Rescuing Their Virgin Mate[Pack Wars-Book 3] (5 page)

Stop
it. They’re letting you go
.
After they question you.

“We hung up the clothes. The
tags are still on them, so if they don’t fit, we can return them.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Go shower and relax. We’ll
talk when you get out.”

Her stomach grumbled. She
hadn’t eaten all day. “Sorry.”

“Dinner will be ready when
you’re finished.”

Clay turned and left. She
glanced to the ceiling and placed her palms together. In a very soft voice, she
thanked God for picking these two to save her. She dashed to the closet, hoping
they didn’t buy her tacky tops and too-tight skirts like Hood had.

She pulled out the clothes
one after another. Happiness streaked through her. They’d purchased a few pairs
of yoga pants, something she loved to wear, athletic shirts, and several ankle-length
stretchy skirts. These men were amazing.

She grabbed a pair of pants
and a modest top then stepped to the chest of drawers, hoping to find
underwear.
Yes!
Her cheeks heated as
she pictured them buying the lingerie. Maybe a female operative had handled
that chore. She pulled out hip-hugging panties and a bra her exact size.
Wow
.

Shower
time!

She rushed into the bathroom
and once more stopped. A large walk-in shower took up the back wall, and the
jetted tub in the middle of the room was something she dreamed of owning one
day. On the countertop sat some grocery store brand blush and lipstick, along
with a toothbrush, toothpaste and a new razor. Who were these guys and what did
they really want?

Enjoy
it
.

God sure did work in
mysterious ways. She turned on the shower and locked the door before she
undressed. Although she’d never wear this tawdry outfit again, perhaps someone
more needy could use it. Her thoughts raced to Barbie. Poor girl. Elena had no
idea if either of her cage-mates was sold, and if they had been, she hoped they
were as lucky as her.

The shampoo and conditioner on
the shower shelf were a brand she’d only seen in upscale department stores, and
the bar soap smelled of mint and lemons.
Yum
.

As soon as she stepped into
the shower and the warm water blasted her face, her body relaxed.
Don’t get used to this
. Why not? The men
seemed to want her to feel at home. After two weeks of imprisonment, right now
that was exactly what she was going to do.

She scrubbed her face, and as
she rubbed the bar of soap over her body, lurid thoughts skated through her
mind. Were the men in the living room talking about how they’d like to touch
her or were they making plans to send her on her way?

Dirk, while quiet, had
brushed against her a few times, almost as if he wanted to test whether she’d
be receptive to him. She was attracted to both men, and that wouldn’t do. It
didn’t matter. In a few days, she wouldn’t see them again.

Her body sagged.
What’s wrong with you?
Those days of confinement
must have messed with her morals. Or maybe being in a cage and threatened made
her realize that life could be cut short at any time. Enjoying the moment
needed to be her new philosophy.

After washing her hair and
body, she turned off the water and towel dried. She drew on her new outfit and
checked herself out in the mirror. Except for hair that curled every which way,
she looked like herself and not some floozy. She opened the door to the
bedroom, and the rich aroma of tomato sauce permeated her room. Her mouth
watered.

Shoes?
She checked the closet but found none.
Well, they couldn’t think of everything. She didn’t relish walking around in
four-inch heels.
What the heck.
Going barefoot never
hurt anyone.

Elena headed down the hall.
She heard her name and slowed. When she couldn’t make out what they said, she
entered the living room. Dirk was stirring something on the stove, and Clay was
emptying vegetables into a bowl on the center island.

“Good timing.” Clay’s eyes
widened. “I see the clothes fit you. You look good.”

She wasn’t used to getting compliments,
but maybe it was because she’d lost some weight while imprisoned. “Thank you.
They’re perfect.” She smoothed her hands down her shirt and over her hips.

“Have a seat while we serve
dinner.”

“Can I help?” When she’d
visited her big family in Costa Rica last year, there were at least four people
running around trying to get the food out for the hoard of relatives.

“We’re good.”

She couldn’t exactly insist.
Two beers and one glass of water were already at the table so it was easy to tell
where they wanted her to sit. A ton of questions raced through her mind about
her situation, but she figured they would let her know when they saw fit.

She sipped her water and
watched the men. Clay gave Dirk directions, and his hands tightened as if he
didn’t like it when Clay took control. Interesting. She’d pictured Dirk as the
one who took what he wanted. These men intrigued her and kept surprising her in
good ways.

They brought over spaghetti
with meatballs, a vegetable medley, a green tossed salad, and garlic bread to
the table. It looked divine. “Do you always eat like this?”

Clay shrugged. “More or less
depending on whether we have time to cook.”

Dirk shot him a glance. “We?
I cook. You pour.”

She always thought macho men
only knew how to microwave frozen food. “I’m impressed, whoever made the food.”

Clay smiled and Dirk’s lips
softened.

“Elena,” Clay said, almost
whispering. “I know you’re in a difficult situation, but before you insist on
leaving, we need to explain a few things to you.” He handed her the bowl of
veggies and she scooped a spoonful on her plate.

Their solemn tone dashed her
high. For those few minutes while she watched them work their magic in the
kitchen, she’d remembered how important family was and how much she missed
them. “Okay.”

“The men who took you are not
ordinary men.”

She placed her hands on her
lap and wove her fingers together. “I’ve been brought up to believe most people
are good at heart.”

“That’s not quite what we
meant.”

Dirk’s brows furrowed as he
turned to Clay. She caught the small shake of his head. Clay faced Dirk. “We
have to. She’ll find out sooner or later.”

They acted as if she wasn’t
there. “You can tell me.”

“Once we do, will you hear us
out?”

“Yes.” After what she’d been
through these last few weeks, she could handle anything.

“Harvey Couch and the men who
took you are werewolves.”

While their demeanor appeared
about as serious as it could get, the idea was so preposterous she dropped her
head back and laughed. The pent-up fear and frustration from this whole ordeal
just bubbled out, and it was only when she couldn’t get enough air that she
calmed.

Tears brimmed on her lids,
and she wiped them away. Neither man smiled. Her heart hitched. “You were
kidding, right?”

“I’m afraid not,” Clay said.

She failed to comprehend this
concept. “God made man in his likeness, and God doesn’t shift into another
beast.” Moisture pooled under her arms.

“Do you know that for sure?”

She hesitated. “No.” Was God
testing her right now? God was
all powerful
. If he
wanted to shift into a wolf, he could. Her breath caught. The devil turned into
a snake.
Oh, my dear Lord
. Werewolves
might exist.

Dirk pushed back his chair
and came over to her side of the table. He swiveled the seat next to hers, placed
it backward, and straddled the seat facing her. “That’s not the only part we
need you to understand.”

There was more? He’d blown
away her reality and now wanted her to accept something else. “What it is?”

“Clay and I are werewolves,
too, but we’re the good kind.”

She pushed back her chair.
This couldn’t be true.
Stay calm
.
Growing up, her cousins always played practical jokes on her. She wasn’t good
at realizing it until too late. “Show me.” She swallowed hard.

Dirk glanced at Clay. Their
mouths twitched and their brows rose and lowered as if they could communicate
silently. What she wouldn’t give to have that talent.

Clay walked to the middle of
the living room. “Please don’t freak out by what I’m about to do.”

This had to be some parlor
joke to lighten the mood. She inhaled slowly to steady her nerves.
Werewolves indeed
. To think they had her
questioning her core beliefs. “Are you going to turn into a wolf right before
my eyes?” She didn’t know whether to smile or be horribly afraid.

“Yes.”

She glanced behind at Dirk,
but his lips were pressed together as if he didn’t approve. “Let me see you do
it.”

Dirk placed his palms on her
shoulders but didn’t squeeze. A quick tremor of fear raced down her body, but
she dismissed it immediately. When she focused on Clay, her vision blurred, and
he appeared to spin. She rubbed her eyes, and when she lowered her hands,
things like arms, legs, and fur bundled together. She blinked a few times and
out of nowhere, a wolf appeared.

She screamed, and as she tried
to stand Dirk held her shoulders. She slapped her hands over her eyes and gulped
in air. The world as she knew it had just gone dark.

Chapter
Four

Damn
,
damn
,
damn
.
Dirk never should have let Clay shift in
front of her. It was too soon. Their poor mate had not even recovered from all
that had happened to her. He pulled Elena up and held her tight. Her sobs were
like daggers piercing his heart. Thankfully, she didn’t pull away.

As her back heaved, his
thoughts shot to when he was six and his mother had held him like this saying
his dad would never be coming home again.

He rubbed her shoulders.
“It’s going to be okay. Look.” He turned her. “Clay is back to being Clay.”

Elena lifted her head and
hiccupped. “Clay?”

“Yes, sugar. It’s me.”

“How did you do that?”

Clay didn’t come near.
Instead, he sat back in his chair and poured the meat sauce over a pile of
spaghetti as if he’d done nothing unusual. Dirk hoped his friend’s casual
actions would calm her.

She sat down and clasped
Dirk’s hand. As soon as their fingers touched, his fear disappeared. Maybe she
would accept them.

“Drink some water,” he said.

She shook her head. “I want
some answers.”

He appreciated the strength
in her tone. They owed her that much. To him, reassuring her they didn’t intend
to cause her any harm was the primary task.

He glanced up at Clay.
Let me talk.

Clay’s brows rose.
Go ahead
.

Dirk picked up the hand she’d
placed in his and kissed her palm. “There is something else you need to know
about us.”

She licked her lips to wet
them.

He doubted she had any clue
what she did to them.

“How can there be more?” Her
voice cracked.

This wasn’t going to be easy.
“It’s about werewolves in general.”

“You like to eat women who
wear red?”

His chest caved. “Sweetheart,
if you can make light of the situation after what you’ve seen, I know
everything will work out.”

She sniffled. “Go on.”

He thought he caught a smile.
“Werewolves have this thing inside them—I’m not sure what it’s
called—but when they see the woman that’s meant to be theirs forever,
they know it.”

She searched his eyes, but
his comment didn’t seem to register. “Meaning what?”

He told her what happened
physically when they met their mate. “I’m twenty-nine years old and I’ve never
had that kind of reaction until I stepped in the room with you.”

She glanced at Clay. “Are you
saying I’m your mate?”

“Yes. Clay and me both.” His
gut twisted as he awaited her response.

She slipped her hand from
his, stood and walked over to the kitchen island, her movements jerky. She
faced them. “I’m a good girl.” Her bottom lip trembled and she wove her fingers
together.

Dirk wanted to grab her and
hold her. Was she upset by their werewolf status or that both of them wanted
her? “We know.” Or maybe it was the idea of having sex.

Clay twisted around in his
seat. “Elena, we would never do anything you wouldn’t want.”

She nibbled on half of her
bottom lip, and Dirk looked away from the tempting sight.

“I’m really confused and
overwhelmed.”

Dirk slammed a hand on the
table and she jumped. “I’m sorry.” He hadn’t meant to hit the table so hard.
“We’re telling you all of this so you don’t think we can’t trust you with the
truth.”