Third Rank Penn Lake Wolves Book Three (2 page)

Chapter Two

Maggie’s feet were sore from the shoes
that Sarah had loaned her to go with the dress. She wasn’t used to any sort of
heels, but loved the way they made her feel. However, she had to admit it was
the attention Brandon was giving her that was making her feel as though she
were the most beautiful person in the room. Callie was sitting watching Logan
dance with his mother, whist their dad danced with Hope.

‘You made such beautiful
bridesmaids, you and Hope.’ Maggie had hit it off with Callie from the start. She
was down to earth and made her feel like an equal. Sarah made her feel on edge
because of her being the alpha female of the pack, while Hope had kept her
distance during the two weeks she had been here, even though they shared a
house.

‘I’m just glad Sarah didn’t make
us wear anything too outrageous,’ replied Callie. ‘Would you mind if I had a
dance with Brandon? I mean, it will probably only last two seconds once Logan
sees… But, if you don’t mind?’

‘Of course I don’t mind,’ said
Maggie in surprise. ‘After all these cocktails I think I need to hit the ladies
room, anyway.’ Just as Brandon returned from the bar with their drinks, Maggie
smiled at him and walked towards the back of the room to the ladies.

‘Right,’ said Callie. ‘You and me
are having one dance before Logan decides I can’t put my hands on another man.’
She took a sip of her wine and held her hand out for Brandon to follow.

‘Great! Just what I need is a
pissed-off Logan on my back.’ Brandon wouldn’t ever deny Callie anything. He
thought of her as a sister and loved her like one, too. ‘Anything for you,
though, Callie.’ He pulled her in tight, deciding that if he was going to get pummelled
by his big brother then he might as well enjoy the rewards first. Callie just
laughed.

‘I’ll protect you. Plus, once
Maggie’s back she’s all yours.’

Meanwhile, Maggie had turned back
to watch Brandon dance with Callie. She looked so perfect in his arms that, if
she hadn’t known her and Logan were mated, she would say Brandon was her mate. Her
heart sank a little, thinking of Brandon mated to someone else. She could never
feel the mating urge, but she felt a strong connection to Brandon. But when he
found out she had lied to him, he would never want her. That thought made her
sad. Maybe, after it was all finished, she could make him see that she was
worth fighting for.

She walked to the back of the
room and down the corridor away from the crowd but as she reached the door to
the ladies, she was grabbed hard by her arm and dragged outside. Before she
could scream, a large hand covered her mouth.

‘Don’t make a sound,’ the man
hissed. ‘Last thing I want is all those brothers come running out to save you.’
She felt the tears burning her eyes and she waited for the man she recognised
as Seth’s friend, Greg, to tell her why he had pulled her from the bar. ‘Marcus
told me to tell you that you have six weeks left to bring him one of the
brothers. I’ll be watching you closely for any signs of you trying to run or
ask for help from them pricks. Any time I see you doing something I don’t like,
I may decide to pay you a visit.’ He licked his tongue up and down the side of
her face, almost making her gag.

He released her mouth, but held
her chin tightly in his hand. ‘Remember, I’m always watching you, so one word
that I’m helping Marcus and you’ll be sent straight back to your old
accommodation – and I’m sure Marcus will let us have a go once he’s finished
with you.’ Maggie shook with fear. ‘Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re
smooching up to Brandon, who wants to mate you,’ Greg continued. ‘He usually
nails anything around, worse than any of the brothers, so don’t think you’re
anything special.’

‘I don’t believe you. Why would
you hurt your friends?’ Maggie didn’t want to hear about Brandon and other
women. She felt sick enough already.

‘Why? Because these bastards have
been ruling this pack for years, and what Marcus can give me is better than what
that bunch of self-righteous pricks can. He picked me because he knew his own
son wouldn’t be strong enough when he took over this pack.’ He spun her around
and pressed her against the wall. Maggie felt the breath being crushed out of
her. ‘Six weeks, Maggie, and not a word to anyone. You understand me? Marcus
doesn’t like to be disappointed.’ With that, he swung open the door and pushed
her back into the bar and walked towards his friends like nothing had happened.

Maggie couldn’t move. Her legs
were shaking so much she was afraid she was going to crumble in a heap on the
floor. She put her hand to the wall and made her way to the bathroom to try and
calm herself before she headed back to the group. As much as she wanted to run
back to the house she was staying in, she knew she only had six weeks left to
make the connection. Greg had said that Brandon had wanted to mate her, but
what if he was wrong? Sweet, sexy Brandon, her mate? She couldn’t bring herself
to hope it was true, as she knew she didn’t deserve anything he could give her.
She was about to rip his family apart and he would never forgive her, ever.

Once in the bathroom, she
splashed some cold water on her face to hide the tears that had leaked out and
stared straight into the mirror in front of her. She barely recognised the
woman staring back at her.

‘You’re a weak stupid fool,’ she
said to herself. ‘You’re going to wind up back where you belong.’ Her tears
fell again but, before she could straighten herself out, she heard the door
open and in walked Callie.

‘Hey, Maggie, you okay? Brandon
was getting worried.’ She looked at Maggie and saw the tear-stained face and
red marks on her arms. ‘Maggie, what happened?’ Callie rushed to her side.

‘Sorry, Callie, I’m fine,’
replied Maggie. ‘Someone just bumped into me and I hurt myself. I’m just
feeling sorry for myself.’ She smiled, hoping Callie bought her story. She was
the one person Maggie trusted and had started to form a bond with, and yet now she
stood before her whilst she flat out lied.

‘Brandon’s going to be pissed,’
said Callie. ‘Come on, let’s clean you up before he sees you. Did you see who
knocked you?’ Callie turned and got some tissues from the cubical and soaked them
in cold water.

‘No, it all happened so fast. I
think they were drunk. Will Brandon be okay? I mean... I didn’t mean to stay in
here, I just wanted to calm myself before I went back.’ Maggie’s nervousness
made her voice so quiet that, had Callie not been a wolf, she wouldn’t have
heard.

‘Maggie, he won’t be annoyed at
you,’ replied Callie. ‘That’s not what I meant. He will want to kill whoever
left these marks on you. Brandon thinks the world of you. If you haven’t
already noticed…’ She smiled at Maggie, putting her at ease.

‘Callie, I don’t deserve such a
great friend as you. I hope, when the time comes, you can forgive me if ever I
upset you.’ Maggie wanted to tell her more, but she couldn’t for fear that Greg
would keep his promise. She didn’t want to live in that house with Marcus and
his pack, but neither did she want to hurt the people who had opened their home
to her in her time of need. They were such trusting people who had lived a
happy life until Marcus had turned up.

‘Maggie, I don’t understand. Why
would you upset me?’ Callie eyed her suspiciously.

‘Nothing, just ignore me,’
replied Maggie quickly. ‘I’m just feeling sorry for myself. Do I look good
enough to face the crowd yet?’ Maggie held her chin up as if to project a
calmer appearance.

‘You look perfect,’ said Maggie. ‘But
if you prefer, I can get Brandon to come get you and take you home?’

‘No, no. It’s Sarah’s wedding and
I don’t want to take him away from his family.’ She shuddered at her last
comment, because wasn’t that exactly why she was here? To tear the Penn Lake
pack apart?

‘Come on then, let’s go.’ Callie
hugged her tight, then took her arm and led her towards the door. Once outside
she locked eyes with Brandon, who was waiting for them both.

‘Maggie, what happened? You okay?’
He moved forward and, in one step, he was in the bathroom with them, standing right
in front of her. She could feel his breath on her face as he spoke to her,
sending shivers through her body.

‘I’m fine. Really. Just got
knocked over by someone. I was feeling sorry for myself.’ But Brandon didn’t
look convinced. ‘Really, I’m fine.’ She smiled up at him, hoping to calm his
already growing anger.

‘I smell Greg on you. Was it Greg
who hurt you?’ Brandon’s eyes were glowing amber as his wolf tried to take control.

‘No, he helped me up. He was
going to come and tell you, but...’

‘He never said a fucking word. He...’

‘I told him not to, as I didn’t
want to ruin your evening. I’m okay, really.’ With that, she stretched up on
her tip toes and kissed him, ever so softly, on his lips, hoping to stop his
wolf from making an appearance. ‘I’m fine, really,’ she repeated. ‘I’ll even
let you kiss me better, if you want to…’ She couldn’t believe she was being so
brazen, but she had such little time. She didn’t want to hurt Brandon, but self-preservation
had made her bold and she knew, from what the others had told her, that Brandon
liked her.

‘Urgh! Please, you guys,’ said
Callie. ‘That’s my brother you’re talking about, Maggie!’ She laughed and went
back outside to be with her own mate and the rest of the family.

Brandon couldn’t take his eyes
off her the entire time she was standing there. His nostrils flared as his
heavy breathing drew in and out and, before she could step towards the door, he
was on her. He was kissing her lips like he was a man on death row and she was
the last meal.

Chapter Three

Brandon had tried to focus on the
problem at hand, he really had, but he couldn’t think of anything else but
kissing her right then. Her lips moulded to his as he felt her fingers go
through his hair, gripping onto him with everything she had. Her scent of
arousal hit him hard as he backed her up against the bathroom door, forgetting
where they were, forgetting everything but Maggie’s lips pressing against his. Just
before he could pull her tighter up against him, the bathroom door gave way
behind them and they went crashing through it, landing on the floor, with him
on top of her.

‘Jesus, Maggie. You ok? I’m so
sorry.’ He looked down at her shocked expression, hoping to god he hadn’t hurt
her. She looked up at him and started laughing, running her hand down the side
of his face.

‘You know, I kind of thought that,
when I finally got you on top of me, it would be in a classier location.’ Her
eyes were full of sparkle and mischief. He loved this side of her and wished
she showed it to him more often. Normally, she was so shy and avoided eye
contact with him, but he didn’t dare question the change in her.

‘Maggie, I’m so sorry.’ He stood
up and pulled her up with him, rubbing his hands down her arms to check she wasn’t
hurt.

‘I’m fine. We better get back
before they think we’ve snuck out on them.’

Brandon didn’t want to go back to
the table. Instead, he just wanted to take her home and make good of her
earlier statement of being on top of her. Her scent was driving him nuts and he
didn’t think he could be a gentleman for much longer.

‘I can’t just yet,’ he said. ‘Just
give me a minute.’ Maggie saw the blush in his cheeks and realised what he was
talking about. Her eyes drew down his body to his crotch and saw the telltale
sign of his erection. ‘Jesus, Maggie, have a heart will you, and stop looking
at me like that. I can’t go back out there to my parents like this.’ But Maggie
just laughed.

‘Aren’t you supposed to think
about things like baseball or politics to help with your... umm... situation?’ She
laughed, still looking at his crotch.

‘Hey. Eyes up here, thank you.’
Brandon tried to adjust himself, but it didn’t help. Nothing was going to work
whilst she was still looking at him. ‘Maggie, I’m warning you…’ However, he
regretted his words the instant he saw her spine stiffen and her eyes fill with
panic. His last warning had been meant as a joke, but by the look of her she hadn’t
taken it that way. ‘Maggie, I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I would never
hurt you. You know that, right?’ The moment he saw the hurt in her eyes his
‘problem’ was forgotten and his main priority was settling her.

‘I know,’ she replied. ‘It’s just
that sometimes memories come back to me.’ Her head lowered and her shoulders
slumped. Brandon felt like a royal prick.

‘Maggie, you know I’m here for
you if you need to tell me anything. You can trust me. You know that?’

‘I know and I do. One day, when
I’m ready, you’ll know. I’m sorry I ruined the moment.’

‘No baby, you didn’t. Come on,
let’s go get another drink. I think I’m safe to go sit with my parents again.’ He
laughed, hoping to defuse the situation. Taking her hand, he led her back
towards his family and friends.

His parents were still on the
dance floor with the newly-married couple and other pack members. Callie was
sitting on Logan's lap, wrapped up in his brother’s huge arms. He was looking
at his mate as if she were his world. Brandon hoped one day Maggie would be
sitting with him like that, possibly at their own wedding. Logan turned and
watched them sit down at the table.

‘That didn’t take long, brother. Hope
you didn’t mate with her in the back of this dirty bar. Mum will kill you if
she has to tell that tale to her grand-kids.’ Callie slapped his arm to make
him stop the teasing.

‘Fuck off, Logan,’ replied
Brandon. ‘You’re the one who likes dirty motels, from what I hear.’ He turned
to Maggie, hoping she hadn’t heard Logan’s remark about mating. However,
judging from her bashful look, she knew exactly what Logan had meant.

‘Brandon Penn,’ exclaimed Callie.
‘You know everything I tell you is in confidence.’ She was now sitting up
straight, still perched on Logan's lap. ‘Be nice to each other.’ She glared her
last comment at Logan.

‘You told him?’ Logan looked
shocked.

‘He’s my best friend and now my
brother,’ replied Callie. ‘I needed someone to talk to when Sarah was locked
away playing at making babies with Seth.’

‘You told him
everything
?’
Logan still looked shocked that Callie had spoken to his brother about their
sex life, but Brandon couldn’t stop the teasing back.

‘
Everything,
Logan. Every
dirty little secret.’ Brandon smiled at his brother’s blush of embarrassment and
laughed.

‘Brandon. Stop teasing. I didn’t
tell him everything, baby, just the stuff that we hadn’t figured out at the
time. I love you.’ Callie smiled and kissed Logan, distracting him from any
further conversation.

Maggie sat and watched the
brothers. Although they were teasing each other, there was nothing but love between
them, which even she could feel. Callie was still kissing Logan when Alex and
Hope came back from the table. Alex looked at the smooching couple and shook
his head.

‘These two ever come up for air?’
Alex asked, pointing at Logan and Callie. ‘Where’s Greg?’

Brandon felt Maggie stiffen
beside him and reached for her hand on the table. Her eyes met his, but the
panic he first saw there was now replaced with something else, something he
didn’t quite understand. Logan and Callie turned back to the table smiling.

‘He took Mindy home. Which means
we won’t see him till morning.’ Logan chuckled, but straightened up when he saw
Callie was looking at him with an eyebrow raised. ‘Let him have her. I’ve got
the best prize in the room,’ and he kissed Callie's lips tenderly.

‘Well,
you
would know all
about her night-time habits.’ Callie sat back against his chest and folded her
arms.

‘Now, now, my jealous mate. You know
I love you and I can’t even think why I was so attracted to her in the first
place.’

‘Well, if she goes all night I
can think of a few reasons,’ said Hope, laughing at her own joke, but stopped
dead when she heard her mother behind her.

‘Hope Penn. You hush your mouth
now. I raised you better than to make such comments about your brother’s ex-partners.’

‘Busted!’ Logan laughed and
pulled Callie up in his arms like he was holding a child. ‘I’m going to take my
mate for one last dance before I show her
my
night-time habits.’ He
smiled that sexy smile and looked at Callie, who just rolled her eyes at Logan,
but went willingly with him towards the dance floor. Maggie watched as he
placed her gently on the floor like the precious cargo she was. She was beginning
to love Callie as a sister she never had, or ever would.

‘Shit, why don’t you guys ever
warn me Mum and Dad are behind me?’ Hope’s voice brought her out of the pity
party she was falling into. Their mother just laughed and sat down to finish
her drink.

‘It’s not just you,’ replied
Brandon. ‘Mum seems to know when any of us are playing up.’ He turned in
Maggie’s direction. ‘Maggie, do you want another drink, or do you want to hit
the dance floor?’ Maggie loved this family and their easy nature, but most of
all she was beginning to fall in love with Brandon. It felt like he knew
everything she was feeling and more. But, of course, being pack omega he could
probably sense her emotions more than the others could, anyway.

‘Dance sounds great, thanks
Brandon,’ and she let him lead her onto the dance floor with the other lovers
that were pressed against each other.

More dancing followed, before the
room fell silent for Christopher, their father, to make his speech. The wedding
was coming to an end and Maggie didn’t yet know how she wanted it to go. Her
bad side wanted Brandon to take her home and finish what he had started in the
back, but her good side knew she couldn’t let that happen. She had never been
this close to a man before and she didn’t know how she was supposed to behave. Her
instincts were telling her to let him take her home. But what if he wanted to
come in? Did he automatically think he was staying the night? God, why had
Marcus sent her here when she knew nothing of how to seduce a man? Laughter
through the crowd pulled her back into the room as Christopher spoke to Seth
and Sarah.

‘I am so glad that my son met
this beautiful lady, Sarah, and somehow convinced her to marry him. Together,
you make this pack stronger, and a stronger pack means a happy pack. Together
we will fight all evils we are faced with. Now, I know you couldn’t go on your
honeymoon right now because of the circumstances we’ve all been going through,
but your mother and I wanted to give you this to use for when our trials are
behind us.’ He handed Seth a large envelope as the crowd watched them open it.

‘Holy shit, Dad. Are you serious?’
Seth was obviously shocked and a murmur went through the crowd, wondering what
the envelope contained. Sarah pulled it from his hands and read for a few
seconds, then threw herself into Christopher’s arms, thanking him with tears in
her eyes. He gladly wrapped her up in a hug and told her he loved her.

‘A fully all-expenses paid cruise
for three weeks. Shit. Thanks Mum and Dad.’ Seth was still looking at the
envelope as he spoke. Maggie didn’t think she could smile any more until she
felt Brandon’s arm around her shoulders. His warmth spread through her body and
straight to the area between her legs. She had to get a grip on herself and
listen as, once more, Christopher took to the microphone.

‘I wanted to give you something
you could remember forever,’ he continued. ‘You work hard for this pack and
deserve a break when all this is finished.’ Mary had moved behind her husband
and took the microphone from him.

‘And I want lots of grandchildren
for our trouble!’ she winked at Sarah.

‘Jesus, Mum.’ Seth had the
decency to look embarrassed. ‘Must be time for Sarah to throw the bouquet?’
Seth turned Sarah around so her back was to the crowd. Then, they watched as
she launched her flowers high into the air and straight into Hope’s hands
.

‘No way,’ she shouted. ‘Not me. I’m
not
ever
going to get married to any controlling alpha wolf. You take it.’
She tried thrusting it into Callie's hands, who quickly backed away.

‘I don’t need it,’ she replied. ‘I’ve
already found my perfect man. Give it to Maggie – maybe it will give Brandon some
ideas.’ She smiled at Maggie.

‘Nice and smooth, Callie. Thanks.’
Brandon took Maggie’s hand and walked away from his family towards the table. ‘You
okay if we grab our bits and get going? Hope’s going to stay on for a while
longer and I’d like to make sure you got home safely.’

‘Sure,’ was all Maggie could say.
Her mouth had gone dry as a desert and panic began to set in. As if Brandon
could sense her distress, he took her hand and waved goodbye to Callie and
Logan. He then walked her outside and they made their way back to her house.

They walked together most of the
way in silence, holding hands. Brandon could feel her nervousness radiating
from her body and knew she wasn’t ready for what he wanted to give her. Her
whole character had changed from the sultry vixen he’d seen earlier to the
nervous woman she’d been when he first met her. He didn’t know how to make her
feel at ease with him, but he was going to die trying if need be, even if it
meant leaving her at her door tonight.

‘Brandon. Can I ask you
something?’ Maggie regretted asking as soon as the words were out of her mouth.
They were nearing Hope’s house now and the thought of Brandon kissing her made
her whole body tingle in anticipation, but she had a job to do if she stood any
chance of getting free from Marcus and living a normal life.

‘You can ask me anything,’
replied Brandon. ‘Is it to do with what my brother said back there?’ He rubbed
his thumb gently across her wrist in an effort to sooth her, but all it was
doing was sending sparks of pleasure up her arm instead. She hoped she could
control her arousal as she knew he would scent it on her.

‘Kind of. Do you think I’m your
mate?’ She didn’t mean to be so direct, but she needed to know where she stood
with Brandon when the so-called shit hit the fan. She knew his family was
everything to him and she was going to rip apart the one thing he wanted to
give her. His trust. He had been so patient and kind to her, while all she had
done was lie to the one person who could make her happy.

Brandon didn’t answer her right
away. However, once they had reached the porch to Hope’s home, he stopped and
turned towards her. His hand came up and cupped her cheek and his thumb danced
across her bottom lip.

‘I don’t think. I know. When I
first saw you, it was your scent that drove me crazy with need. You smell like
lavender and sweet roses. Then, when you opened your eyes, I knew you were mine
and I knew I would do anything to keep you safe.’ He bent and kissed her lips
so sweetly that all she could do was sigh. ‘I know you have been through a lot
and you need time to process everything that has happened with you parents. I
don’t ever want you to be afraid of me. I’m not like one of those creature you saw
that night that took your parents away from you. I want you to feel safe with
me. Trust me.’

‘I do trust you and feel safe
with you, Brandon,’ she replied. ‘More than you will ever know. But I’m not the
mate for you. I’m not a good person and I’ll end up hurting you.’ Her eyes
stung with the tears that were now trailing down her cheeks.

‘I know you’re not a bad person,
Maggie. Don’t say that about yourself. The only way you could ever hurt me is not
to have trust in me. I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful...’ His mouth was on
hers quicker than she could think, pressing together like she was his last
meal. She could feel his tongue searching for entrance and she opened to him, enjoying
the moment, moaning to let him know how she felt. Maggie pressed against him,
revelling in the hardness against her soft body. One of his hands was curled
tightly in her hair to shift the angle of the kiss, whilst the other rubbed
against the bottom of her breast.