Once Forgotten Twice Loved (20 page)

Larsen bit into the flank of the bigger wolf, making him howl in pain. Larsen knew this wolf was no match for him. The wolf tried running from him, but Larsen grabbed the wolf around the neck, squeezing until he heard the wolf’s neck break. Larsen was in no mood for forgiveness.

Larken continued to run through the woods. Praying he wasn’t too late to save his mate. If he ever got out of this with his mate alive, he would never let her out of his site. Larken heard the sound of something crashing through the woods. He looked over and saw Reece. Larken couldn’t think right now. He needed to get to his mate. His wolf was trying to take over as Larken mowed down branches as he ran through the woods.

***

Ash turned just as Lex slammed into her. The breath whooshed out of her lungs. Ash didn’t have time to block the punch to her face as she was knocked backwards into a tree. Lex reached down and grabbed Ash by the throat, lifting her off the ground. Her legs were dangling as she tried to free his hands from her neck.

“Who do you think you are? You are no match for me,” snarled Lex.

Ash had had enough of this arrogant ass. She kicked her leg up, landing right between his legs, kicking his balls. Lex dropped her like a sack of potatoes. She landed on her feet, but Lex dropped to his knees, grabbing his private area, moaning.

Lex tried yelling but the pain was so intense that only a whisper came out of his mouth. “I’m going to kill you, bitch.”

“Not before I kill you first.” Lex looked up and saw Ash’s fangs descend. Her eyes had glazed over as she grabbed Lex by the hair of his head and slammed his head into a tree. Ash could hear the sound of his head thumping the tree. She continued to slam his head until someone grabbed her from behind, trapping her arms. Ash couldn’t move. She began to struggle and kick her legs out, trying to get away from whoever had her.

“It’s me, Ash. It’s Larken, baby. Calm down.” Ash couldn’t hear Larken telling her that it was he. Ash was beyond hearing anyone. She slammed her head back, knocking Larken in the face. He dropped her, reaching up to his nose. Blood was running down his face where Ash had slammed her head into his face. He knew Ash was scared and trying to protect the girls. Her thoughts couldn’t register about anything else. She was in protection mode and she wanted to kill Lex Mann. And nobody was going to stop her.

Reece ran into the clearing as Ash rammed her head backward, knocking Larken in the face. He could see the look in her eyes. She would not be stopped. Her emotions were ruling her. Reece understood those feelings. He had killed his father when he found out his father had killed his sister and at the time he thought, her unborn child. He only knew rage, and the look in Ash’s eyes was nothing but pure rage.

Reece ran up to Lex, who was lying lifeless on the ground, and extended his fangs. He put his arms out trying to block her path. Ash went down in a crouched position as the new threat extended his fangs. Something in the back of her mind kept telling her to stop, but all Ash saw was someone standing in the way of the man who planned to hurt the girls further.

Larsen and Nash ran into the clearing and watched as Ash circled Reece. Larken was on the ground shaking his head. Blood was pouring from his nose. Ash had hit him so hard that she had stunned him.

“Shit,” Nash whispered. He had seen Ash look like this before. She had always calmed down once she would see Nash, but today was different. She was protecting young girls. All that she had been through in her life had come to the surface. Ash wasn’t just protecting the young girls. She was pissed off—and that was a deadly combination.

Nash ran and stood beside Reece. Nash knew that Ash recognized him, but she was still scared. She looked down at Lex, who was still lying on the ground, and then over to Larken and Larsen, who came to stand beside Ash. She immediately recognized Nash but never spoke. She couldn’t stop, but they were blocking her path. She didn’t want to hurt them. She only wanted the bad man to die so he could never hurt anyone again.

“Ash, it’s okay, baby. Calm down. It’s over. The girls are safe,” Nash repeated.

Ash looked back down at Lex then up at Larken again. She started pacing back and forth, as a caged tiger would do. She continued to watch Larken and Larsen then she would look back down to the ground at Lex.

***

Jonas took the jogging pants that Levi Turner handed to him. “Thanks.” Kammy and Kerra were wrapped in a blanket sitting on the ground.

Jonas looked over at Levi. “Did they find, Ash?”

Kammy and Kerra looked up when they heard their uncle ask about Ash.

“Where is she?” Kammy asked as she stood.

“She is back at the house. They are trying—” Kammy took off running toward the house before Levi could finish speaking. Jonas and Kerra followed Kammy back into the woods.

Ash was still pacing back and forth when Kammy ran into the clearing. She walked toward Ash. Nash held up his hand telling Kammy to stop. Kammy slowed but continued to walk toward Ash.

“Ash?” Kammy muttered as she looked at Ash.

Ash stopped pacing and stared at Kammy. “We are okay, Ash. You saved us.”

Ash stared at Kammy then looked back at the ground where Lex was still laying. “Can I give you a hug?” Kammy asked Ash.

Ash blinked then stood up straight. Ash was breathing loudly as she watched Kammy. Ash slowly walked toward Kammy. She fell to her knees and hugged Kammy to her. Ash started blowing her breath out and in. Trying to take in air before she passed out. Her eyes had returned to their original color. She hugged Kammy and ran her fingers through her hair. Kammy started rubbing circles on Ash’s back. “It’s okay now. We are safe,” Kammy repeated.

“Ash?” Larken whispered calmly.

Ash looked up and finally saw her mates and Nash. She got up off the ground and threw herself into Larken’s arms. She reached out and grabbed Larsen, pulling him into her side. Larsen kissed her cheek then her hand while he looked at her, checking for any harm that may have come to her.

“My beautiful mate,” Larsen whispered in her ear. “I’m sorry, baby. I should have told you that I wasn’t upset with you, but I worry so much about you and it scared me. I love you, Ash.”

Ash rubbed her nose into Larsen’s neck, inhaling his scent then repeating the same with Larken.

“Shh. No more talking.”

Nash laughed as he walked over to stand by Jonas.

Ash heard someone clear their throat. She looked over at the man who had to be a vampire. He looked familiar, but Ash didn’t know who he was. Larken realized that Ash was staring at Reece.

“Ash, this is my friend, Reece. The one I told you about. Remember we were calling him to come and help us try to find out about your family and what you were.” Ash looked up at Larken and listened to what he said.

Ash finally realized that Larken had been bleeding. “You are hurt.”

“No, baby, you didn’t hurt me.” Ash gasped as she put her hands up against her mouth, shocked at what she had done to her mate.

“I hurt you, Larken. Please forgive me?”

“Nothing to forgive. I shouldn’t have come up behind you like that. By the way, you hit hard.” Ash didn’t know if she should laugh or not. Larken rubbed his nose and laughed.

“Sorry, baby,” she said sullenly. Larken grabbed Ash, hugging her to him.

“Never say sorry for protecting us, baby.” Larken hugged Ash until he saw Reece step toward him.

“Baby, this is Reece,” said Larken.

“Yes, I’m sorry, Reece.” Ash stuck her hand out to shake Reece’s hand.

Reece looked down at her hand, pausing a few seconds before he shook her hand. Reece looked down into Ash’s eyes, smiling. “You have your mom’s eyes.”

Ash released Reece’s hand, narrowing her eyes and frowning at him. She stepped back as if Reece had slapped her.

“Hold on, Ash. Listen to the man. He isn’t making fun of you,” Nash stated as he came to stand by Reece.

“Ash, your mother was my sister, Ronica Ramsey, and her mate was your father. His name was Josh Peters, who was a tiger shifter.”

Ash gasped, hearing her father’s last name was the same as hers. She put her hand up to her mouth, trying not to collapse to the ground.

“You are my uncle? I have family?” Ash whispered.

“Yes, Ash, you are my niece and I would have turned the world over if I would have known you were alive,” Reece said as he reached up and touched her face.

Growling came from Larken and Larsen when Reece touched their mate.

Ash couldn’t help but smile. “Sorry, but my mates don’t like it when anyone touches me.” Reece, Nash, and Jonas started laughing. Larken and Larsen pulled her closer to them. Right now, they wanted their mate with them. They had to touch her. Their wolves were close to the surface and were in protection mode. Not even an uncle could touch her right now.

Ash tensed up when she heard the moans coming from Lex lying on the ground. He tried to move, but Nash reached down, grabbed his arms, and pulled them behind his back. Pelton and Reece’s team had walked into the clearing. Pelton handed Nash a pair of silver handcuffs and clamped them down hard on Lex’s hands. Lex hissed as the silver burned his hands.

Pelton picked Lex up off the ground. His face hung low, trying to shake the pain away. He looked up and saw Ash glaring at him. He started growling, acting like he was about to change, when Kammy walked up to him and punched him in the face, knocking him out. Everybody got quiet and looked down at the young girl in surprise.

“What? He deserved it.” Ash smiled at Kammy, and went and put her arm around her, turning her away from Lex. Pelton came closer to Kammy, staring at her. Kammy looked up at him and smiled. Pelton immediately felt a connection toward Kammy.

Jonas walked over and put his arm around Kammy. “Let’s go, slugger.” Jonas pulled Kammy away from Pelton, walking her back through the trees.

Everybody started walking back toward the vehicles. Pelton never moved but stared at Kammy as she walked away. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled back at Pelton as Jonas turned her head back around away from Pelton. “Keep walking, slugger,” Jonas said as he walked Kammy out of the woods and away from Pelton.

Nash and Levi walked Lex out of the woods in handcuffs. When they got into the SUV, Larsen asked, “Jonas, I almost forgot, tell us what happened when you found Johnny?”

Pelton laughed as he walked toward them. “He tore him limb from limb. Jonas threw parts of his wolf everywhere.”

Jonas didn’t laugh. He held Kammy and Kerra closer to him in the SUV. “I told you what I was going to do to that wolf. His fate had already been decided.”

Kammy leaned her head on her uncle’s shoulder. “Johnny deserved what he got. He was going to force me to mate with him. That man who called himself Alpha was going to let his men rape Kerra and the other girls. They said we were old enough to mate with them and give him pups so his pack would grow. He told us that our pack didn’t want us anymore and they gifted us to them, but I saw Johnny come in with that gun and shoot Mrs. Melton then us. He slapped me across the face when I told him he was evil.”

Jonas started breathing harder when Kammy told them the story of what happened. His face turned red and he had his mouth clenched as he listened.

“He said that Ash was going to be his mate and the mother to his pack. He was bat shit crazy,” Kammy finished. Everyone in the car burst out laughing because Kammy used the same words he used to describe Lex Mann. Jonas smiled then hugged Kammy closer, kissing the top of her head.

“Jonas, I think you have a mini-me with that girl,” Larsen suggested.

“You may be right, Larsen.” Jonas hugged his two nieces closer as they traveled back to the lodge.

Chapter Thirteen

The Alphas would meet tomorrow before the Valentine’s Day dance and decide the fate of Lex Mann. Larken knew that since he didn’t kill anyone he would be sent to the prison for werewolves. Never allowing him to change again into his wolf would be torture enough for Lex.

When they returned to the lodge, Larken’s sisters were waiting. When Ash walked into the door, they rushed to her side. Lilly hugged Ash first then it was like a parade where everyone hugged and shook Ash’s hand. Ash was very forgiving of her new sisters, but she was so tired not only from the darts that were used but also from the amount of energy she used to fight Lex. Larken grabbed his mate then informed the pack that they could talk to her tomorrow at the dance, but right now she needed rest. The pack dispersed except Lilly. She hugged Ash one more time and whispered in her ear, “I pray that you will find it in your heart to forgive us. Thank you for making my brothers the happiest I’ve ever seen them.” Lilly walked away before Ash could respond.

Larken and Larsen made Ash eat something then take a shower, where they washed her then put her in the bed to sleep. They wanted her rested for the dance, so they wouldn’t make love to her until she was back to one hundred percent. Ash assured her mates that she was all right, but they wouldn’t hear of it. They made her go to bed with them and sleep until later. Ash agreed but argued about it anyway. Larsen pulled her into his chest while Larken rubbed her back until her eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

Ash’s eyes slowly opened. She could feel Larsen’s erection poking against her back. She loved the feel of him. He had his arm under her head and his other arm was draped over her. Larken wasn’t in the bed. He had mentioned earlier that he was behind on getting everything arranged for the dance. He would have to go and grovel to his sister, Lilly, for her help.

“How are you feeling baby?” Larsen asked. He voice was rusty and delicious sounding.

“Great. How are you?” Ash asked as she turned her body around so she could face her mate.

“I’m fantastic now that you are in my bed and safe,” Larsen responded as he reached out and touched his mate.

“If I had my way you would always be in my bed,” Larsen added as he winked at her.

“Touch me,” Ash pleaded as she placed Larsen’s hand on her breast. Larsen didn’t need any more encouragement. He reached out and caressed her breast as she hissed out the air she had been holding. She shivered from the small touch. He teased her breasts, sending her body into a heated flame of fire. She had been without her mates’ touch for far too long.