Stolen and Forgiven (Branded Packs #1)(18)

Chapter 5


The next day, Holden’s wolf ran him hard. Between Claire, Soren, and some of his packmates, he and his wolf were already on edge. Add in the fact that he’d put Ariel in his bed last night—he’d spent the night on the couch—and he was ready to jump out of his skin. His wolf wasn’t happy with the decision, but neither Holden nor Ariel was ready to sleep all night next to the other.

She needed space, and he needed the ability to breathe since he wouldn’t have been able to hold himself back once she curled into him. He could just imagine the feel of her lush ass pressed against his cock when he spooned her.

Holden growled and adjusted his dick in his pants. Sporting a hard-on while trying to think of how to integrate Ariel into the Pack that day wasn’t making any of this easier. In fact, it was damn near impossible.

“Holden?”

He turned as Ariel made her way to him. She tugged on her long-sleeve shirt covering her brand. Every time he looked at it, he wanted to howl, but he held back for her sake. He needed to act like everything was as normal as possible. Going off about something he couldn’t change wouldn’t help anybody.

One of the submissives in the Pack had dropped off a few things for Ariel to wear and use. He was so damn grateful for those in his life. While he did his best to protect what was his and make the tough decisions, it was the submissives who nurtured the Pack and provided comfort through the little things, and sometimes, even the big things they did.

“Everything okay?”

His mate gave him a small smile before pulling her hair back from her face. The long locks curled over her shoulders and down her back—sexy as hell.

“Yeah. I wanted to thank you and whoever brought me the clothes. And well, everything they brought.” She shrugged and let out a sigh. “I can’t even say I only had the clothes on my back when I came here since I was naked at the time.”

He winced at the memory of the blood covering her body and held out his arms. “Come here.”

She raised a brow. “Why?”

He rolled his eyes. “Because I’m a wolf and you are, too. We hug. We touch. It’s a shifter thing. Let me comfort you.”

She looked hesitant but walked into his arms anyway. He wrapped his arms around her body and sighed before inhaling her sweet scent. “Am I comforting you, too?”

He let out a low growl and she froze. Damn it. He knew she wasn’t used to the ways of the wolf, but he couldn’t help his reactions sometimes. “Yes, siren, you comfort me.”

“Good,” she mumbled then relaxed in his hold once more.

They stood there, holding each other in silence for a few minutes until someone cleared their throat. Holden had heard his friend and Beta enter the house, but he didn’t want to let go of Ariel.

Ariel moved away from him and turned. “Soren, hi.”

She was so damn awkward around the man and Holden didn’t blame her. Soren hadn’t been welcoming, but then again, he couldn’t blame his friend, either. It was all a big clusterf*ck, but he hoped they’d all find a way to fix it.

Soren nodded at Ariel before turning to Holden. “We have a problem.”

Holden cursed. Of course there was a problem When wasn’t there a problem? “What is it?”

“The sentries spotted the guards at the entrance,” Soren explained. “The SAU sent a few guards and soldiers into the compound. They should be in the den center in the few minutes. They want all of us there.” His Beta leveled a look at Holden. “They’ve come in for inspections, but this smells different.”

“Fuck.” Holden ran a hand over his face and turned to Ariel. “We drew in the Pack tattoo this morning, so don’t rub on it just in case they look too deeply at it. We’ll have to get you properly inked tonight or tomorrow. The wound looks a little red still, but you’re healing enough that the brand won’t look out of place. Just act as calm as possible and stand by my side...”—he cursed again—“...unless it looks like they’re trying to get me to act out or shift then go to Soren.” He looked at his best friend who gave him a nod. “We’ll be fine.”

Ariel’s eyes widened, but she nodded. “You’re lying, but thank you for trying. I won’t say a word, and I’ll do my best to blend in. But, Holden, what if any of them are the guards or doctors who held me? You won’t be able to hide me.”

He nodded. “I know. But if we hide you right away and they find you, it will be worse for all of us. Hopefully, if we group together, they won’t bother looking at any of us specifically. They don’t usually look at our faces. They look at the brands and move on. We aren’t people to them, Ariel. That prejudice has saved our lives before and, hopefully, will again.”

Soren cleared his throat. “They won’t be looking for you as a wolf or amongst the people Ariel. They’re looking for a dead girl. They want to place the blame for the body they dropped. When they don’t find it, they’re going to keep looking, but they won’t find you. We’ll just have to be careful.”

Some of the tension that had plagued Holden since he’d first bitten Ariel eased. He was sure Soren would protect his mate. Of course, Holden had enough tension that he didn’t quite feel as relieved as he thought he should have.