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“A beginning for us?” She pulled herself back like I’d said something to frighten her. By the hard expression on her face, I realized I’d tread into dangerous commitment territory. “What about the prophecy, your brothers?”
Damn, she thought I was trying to keep her to myself—which, to be honest, I’d love to do. “This isn’t me making a move to lock you down, Charlie. I know I can’t keep you to myself. I know you don’t belong to any man. I do think you should explore your connection to Kane and Johnny. Let them in like you’ve let me in. See what comes of it.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You never know… You might find what you’re looking for.”
She pulled away from me completely, her frown firmly in place. Fuck, I wanted to kick myself for being so pushy and ending our intimacy.
She reached for her discarded T-shirt, which was lying tangled in a bush to our left, then slipped it on. Her panties and yoga pants quickly followed. I mourned the loss and cursed my stupid mouth.
It fascinated me that our clothes seemed to strip themselves off in her dream world and apparently in the real world at her whim, but when we shifted, they stayed where they needed to be, ready for us to transform back to human, fully clothed.
It made me want to explore the limitlessness of her powers. What could she do if she put her mind to something?
Now, of course, was not the time…
“I don’t know what this means.” She motioned between the two of us. “But I’m not looking for something. I’m not missing a part of me or longing to be complete.” That lie must have tasted rotten on her tongue. Her loneliness radiated through our newly formed connections. “I know I’m not ready for whatever commitment you all seem to want from me.”
When she took a seat on the log, I realized I hadn’t scared her away. At least there’s that. With a reluctant grunt, I got up from my bed of leaves then put my clothes on, too.
“I don’t know if you ever met my stepmother, Luca. She was my father’s first wife.” Charlie poked at what was left of the fire with a stick, coaxing it back to flame with a few quick breaths. “My father always had romantic notions about heroism. When Luca’s husband died protecting my dad, he’d felt obligated to show his loyalty and gratitude by marrying her, adopting her sons, treating them as his own. I know you know it’s not unusual for that to happen in legacy families.” She gave me a look that made it seem okay for me to take my seat next to her once again. “He devoted himself to making her happy, to being a replacement father to my stepbrothers. She wanted a child with him, but he put the pack first, fixated on building it into what it is today.” She sighed. “From what he told me over the years and what I’ve pieced together, he was satisfied with that arrangement, content to be a husband and stepfather, not interested in having his own child, until he met my mother.”
“Then he understood real love,” I guessed. Having never heard this backstory before, I couldn’t help but wonder what Charlie’s childhood would have been like with a stepmother who had been set aside for a second wife, one who was the recipient of the alpha’s love.
She nodded, her gaze riveted on the fire that had gone back to smoldering.
“When Kane told me that Sal killed my mother—” She sucked in a sharp breath then let it slide out slowly. “I didn’t understand at first. Why? Why would Sal do such a thing? But deep down I think I knew. My mother had always been a symbol of betrayal to my stepbrothers, and I was a product of that betrayal. So, it makes sense to me now why Sal wanted my mother dead, why he wants me dead, too.”
“He doesn’t want you dead. He wants you to suffer.” I touched her cheek so she’d look at me. “He wants you to feel humiliated, to be dominated by Kane. He wants you to know that he has power over you.”
“If I mate with you, with Kane and Johnny, won’t I be giving him what he wants?” She rubbed her hands over her arms like she was cold.
I took the stick from her hand then got to work banking the fire up once again.
“He’s not expecting us to be in love.” I held up a hand when she started to argue. “I’m not saying I’m in love with you, Charlie.” But I am, fuck. I’m totally lost to her. “What I’m saying is that your stepbrother has no idea what bonding with us will do to your already immense power. He won’t see you coming when you decide to get the revenge you’re owed.”
Her eyes sparked, and her frown faded. Deep down, I knew, she was terrified of giving up control, while at the same time wanting so badly to be a part of a pack. It didn’t take our connection to understand that. Every wolf wanted to be part of something bigger. It was in our nature. For Charlie, though, being part of a harem, even if she was the one uniting us all, meant danger, just like it had for her mother.
“I’m saying that letting me in was the first step, and it could be all you need to beat that bastard down and put him in his place. Connections with me, Johnny, Kane—not our bite—could be all the catalyst you need to get what you deserve.” I touched her hand, coaxing her to twine her fingers with mine. “I don’t know what all this means, but I’m telling you, it feels right and, in my genius mind”—I nudged her shoulder so she swayed—“that means we’re doing what we’re destined to be doing. Even if we don’t mate, even if I never bite you, the connection I feel with you now? It’s something important.”
She looked down at our fingers then lifted our hands to her chest and laid it over her heart. “It scares me to death, Levi, but I think you’re right.”
Chapter Four
Johnny
“There’s only one way this is going to go.” I slipped my arm into the crook of hers and tugged her toward the backyard where the boys were waiting. “The pack wants retribution.”
Charlie attempted to dig her heels in, and I had a brief but powerful reminder of her werebeast lying in wait for any reason to rip my throat out. She yanked us both back.
“Relax… It’s a dodgeball game.” I locked eyes with her and tried for my best be-cool expression. “We do it every Sunday.”
“Dodgeball,” she said, incredulously.
“Werewolf style.” I got her walking again. “No werebeasts allowed.”
“Which is why this is a terrible idea.” She didn’t attempt to stop our progress, though. “I don’t want to beast out when everyone is having fun.”
“You won’t.” Because I’d figured out the secret to calming her beast. It wasn’t just the neck hold that had subdued her the other day in the forest but what I’d been saying to her. Whispering in her ear must have gotten the message through that we weren’t a threat, because the beast had finally let Charlie go—or, at least, that was what I was telling myself. I hadn’t debriefed with my brothers, but I’d like to think I had a connection with Charlie that maybe her beast was starting to accept. I’d definitely felt connected to her, in her head, if only because I’d felt her desperately trying to regain control. It was in her tense muscles and rumbling growl. Even as her werebeast side was tearing my arm to shreds, I knew Charlie was in there fighting to get out. I suspected her werebeast heard me and took heed.
Or we just got lucky, and the neck hold had worked.
