Page 106 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)

AUDREY

The second I thought Knox would be angry with me for sleeping with Bishop, he woke and I was flooded with contentment. Not even a flicker of anger or jealousy. He really did want to share me with his brother, which was so unlike the wolf shifters in my realm it made my head spin.

Worry seeped into the bond and he nuzzled closer to me.

What’s wrong? he asked.

“Nothing,” I replied, sitting up and tugging Bishop’s shirt down to ensure I wasn’t flashing him or anyone who walked by.

You’re confused and worried. Did Bishop do something? Did he hurt you?

“Did it feel like he hurt me?” I murmured, not wanting to rub in the fact that Bishop and I had been intimate again when Knox and I had only had intercourse once and I barely remembered it.

It felt like you wanted it and enjoyed it. But that doesn’t mean you don’t regret it now.

“I’d only regret it if it makes you angry at me and your brother. But it was just a silly thought.” I pressed my hand over my heart. “I know it isn’t true.”

I already told you I wanted you to mate with him. He sounded genuinely confused about why I’d even think such a thing as well as a little hurt and those emotions radiated through our bond, making my insides squirm.

“It was just habit. Wolves in my realm are possessive of their mates,” I told him. “And I know you told me you wanted me to mate with Bishop, but that was before you agreed to work on our relationship. I didn’t even think that being with Bishop might upset you until I found you here, beside me.”

You have nothing to worry about. Bishop and his wolf want you, and he’ll be able to offer you things I can’t, he said. It’s only an issue if you don’t want him. But it sounds and feels like you do.

My cheeks heated at the thought of what Bishop and I had done… outside… where anyone could have seen us. But even though I was embarrassed, I wouldn’t have changed what we’d done. I’d loved every second of being with him.

Contentment from Knox radiated through our mating bond, igniting a spark of hope inside me. Maybe it would all work out.

I liked Bishop a lot and was relieved Knox wasn’t going to demand we stop seeing each other. I could also feel my affection for Knox growing. He wasn’t ignoring me, being terse or rude, or making demands like before. Maybe I was finally free. Maybe, so long as everyone else left me alone, I finally had a life with people who cared about me.

It smells like you didn’t finish your picnic, Knox said, sniffing the basket.

“Barely even started.” More heat bloomed across my face and I tried to get my blush under control. I had nothing to be embarrassed about. Bishop was going to be my mate, too. There was nothing wrong with having sex with him.

Then we should finish it. Knox’s body turned to liquid, and in the blink of an eye, he’d shifted into his human form. “We wouldn’t want all of Bishop’s hard work to go to waste.”

I gaped at him, unable to stop my gaze from sweeping over the contour of his chest and arms and down to his rippled abs and his partially erect cock.

The blush I’d been trying to control burned over my scalp and down my neck onto my chest.

“Could you—” I jerked my attention away, realizing even if I asked him to get dressed, he couldn’t. He hadn’t brought any clothes with him, and Bishop had taken his pants when he left.

Jeez. Nudity wasn’t a thing with shifters, but I couldn’t seem to get past it.

Of course, it didn’t help that he was gorgeous.

And now I couldn’t stop thinking about how amazing his mouth had felt when he made me come.

He grunted — but I couldn’t feel any frustration in our bond — and grabbed my shirt on the other side of the blanket, using it to cover himself.

“Let’s see what Bishop left us,” he said, not addressing what most shifters thought was a ridiculous reaction to being naked.

He tugged the basket closer and pushed aside the cloth that was protecting the food. “Mini appetizers, three different types of sandwiches, two with wild mountain blackbuck cheese, sweet red berries, and two types of confection.” A thread of worry seeped into the bond. “I should have thought of this.”

“I feel like this isn’t your thing,” I told him, trying to send my burgeoning love for him through our bond.

“But it makes you happy.”

“And I’ll be happy with whatever you think will be an enjoyable date. You’re your own person. You don’t have to do what Bishop does. That, and I get the feeling that Bishop has had a lot of experience with this kind of thing.” I gave him a wry smile and picked up one of the four remaining hors d'oeuvres and offered it to him. “I wouldn’t have thought of it, either.”

With a tentative smile, he took it and popped it into his mouth, his pleasure at what he tasted flowing through our bond.

Over the next couple of hours, we finished off Bishop’s romantic picnic and chatted… which turned out to be a little awkward since I wasn’t very good at casual conversation and Knox was terrible.

Still, it made me feel special to have Knox open up a bit to me. I suspected there were very few people he’d have an hour-long conversation with, let alone two hours — even in an enormous, open field. I could feel in our bond that he genuinely wanted to talk with me and that he was trying to make an effort, as promised.

“We should do something tomorrow,” I suggested as I pulled on my pants. The more time we spent together, the more we’d figure out our relationship.

But Knox frowned in the middle of packing everything back into the basket as if he hadn’t expected me to propose another date, and uncertainty rushed through our bond.

My own uncertainty rose to meet his. Had I been too bold? I’d thought we’d been getting along, but maybe that had all been in my head. Maybe Knox had been humoring me, which wasn’t like him and I hadn’t felt it in our bond, but I still couldn’t shake the fear that I was wrong. Again.

Knox’s eyes widened and his uncertainty switched to fear. “What are you thinking? What did I do wrong?”

I opened my mouth to tell him “nothing,” but with our ability to sense each other’s feelings he’d know right away I was lying.

“You don’t want to see me again,” I replied instead, fighting to keep my tone neutral even though I knew he could feel my churning emotions. “That’s fine. I’m disappointed,” I added because I definitely couldn’t hide that from him, “but we can go at your pace.”

“That isn’t—” He pressed his hand over his heart, realization flooding his expression and our bond.

“We can’t hide anything from each other,” I said, saying what I knew he had to be thinking, “even if it’s to protect the other’s feelings.”

“Fuck,” he hissed, raising his gaze to meet mine. “I do want to do something with you tomorrow. Being with you is easy. Like being with my brothers, or Nova and Deacon.”

“But…” I prompted. I could feel his sincerity and see it in his eyes. He did want to spend more time with me, but I could also feel the “but” hiding in the wings, waiting to come out.

“But I leave in a few hours on a hunt. That’s why I’d originally come looking for you and found you asleep on Bishop.” His gaze slid to the basket between us and a hint of shame curled through the bond. “I didn’t want to reject your suggestion. I’ve done too much of that already. But I didn’t know how to tell you I couldn’t spend tomorrow with you.”

I couldn’t decide if I wanted to laugh or cry at the ridiculousness of the situation. I’d gotten so worried and he’d gotten upset because he didn’t know how to decline a suggestion… probably without being brusque and rude like before.

Being able to sense each other’s emotions was a dangerous thing, especially since we still didn’t fully trust each other.

“I have to work tomorrow, Audrey,” I said, providing him with the appropriate response.

He frowned, confused. “That’s it? You’d accept that?”

“You and Bishop have responsibilities to the pack. I hope I’ll have some soon, too. Working or just needing a little space because this is too much peopling or because you’ve got some other engagement is a perfectly acceptable answer. I understand that you have a life and we don’t know how I fit into it yet.”

“But I promised I’d try.” Worry colored his voice and rushed through our bond, breaking my heart for him. I wasn’t sure exactly what had made him completely change his behavior with me, but it was obvious he wasn’t used to it, just as it was obvious he meant what he said. He wanted to make our relationship work and I knew he wouldn’t use his work as an excuse to avoid me.

“You can continue trying when you get back from the hunt,” I told him. I cautiously reached for his hand and met his dark gaze. “I’ll look forward to your return.”

A tentative smile curled his lips, softening his usually hard expression, while relief and surprise filled our bond. “It’ll only be four or five days.”

I matched his smile. “Then I’ll see you in four or five days. Which will be perfect because I’ll be finished my doctor-mandated period of rest in four days.”

Knox grunted, the happiness I’d felt when we’d been chatting returning. With his soft smile growing a little more, he finished loading the basket, handed me back my shirt, and shifted into his wolf.

I’ll take this back to the kitchen, he said. And I’ll see you in four or five days.

I opened my mouth to tell him that I had to return to the kitchen to figure out how to get back to my suite and I could take the basket with me, but he was already at the metal arch in the hedgerow, trotting with ease despite the basket handle in his teeth.

With a sigh, I laid back, propping myself up on my elbows, and looked up at the interwoven vines, their flowers a cacophony of color curling over the pergola. Soft beams of sunlight cut through foliage softly shushing in the breeze.

It was so peaceful here. Bishop had picked the perfect place for our picnic, and while I was a little sorry we didn’t get to eat it together, I wasn’t at all sorry for what we’d done instead.

A shiver teased down my spine with the memory of how good Bishop had made me feel, how loved. There was no doubt in my mind that Bishop was telling the truth when he said he was going to court me, and if this was the beginning, I couldn’t wait for more.

I drew the collar of his shirt up to my nose and inhaled his fresh-cut grass scent, my smile deepening. God, I loved how he smelled. Crisp and bright and fresh. I could wrap myself in his scent forever and never get tired of it.

I could also wrap myself in Knox’s deep, rich smoldering wood smoke scent. He was a warm, thick blanket and a hot chocolate on a winter’s night, and despite our rocky start, I wanted to keep cuddling with him.

Things wouldn’t be automatically easy between us, but today — and last night — had been a good start. Being able to feel his emotions also helped. I could tell he genuinely wanted to try to make our relationship work and that he felt guilty for how he’d treated me.

Of course, I still wasn’t going to let him off easy.

As much as I knew how he felt, I wasn’t ready to trust him with my body, not completely. I wanted to know him better, figure out how we could make a life for ourselves even if it wasn’t the life either of us had wanted.

With that said, I was going to have to figure out how to be useful to the pack. Bishop had seemed excited about me sharing ideas from my world. If I was really going to do that, I needed to get my thoughts together and write down what I did know about things. Especially things that the pack might find useful. Which meant I needed a pen and some paper.

I sat up, considering who I might ask for them. I doubted I’d run into Knox before he left and Bishop could be anywhere. I certainly didn’t want to go wandering about the Residence unescorted until I knew for sure if Cyrus would allow it.

Sure, Nova had suggested it, but she wasn’t the alpha. She was someone else who might loan me writing stuff, but again, I didn’t want to go hunting for her.

Maybe there was something in my suite. I hadn’t explored my new rooms since they’d been given to me… yesterday evening…? The day before yesterday evening? Yeah, I guess that had been the day before when we’d gotten back from our trip north.

I’d been too tired and fidgety to check things out, then I’d woken upset, had that catastrophic moment with Knox and Cyrus, and Sterling had tried to get me to kill myself. I hadn’t even gotten a chance this morning when Nova woke me and hurried me out to get food.

So, check the room first, then find the one person I trusted or the other person I sort of trusted… or wait for them to find me.

That was probably the safest option. If I just stayed where I was, eventually one of them would come looking for me.

With that decided, I glanced at my shirt, decided I didn’t want to take off Bishop’s shirt, and headed back to the kitchen so I could find my way back to my suite.

Thankfully, I didn’t meet anyone on the way there, and when I entered from the herb garden door, the two women I’d seen working in the kitchen earlier — the older woman and the woman about my age — offered me big smiles and more food while telling me supper would be in a couple of hours.

Despite declining, I still left the kitchen with a bowl filled with grapes, a hunk of cheese the size of my fist, an apple, and two large dinner rolls. It was almost as if they were worried that I wasn’t eating enough.

I supposed I’d lost weight during our trip and from my unnaturally long heat, but I hadn’t thought I looked that bad. Of course, when I’d looked in the mirror this morning, I hadn’t been able to see past all my scars to really pay attention to my figure.

Food in hand, I stepped into the hall, reminding myself to stay small and quiet and not to make eye contact and challenge anyone. If I just minded my own business and went straight to my room, everything would be fine.

Really.

My pulse picked up and I strained to slow it down. This was the first time I’d been alone since I’d woken up and it was hard to ignore my worries that I couldn’t relax and be myself.

I’d felt so safe with Bishop and even Nova and now I felt exposed and vulnerable.

Still, I couldn’t look afraid. I squared my shoulders, raised my head, and plastered on the calmest, most submissive expression I could. I needed to look like I accepted my position as the lowest ranking member in the pack and was happy about it. That’s what alphas wanted.

I was halfway across the grand foyer, the lights glittering in the enormous crystal chandelier and peppering the red carpet with mesmerizing rainbow flecks of light, when one of the massive front doors opened.

Calm and accepting and unobtrusive.

Except I was in the center of the foyer and couldn’t duck out of the way as Cyrus stepped inside.

Shit.

I froze in place, pinned by Cyrus’s stern glare and unable to escape to the shadows so he could forget about me. I wasn’t ready to run into him yet and I certainly hadn’t wanted to face him for the first time since he’d yelled at me while I was alone.

And even while my body trembled — much to my mind’s frustration — afraid he’d reprimand me again or do worse, the image of my fantasy flooded my mind’s eye. Cyrus naked, all his powerful muscles on display as he held me gently, carefully, and slowly pushed inside me.

“Audrey,” he said, his voice gruff as stuttering waves of power rolled off him as if he was trying to hold it back but was too upset to manage it.

“Alpha,” I said, dropping my gaze to the floor, my cheeks heating with an unwanted blush despite my nervousness.

“You’re going to ruin your dinner with all that.” The front door shut with a thud, a finality that echoed through the room.

I opened my mouth to explain I hadn’t wanted the food but also hadn’t wanted to disrespect members of his pack by declining twice, then I remembered that was an excuse.

No excuse was ever good enough.

“Yes, alpha.”

“Audrey,” he huffed and another wave of power, this one sharp and stronger, jerked my head up to look at him.

Damn it. I didn’t want to look at him, didn’t want another glimpse of his bad-boy beauty, large, muscled figure, and the hard look in his moss green eyes. But I couldn’t help myself. Just like his brothers, seeing Cyrus stole my breath.

A little more than a day’s worth of scruff covered his square jaw, and the shaved sides of his head were longer as well as if he hadn’t had time to shave in a while. The rest of his brown hair was tied back in its usual thick braid that reached the nape of his neck and I couldn’t see any of the golden highlights that shone bright in the sunlight.

Audrey, remember your place! I snapped at myself and quickly yanked my gaze to a spot on the door behind him.

“Dinner really is in a couple of hours. Do you remember your way to the dining hall or should I send someone?” he asked.

From his curt tone and choice of words, that hadn’t been a request. It was an order.

I didn’t think it was a trap to get me in front of his betas so he could reprimand me again. That didn’t seem his style, but I was still going to have to watch myself. Just because he didn’t plan it to be a trap, didn’t mean it couldn’t become one.

Small. Quiet. Invisible.

With luck, if I kept to myself and he didn’t see me with Bishop, he and everyone else would forget about me… at least until I’d proven my worth.

“I can find my way, alpha,” I replied, trying to keep my worry from my expression.

“Good.”

He marched down the hall toward the kitchen and I hurried in the opposite direction, realizing that I had no idea when exactly dinner was since a couple of hours was still somewhat vague, or how to tell if a certain amount of time had passed.