It’s not that I think they’re frail. Chloe is just the most precious thing to me. When Estel finds her mate, I’m sure he will think the same. Having a mate and someone you want to protect, above all else, changes one's perspective on everything.“I can’t wait to meet this new Luna,” Estel said. “She sounds like a badass.”“She has her moments,” Beau shrugged. “She’s like a kept doll at the moment. Everyone is desperately hiding her away.”“You sound like you disagree. Do you have a problem with us protecting our mate?”Beau and Kai exchanged a look, then Beau just sighed. “You sure protecting her the way you are isn’t just going to remind her of her first mate? He locked her away in the pack house too.”I growled deep in my chest. “She’s not locked away.”“No,” Beau scoffed, “She just can’t go anywhere without you two flipping out or without Lenny and Jamie babysitting her inconspicuously. She’s not stupid. She’s going to catch on.”“Wait, you’re having her guarded without her permiss
Estel POV“There. Now I just need to neutralize the scents lingering on your body from this pack, and you should be good to go.” The soft-spoken warlock moved his smoking hand in front of me, from my head to my feet. We were standing far away from the others, near the car he had driven. The car had been de-scented too, and now the only smells coming through are from me. I only smell like my pack now, which is the point.“This dress looks expensive,” I looked down at my borrowed attire. “Are you sure this is what a realtor would wear?”“No, but Winnie insisted that it would be perfect. I wasn’t telling him no.”The little werecat definitely had a pair of claws on him. I wouldn’t argue either.To keep myself hidden from the public, and this mission top secret, I’ve only been with the Alphas and these new stripper men for the past few days, staying at a house lived in by two witch sisters and away from the pack house. I’ve gotten to know these men decently over the past few days and hav
Chloe POV“Chloe? Are you alright, lapachka?”The room had grown silent as my tears ceased to fall. I was still curled up under the pool table, hiding from the rest of the world as Lenny babysat somewhere on the other side.“I hate when you call me that,” I murmured. “What does that even mean?”My voice sounded monotone and dead, even to me. I was starting to feel that numbing layer over everything inside of me, a self-preservation thing no doubt, so I didn’t break from everything I had been trying to bottle up inside.“It’s just a term of endearment. Like when you call someone sweetie.”“So it means sweetie?”“Well, no. Not directly. It’s just the feeling of the term. It actually translates to, uh, little paw?”“Like a dog’s foot?” That didn’t sound endearing at all.“Like when you see cute little tracks on the ground, and think to yourself, awe, I bet a creature with cute little paws made those tracks.”“Sounds like you have a foot fetish,” I murmured against my knees.“Maybe,” he l
“Chloe?” It was Mick’s voice that spoke as I felt their presence entering the rec room. I was sitting on one of the old couches, and Lenny had gone to stand near the door.I didn’t look up, though I felt both sets of eyes on me. I don’t know if it was from nerves, guilty, or lingering resentment, but I just couldn’t meet their eyes.If I looked up and saw that cold stare again, I don’t think I could get through this without breaking down, and I really don’t want to show any more weakness than I already have.“Baby….” This time it was Miles, and I could feel the pain in his voice. It caused me to reluctantly look their way, and my insides immediately crumbled.Miles no longer had that cold demeanor. He looked so incredibly sad that it tore me up. Mick was so concerned, I could taste it.I was dreading this. Hearing why they didn’t want to have kids with me was going to be painful, but I could see they were in pain right now too.With a weak smile, I fidgeted on the couch, wondering wha
“So, that’s what you two have been busy with the last few days? Why you haven’t been in the pack house at all?”“That and the mission to get Boyd back,” Mick said.“There’s a mission to get Boyd back?!” I had no fucking idea, and all I’ve been doing is sitting in my office, picking out linen samples and going over my budgeting reports. “That wolf had dark magic! Don’t you think I could be helping?”“You were asleep for days after helping last time,” Miles grumbled.“Yeah, but you and everyone else survived! If I hadn’t been there, where would you be?!”His eyes narrowed, looking cold again, though his hands were still warm as he held my body. “That’s beside the point.”“No it’s not!” A panic was rising up in me. “What if someone got hurt?! What if….” I didn’t even want to finish this thought. “What if one of you…..”“Baby,” Miles held my face between his hands. “It’s our job to keep you safe. Not the other way around.”That pissed me off. “Bull shit,” I growled. “You want me to just s
Estel POV“It’s pink,” Ada, my wolf, grumbled. When I pulled into the circle drive, we could see into the giant windows along the front of the once forgotten resort hotel.It was atrocious. It looked like the inside of a pepto bismol bottle. It was painfully pink. Who the hell paints walls this color? Not even an accent wall, but all the walls, from floor to ceiling. And then the ceiling’s dirty glass skylights were reflecting the offensive pink back, the sunlight sneaking in giving the higher part of the wall the image of being scribbled over with a highlighter.It sucked.“And you have to act like you’re here to view the property to put it on the market,” Ada snickered. “No one wants to buy this shitty eyesore.”She was right. Even if I was a real realtor, this would be a freakishly hard sell. The amount of work that went into painting the inside was such a waste. Graffiti would have looked better than this. Giant penises and boobs would have been less assaulting to my eyes.“Well.
Chloe POV“Bets are simple,” I said, pacing around the green felt table with a que stick in my hands. “If you win, I’ll sit out, playing the loyal, boring doll you both want me to be.”Miles growled. “I never said I wanted you to be a doll.”“Sex doll, maybe,” Mick muttered under his breath. I chose to ignore him.“Neither of you needed to say it. It’s clear you would rather me stay here in the pack house and be worthless than be out there helping you. That’s why you weren’t telling me shit.”“We weren’t telling you shit because we were protecting you from-”“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I waved my hand to stop Mick’s repetitive argument. “Say what you want. I get it. I really do. I’m just not willing to give in without a fight.”“I’ll fight you right now,” Mick stepped up, pressing his chest to mine. A tremor ran down my body, feeling his heat. “Forget playing pool. I’ll fight you right now, and we can end this for good. An all-out brawl.”“Ah, you’re cute,” I smacked his cheek with my palm.
“Would you like to break?” I smirked, chalking the end of my stick and blowing on its tip.The corner of Miles’s lips quirked up as he leaned against his pole, knuckles white while gripping it steady. “You go ahead.”“He has no idea what he’s in for,” I giggled to my wolf.“I don’t know. He doesn’t look worried at all.”“Neither were the guys when I first got to Broom StiXXX.” I had their man panties in my hands plenty of times after that.“I’m telling you, this is a bad idea,” Mick growled, watching with his back pressed against the wall.I stared at Miles to see if his brother was convincing him to change his mind, but he just motioned for me to go.Leaning over the table, I lined up the shot, and right when I was about to take it, Miles said, “I’m going to bend you over just like that before plowing into you from behind.”It was too late for me to stop my momentum, and the white ball went flying towards the others. It hit in the wrong spot, and though they still broke, only one str