"Do you like it?" Jabir asks.
"Yes," I breathe. "I don't even know where I should look."
Jabir leads me around the massive staircase, through the sprawling living room that is framed by floor-to-ceiling transparent windows and a fireplace fit for a king. He motions for me to sit on the sofa closest to the fire. Then he disappears for a moment, allowing me to gaze outside and listen the icy rain begin to pelt against the expansive glass. The bleak twilight stretches out into the distance, making it difficult to perceive the other buildings Axe spoke of when I first arrived. Winters of the northwest are unlike anywhere else, delineated by the prolonged darkness.
Not a minute later, Jabir returns with a glass of water and a stunning pregnant woman with bobbed ash brown hair on his arm. She studies me, teary eyed. "He really did it.”
I rise from my spot on the sofa to greet her. Gods, she must be six feet tall herself.
Jabir clears his throat. "This is my mate, and the Alpha's oldest friend. Vessa, meet Nell."
Nell elbows him in the side. "And?”
“And . . . extraordinary designer, chef, mother of my future children . . . shall I continue?”
She pinches the bridge of her nose. “I’m the other Beta.”
"Nice to meet you,” I say.
Nell turns her attention back to me, engulfing me in a firm embrace. She then pulls away, dabbing her eyes as she leans against Jabir. Resting a hand on her belly, she adds, "Forgive me. I’m a bit emotional these days. It’s just that we have been waiting a very long time for this."
Heavy footsteps approach, announcing a familiar presence. "If I knew this would turn you into a blubbering mess, I would arrange for my mate to stay somewhere else," Axe teases.
Mate . . . he called me his mate. The thought brings a gleaming heat to my cheeks, already warmed by the delicious fire.
Nell scowls at the Alpha. "You will do no such thing."
Axe gives me a side glance. "I should warn you, the two of them in a room together can get pretty nauseating.”
Jabir snickers when his mate brings her hands to her hips, her frown lines deepening.
"It doesn't concern you," I implore to the pair, "that you’re sheltering a human?"
Nell’s misty eyes lighten. "Who you are, wherever you came from . . . it doesn't matter. You’re home now."
Axe’ssecond in command shows me to the guest wing of the second floor. Crossing the threshold, my eyes scan the room. Scented candles are burning on the desk and in the adjacent bathroom, a lovely concoction of tea tree oil and sage. A hefty brown quilt is sprawled out on the bed, complete with leather and fur accent pillows. Nell motions me into the bathroom and instructs me on how to adjust the shower head and faucet, letting the cool water pour out in a jet stream. Out here in the mountains, the water takes a few minutes to acclimate.
"Would you like me to help you undress?" she asks. "I can take your dirty clothes down for you and see if that suit can be salvaged."
Though I am inclined to turn her away, after hours of running through the woods, I’m so tired now that I can barely stand. Too dizzy to be shy. Nell sees that. She means well.
I unzip and shrug off the garment, allowing her to peel off the sleeves and tug down until it snags on my hips.
“Silverfire.” She scrunches her nose. “That lavender is potent. And so is that gods-awful—oh.”
“What?”
“Let’s just say Axe will be much happier once the other male’s stench washes off.”
Shivering from the exposure, I feel the female study my bare skin. Gripping both sides of the fabric, she kneels and gently begins to shimmy the material down below my crotch. Gooseflesh spreads along my thighs. Startled, Nell straightens. Narrowed eyes pan to my neck, her highly acute nose dissecting the layers of scent that cling to it. In the mirror, I gasp at the marks left from the attacker who ambushed me. Budding bruises.
One of her well-manicured brows kicks up as she scoffs. "I'm not going to ask, but I'll just assume the bastard paid horribly for that. If I find out he didn't, I'll crush his throat myself."
I cross my arms in front of me to conceal the rings forming along my shoulders. The attempt to conceal them pushes my cleavage higher. Nell’s attention shifts then, eyes falling to my breasts.
“Axe will like those," she teases, handing me a plush robe. "Ours never get that big. Even when we're knocked up." She cups the mounds on her chest and stares back into the mirror. Two girls picking at their appearance, not unlike any ordinary women’s bathroom back at school.
Fastening the tie around my waist, I chuckle at her candidness. Just in time for Axe to knock and step through the doorway. “All good here?”
