Were She Belongs (8 page)

She felt the moisture leak between her thighs then all three men growled. She noticed their eyes glow yellow, and it hit her. Wolves!

“No, you don’t! You…you…you wolfmen, get the hell out of here!”

“I see you guys went and screwed this up big time.”

Lexi was utterly relieved to see Sierra enter the room. She walked toward the bed, bumping two of the men out of her way as she made it to Lexi.

“Sierra. Oh my God! What the hell is going on here? Who are these guys?”

“It’s okay, Lexi. They’re Valco’s brothers. You met Paul at the club. The other two are Andre and Saber.”

Lexi looked toward the men as Sierra pointed them out by name.

She paused at Paul, remembering him from the club. The man with the amazing hands, he had her body in flames in seconds after touching her. Her cheeks reddened, and he smirked as if he could read her mind.

She looked toward the one called Saber, and he looked pissed off and mean. She gave him a dirty look, and Sierra laughed.

“Why don’t you guys go downstairs and get Lexi something to eat?”

“You must be starving, Lexi.”

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“I am a bit hungry. Where am I? What’s going on? What happened to my arm?”

Sierra looked concerned.

“You don’t remember anything, Lex?”

Lexi closed her eyes and tried to think of the last thing she remembered. “It’s all kind of fuzzy. I think Andy broke my arm. He was on top of me…”

The growls filled the room, and Lexi cringed, pulling the sheets tighter against her chest. “Why are they doing that?” Lexi asked.

“Because you’re our—”

Sierra interrupted Saber.

“Because they’re concerned about you. Why don’t you lie back and rest a little while, and they’ll get you some food. Or maybe you’d like to freshen up and then we’ll talk.”

“Okay.”

Lexi watched as the three men left the room. Valco stood in the doorway smirking.

“Need any help, Sierra?” Valco asked.

“No, we’re good. I’m going to help Lexi. Why don’t you go see if you can grab her a pair of my sweats and a shirt?”

“No problem.” Valco smiled, then closed the door and left the room.

* * * *

Sierra helped Lexi cover her cast in a plastic bag before she entered the shower. She continued to talk to her as Sierra leaned against the doorframe.

“So Valco’s brothers saved me?” Lexi asked.

“Yes. They were able to track down Andy and the van of guys that took you.”

“Yeah, I don’t get that. Why would Andy be involved?”

“You mean you know who is after you?”

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Lexi was silent. She didn’t want to put Sierra and her pack in jeopardy. She had no idea a bunch of wolves were after her or why.

She had been running for so long, and all she knew was that a guy named Vincent had been searching with his men for her. The wolf pack that tried to abduct her at the club had to be the same people from three years ago.

Lexi washed the conditioner from her hair and felt much better.

“Lexi? You didn’t answer me.” Sierra spoke as Lexi opened the door and took the towel to dry off. Sierra had her back turned, giving her privacy.

“I don’t know who is after me or why. Maybe they thought I was someone else,” she lied and felt terrible for it. She pulled on the sweatpants, but held the towel against her chest.

Sierra touched Lexi’s arm. “Lex, I’m a wolf, remember. I can sense your fear, your anxiety. Don’t lie to me.”

Lexi was silent as she held the towel against her chest and tried to figure out how to put on her shirt since her arm remained in the cast and covered with plastic.

Sierra smirked. “The cast will be removed in four to six weeks.”

“That’s four to six weeks too long,” Lexi replied sarcastically.

Sierra helped remove the plastic bag. Lexi pulled the T-shirt over her head, then towel-dried her hair.

“I want you to understand something, Lex. You are safe here.

There is no way anyone can penetrate this entire area. This land, this county, this state. Valco and his brothers are alphas to the largest pack in the world. There is no one who could protect you more than Valco, Saber, Paul, and Andre.”

“I don’t know who is after me or why, but I won’t put you and yours in jeopardy. I won’t do it, Sierra. I have to leave.”

They were both silent.

“You can’t leave, Lexi. You’re safest here at the ranch. I won’t let you leave me again,” Sierra stated, touching Lexi’s arm to make her
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look at her. Lexi locked gazes with Sierra, whose eyes were yellow, showing her wolf but also the emotion. Tears stung Lexi’s eyes.

“I searched everywhere for you. I looked up your family name, your parents. No one ever heard of them. I even had Valco and Jacob try to find you. Why did you leave me? Why didn’t you come back?

Why, Lexi, why?” Sierra demanded.

Lexi began to cry, and Sierra did the same.

“I couldn’t. I’m sorry, Sierra, but I don’t have the answers you want. I…I…” Lexi turned away from Sierra. How could she explain why she lied about having her own family or about her own desire to be like Sierra? Well, at least as normal as a college-aged were. Sierra had family. She had a better family than Lexi could have ever dreamed of.

“Where’s your family, Lexi?”

This was it. She had to tell her the truth and hope she didn’t hate her for it.

“I don’t have a family.”

“What? What do you mean? You told me about them. You visited them during summer vacation and school breaks.”

Lexi swallowed hard. This was so hard. Saying the words out loud made it unbearable.

“No, Sierra. I made it up.” Lexi bowed her head in shame.

Sierra was silent and Lexi knew she had hurt her but she really didn’t have a choice. She never expected to see Sierra again or to have to explain.

“Why?”

Lexi cringed at the sound of Sierra’s cracking voice.

Tears stung Lexi’s eyes. She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing as she stared at Sierra.

“Because you had a family and I wanted to be normal like you. I wanted to be able to say I spent Christmas with my parents because that’s what you were doing. You were headed home to family.”

“Who were you with?” Sierra asked, stepping closer.

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Lexi sobbed, but wouldn’t look at Sierra.

“Who were you with?”

Lexi didn’t want to admit it out loud and not to Sierra.

She felt Sierra move closer. “Please Lexi, tell me.”

“No one. I was alone, and sometimes I worked extra shifts at the department store. The pay was really good on holidays, when most employees want off to be with family.” Lexi felt her head begin to ache again. Sierra reached for her and touched Lexi’s shoulder. Lexi stepped away with her head down.

“I think I need to rest. My head hurts.”

Sierra helped her to the bed. Lexi got under the covers, and Sierra sat on the mattress next to her. “I wish you would have told me. You could have come home with me.”

The thought made Lexi cry. She dreamt about being like Sierra and being able to shift and run free as she had often described to her.

To be part of a family would make Lexi so happy, but that would never happen. Lexi felt the tears roll down her cheeks.

“I would have brought you home with me, Lex.”

“I didn’t want to interfere or be a burden. I’m used to being alone and handling things on my own.”

“You didn’t have to be alone, Lex. I love you, and you’re my best friend. You were the one who always took care of me back at school.

Every time I needed help, you were there for me. Including that night when you ran out to get me medicine because I ate the bad Chinese food. You took care of me that night, then left and never returned.

What happened?” Sierra asked as she lay down next to Lexi on the bed. They faced one another and talked like they used to do in college.

“Someone tried to take me. I was able to defend myself and escape, but they knew where I lived. They knew we were roommates.

They followed you for the weeks to follow, but when I didn’t return, they stopped watching you.”

“How do you know this?”

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“I was following them. I wanted to know what they wanted, and I wanted to make certain that you were safe.”

“Who were they?”

Lexi bowed her head. “I can’t, Sierra. The less you know, the better off you are.”

“You don’t understand, Lexi. I can help you. Valco and his brothers can help you.” Sierra covered Lexi’s hand with her own.

Lexi locked gazes with her.

“I am going to leave as soon as I get this damn cast off.”

Sierra pulled away, and Lexi knew her words sounded harsh.

“You are not taking that cast off. Your bone needs to heal. You’ll stay, and we’ll figure this out together. I want you here for the mating ceremony. I wished for this. For you to be here to share this with me.”

“I don’t know, Sierra. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Well I don’t think that the triplets are going to let you leave.”

“What do you mean?”

Sierra smirked.

“You’re their mate.”

“I’m their what?” Lexi asked, sitting up in the bed.

Sierra did the same, and she had a huge smile on her face.

“You’re their mate, their wife, per se, in human terms.”

“No way! Absolutely not. They’re huge! They…they…The one in the camo gear was mean and scary and—”

“Hot?” Sierra added with a smirk.

“Yeah…but no! Absolutely not. It can’t be. I’m human!”

Sierra giggled.

“I know. That’s what makes it so special. The gods have chosen all three triplets to be your mates. That’s why they saved you. That’s why they growl every time you…”

“Every time I what?”

Sierra got up off of the bed.

“Every time your body reacts to their presence and their looks.”

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Lexi thought about that for a second, then got it. She cringed and pulled the covers tighter against her body.

“They knew I…I was attracted to them?”

Sierra laughed.

“Wolves have an amazing sense of smell. That’s how they knew you were their mate. First Paul in the club, then Andre, and last Saber.”

Lexi thought about each man. They were intimidating, and Saber appeared to be one of those macho, chauvinistic “my way or the highway” type of guys. He looked like a hit man.

Paul was typical
GQ
, and he knew it. He looked like a numbers man, Wall Street or something, and Andre looked most down-to-earth. He was the one she could easily have seen living on a ranch doing hard labor work. The thoughts caused a quiver in her belly.

Individually, each man was a personified alpha male with the ability to make any woman weak at the knees. But together, they had to be a force to be reckoned with.

“No way, Sierra. No way.”

Sierra smiled and giggled.

“We’ll see, Lexi. I’ll go check on that food.”

Just then, Andre returned with a tray of food.

She listened to Sierra as she spoke to him. “You won the toss, huh?”

He gave her a wink.

She laughed as she headed downstairs.

* * * *

Lexi watched Sierra leave and Andre enter the room. Her description of him was right on target. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a button-down, black thermal shirt, and his short black hair was slicked back as if he had just taken a shower. When he approached, he smelled of cologne and soap.

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“Did the shower make you feel any better?’ he softly asked as he laid the tray on the table before fixing her sheets. She grabbed his hand to stop him, out of reflex, then froze in place. He stared at her as she locked gazes with his brown eyes. Neither of them moved.

“Your eyes are the greenest I’ve ever seen. They’re like emeralds shining in the sunlight.”

She lowered her lashes and felt the giddy attraction to him.

Clearing her throat, so the words wouldn’t get stuck she replied.

“Thank you. I appreciate you bringing the food up to me. I could have walked downstairs.”

“No way. You need your rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

He placed the tray on her lap and uncovered the feast. There was roasted chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, carrots, and string beans along with fresh biscuits. Her mouth watered, and then he scooted his hip onto the bed and sat down next to her. His jean-clad hip lay flat against her thigh, and suddenly she felt faint.

She felt the heat penetrate her cheeks, and she reached for the glass of water. Setting it back down after taking a sip, she watched as Andre cut into the food and brought a forkful to her lips.

“I can do that. You don’t have to feed me,” she stated but she wondered how she would be able to with the broken arm without knocking over the tray.

“It’s my pleasure, Lexi. Let me help you. It can’t be easy with the cast.”

She looked at the cast. “I suppose not,” she forced out from her lips, then hesitated a moment before taking a bite. As soon as the food reached her lips, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the taste.

“That is so good. I’m starving,” she replied as he smiled, then made another forkful.

Andre was as handsome as his brothers, and suddenly she found herself mesmerized by his looks and the intensity she saw. It was odd.

She should be in a total panic sitting this close to a man…a wolf who believed she was his mate. How could that be? Was she supposed to
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choose between them? Make waves between brothers over her? It was crazy.

“Lexi, are you okay?” he asked, placing the forkful of food back down onto the tray.

Truth of the matter was that her head was beginning to throb. Her arm ached, as well as other parts of her body. “My head hurts a bit, and my arm. I’m just achy, I guess.”

He smiled softly.

“Try eating a little bit more food. It’s been two days since we brought you here. You need nourishment.”