Vegetarian Mate [Pack Law 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

Her men took care of her. They carried her to the bathroom, washed and dried her again, and then she was in bed with three big bodies surrounding her. She counted her blessings. She had never thought to have one man care for her, let alone three.

She was content and happy for the first time in her life and just prayed to God that nothing and no one would jeopardize their relationship. As far as she was concerned she was now theirs and they were hers. God help anyone who got in between them.

“Jarrod, how was work?” Jonah asked.

Jarrod stood in the doorway to the Alphas’ office, still wearing his uniform. He’d come straight up here when he reached the pack house.

“Quiet, for a change, but we may have a problem.”

Jonah swept a hand out to indicate Jarrod should sit down. After getting comfortable, he looked up to see both Mikhail and Brock entering the room.

“Explain,” Jonah demanded.

“You remember that guy Harold James who showed up in town a few weeks ago?”

“The wolf looking for work,” Mikhail filled in.

“He says that, but I don’t see him working anywhere. I’ve had some of the Omegas looking out for him, but he doesn’t seem to have gained employment. There are plenty of construction jobs around town that he could sign up with,” Jarrod said. “One of the local ranchers saw James walking around down by his fence earlier today. The rancher went to shoo him off and spoke to him for a moment. It was definitely James. A couple of hours later, the man found dead sheep down where James had been. Eviscerated.”

“He didn’t see James shift, did he?” Jonah asked.

“No, but he suspects James anyway. I don’t think James is being careful that humans don’t see him shift, either. Something’s wrong with that wolf.” Jarrod paused. “I don’t have enough evidence to arrest him for destruction of property, but my instincts tell me he’s bad news.”

“You can’t arrest him under human laws, but Pack Law is another story.” Jonah nodded. “Your instincts are usually correct, Jarrod. When you see James again, you may tell him I have denied his request to stay in our town. Do you want me to send more reinforcements with you?”

“No. I can handle the bastard.” Jarrod felt relieved. He wanted this lone wolf away from his pack and his mate. His mate in particular.

“Okay, I’ll leave him to you and your brothers then.”

Jonah sat back in his chair. “How is your mate settling in? She hasn’t done herself any harm in the last couple of weeks.”

Jarrod gave a bark of laughter when Jonah smiled. “Rochelle seems to have slowed down some since she’s been here. She’s not rushing around anymore and she’s fitting in quite well.”

“Your mate has a warped sense of humor,” Brock said with a grin. “She fits in with the other women just fine.”

“Are you going to marry her?” Mikhail questioned.

“We’re already mated. Why would I need a puny piece of paper to tell me we belong together? You and I both know that when we claim a mate, it’s more binding than the human wedding ceremony.”

“Yes it is. And we know that, but our women are human. With the exception of Keira, of course. Marriage is important to human society, so don’t discount how she would feel about a wedding.”

“Hmm, you have a point. I’ll have to discuss it with Malcolm and Brax.” Jarrod rose to his feet and walked toward the door.

“If you need help with anything, Jarrod, all you have to do is ask.”

“Thanks, Alpha.”

“Wait up, Jarrod,” Brock called, and he halted in the hallway. “Are you going for a run? I thought I’d join you.”

“Let’s head on out then. I want to be back in half an hour. Dinner should be ready by then, and I’m starving.”

“Did you ever ask Rochelle why she has an aversion to eating meat?” Brock led the way out back and began to strip his clothes off near the line of trees in the back garden.

“Umm, no.”

“What are you going to do when she gets pregnant? You and I both know she is going to crave rare meat for the pup.”

“I have no fucking clue,” Jarrod mumbled and frowned as he, too, removed his clothes. He didn’t even know how Rochelle felt about children.
Everything happened so fast.

“If I were you, I’d inform her before it happens. She’s such a feisty little thing, and if she doesn’t give in to the cravings, she could get sick. The baby will just take all the nutrients it needs from the mother, but if she doesn’t replenish her body, well, you get my drift.”

“Shit, why does she have to be so complicated? You didn’t have any trouble with your mate.”

“Now, that’s where you are wrong. We had plenty of trouble with Michelle, and she is just as single-minded as your mate is when she has a notion, if not more,” Brock said. “Just remember that all the women who have ended up as our mates are no pushovers. They are all different in a lot of ways, but when push comes to shove, they can all be as stubborn as hell. I don’t think they would be our mates if any of them lacked backbone.”

Jarrod reached for his wolf and let his human side draw back. Moments later he ran amongst the trees. His animal howled at the moon, expressing the joy he felt as the cool night air ruffled his golden wolf pelt. He called to his brothers and quickly changed direction when they called back. Nothing compared to running free in the night, letting his animal have control for once. His wolf senses took over, and he sniffed the air, catching the scent of a rabbit. He took off after it, and even though he had no intention of killing the small creature, his beast reveled in the tracking and the chase.

He turned away, letting the frightened animal hide once more, and went to meet his brothers. They were already heading back toward the house. Brock was still out with the other wolves, and even though he could have kept running for hours, Jarrod wanted to shower and change before dinner. He loved spending time with his family at meal times, but he loved having Rochelle sit beside him more. She gave as good as she got, and he loved listening to her and watching how her quick mind worked. His little mate was a joy to be around.

She was teased often about being a vegetarian and her earlier clumsiness, but she took it all in stride. He just hoped she wouldn’t be too sickened by the thought of eating meat once she conceived. They were going to have to talk to her very soon about the need to eat meat when she was pregnant. The last thing he wanted was for her to ignore the natural cravings of an expectant mate.

* * * *

Rochelle sat frozen in the garden. She had taken up her seat on the bench among the trees late in the afternoon and had settled down to read her book. Only when she’d heard Jarrod’s voice had she realized how late it was. Her first inclination had been to jump up and go say hello to him and Brock.

Then she’d heard her name.

Now the men had moved off. She heard the yips and howls of wolves running elsewhere on the property, enjoying a run before the sun went down. Rochelle still sat where she was, their conversation replaying in her mind.

She is going to crave rare meat for the pup…

She covered her mouth and breathed deeply, trying to stop herself from gagging. Just the thought of eating any type of meat was enough to make her feel sick.

But if I have children with them, I’ll have to.

It seemed clear that Jarrod had known as well as Brock had that this would be an issue. Why hadn’t they told her?

Rochelle put down her book and began to pace. As Brock had pointed out, none of her men had ever asked her about her vegetarianism. Maybe if they had, they’d have realized that this was going to be a problem.

She walked around the outside of the house, not really taking notice of where she was headed. When she reached the carport, she realized that she wanted to go for a drive. She needed to clear her head.

All the men of the pack had their own place to park their vehicles, and most of the time they left the keys in the ignition. Malcolm’s truck was no different, and since her car was blocked in, she couldn’t get it out of the carport. She walked toward the truck. Without stopping to think, she got into the driver’s seat, pulled the seat forward so she could reach the pedals, and turned the key. Moments later she was cruising down the driveway.

She wasn’t running away, she just needed some time alone to process the new information. Even though she felt queasy, she was also angry and more than a little hurt that her mates hadn’t deigned to tell her what to expect if she conceived their child.

They had never asked her why she didn’t eat meat. That thought made her think that maybe she wasn’t as important to them as she thought. She had asked them so many questions about their heritage, their wolves, and their childhoods she felt like she knew them inside out. Although she knew she still had a lot to learn about her men, they had more to learn about her.

Was she that inconsequential to them? Sure, they had asked her about where she was from, what she had done before she arrived in Aztec, and about the years she had spent in the orphanage, but they had merely touched the surface.

What the hell was she supposed to do now? There was no fucking way she was going to eat meat.

Calm down, girl. You’re not even pregnant
.

She sighed. But she wanted to have their children. They hadn’t talked to her about that, either.

Maybe that was the problem. Maybe they didn’t bring it up because they didn’t see her having their kids…

“Whoa.” Rochelle hit the brakes. In the deepening dusk, she saw the outline of a large animal by the side of the road. It was the wrong shape to be a dog.

It looked like a sheep.
Did someone hit it?
She slowed further, craning her neck to see. It wasn’t moving, but she knew she couldn’t just keep driving. The thought that it might be lying injured and in pain would bother her all night.

She pulled the truck onto the shoulder, the tires crackling on twigs and leaves from the trees by the road. It was darker in the shade, closer to night than dusk. After she slammed the truck door, the air was utterly silent.

Rochelle got two steps toward the sheep before she heard another sound. Something panted and moaned in the trees.

She stood still, peering into the darkness. There was something lying on the ground, further back from the road. Another moan and a cough was enough to get her feet moving again.

“Hello, are you okay?” she asked. She got close enough to see that it was a man. He lay on his side under the trees. Rochelle knelt down and reached for the man, intending to help him.

He moved so fast she was on her back pinned to the ground before she could draw breath, and his hand was covering her mouth. She couldn’t even scream for help.

The evil gray eyes of Harold James stared down at her.

What is he doing out here?
She hadn’t seen the creepy guy since that day in the sheriff’s office. He’d looked a little off kilter then, but now he seemed maniacal. His eyes stared down at her without reason, and there were twigs and leaves stuck in his hair.

Though she struggled to breathe under the pressure of his hand, she recoiled as his rank breath washed over her. “The pretty girl from the sheriff’s office,” he crooned. He sniffed. “Their mark is all over you.”

She twisted, trying to get free from his hand, but stilled when she felt something sharp at her throat.

An evil smile warped James’s face. “I’ll put my mark on you instead.”

His eyes began to change color and turned into a glowing gold.

Oh fuck. He’s a deranged werewolf.

His mouth and nose elongated into a snout, and claws erupted from his fingertips. They dug into her cheek and pierced her skin. Blood dripped from the wounds, down over her jaw and onto her neck.

White-hot agony erupted through her body just after he bent his head. Pain such as she’d never known before burned into her neck where his teeth bit into her. She raised her arms and tried to fight him off, but she didn’t stand a chance. He was way too strong and seemed to relish the pain he was causing her. Her eyes widened in horror when he lifted his head and stared down at her. Blood dripped from his mouth, and he snarled out a laugh.

Rochelle could feel lethargy creeping over her body as blood seeped rapidly from her neck. Her eyesight began to dim and her body shivered uncontrollably, growing colder with every beat of her heart. She realized that she was bleeding out.

Oh God, please help me. I don’t want to die.

“Where’s Rochelle?” Jarrod asked as he strolled into the dining room. Dinner was in full swing, but there was no sign of his mate.

“I thought she was out in the garden,” Malcolm replied.

“Michelle might know,” Brax answered.

Jarrod moved around the table until he was close to his queen. “Michelle, have you seen Rochelle?”

“Um, I saw her leave about ten minutes ago.”

“Leave? Leave for where?”

“I don’t know. She took one of the trucks.” Michelle glanced between Jarrod and his brothers, watching them from further down the table. “She looked upset, but she took off before I could talk to her. I don’t even think she saw that I was nearby.”