Reynolds Pack (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3

  Jenny stepped back, and just as she got to the entrance to the kitchen, she covered her mouth with her hand and took off running toward the bathroom.

  Mel wanted to go after her to make sure she was okay, but she didn’t like anyone seeing her if and when she was sick, but she’d also never been pregnant and was concerned that Jenny could faint or something. So she walked toward the bathroom and stopped outside the closed door. The sound of retching reached her ears, and she wondered if she should go and get Blue or Joe to come take care of their wife. Just as that thought coalesced, the front door to the small cottage burst open, and a loud voice roared Jenny’s name.

  “She’s in the bathroom,” Mel called out, but Blue must have somehow known where his wife was because, before she’d finished speaking, he was nudging her aside and entering the room.

  “Ah, baby, what set you off this time?” Blue asked as he helped his wife from her knees to her feet. “You don’t have to answer that. I can smell it. Are you hurt, Melanie?”

  Melanie shook her head slightly, and when she realised her mouth was gaping, she snapped it closed. How the hell did he know I’d hurt myself? Not that I’m really hurt but…Oh. Fuck. Me.

  Joe came striding down the short hall with a frown on his face.

  “Melanie, can you get Jenny a glass of water please?”

  “S–sure.” Mel hurried toward the kitchen and then back to the bathroom with water glass in hand. She passed it to Joe, who passed it to Jenny.

  “I’ll let Joe take care of you, baby, and don’t you dare argue about taking a nap. I’ll be in to check on you soon.” Blue kissed Jenny on the temple and then left Joe to look after Jenny. “Why don’t we go and talk in the living room?”

  Melanie found herself nodding again, and she preceded Blue to the other room when he swept his hand out for her to go first.

  “Okay.” Blue sighed, scrubbed a hand over his face, and then met her gaze before he began talking again. “What did you and Jenny discuss?”

  “Nothing really.” Mel settled back on the sofa and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “She did ask me if I believed in mythological creatures and whether I thought werewolves could exist.”

  “And what was your answer?” Blue asked.

  “I didn’t give one.”

  “Shit! This is a lot harder than I thought it would be,” he muttered.

  “Just spit it out,” Mel blurted out as she uncrossed her arms, crossed her legs, and shifted in her seat.

  “Everyone in this little community is a werewolf. The reason we set up our own town was so we could let our wolves free whenever we want and keep our existence a secret from humans.”

  Mel drew in a deep, ragged breath and exhaled slowly. Her heart began thundering, and every little hair on her body stood on end. A tremor wracked her body, and she shivered. She wasn’t sure if it was because of fear or because of the incredulousness of Blue’s statement, but either way, it didn’t really matter. She wasn’t sure she really believed him, but from the anomaly she’d seen when Kris’s and then Jenny’s eyes had changed colour, she knew there was definitely something very different about these people.

  A giggle began to form in her chest, and although she tried to swallow it down, the sound burst from between her lips. She didn’t laugh for long, but when she finally gained control of herself, she met Blue’s earnest gaze and realised that he believed what he’d just said.

  She looked up when she heard footsteps and saw Joe carrying Jenny in his arms.

  “He’s not making it up,” Jenny said in a quiet, sincere voice. “They are all able to turn into wolves. Their senses are way more enhanced than a human’s. Didn’t you wonder how Blue could smell your blood and knew you’d cut yourself?”

  Mel shook her head, swallowed loudly, and then nodded.

  “I wish I could stay and talk to you more, but I really need to lie down for a while. Please just listen to Blue, and he’ll tell you everything he can, but don’t be too pissed at him if you find out more with each day that passes. Besides myself, and now you there are no other women here. The rest are men, and since they were born with the Lycan gene, they forget that we don’t know everything about them. I’m still learning, and I’ve been mated to Joe and Blue for over twelve months. If you have any questions, I’ll be available to answer them. Make a list if you want, and when I’m feeling up to par, I’ll give you all the answers you want. Just make sure you aren’t bleeding because, at the moment, the stench of blood really turns my stomach. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Mel answered in a hoarse, shaky voice and hoped like hell she hadn’t made the biggest mistake of her life by coming to the remote Outback New South Wales town to work.

  Her first instinct was to get the hell out of there, but if what they were telling her was the truth, and they gave chase, she wouldn't have a hope in hell of escaping.

  She felt like she was in a living nightmare, or maybe she was in the “Twilight Zone.” How the hell was she supposed to react to the unbelievable story she'd just been told? She wanted to yell at Jenny to come back, but Mel held her tongue. Mel’s heart was beating so fast and hard it hurt, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she held them back—not wanting to show any weakness in front of such a dominant man.

  She lifted her feet up onto the edge of the sofa and wrapped her arms around her knees. The urge to rock back and forth was one she nearly gave into, but with Blue watching her so intently, she held still. When he shifted in his seat, lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair, and sighed, she started to tremble.

  Mel was scared out of her mind and wanted to light out of there as if the hounds of hell were on her heels, but she was too frightened to move.

  “I can smell your fear, Melanie. You have nothing to be afraid of. No one here will hurt you.”

  She nodded. Although Blue sounded sincere, Mel wasn't sure she believed him, especially after how those three men had reacted.

  What the hell am I supposed to do now? Should I stay, or should I find a way to get out of here? Maybe if I wait for night to fall, I can make my escape.

  The plan had merit, but Mel had nowhere else to go. She'd upheaved her life for this job. Would the fear currently coursing through her body ever leave, or would she always feel afraid in these people's presence.

  Mel usually didn't let fear rule her life, but how she was supposed to be comfortable while working for werewolves, she didn't know.

  Was there a reason for her being employed other than Blue needing someone to cook because Jenny was pregnant and suffering from morning sickness? The only way to get the answer was to ask outright.

  She took a deep breath and met Blue's gaze again. “Why did you employ me?”

  “For the reason I told you in the email,” he answered with a frown. “Why? Did you think I brought you here for other reasons?”

  Mel looked away and shrugged. She glanced his way when she heard him move and held her breath when she saw him crawling toward her on his hands and knees. She quivered with fear, and although she told her body to get up and run, it didn’t obey her.

  When Blue placed a hand on Mel’s shin, she flinched, but as she drew in a deep, ragged breath the fear racing through her veins dissipated. Her heart slowed, as did her breathing, and she felt as tranquil as a still body of water.

  What the hell is up with that?

  Blue sat back on his haunches and sighed again, but he kept his large warm hand on her shin. “I would never get a human here under nefarious circumstances. I never lied to you, Melanie. We really do need someone to cook.”

  Mel nodded, and from the look in his eyes, she knew he was telling the truth.

  “What about the others?” she asked.

  “The other werewolves would protect you with their lives. We don't harm women or children here.”

  The tension in her body lessened. “Including Kris, Jules and Johnny?”

  “Especially them,” Blue replied.
“I know this is a lot to take in, but will you please stay and work for us? We need you. Jenny needs you.”

  Mel sighed with resignation. He was playing dirty by bringing his wife into this, but then she realised she was wrong. Blue wasn't being mean or playing dirty. He was just trying to look after his pregnant wife.

  How the hell was she supposed to refuse that?

  “I'm going to hold you responsible if anyone hurts me.”

  “No one will, but if they do, I will kill them myself.”

  Mel gasped. “Um…that's a little drastic. Isn't it?”

  “I can honestly say that none of my pack would dare harm a hair on your head, and since that's the case, I can safely say what I just did.” Blue lifted his hand from her shin, rose to his feet, and went to sit in the armchair again.

  Once more her breathing escalated, and her heart rate sped up.

  She finally nodded and hoped she wasn't setting herself up for a world of trouble.

  Chapter Three

  “Johnny, Kris, Jules, I’ve just told your mate that we’re all werewolves, but I really think you should be here, too,” Blue said through his telepathic mind link to the three Omegas. “It should be the three of you who tell her that she’s your mate.”

  “How’s she taking it?” Jules asked.

  “I think she’s more than a little shell-shocked right now. Her heart rate’s up, as is her breathing. I can’t smell fear on her anymore, but she is very, very anxious. Since you three are her mates, and our pack’s ability is to calm, you should get your arses over here ASAP.”

  “We’re on our way,” Kris said.

  Jules couldn’t wait to see their mate again, but he was also scared shitless about how she was going to react once she found out she was the mate to three werewolves. It was going to be a hell of a lot for her to take in, and he hoped she didn’t freak out too much.

  He and his brothers used their animals’ inner speed and were at the small cottage door seconds later. They hadn’t left their Alpha’s dining room in hope that they would be called to speak with their woman once Jenny had told Melanie about them being shifters, but he hadn’t expected to be called so soon. He hoped that wasn’t a bad omen, but when he couldn’t hear any screaming or hysterical laughter he felt a little better.

  “Come in,” Blue called out as Jules raised his hand to knock on the closed front door. He glanced at Johnny and Kris, took a deep breath, and then turned the door handle. As soon as he opened the door, her sweet, honey scent assailed his olfactory senses, and he inhaled deeply, savouring the feminine smell of his mate. When he skirted the small entry wall and saw her sitting on the large chaise lounge staring at Blue with a shocked expression on her face, he knew that they were going to have their work cut out for them in getting her to believe that they could actually change into wolves.

  “Move your arse.” Johnny shoved Jules forward, and he rushed across the living room to sit on the sofa right next to Melanie.

  Johnny and Kris hurried after him, both of them pushing and shoving at each other as they tried to vie for the other seat next to their mate. Johnny was the most dominant of the three of them and the eldest, and he outweighed Kris by approximately twenty pounds, and although Kris gave Johnny run for his money, the latter won and sat down beside Melanie with a grin.

  “Settle down, you three,” Blue said.

  Jules hadn’t taken his eyes off of Melanie, and although she was frowning, he could see a gleam of amusement in her eyes, which caused his heart to flip with excitement and hope.

  She looked at Kris when he moved toward the unoccupied armchair and threw himself into it. Jules couldn’t contain his grin when her cheeks turned a becoming shade of pink because she’d been staring at Kris’s arse, and he figured she liked what she was seeing because the scent of her arousal became stronger. His wolf was pushing to get out, and each time he was in their mate’s presence, it was getting harder and harder to contain and control his beast.

  “What’s going on?” Melanie asked as she met Blue’s gaze.

  “I’ve asked Johnny, Kris, and Jules here to help prove to you that Jenny and I weren’t lying to you.”

  “How the hell are you going to do that?”

  “Kris, do you want to do the honours?” Blue asked.

  Jules wished that Blue had asked him to shift for Melanie’s benefit, but he wasn’t about to quibble over something so trivial with his Alpha. But he would have loved to strip down to nothing and let her see his body before calling forth his wolf. However, if she didn’t run for the hills, he would have all the time in the world to get to know his mate and for her to get to know him and his brothers.

  “I would love to,” Kris said. He rose to his feet, moved a few steps to the side of the armchair, and pulled his T-shirt up over his head.

  Jules heard Melanie draw in a deep breath, and when she didn’t exhale, he realised she was holding it. When he glanced over at Kris, he saw his brother had already unsnapped his jeans and was in the process of lowering his zipper. As Kris began to push his jeans over his hips, Melanie swallowed audibly before exhaling and inhaling again.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Don’t stress, sweetness,” Johnny said in a soothing tone as he clasped Melanie’s hand in his. “Kris is going to change into his wolf to prove to you that werewolves are real.”

  “Oh,” Melanie said, and Jules heard the scepticism in her voice, and when she shifted in her seat and recrossed her legs, he inhaled deeply. The aroma of her arousal was strong but so was her nervousness. He hated that she was feeling anxious, but it was imperative to him and his brothers that she know the truth. She was their mate, and he didn’t want to hide anything from her. Although he’d never had a serious relationship before, he knew that to lie to her could doom them all. He had a feeling that even leaving things out on purpose could get them into trouble with their mate, and he didn't want that at all. After all, as the saying went, “honesty was the best policy,” and he intended to be honest, even if it meant they alienated their mate. Lying wasn’t an option. He’d never been one to fabricate before, and he wasn’t about to start now. Hopefully by being upfront with her, they would be able to gain her trust faster and she would accept them as her mates. He was full of hope but also anxiety. There was so much for her to know, to learn to accept, and so little time. Already his body was beginning to burn with the mating heat, but he and his brothers would need to be cautious and try to keep their inner animals in check. That was going to be a lot harder than it sounded.

  He loved that Melanie couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of Kris’s body as he revealed more and more of his nakedness. When her eyes wandered over him from the top of his head, down over his shoulders and chest, and then lower, he drew on his wolf’s keen senses and listened to every beat of her heart, every indrawn breath, and every exhalation. As her gaze dropped to Kris’s hips, she gulped and swallowed noisily, and then her gaze landed on Kris’s erect cock. The tip of her little pink tongue peeked out from between her lips, and she licked them, leaving a gloss of moisture behind. He couldn’t prevent the groan from escaping when he imagined those sweet, full red lips wrapped around his cock as she sucked him off.

  The only thing better than that would have been if he could see her gorgeous naked body and be able to touch and kiss it all over. He would love to get a taste of the delectable-smelling musky honey between her legs more than anything, and as he imagined what she would taste like on his tongue, his hard cock jerked against his zipper and a drop of fluid leaked from the tip.

  He pushed all of his lascivious thoughts aside for now because right at this moment their mate’s anxiety was pushing toward the roof, and the sweet fragrance of fear began to seep from her pores.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of, Melanie.” Jules squeezed her hand and used his pack power by pushing calm toward her. Her panting breaths slowed a bit, and when he glanced over her head to Johnny, he nodded at him to do the same.

&n
bsp; Johnny acknowledged him with a slight nod and pushed his calming influencing powers toward their mate, and Jules relaxed a little when the grip she had on his hand lessened infinitesimally.

  Kris knelt down on the floor and then placed his hands down, too. The outline of his body became hazy, and then it began to change as he called to his wolf. Jules saw Melanie wince as Kris’s bones popped and cracked as they broke and moved and reshaped. His wolf’s tail began to form and lengthen, fur sprouted across his skin, and claws erupted from the tips of his fingers and toes. His muzzle elongated, and his canines lengthened as his jaw reformed.

  Kris’s wolf coat was a light brown colour with blond streaks, and his grey eyes began to glow before they turned to a yellowy gold tinge.

  Melanie tugged her hand in his, and although Jules didn’t want to relinquish it so soon, he released it, not wanting to compound her fear any further.

  “Oh. My. God.” She gasped, right before covering her mouth with her hand. “How is any of this possible?”

  Jules wasn’t sure if her question was rhetorical but decided to answer anyway.

  “We were born with the Lycan gene, as were our parents and their parents.”

  “I’ve searched back our lineage as far as I can but could only go back as far as the 1600s. All of our ancestors have always been wolves, but I can’t find out when or how the Lycan gene formed or if one of our ancestors was infected by someone else,” Blue explained.

  “Are you okay?” Johnny asked.

  “I’m…not really sure.”

  Kris whined and took a step toward her. When she didn’t move back from him, he took another step and then another until he was standing within touching distance. He licked his lips, whined again, and then moved close enough to rest his head on her knee.

  “I think he wants you to pet him, sweetness,” Jules told her while using his calming influence on her again.