Wild Blood: The Trueborn Saga Book 1 Page 7

"You put the pack at risk," he says grimly.

  "I protected the pack," I snarl out defensively.

  "No, I'm the one who protected us from your reckless and immature behavior," Wyatt retorts. "If you hadn't gone to that shithole last night to get laid, they never would have seen you at all." Shit, I guess Cooper and my clandestine trips out of town weren't quite so clandestine, but it didn't give my brother the right to treat me like a goddamn child.

  "If I hadn't been there, she'd be dead."

  "Well, better some human piece of ass than the entire pack," Wyatt growls out.

  Red scalding hot rage like I've never felt before ignites in an instant. It inflames the man and the wolf inside me in equal measure. I surge toward my brother with a vicious snarl, intent on defending my mate's honor with everything I have.

  "That's enough!" our father's deep gruff voice lashes out viciously. It halts me in my tracks mere inches from my brother before I can even lay a hand on him.

  I don't take my eyes off Wyatt's though as his eyes flash bright gold. I know mine are glowing silver in response to the violent tension snapping between us like electricity. It won't take much to set it off again.

  "Stand down!" Dad continues furiously as he stalks farther into the kitchen and stops next to us.

  I immediately step back and drop my eyes to the floor in the face of my father's fierce and powerful dominance. Wyatt does the same. Our father is not a man to be fucked with, and he demands respect and obedience to his will. He's the Alpha of our pack for a reason.

  "I'll be the judge of what's a risk to the pack," Dad says sternly. "And even if Emmett's reasons for being at that bar weren't exactly pure," -I feel Dad shoot a glare my way with that statement- "it doesn't change the fact that he found his mate and defended her, like any one of us would do in the same position."

  "Mate?" Wyatt blurts out as he glances at me in shocked surprise, his eyes back to their normal golden-brown. Shit, Cooper must have left that part out.

  "Yeah," I answer him softly.

  His face turns apologetic and understanding, and my anger leaches out of me.

  "I'm sorry, Em," he says sincerely. "I didn't know." He shoots a quick glare at Cooper, who shrugs with a pained expression.

  I open my mouth to accept Wyatt's apology just as the doorbell rings. The whole room stills. Visitors are few and far between where my parent's live. It's rare for anyone unexpected to show up out here in the middle of nowhere since the house isn't even visible from the nearby road. Everyone in the room shares bewildered glances. Well, everyone except Mom that is, who's grinning knowingly at me as she walks into the kitchen with Lyric and Harmony at her heels.

  "You should go let your mate in, Em," she says in smug satisfaction.

  "What?" I blurt out in stunned shock.

  "She's here to pick up her dog, and you should let her in," Mom continues. Her lips twist into a wry smirk. "And this time, try not to freak her out."

  All eyes turn to me now as giddy fear falls over me in an icy rush. Well, I did want a chance to try to fix what I fucked up last night. I just didn't expect to have to do it without a plan or with my entire family looking on. Great. Lucky me. I glare at Mom, who merely smiles unapologetically as she shoos everyone out to the backyard. Then I groan and head for the door, hoping like hell that I don't fuck this up even worse than I already did.

  9

  RAVEN

  It's official. I'm in BFE, smack-dab in the middle of nowhere as I obediently follow the directions to the address I entered into my phone's GPS. I've been driving for a while down a bunch of back country roads surrounded by trees on my way to pick up Luna. Dr. Cadie called me earlier this morning and asked if I could pick up my dog at her house. I readily agreed, eager and excited to see Luna. I swear it had nothing to do with the hope of seeing Emmett again. Nope, not at all.

  Finally, I come to a tiny but well-maintained paved driveway with a mailbox next to it that has a small metal cutout of a howling wolf mounted to the top. My GPS announces that I have reached my destination. I turn into the drive without even bothering with a turn signal since there isn't a soul around to be seen. I wind through the trees for several minutes, wondering just how far back this place is from the road, until a clearing finally opens up in front of my little truck.

  Wow. The huge bi-level house that I see tucked in between the trees is beautiful. It's painted a warm pewter color with a low-pitched roof, overhanging eaves, lots of windows, and large balconies with gorgeous geometric designed railings. Wide sprawling stairs lead up to the beautiful glass front door that's framed by even more windows. There's a four-car garage to the left with multiple vehicles parked in the large driveway. Is there a party going on in there? I shake my head, feeling overwhelmed as I pull up behind an old black Jeep Wrangler and shut off my truck.

  I climb out and make my way toward the house, admiring it again, as well as the lush and immaculate landscaping. The Weylin family seems to be doing very well for itself between Dr. Cadie's vet clinic and the orchard they run. I climb the stairs and approach the door, noting that the blinds behind it and the surrounding windows are closed, blocking any view I might have into the home's interior. I guess I'm going in blind then. I reach out and ring the doorbell, wondering what the hell I'm getting myself into being here because these people seem completely out of my league.

  A few moments pass, and I begin to wonder if no one is home, or if I'm at the wrong place, before I finally hear the knob turn. Then the door swings open to reveal Emmett standing there gloriously shirtless in nothing but a pair of athletic shorts.

  Holy. Shit.

  I'm struck speechless as I gape at him like an imbecile. This guy's upper body is a stunning work of art. He isn't overly huge or bulky, but each toned muscle is lean and sharply defined to perfection. His shoulders are broad, tapering down to narrow hips that have those unbelievable sexy grooves disappearing under the waistband of his low slung shorts. And I kid you not, he has freaking eight-pack abs. I didn't know muscles like this even existed. His body screams strength and a powerful masculinity that takes my breath away. It stutters my brain to a complete halt.

  I have no idea how long I stand there before my brain starts to function again. My face heats with embarrassment. I hesitantly lift my gaze to Emmett's face, only to find he hasn't noticed that I was gawking at him at all. He's too busy staring open-mouthed at my body with wide-eyed and astonished appreciation. I glance down at the denim shorts and red tank top I hastily pulled on before leaving the house. They aren't anything special besides a bit of my not so impressive cleavage showing, but his clear appreciation fills me with warm feminine satisfaction. I look back up to study his face, and I'm lost again as I admire the sexy stubble of his strong jaw line, those full kissable lips, and his breathtaking ice-blue eyes. The man really is unbelievably gorgeous.

  I hear someone's throat clear, and I rip myself out of my reverie to find that Dr. Cadie has come up next to her son. Emmett visibly startles and jerks his eyes away from me with a stunned expression. I'm pretty sure it looks just like the one I'm wearing.

  "Come on in, sweetie," she says with an oddly knowing and amused smile, like she's in on some secret I don't know about. Weird. She looks at her son with a soft indulgent expression and gently touches his upper arm. "Em, why don't you go put on a shirt."

  "Um...yeah, sure," he replies gruffly then whirls and hurries back into the house.

  Dr. Cadie watches him walk away, then turns back to face me and beckons me into the house. "Let me take you to Luna."

  "Is she okay?" I ask as I step through the doorway.

  The Weylin's home is as gorgeous as I expected with pale gray walls, white trim, and beautiful hardwood flooring. I follow Dr. Cadie up some stairs into a large unoccupied living area on the second level. Plush gray carpet covers the floor, and the high end furniture and decor is traditional and inviting with a beige, gray, and rust color scheme. It's obvious they're well off, but the house's interior isn't ost
entatious about it.

  "She's still in some pain," Dr. Cadie replies, "but she's going to be just fine."

  "I'm sorry if she was obnoxious last night," I say. "She has some separation anxiety when we're apart."

  "That's understandable since she's your service dog," she says as we cross the living room. "But Emmett stayed with her all night, and she did fine."

  "He...he did?" I ask curiously.

  She snorts out a small laugh. "He didn't really have much of a choice since every time he tried to leave she threw a hissy fit."

  I gape in surprise at her comment as I follow her up two steps into a large sunlit kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances. More hardwood covers the floor, and the space is decorated similarly to the living room. This room is unoccupied too, and I can't help wondering who all those vehicles out front belong to and where they all are. I spy a dog crate to my right near the wall with my Luna in it. She scrabbles to her feet when she sees me and begins crying. I rush over to the crate with a watery smile and kneel next to it, shoving my fingers through the bars so Luna can kiss me.

  "Hi, baby," I whisper waveringly in utter relief. "I missed you so much."

  "You can let her out," Dr. Cadie says as she comes up next to me with Luna's leash and service vest in her hand. "Just don't let her get too crazy moving around."

  I nodded. "Okay."

  I drop my purse on the floor and eagerly open the crate's door. Luna immediately flies out, knocking me backwards onto my ass. She crawls into my lap, licking my face frantically as I wrap my arms carefully around her. I bury my face in her soft fur and breathe in her familiar scent, then sigh in relief. I turn a grateful teary smile at Dr. Cadie, who's kneeling next to me now.

  "Thank you so much for helping her," I tell her sincerely. "Dad gave me his credit card, so I can pay you." Guilt hits me because now my stupidity from last night is costing my dad money that he doesn't even have.

  "No need, sweetie," she replies.

  I gape at her. "Are you sure?"

  She nods with a warm smile. "Just bring her to me in the future for her shots, or anything else she needs, and we'll call it even."

  "I will," I promise her easily.

  Footsteps catch my attention, and I look up to see Emmett standing just inside the kitchen, now wearing a blue T-shirt that sets off his ice-blue eyes. He gives me an uncertain smile as he steps farther into the room. His dark hair is sticking up in disarray, as if he's been running his hands through it.

  Luna spies him and immediately abandons my lap. She gingerly shuffles over to him to lean against his legs and stare adoringly up at him. His smile widens gloriously as he looks at the dog and reaches down to scratch her furry head.

  "Well," Dr. Cadie says as she stands. "I need to get dressed for the day, so I'll let Emmett walk you out." She gives Emmett a pointed look that I don't understand, then smiles warmly at me. "I'm sure I'll see you around, Raven. Have a good day, sweetie," she adds. Then she hurries from the room, setting Luna's leash and vest on the nearby kitchen island on her way out.

  As soon as she's gone, Emmett steps forward with Luna still plastered to his side and reaches a hand down to help me up. I take it and stifle a moan as a rush of tingling pleasure zings up my arm and throughout my entire body. I watch his eyes brighten with heated awareness as I rise to my feet mere inches away from his body. His close proximity makes my heart race and my core clench with need. His gaze drifts to my lips as he licks his own, his obvious hunger burning in his eyes. Then he abruptly sucks in a breath and takes a step back, leaving me breathless and wanting.

  "I'm sorry about last night...about kissing you," he murmurs with a pained expression. "I didn't mean to scare you, I just... I just..."

  "Couldn't help yourself?" I supply in a whisper.

  A corner of his mouth rises in a small smile that makes heat pool between my legs. "Yeah." His voice is gruff as his eyes fall to my lips again, his expression filled with helpless longing that sucks me in for another long moment.

  This time it's me that comes to my senses first. I take a step back, putting more space between us, so I can think.

  "I'm sorry I just took off like I did." I grimace. "I...I just panicked is all."

  "You wouldn't have had a reason to if I hadn't been a dumbass."

  "Well, it's not like I wasn't willing," I tell him, not wanting him to feel bad about something I willingly participated in. "I did kiss you back."

  "You did," he says huskily, his voice like a warm caress that stokes my libido all over again.

  His attention rivets to my lips yet again. Suddenly, the few feet between us disappear and his hands are sliding up into my hair as I clutch desperately at his shirt. I don't know what this thing is between us, but it's so potent and overwhelming that I can't resist. I want him so goddamn badly, my body yearning to be as close to him as I can get.

  "Raven," he says my name for the first time, his tone low, rough, and oozing with heated desire that inflames my own need.

  His eyes drift closed as he breathes me in, followed by a deep growl that rumbles up out of his chest. Oh my God, it's sexy and wild and so very masculine. I want him to kiss me and never stop.

  "Kiss me," I breathe out without a thought. Nothing matters at this moment but getting Emmett's lips on mine again. "Please," I plead softly.

  Emmett growls again, this one even deeper than the last, and gives me what we both want, what we both need.

  I moan the instant his lips come down on mine, his grip in my hair tightening as he angles my head for better access. He thrusts his tongue into my mouth and kisses me hard and deep, growling and nipping at my lips. His entire body thrums with desire as he pulls me closer. The taste and feel of him are divine, intoxicating and mind-blowing. The rush is just as powerful as the first kiss we shared last night, maybe even more so. Raw lust pulses through me and aches between my thighs. I need more, so I slip my hands up under his shirt and glide my palms across the taut muscles of his belly. It feels amazing. He trembles under my touch and growls into my mouth. His hands fall from my hair and slide along my sides, running down my back toward my ass.

  Yes. More.

  He cups my ass and grinds himself against me. I can feel just how hard he is for me, and my fingers unconsciously slide down to toy with the waistband of his shorts. I want him to fuck me on the floor right now, against the wall, on the table, the counter. I don't care where. I just know that I want him, need him inside me. The lust coursing through me is all encompassing, like nothing I'd ever felt before in my life. This isn't normal, right? I shouldn't feel this way about a man I just met and basically know nothing about, but my body doesn't seem to care. It wants what it wants, and I moan as my fingertips finally slip under his waist band.

  Suddenly, I feel something bumping against my lower legs, accompanied with a familiar and long high-pitched whine. Somehow, Emmett and I both manage to tear our mouths from each other. When I glance down I see that Luna has wormed her way in between our legs. She's looking up at us with a big and adoring doggie grin, her tail wagging furiously.

  Emmett lets out a low laugh that makes my core clench, reminding me how very close I was to jumping this guy's bones in his mother's kitchen with her in the house. What the hell is wrong with me? I practically stagger away from him and turn to hurry over to the kitchen island. I snatch up Luna's leash and vest, suddenly eager to leave before I tackle Emmett and maul him.

  "I need to go," I say as I turn back toward Emmett with my eyes fixed to the floor as my face burns. I'm so embarrassed that I can't even bring myself to look at him. I bend down and buckle Luna's leash on, then hurry across the kitchen, intent on getting the hell out of here before I give in to my raging libido like some crazed nymphomaniac.

  "Raven, wait," Emmett calls out behind me, his voice strained and edged with panic.

  I stop and turn back, somehow forcing myself to meet his gaze. He frowns as he comes toward me, his expression pained and his body tense an
d trembling. He stops in front of me and reaches up to cup my cheek gently. His warm palm feels so right against my skin. His eyes swim with the same mix of desire and confusion I'm feeling too, and it eases some of my anxiety. I sigh and lean my face into his touch. I blink up at him, and he looks just as deeply affected by what's happening between us as I do, just as dumbfounded.

  "Let's start over," he whispers as his thumb brushes across my lips, making me shiver. "I...I want to get to know you. I want you to know more about me."

  "You...you do?" I ask softly, my brow furrowed in bewilderment. From my experience, guys like Emmett don't want anything but a quick bang from a girl, and certainly nothing more than that, like he's implying.

  He nods as a small smile pulls at his lips. "I want to see you again," he continues, his voice low and husky. "Let me take you out."

  "On...on a date?" I ask incredulously.

  "Yeah," he answers with certainty as his smile stretches into a full-blown grin that's devastatingly irresistible. "How about tonight?"

  I see nothing but sincerity in his hopeful and brilliant blue eyes, and I believe him. I feel it deep in my bones, in my very soul. It makes no sense, but my heart knows what it wants before my head can even second-guess the answer that spills out of my mouth.

  "Okay."

  10

  EMMETT

  "You have four siblings?" Raven asks incredulously from the passenger seat of my Jeep.

  "Yeah," I briefly glance over to see her wide electric blue eyes looking at me in the fading light of day. They're so beautiful that the sunset doesn't even compare, just like the rest of her. I just want to stare at her gorgeous face. It's all I can do to turn back to the road as I drive. "I have two sisters and two brothers."

  "Wow," she says. "I can't imagine that. It must be like living in a pack of wild animals."

  I barely keep myself from making a choking noise at that last part of her statement, her words way too close to the truth. The same truth I have to tell her about eventually, once I've established some trust between us and think she can handle it without running for the hills screaming. Our secret isn't one to share lightly since our survival, our very existence, depends on its safekeeping.