Her Mates by Tamara White
Twenty-Three
Okay, the video recording was a good idea, because Pete walked straight into a wall when he saw me.
I sauntered in through the double doors with both Jake and Rick on my arms. The whole room stopped and turned to stare as we made our way over to the boys. They were too busy talking to notice when I entered, and it wasn’t until Pete broke apart, stalking away angrily, that anyone noticed. He was walking to the door on the side of the room and turned just in time to see me, then bam! Straight into the wall.
“Dani? Holy crap!” he exclaims, getting up from his splayed position on the floor. “You look incredible.”
I smile, hugging him, and whisper in his ear, “Are you okay? That looked like it hurt.”
“I’m fine. My ego’s bruised, but holding you in my arms while you look like this makes me feel all better. Glad I finally got that kiss though. They’ll all be lining up tonight,” Pete says, staring into my eyes.
“Ha! I doubt that.”
“Are you kidding me? You come in here dressed like a goddess ready to wreak havoc on the earth, and you expect no one to chase you down? I bet by the end of the night, all of us have snuck a kiss or two, maybe even more. You look more stunning than any of the females here. I’m proud to call you my mate,” he murmurs, kissing my cheek.
Sighing, I relax against him and let my wolf be comforted by his scent. She’s used to all their individual scents now, even if she prefers it when they’re combined. It’s like a drug to her.
“Alright, beautiful, as much as I want to hold on to you all night, everyone else is dying to touch you,” he tells me, handing me over to Nate.
“Why hello, gorgeous. Where have you been hiding?” Nate teases.
“I’ve been here all along, I was just waiting to shift apparently. I look like a princess,” I reply, grinning.
“Well, I’m glad you’re happy. You look magnificent. I can see my mother had a field day with you,” he murmurs, smiling down at me. My wolf hums, causing his to respond. Nate rubs his head against mine, scenting me.
“Okay, break it up, lovebirds, I still haven’t got a hug yet,” Cam interjects, humor lining his voice. I’m glad none of them take offence to me greeting them individually in front of each other. I don’t even care what the rest of the room thinks. I kiss Nate on the cheek before walking straight into Cam’s arms.
His fresh pine fragrance immediately relaxes my muscles. As much as I hate to admit it, my wolf has bonded with Cam’s more based on his past. Though it could just be because my wolf wants to grab his father by the throat and rip until there’s no more pulse. Gross, but that bastard deserves a fate much worse than what I’ll give him.
“I know what you’re thinking. Thank you for caring, but I’m okay, I swear. He can’t hurt me anymore,” he whispers into my ear while I breathe in his delicious scent.
“Oh, I know. He’d have to get through me before he can get to you, and there’s no way on this earth I’d let him hurt you. Besides, I’m pretty sure if I’m not around, the others would be more than willing to do the exact same thing,” I tell him, looking up with a soft smile. He’s been through so much pain, and I hate that he believes his parents were right about his sister, but there was nothing he could have done. He was a baby, for God’s sake!
“Thank you, but it’s not your problem. Don’t start something you can’t finish. Dad is just as stubborn as you are,” he utters with fear in his eyes.
I hate that his father incites so much fear. Cam shouldn’t have to be constantly afraid of what his father will do.
Arms wrap around my waist and pull me away from Cam’s embrace. “God, you look amazing. And your scent, something’s changed because it smells heavenly,” Mitchell murmurs, breathing deeply into my hair. I smile at his tone, since he sounds drugged on my scent. Jonnie steps forward, sandwiching me between them, and smiles down at me, his green eyes full of lust. A shiver runs through me from seeing his pure need for me. I love that he wants me, even after I told them I want them all.
Jonnie leans down and presses his lips against mine while Mitchell grips my hair, holding me still while his brother kisses me. His lips are so soft, so inviting, that I apply the smallest amount of pressure, kissing him back. They both respond with groans and step away, leaving me panting for more.
“Come on, love. Let’s go introduce you to everyone,” Jason encourages, grabbing my hand and pulling me away from the rest of them.
“Sorry,” I whisper, blushing when I see knowing looks from around the room. I glance over at Laura, wondering how she reacted to me kissing one of them, but she has a huge grin plastered on her face. When she catches my gaze, she gives me a wink, and I smile back at her. I’m glad she’s okay now that she knows how I feel.
“I take it you’re enjoying yourself?” Jason asks at my side, steering me toward the middle of the room. There’s music playing and people dancing. Jason leads me out onto the floor, and I freeze. I have no idea how to dance.
“Jason, what are you doing? I can’t dance. Don’t make me embarrass myself,” I beg, trying not to panic and run.
“Are you serious right now? You face off against a pack of enforcers and can still handle more, but dancing? That’s your weakness?” he questions, before laughing at the panic written across my face and making the people closest to us chuckle.
Damn! Now everyone is going to know what a big wuss I am.
“Look, Dani, just trust me, okay? I’ll lead.” He places one hand on my waist and slides his other palm into mine. I have no idea what type of dance he’s trying to show me, I just hope he doesn’t let me fall on my ass or worse, flat on my face.
Surprisingly, we actually dance pretty well together. I get swapped between all of my mates, Jake and Rick too, and then the music suddenly stops. The elders stand at the front of the room, lined up and waiting for me.
Crap! This is the part I’m afraid of. Stepping away from Jason, I make my way to them, standing directly in front of the one on the left.
He’s the one who clearly hates me. Green eyes spark when I bow my head in submission. He’s dressed up nicely in a black tux, and I hate to admit it, but he’s pretty attractive. With black hair and bulging muscles, he’s definitely my type. Apart from the fact that he obviously holds a grudge for some reason.
“I’m honored to meet you. My name is Danielle Jackson, future Alpha Queen, and servant to our people,” I say, waiting for his greeting.
“Your Highness, I am Jax. It’s an honor to meet you,” he replies, sarcasm coating his voice.
After his greeting, I straighten and move onto the next. It’s the same lineup as last time. I wonder if this is some preordained setup.
This guy reminds me of Pete with his cheeky nature and bright blue eyes. I repeat the same line as before and smile when the elder grins. “Hello, lovely, I’m Lance. If you ever want to talk, you come find me,” he offers with a wink.
It goes on like that with the woman introducing herself as Sonja and the tattooed guy as Erick. Sonja is what I think of as a dark beauty. Her dark, ebony hair flows down to her waist and her eyes are a smoky gray. She’s wearing just enough makeup to make herself stand out, but at the same time she remains mysterious. It’s quite an entrancing effect.
Erick is gorgeous. There’s no other word to describe him. His hair is as dark as the night sky, tribal tattoos cover practically every inch of his body, and he has lovely, soft brown eyes. They show a complicated soul, and my wolf feels a kinship with him.
Last but not least is the awesome biker dude. I’ve been obsessed with bikes since I was a young, so if this guy doesn’t actually have one, then I’ll be severely disappointed.
I introduce myself and wait for his response, but what he does shocks everyone around us.
“You don’t submit to me,” he orders, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me back up to a standing position. I’m so confused. Aren’t I supposed to be submitting to each of them? I glance at my grandmother, looking for some kind of clue, but she’s just as stoic as ever. There might a small smile at the corner of her lips, but nothing to tell me what to do.
“I’m so sorry for what’s happened in your life to lead to these events. Your mother was a kind and caring person who deserved better than we gave her, and for that, I’m truly sorry. I will not make you submit to me when it should be us submitting to you, rejoicing in the return of our Alpha Queen,” he booms, dropping to his knees, shortly followed by Lance and Erick.
I would have been standing here with my jaw open if my wolf wasn’t preening inside right now. She’s happy they have acknowledged our power, but irritated that Jax and Sonja have not joined in their acceptance.
I can’t force them to accept me, though I may have a way to make them look worse. Dropping to my knees, I bow my head too.
“Alpha Queen is a title that demands no respect unless earned,” I say softly, bowing to the room.
The people in the immediate vicinity drop to the ground around me and crawl closer, their heads bowed, wanting to be near me, while I watch on in awe. They accept me.
Sonja and Erick begrudgingly do the same, but it’s clear by their postures that they hate submitting to me.
My mates crowd around me in a circle, protecting me and showing the rest of the pack I’m theirs.
The doors open with a loud bang, announcing someone’s entrance. Luke, and who I assume is his mate Carrie, come waltzing in, but stop cold at the sight of us.
My mates stand, bringing me with them, and the rest of the room goes back into dinner party mode. Luke and his mate march straight up to me, obviously fuming.
I bow my head, showing submission, even though my wolf is adamant we don’t. It would undo everything that just happened if I didn’t.
“Your Majesty, it’s an honor to officially meet you. This must be your lovely mate and wife. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name’s Danielle Jackson, and I descend from the Jackson Pack, the true Alpha Queen lineage,” I say, introducing myself as diplomatically as I can. The Alpha Queen line may have pissed them off, but it’s too late now.
There’s a twitch happening with Luke’s left eye and it takes all my self-control not to laugh. He’s seriously pissed because he has no idea what happened before he came in. Guess that’s what happens when you’re late.
“Ah, Danielle, what a pleasure to meet you. My mate has told me all about you,” Carrie declares, pulling me forward and kissing me on each cheek.
Oh. My. God. Someone get me earplugs. Her voice is so high-pitched that it makes me want to cringe in agony. Seriously, how can people stand hearing that voice?
“Father, it’s nice to see you. As much as we’d like to stick around, my mate and I have other things to attend to,” Cam interjects, stopping me from responding. If I had, it would have been something about her voice and why it’s so high. Thankfully, Cam saves the day by steering me away from them. We walk straight out of the dining room and into the room next door. It must be a guest room or a spare room, because there are no decorations setting it apart from the others. It just has whites and grays spattered across the space.
I hear the door close behind me and turn to ask Cam what we’re doing in here. I don’t get the chance.
His mouth descends on mine, kissing me with so much passion it causes a flame of desire to burn inside me. My wolf growls in approval. Cam pushes us through the room, and we land on the bed, our hands roaming, needing to touch each other.
He slows the kiss, pulling back to look into my eyes. I see his heart in his gaze and know I’m falling hard. If I was going to fall for any of them, it would be Cam. His heart is so loving and fragile that I wouldn’t want anyone other than me holding his heart.
“Are you okay, precious?” he asks me, leaning down to nuzzle my neck. I sigh, feeling totally at peace.
“Yeah, I’m fine, why? And what’s with ‘precious?’ You haven’t called me that before.”
“Because you are. You’re precious to me and I want you to know it, hear it, feel it,” he murmurs, pressing his lips against mine softly.
We lie there kissing for what seems like forever until the door slams open. “Sorry, firecracker, but it’s time to have dinner and you can’t miss it,” Pete announces, barging right in.
“Come on, precious, let’s go sit down to a dull dinner with my parents and the elders. Just remember to think before you speak,” he reminds me, before placing another soft kiss against my lips.
“Aww, you guys are so cute!” Pete squeals, imitating a girly, high-pitched voice.
“Shut it or you won’t be getting a kiss ever again,” I warn.
“You wouldn’t do that, would you? These kissable lips,” he purrs, running his fingers over his lips slowly. “This beautiful body…” He glides his hands over his chest and down to his crotch. I can’t hold it in any longer, I crack up laughing.
“See? There’s my mate,” he remarks, pulling me to him and stopping my laughter by kissing me gently.
“Good girl. Now, let’s go,” he urges, leaving me mid-kiss with Cam shaking his head.
“One day you’re going to want to kill him, and I’m just going to stand by and video it. Then, when he pisses you off again, I’ll play the video,” Cam tells me, leading me back to the dinner hall.
Pete’s kiss may have left me wanting more, but it’s the first time one of them has seen me kissing another so deeply. They may have all seen me kiss Pete and witnessed Jonnie’s kiss in the dining room, but they knew it was more for comfort than anything else at the time. This is different.
It gives me hope for our future. Let’s just pray we make it through dinner and the trials without too much bloodshed.
