Promised to the Pride: A Shifter Romance Read online

  Once I had my fill of her lips, I pulled myself off her, but instead of getting up, which I surely should have done, I rolled her to her side and tugged her closer, so that we lay beside each other, with her back on my front. I had one arm strung around her, firmly locking her against me, but she made no moves to try to wiggle away. I buried my nose in her hair, breathing her in. She didn’t quite smell like another leopard yet, but she did have her own scent.

  Fruity, almost. Was it her shampoo?

  With my nose in her hair, I couldn’t help but close my eyes. Even though she wasn’t completely naked, this…it felt—fuck me for thinking this—but it felt right. Like this was always how it was supposed to be. Like I’d waited this long for her. I wanted to keep her here forever, but I knew I couldn’t.

  Still, one thing did bother me.

  “Why were you here alone, mate?” I asked, speaking into her hair.

  At that, she squirmed a bit. Seemed my mate didn’t want to confess the reason she was in my house, snooping. The arm holding onto her pulled her in closer, and I was sure with my strength it wasn’t the most comfortable thing.

  “If you think I’m going to let you go before you tell me…” I warned.

  “It’s stupid,” she muttered, and to that I’d whole-heartedly agree. Whatever reason she was here was stupid and idiotic. When I still didn’t release her, she went on, “I…wanted to ask you for a—” My mate sounded as if she didn’t want to say it, which only served to make me more curious. “—favor.”

  My mate wanted a favor? After snooping through things in which she did not belong? Oh, she was in for an awakening, certainly.

  “And what favor was that?” I asked, my chest rumbling with a warning growl. I was loathed to even ask, but at this point, my curiosity was at an all-time high. If she didn’t come here to snoop, if she’d only snooped because I wasn’t home…what the hell kind of favor was she talking about, and why did she think I was the best one to ask? Aster and Nikolas were the kinder ones. They’d wait on her hand and foot, not me.

  Never me.

  “I…I would like cable,” she whispered. “And internet.”

  My eyes were slow to open, and I stared at the back of her head quizzically. “You came here to ask for cable and internet?” I…just…what? It was something so out of the blue, I almost felt myself smiling against her hair. Almost, but not quite.

  My mate nodded slowly. “Yes.”

  “And you didn’t ask Nikolas and Aster?”

  “I did, but they said I had to ask you, because the cabin is yours.”

  Ah, made sense. Also made sense as to why I smelled the faintest traces of the both of them in the living room when I came home. Aster and Nikolas had accompanied her here, and when I wasn’t home, they waited with her, for a little while, at least.

  I was still angry about the whole snooping thing, but I found myself muttering, “I’ll see what I can do.” I shouldn’t give in to her, shouldn’t reward her for this type of behavior, and yet I did. Or I would.

  I’d said countless of times I would never allow a mate to change me, and yet…feeling her body nestled against mine, her heat mixing with mine, knowing how her lips tasted and how her cheeks flushed when she was face-to-face with my naked form, I couldn’t help but wonder if this one would make me a liar.

  Chapter Fifteen – Nikolas

  When Holly called me and told me what happened, I left the bar as quickly as I could. I waited until our boss got in, pulled Aster to the side and told him everything, and then I swore to him that I would handle it.

  And I would.

  I wasn’t afraid of Jonas. Not really. So what if he was a giant? I didn’t care. He’d crossed the line with Holly, even if he caught her going through his things. Granted, she shouldn’t have done it, but could he blame her for being curious about him? It wasn’t like Jonas was the most open guy around. Naturally she’d be curious. She was going to spend the rest of her life with us, so what else was she supposed to do?

  I drove right from the bar to Jonas’s house, feeling my anger only grow as the minutes ticked by. Holly was safe and sound, back in her cabin, but still. I couldn’t let this go. I had to let Jonas know that what he did was not okay.

  Damn it. I knew I never should’ve let her stay by herself. Letting her stay in Jonas’s house without us was asking for trouble. I was smarter than that.

  Or at least I thought I was, before Holly. Before she came into my life and made me lose track of myself each and every time she turned those beautiful blue eyes on me. It wasn’t just the eyes, either. She was gorgeous all around, and I could only imagine how much more attracted to her I’d be once she shifted.

  The sky was clear of clouds when I pulled up to Jonas’s house. If the bastard wasn’t here, this time I had nothing to do but wait for him. He and I needed to have a serious discussion about what keeping your hands to yourself meant. I got out of the car, slamming the door. I trudged up to his house and knocked on the front door, not even checking to see if it was unlocked.

  No, I felt like I had to pound, make a scene, let him know that I was generally not happy. I was pissed.

  Jonas was slow to answer the door, and when he did, he glowered at me. He said nothing, only turning his back to me and disappearing further inside his house. I walked in after him, closing the door behind me with my foot. Jonas was in the kitchen, making himself dinner, as if nothing was wrong.

  How in the world did we get stuck with him? I wondered, frowning to myself. I knew snow leopards didn’t often stick close together, we didn’t have packs like the wolves did or prides like the lions, so I guess we were just unlucky. Unfortunate. We drew the short stick, having been sent here after our parents were murdered by hunters. He was supposed to be a big brother of sorts, and he was, for a little while. He’d shown us how to get by in the city, how to handle the local human populace, and how to live off the land as best as we could. And then, after that, he’d just…gone off on his own, not wanting anything to do with us.

  I didn’t blame him for it, exactly—Jonas wasn’t family. He owed us nothing besides what the Pride told him to do. But this? This was too much.

  Jonas stood near the stove, cooking something on the top burners. He did not turn his head, didn’t even look at me as he asked, “She told you what happened, I assume?” His rough voice came out sounding bored.

  “She called me,” I said, remembering the call. She only called out of an obligation to me and Aster, not because she expected either of us to do something. She told me what happened only so there would be no bad air between her mates.

  Jonas stopped stirring whatever was in the pot. His green eyes finally turned to me, and he crossed his arms, the muscles there bulging. A sign that in a fistfight, or even shifted, I would not win a straight-up fight between us. “And you’re here why?” He cocked his head, some of his dark blonde hair falling over his forehead. “To put me in my place?”

  “I want to,” I told him, “but I’m not stupid.”

  Jonas let out a smirk. “Our mate has gotten into a lot of trouble, considering how long she’s been here. I was only teaching her the error of her ways. She has to learn.”

  My blood pumped a little faster in my veins. It took everything in me to not lunge at him. Even though I knew there was no way in hell I’d win, for her, I would still give it a whirl. Jonas might scare off most of the human townsfolk—and he might be tough enough to tackle a full-sized grizzly head-on while shifted—but he didn’t frighten me.

  Not that much, anyway.

  “And did she?” I asked. “Did she learn anything from your…lesson?” Calling what he did a lesson was a disservice to teachers everywhere. What he did was primal, and our mate deserved so much better. Honestly, it was why I was nervous for Holly to begin with. She seemed like such a gentle, innocent girl. To throw her at Jonas was basically throwing an injured lamb to a huge, lumbering starved wolf. It wouldn’t end well.

  Jonas’s smirk fell. “Why don
’t you ask her that yourself? Or did you, and she refused to say?” And then the bastard said something meant to get under my skin: “I think our mate is rooting for me to win that race now.”

  “I think,” I spoke, sounding worlds more confident than I felt, “you shouldn’t see her again before the race. You’ve proven yourself to be untrustworthy when it comes to keeping your word.”

  He did not like that. He didn’t like that one bit.

  Jonas sent a scowl my way, slowly moving out of the kitchen, closer to me. He stopped when he stood two feet before me, towering over me like a giant. “I didn’t fuck our mate. I just made her watch—”

  “Aster or I will be with her at all times until the race, because clearly we can’t trust you,” I plowed on, interrupting him. I had more days off stashed up at work; before this, I never took off. Ronda would let me take the days I needed, same with Aster.

  Jonas let out a chuckle. “Whatever. I’m done arguing with you, because it’s pointless.” He turned his back to me once again and went into the kitchen, done with this conversation.

  Good. Because I was done, too.

  I left Jonas’s house, fuming. The whole bit about either Aster or I being with Holly had come out of nowhere, but with her constantly so close to Jonas, we couldn’t risk it. I wouldn’t risk her. She deserved these last few days of normalcy, before her life changed forever. It was the least she deserved, actually, since she would be the mother of our cubs.

  I headed to her cabin, my hands shoved in my pockets. If I had the upper-hand on Jonas, I couldn’t say that I would’ve walked out without at least trying to make him regret doing what he did.

  I mean, I get it. Holly was pretty. She was…our mate, and that brought so many complicated, carnal feelings to the surface, but still. One did not just do that without consequences. Jonas would need to steer clear of her for a few days. That was his punishment. That was about all I could think of to do.

  Before marching into her house, I paused, taking a deep breath, not wanting my irritation at Jonas to seep through and affect my time with her. She had to feel safe around me. I would not let her view me as another Jonas. I would be better than him, even if she pranced around naked in front of me.

  I might sit there with a hard-on in my pants, but I would not touch her, and I would not jack off in front of her and make her watch. I could hold myself back.

  When I knocked on her door, I was much quieter about it than I was at Jonas’s door. Whereas that was a closed-fist, hard, let-me-in pound, this was a gentle knock with a relaxed hand, just me lightly tapping my knuckles on the door.

  Holly didn’t answer right away, so I let myself in, peering around as I entered. “Holly?” I asked, and the moment I stepped inside, I heard her footsteps in the hall. As the door swung shut behind me, I was frozen, motionless as I watched Holly peer out from the hall, her hair wet.

  And she…she wore nothing but a towel. Nothing but a fucking towel, and I had to avert my eyes, lest I start being plagued by a damned erection. Today was not the day to shower her with dicks. Just…just no.

  “Give me a moment,” Holly spoke, sending me a demure smile.

  I gave her a nod, moving to sit on the couch. I’d give her all the moments she needed, because I was not Jonas. I might want to bend her over and mate with her, but that was different. That was instinctual. That was why she was here, why I agreed to constantly send checks to her parents down south.

  Holly disappeared, presumably to put some clothes on so I didn’t go out of my mind. I ran my hands down my jeans, rubbing my palms on my knees. This might be more difficult than I thought. I was in the process of taking off my jacket when she reappeared, her wet hair brushed and a long-sleeved shirt covering her chest, some type of leggings hugging her legs.

  “Do you want anything to drink?” she asked, moving to the fridge. Her place was much smaller than Jonas’s, so from the couch I was able to watch her bend to get something out of the fridge. Those leggings…that ass.

  God, I really wanted to run a hand along that beautiful ass.

  “I’m okay,” I croaked out, wincing at how stupid I sounded. Did I always sound that dumb? No wonder Jonas couldn’t take me seriously. I gave Holly a smile as she came into the living room, sitting on the couch beside me. She held onto a water bottle, and my eyes were all over her as she unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

  “You didn’t have to come,” she said, turning those bright, lively eyes on me. She didn’t appear hurt. Holly looked normal, considering what happened with Jonas. Maybe I was overreacting…

  “I didn’t want Jonas to try anything else,” I muttered. “You should have a peaceful few days, before…” Before the race. Before you’re claimed. Before you’re mated to each of us. None of those things I could say, so I just shrugged. She’d know what I meant, anyway.

  Holly’s gaze fell to her lap. “It was only because I was snooping. I shouldn’t have gone through his things.”

  Even if I didn’t agree with what Jonas did, I could agree with her about not doing it. Snooping was never good. I understood where she was coming from, but that didn’t change the fact that she should not have done it—especially without Aster or me around to keep watch.

  “He shouldn’t have done that,” I said, slowly relenting, “but you are right. You shouldn’t have snooped.” They were both wrong in what they did, and the only one who seemed repentant about it was Holly, no shocker there. I studied her, watching as she leaned back. She kicked up her feet, wiggling her toes as she set them on the coffee table before the couch. “Did you find anything?”

  Holly’s eyes snapped to me, a mischievous look in them. “You really want to know? I figured you’d be upset.”

  I turned toward her, moving an arm around her shoulders, causing her to nestle against my chest. I breathed her in, a calmness washing over me. “Not at you, Holly. Never at you.” I meant it, too. I might be upset with Jonas, but her? Hell no. She would always get my patience and my understanding.

  A slow smile grew on her lips, and it took everything in me to not let my gaze fall to her mouth. It was hard to be a good man, to hold back, when so close to her. “I found a photo album in the closet in his room,” she said.

  So he’d caught her in his room, going through his most personal belongings? Still didn’t make what he did right, but where Jonas was concerned, that was the worst of affronts Holly could’ve made.

  “He looked like he had a normal childhood,” Holly went on, moving to set the water down before snuggling back into me. “Someplace warm, too.” She let out a sigh. “I miss warm weather.”

  “You’ll get used to the cold,” I told her. I ran fingers down her arm, up and down, an absentminded gesture as I thought on her words. Jonas growing up with a normal family—I didn’t know why, but something about that felt strange. The way he acted now made me believe he’d always been on his own, that he sprouted from the womb ready to take on the world and all of its horrors alone.

  Holly rested her cheek on the crook of my arm, and her vibrant, azure stare rose to me. “And if I don’t?” she asked. “What if I’m always cold, even after shifting?”

  I didn’t think it was a possibility, but then again, she was older than most were when they first shifted. The typical practice was to have teenagers shift. They weren’t young enough to be injured while shifting, and not old enough for their inner beast to suffer by being held in for so long. Shifting now would be an adjustment for her, I knew, but we’d work through it together. Unlike Jonas, Holly didn’t have to face the world alone. She had us. She had me.

  “Well,” I started, moving until I was able to lift my legs onto the couch. I pulled her against my chest, holding her on top of me. “If that’s the case, then I guess I’ll have to warm you up.” At that, she shot me an incredulous, sly look, to which I added, “It’s what I’m here for, you know. To warm you up.”

  “I don’t think that’s all you’re here for,” Holly whispered. I felt myself warmin
g from her words—being with Jonas, having him tiptoe the line like that, must’ve caused her mind to be on other things. Her near future, for example.

  All I could do was smile, because it was very difficult not to think of what our future held. Mating. Cubs. Hopefully a long and happy life together…even with Jonas. We could do it.

  She propped herself up on my chest, her wet hair falling around her head like a blonde, wispy halo. Her lips were parted slightly, and the way she stared intently down at me made my mind wander to some inappropriate places. Hard not to do, when Holly was so perfect.

  “You know,” she started, “with what happened…it would only be fair if you kissed me.” It was a forward statement I wasn’t expecting her to say, and for a moment, I could only blink and wonder if I heard her correctly.

  Was she saying she wanted me to kiss her, or was she only saying it so that things stayed equal between the four of us? Would she say something similar to Aster when he saw her next?

  It didn’t matter.

  It didn’t matter because I didn’t care. No matter the reason behind her words, I wanted to kiss her. If I was honest, I’d wanted to kiss her ever since seeing her get out of that plane. Deep down, I’d known she was the one. A split-second decision, as if fate itself had a hand in us finding each other.

  Fate had nothing to do with it. It was all the Pride, but still.

  My voice came out low, “Do you want me to kiss you?”

  Holly’s head was slow to nod, and I moved my hands to her face, fingers entwining in her hair. Since I lay beneath her, I brought her face down to mine. At first, when our lips touched, it was a tentative, soft gesture, an unsure and uncertain thing neither of us were too firm with. Her lips were soft, melding against mine, and she practically purred above me.

  And then, then the kiss changed.

  Then the kiss became hungrier, heated in a way I never expected. As I lost myself in the feeling of her lips on mine, how her body felt laying on top of me, she drew her hands up, tugging on my hair gently. I ran a tongue over her bottom lip, nipping gently.