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“Grab what you can and get the fuck out of Winter’s house,” Jacob says, injecting dominance in his voice. “Don’t ever show your face to her. If you do, you’ll see the real beasts within us.”
“You can’t bully us like this!” Pete shouts, refusing to back away.
“Pete, don’t,” Laura says quickly.
“Quiet down, bitch,” he says, kicking an empty beer can on the floor. “I will do the talking from now on. If these guys think they can throw their weight around here, they’ve got another thing coming for them. We will not leave. If they want to drag us to court, let them. They have no proof to accuse us, that’s why they’re trying to threaten us.”
“You’re mistaken there,” Mercer says, flicking an invisible speck from the sleeve of his immaculate coat. “Your neighbors are willing to testify in favor of my client. You see, they’ve watched her grow up since she was a baby. They’ve also seen the way you’ve treated her all these years. Your next-door neighbors heard the argument that led to Miss Brown fleeing this house.”
I think of old Mrs. Humphrey who lives next door. She’s a sweet lady who lives with her son and her half a dozen fur babies. I can’t believe she’s ready to help me like this.
“The situation doesn’t look good for you,” Mercer says. “You’ll face jail time if we go to court with our accusations.”
Pete’s head swivels toward me. “You cock-sucking bitch!” he screams, coming toward me. “If I’d known you were this good, I’d let you have mine.”
Fearing he’s about to hit me, I raise my arm to shield myself.
“Never insult her like that again!” A roar erupts in the room.
Looking up, I see Kai standing before me like a solid wall, facing Pete. Before I know what’s happening, he pulls his elbow back and punches Pete in the face.
Pete howls, clutching his nose. Blood dribbles from the gaps between his fingers as he steps away from Kai.
“Say another nasty thing about Winter and we’ll make it personal,” Jacob growls, looking murderous.
Kai’s arm goes around my shoulders. “Come on, let’s get out of here. Mercer will handle the rest for us.”
I take one last glance at Pete who’s sitting on the couch with his head down and refusing to look at anyone. Laura stands in the corner, looking small and defeated.
Taking a deep breath, I let Kai guide me out of the room. Jacob and Cole follow behind us as we head for the front door.
A strange emotion comes over me. Without my mates’ help, I’d never be able to stand up for myself. For the first time, I realize what it feels like to be safe and protected.
“You have a beautiful house,” Kai says as we walk through the door. “It’s a shame you got those assholes living here.”
“Not for long,” Jacob says from behind us.
“I can make this house look even more beautiful,” I say, looking out at the front yard. “In summer, these trees are in full bloom. And as spring arrives, the place gets filled with bluebells. Laura didn’t allow me to plant more flowers or I’d have beds of roses and hydrangeas. Oh, and there are all those paintings that my mom did. Laura didn’t like them, so I had to keep them in the attic.”
“Do you want to live here?” Cole asks.
“Yes,” I say, turning around to face him. “And I want you guys to stay with me. Your place feels a little too big for the four of us.”
Jacob, Cole, and Kai chuckle. The anger has vanished from their faces, relieving me.
“I suppose the manor is big,” Jacob says, looking thoughtful. “Also, all of us are going to need one bedroom anyway. So, if living here would make you happy, we’ll stay here with you.”
“Let’s spend Christmas and New Year at our place,” says Kai. “By then, Pete and Laura would’ve gotten the hell out of here. When the new year begins, we’ll all shift here.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Cole says, winking at me.
“You’d really do that for me? What about your work and everything else?”
“Most of our men stay at a different location,” Kai explains. “They need a bigger area to train and exercise daily. The men you see around our property are there just there for admin work. We can make the trip to oversee them from time to time. It’s not a big deal at all.”
Warmth bursts in my chest as I look up at Cole and his brothers. I can’t believe they’re willing to shift here from their luxurious mansion.
“We’d do anything to make you happy, darling,” Jacob says, pecking my lips.
