Mated in Mist (11 page)

She’d grown up with the Centrals, the daughter of the Alpha who had called for the demon and the sister of the following Alpha who had killed so many of those she loved. She knew she was tainted, knew she was scarred beyond measure, but did her best so others couldn’t see that.

Ellie and Maddox had saved her. They had become her parents and raised her, loving her with all of their hearts. She was a strong wolf, a strong woman, and one that could stand on her own and fight for her Pack.

And yet it was her wolf and her soul that ached.

Bram, the sexy, dark-skinned wolf who sat next to her was her mate. He was the one wolf in all the world that would complete her soul. If the world were perfect, he would take her into his arms and they would mate and make love, completing the mating bond until they both knew their fate was sealed and perfect.

Yet that hadn’t happened.

Bram was her mate.

She was his.

They
both
knew this. It wasn’t like Finn and Brynn where there had been something broken with Finn’s wolf.

Bram and Charlotte were
each
missing something.

They’d been friends for years, and then their wolves had fallen for each other. They’d made love and had known they would create a bond and a future.

Only the bond hadn’t formed.

They weren’t enough for each other.

Her heart ached for the man at her side, the man that should have been everything, yet wasn’t.

It was her.

She was the one messing it up.

They were missing something because of
her
.

She was tainted. She was unworthy.

Bram couldn’t have his future because of the blood in her veins.

And that was something she would have to live with. Because one day soon, she would have to fully cut the ties and let him go. He deserved to find a mate that he could form the bond with. Because she wasn’t it. She would remain alone, unmated, unwanted. Because that was her reality. Her price to pay for what she had done before the Redwoods took her in.

Bram let out a breath and looked at her, sending her heart racing as well as the tears sliding down her cheeks.

“Don’t cry. I can’t take it when you cry.”

She let the tears fall, knowing these had to be the last. “I’m sorry.”

So sorry. For everything.

She’d lost him before she ever had him. And yet she couldn’t allow that to be the only thing that mattered. Maybe if she focused on Ryder and Leah’s mating, things would be better. She had nothing else to lose. She’d already lost everything.

Bram sighed and turned away, leaving her heart in pieces in the process.

Again.

Ryder wiped the sweat from his brow and grinned at his brother. Gideon smiled back, only it was more teeth than anything, and Leah knew things were about to get good.

“You two just going to stand around and glare at each other, or are we going to play some ball?” Finn called out from the other side of the field.

Leah leaned against the large rock behind her and let out a small sigh.

“I know, right?” Brie whispered from her side. “It’s like porn out there.”

“Those are my brothers, you know,” Brynn said from Brie’s other side.

“And your mate,” Brie said. “And most of the Redwoods are related to me, but I can still watch the shirtless Talons, and my very sexy and sweaty Alpha of a mate play.” She let out a long sigh and rested her chin on her knee.

Brynn turned to face her mate, Finn, and let out a sigh of her own.

Leah just shook her head, holding back a smile as the two very happily mated women stared at their mates. Of course, Leah couldn’t blame them.

Dear goddess, this had to be the best thing she’d ever seen in her life.

A shifter game of touch football. Shirtless men running into each other, pinning one another down, and bending over as they tried to get to the end zone. Sports porn. Since it was mid-winter, the snow on the ground only heightened the effect of the very sexy, shirtless men. Sweat glistened on their bodies, and steam rose from their skin in the cool air. Leah licked her lips as she watched Ryder run a hand through his hair, the muscles in his arms bunching in all the right places. She couldn’t wait to run her tongue down his abs to those sexy lines that carved his hips. She’d had her hands on him but hadn’t done more than that since she’d been an idiot and wanted to go slow.

Her teeth bit into her lip as he bent over when the play began. He started off, running along his path until he turned at the right moment, catching the ball perfectly. He made it a few feet before Bram tackled him to the ground.

It might be touch football, but they were shifters so things got a bit…physical.

Dear goddess.

It felt good to laugh and play. Without being able to relieve the tension of the potential war and Unveiling, the Pack might falter. The upper levels of wolves seemed to understand that, and had brought in the younger wolves to play, as well. There were at least four games going on at once, including soccer, football, and Rugby, but Leah’s attention was on the Brentwood versus Jamenson game that included a few friends, as well.

Ryder rolled to his feet and shook the snow from his hair. Leah held back a groan as his fingers danced over his abs to wipe away the dirt and moisture.

“Um…Leah?” Brie’s voice sounded like it was holding back laughter, and Leah turned toward her new friend.

“What is it?” And why weren’t the other woman watching their men?

“Look at your hands, honey,” Brie said softly, this time ending on a laugh.

Brynn snorted, then threw her head back in a laugh, too. “Are the men making you…hot?”

Leah frowned and looked down at her hands. She let out a curse and her cheeks heated. She quickly pulled her hands away from the puddles of water on either side of her and shook them off.

“Oops.” She tried to keep back a smile but couldn’t help but laugh along with the other women.

“I’d ask if you were enjoying the show but…” Brie trailed off and wiggled her eyebrows.

“Apparently, I pulled in the snow from around us and uh…melted it.” They’d purposely sat in a place without snow so they wouldn’t end up too cold and wet, but her powers had pulled on that water like nobody’s business.

“I didn’t know you could melt things,” Charlotte said as she came to their group. She sat down next to Leah after Leah had dried up the puddle for her.

“I can’t melt things, but I can change the physical state of anything made of water.”

“Good to know,” Brie put in then let out another sigh. “I see now why you said we shouldn’t join in today with the game,” she said to Brynn.

Brynn rubbed her hands together in glee. “Oh, yeah. I mean, we play along most times since it’s not a boys’ club by any means, but I knew they’d be shirtless today…and in the snow.” She let out another dreamy sigh. “Don’t you just love the way the steam comes off their skin like that?”

Leah’s mouth went dry as Ryder laughed at something Walker said. “Oh, yeah.”

“Things going well with you and Ryder, then?” Charlotte asked, her focus on Bram. “Or at least better?”

She felt the gazes of the other two women on her but tried to ignore it. “I think.” She pressed her lips together. “I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about it yet.”

“We’re here if you need us,” Brie said.

“Mating is hard,” Brynn put in, her voice a little sad. “Harder than it should be sometimes.” Brie took Brynn’s hand and the women shared a look Leah didn’t understand.

“We’re not going to bond,” Leah said, despite the fact that she’d just told them she wasn’t ready to talk about it. But she didn’t want the others to get the wrong impression. “That’s not in the cards for us.”

The other two frowned at her, and Charlotte squeezed her hand.

“It’s okay,” she lied. “Really. I’m here to help when the time comes, not to mate into the Pack. You know?” She blew out a breath. “Anyway, have you heard anything from the Coven yet?” A change of subject was in order, even if it wasn’t neatly done.

“No word,” Brie answered. “Gideon thinks they are planning something, but he doesn’t know what. It’s been quiet on all fronts for a while.”

“And that’s a bit scary,” Brynn put in. “The Redwoods are on edge.” Brynn had mated into the Redwoods since Finn was the Heir.

“The Talons, too,” Brie said. “Hence the football game. Though the women need to let off some steam, as well.”

Brynn smiled. “I’m sure most of us will be able to in a certain fashion.” The two women shared another look, and Leah met Charlotte’s gaze.

The other woman didn’t look sad at the fact that she wouldn’t be going home with one of the wolves playing ball. Instead, she rolled her eyes. Leah wasn’t sure what she’d be doing with Ryder once they were done with the game either.

Brynn let out a small growl as Finn hit the ground thanks to Mitchell. The Talon Beta just grinned at Brynn as he pulled Finn to his feet. Brynn stood up and raised her chin.

“Okay, so I’m still totally going to do my mate against a wall later, but now I want some blood.” With that, she ran onto the field and held out her arms. “I’m playing. Get over it.”

Leah just laughed as Brynn’s brothers begged for her to be on their team, rather than the Redwoods. Finn took away that choice by pulling her to his side, his hand on her ass, and kissed her firmly on the lips.

Brie stood up and rolled her shoulders. “I might be a submissive wolf, but I’m going to kick some ass.” She winked then ran over to her mate. Gideon, who had been holding the football because, of course, he was the quarterback, tossed the ball over his shoulder. Brandon caught it and laughed as Gideon gripped Brie’s hips and lifted her off her feet. He kissed her hard and kept his hand on her butt as he laughed at something his mate said.

Leah met Charlotte’s gaze and lifted her brows. “Should we?”

Charlotte just grinned and stood up, taking Leah’s hand in hers. “Let’s do it. But I’m going to kick your ass. Just saying.”

They ran onto the field and Leah couldn’t help but laugh. Ryder eyed her as she came to his side. He held out his hand and she took it, whatever tension she’d been holding onto about joining in on the game leaving her.

“Do you mind if I join?” she asked. She wasn’t Pack and not a shifter. These guys could hit hard, and even though Brie was a submissive wolf, she was still much stronger than Leah.

“I don’t mind at all,” Ryder said. He studied her face. “We won’t tackle you.”

Max, Ryder’s cousin, grinned as he came to Ryder’s side. The other wolf made her smile every time she saw him. She couldn’t help it. He was just so…happy.

“Well,
we
won’t tackle you. Ryder might.” He winked, and Leah just rolled her eyes.

Ryder let out a growl and kicked out, knocking his cousin behind the knees. Max hit the ground on his side, but only laughed.

“Enough fun and games!” Gideon called out. “Let’s play!”

“Oh, yes, because us playing football isn’t fun at all,” Brie said dryly.

He leaned down and bit her lip. “Watch it, woman.” He smacked her ass again then lifted his chin.

Ryder pulled Leah to his side at the line of scrimmage and smiled. “There are way too many of us on the field at the moment, but just roll with it.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear, his warm breath sending tingles down her neck. “Gideon’s going to throw the ball to me. Stay behind me and I’ll get it to you. You’ll be my secret weapon.”

She smiled up at him, feeling lighter than she’d ever felt before. “Sounds like a plan.” And if she dropped the ball, she could always keep running.

Since they’d sort of made up the rules and amount of players on the field, as soon as Gideon caught the ball from Mitchell, Ryder took off. Leah ran behind him, chest heaving because, damn, the man could run. Ryder turned at the last moment and caught the ball perfectly.

Leah sucked in a breath as Finn and Quinn came barreling toward Ryder, then squealed as Ryder tossed the ball back to her.

“Run!”

She held the ball to her chest and ran as fast as she could. Give her a soccer ball or even a baseball bat, and she could kick ass. Give her a football, and, apparently, she wanted to fumble and giggle.

Cheers and shouts sounded behind her, but she tried to ignore them as she ran. As soon as she hit the end zone she slowed down and turned on her heel.

“I did it!” She laughed as Ryder picked her up by the hips and twirled her around.

“Knew you could, little witch.” She held the ball in one hand over her head and wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Well, you did the catching,” she said on a laugh.

Ryder grinned, then put his hand on the back of her neck and brought her head down to his. She let out a surprised gasp as he kissed her full-out in front of his family and friends.

She hadn’t known he’d want to do that, and frankly, didn’t know what it meant, but for now, she kissed him back and fell into the feel of his lips.

“And on that note, I think we’re done,” Mitchell said dryly from the side. “I’m going to go kick some of the youth’s butts in soccer.”

Ryder let her slide down his body and set her feet on the ground once Mitchell started to walk away. “You ready to head home? Or do you want to play another game?”

She met his gaze and studied his face. His wolf wasn’t at the surface, which surprised her. This was Ryder asking, not his wolf.

“Let’s go to your place.”

It wasn’t lost on her that he’d said home while she’d said his place. She was staying there while they made decisions and plans. She didn’t live there. She didn’t live anywhere. And thinking about that just annoyed her because she didn’t normally feel so bad about her life. She lived it. She didn’t dwell on it.

They said their goodbyes to the others as they either continued a new game or headed home to their places. It wasn’t lost on her that couples were the ones that left together and the singles more than likely stayed to play. Charlotte walked away with Bram, but they kept a distance between them. While Leah wanted to know more so she could help her friend, she knew Charlotte would tell her when she was ready.