You think
I’m
your Mate? Your …
wife
?”

He nodded again, his eyes serious and his face still.

She couldn’t help it, the laugh escaped. She clapped a hand over her mouth as she tried to stop, but it was too late. She couldn’t miss the hurt look in his eyes. “I’m sorry, but this is ridiculous. I mean, really. I’ve known you two days, and you expect me to believe I’m your life-long partner?”

He stroked her cheek and she resisted the urge to rub against his hand.

“
Cariad
.” His voice was gentle. “Have you never heard of love at first sight?”

“That’s a concept that doesn’t exist outside of movies and books. I was with Kurt for a year and it didn’t work out.” His face tightened at the mention of her ex and she swiftly continued. “You can’t possibly think that I would fall in love with you after two days?” A little voice chimed inside her head and reminded her that she had, but that was easy to ignore.

“I knew it was you when you opened the door to me. I knew then.”

“You were frozen and bleeding. This is just misplaced gratitude.” She knew her voice was sharp, but she was scared. “How did your mother know? Did you tell her?”

He winced. “I, ah, gave you a claiming mark. A love bite.” On her shoulder, she remembered. “Mother knew what it meant.” He shrugged in a casual way, but his eyes gave away his worry. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen tonight.”

She touched the bite. “This?” He nodded. “Were you going to tell me at some point?”

“I planned for us to stay here for a little while and then go home together. I wanted us to make love in front of the fire and then talk about our future. I want us to have a future,
Cariad
.”

Something had been nagging at her since he’d talked about his family. “You don’t have any brothers, do you? Just sisters.” His face stilled, and she knew she was right. “Like with royalty, the Bledris are Pack Leaders so what happens if you mate with a … nonwolf?” She tried to speak slowly, to articulate her words clearly. “Can you even
have
children with a normal woman?” It must have sounded rude and she winced inside, but raced on. “What kind of future could we possibly have together?”

He cupped a possessive hand around her neck and gazed deep into her eyes. “Shifters
do
mate with nonshifters. It’s not an issue. If we have a cub that can shift, the bloodline will continue, but even if we don’t, it won’t matter. Not to me.”

Fears crowded her and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. She took a step back from him so she could think clearly. His nearness was too much of a distraction. The chemistry they shared was off the charts. And that, she admitted to herself was part of the problem. Was it real? Or was it just lust for the rebound guy? Never mind the fact that they were moving at warp speed. Throw in the sacrifice he might be making by choosing her as a Mate, and it was just all too much. She was overwhelmed. She needed to get away. Clear her head.

As she cataloged all of the reasons why she was afraid, she realized the thing that scared her the most. Getting her heart ripped apart again from someone breaking her trust. “You remember I told you that I could never love another man without complete honesty, and yet you had this huge secret that you never mentioned. Do you really think I can trust you now?”

* * * *

Despite Jake’s protests, she insisted on going back to his house and packing her belongings, then calling for her driver. He watched her shoving underwear into a suitcase and wondered if there was any way he could possibly salvage this situation. He wasn’t giving up without a fight. He closed his hands around her upper arms, firm but gentle, and it caught her attention. He felt her shiver at his touch. Hope sparked in his heart.

“You’re running away.”

“Yes, I am. That’s what I do best.”

“Don’t do this,
Cariad
. We need to talk.”

She wriggled free and picked up a shirt from the pile of things on his bed. “We have nothing to talk about.”

“I disagree.”

She tried to fold the shirt, made a mess of it, and shook it out before rolling it neatly. Her eyes met his for a moment, before she focused on her case again. “It was fun while it lasted, Jake, but—”

“Don’t give me that crap.” He held onto his fear, but it was close. He wanted to fall to his knees and beg her to stay, but he didn’t think even that would work. “It was more and you know it. You can feel our bond already.” Her hands trembled as she reached for another garment, but she didn’t respond. “Lillian, look me in the eyes and tell me I mean nothing.”

She clenched both fists. Her knuckles turned white. Slowly, she raised her head and stared right at him. Jake realized he was holding his breath.

Her eyes opened wide, and he saw tears glistening on her lashes. “I can’t do that.” Her rough whisper made his heart jump and he exhaled on a whoosh of air. “But I can’t stay here either. And you
cannot
be thinking about mating with me. I won’t let you throw away your heritage. It’s too important.”

“That’s my decision,
Cariad
.”

“What about your parents? Your Pack? And me? It’s my decision too. I’m not ready to settle down with
anyone
. Especially not someone that I’ve only just met. I’d have to be stark, raving mad to give up my life. I don’t know how I can trust you. I. Don’t. Know. You.” She spoke through gritted teeth, and the words felt like punches to his gut. His wolf howled.