A Wolf's Pride Page 14

  “I apologise Chloe but I really can’t take no for an answer,” Helen persisted.

  Chloe groaned, long and loud. “Is there nothing I can do to get you to change your mind? Honestly, I’m fine dressing alone.”

  “While that may be true Lord Ryan demanded that you be more than simply fine. This may seem strange to you but many of the clan Ladies have help, he isn’t singling you out or asking us to do this to make you uncomfortable.”

  “Am I meant to take comfort in that?”

  “Yes,” Alice replied surprising Chloe. She had forgotten that the other woman was there so absorbed was she in talking to Helen.

  “If you find our help that distasteful then you can bring it up with Lord Ryan,” she concluded. “I’m sure if you say something then you can avoid something like this happening in the future.”

  “Where do you want me?” Chloe sighed in defeat, resigning herself to whatever was about to come.

  Alice beamed, grasping her lightly by the arm and pulling her from the room and through a door that led into a smaller room that seemed to have been designed with the sole purpose of getting ready for formal occasions. A large mirror spanned the length of one of the walls, a chair and table sat in the centre, the table lined with what looked like every form of make up available. To her left was a rail, she presumed was for the hanging of clothes and to her right a series of empty wooden compartments that she guessed was for shoes.

  “Has this always been here?” she gasped, she hadn’t noticed it when she had conducted her brief scan of her surroundings that morning.

  “Of course,” Alice giggle, cheery now that Chloe had agreed to their assisting her. “Most males have their rooms prepared in anticipation of their mate arriving. We’ll have this place filled up soon enough.”

  Chloe’s eyes widened as she took in the large space she was expected to fill. “How am I meant to do that?”

  “Lord Ryan said your things should be arriving soon,” Helen began, silently moving into the room and hanging the dress on the otherwise empty rail. “Once we see what you have, we’ll get to work on getting you anything else you might need. Please sit down Chloe.”

  She did as she was instructed and Helen moved around behind her, gently lifting the strands of her hair as she set to work. “Chloe, this may be presumptuous of me but I would like to ask of you a favour.”

  Chloe’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What is it?”

  “Please don’t hurt him.”

  The request, simple as it was took a moment for her to understand and when she did she chuckled, “Me hurt him? Impossible. He’s bigger, stronger and faster than I am. If anyone is in danger of being hurt it’s me.”

  “I know that you can’t hurt him in that manner but there are other ways to injure someone. I’ve known both Lords Ryan and Sebastian since they were children and while Ryan may seem tough on the outside, he’s just as vulnerable to being hurt as anyone else. That’s especially the case should you be the one to inflict the blow. He would undoubtedly let you do whatever you wanted, regardless of the damage it would cause him. He cares deeply for those around him and you’re his mate, his world. With everyone else he may be impervious to harm but he hangs on everything you do and say.”

  “You could have fooled me,” Chloe laughed ruefully. “He’s never done anything that I’ve asked him to, the man seems to delight in doing the opposite of what I want.”

  “That’s only because your circumstances aren’t ideal. If they were different he wouldn’t act that way towards you.”

  “Ryan and I’ve already had this conversation. We agreed that there’s nothing we can do to change our circumstances, we have to live with what’s happened.”

  “And for that I’m eternally grateful. You’ve given him his chance to be happy,” Helen interrupted.

  “How can he be happy when most of the people here hate me? They’re probably angry at him for bringing me here.”

  “That isn’t true Chloe.”

  “I was there at the meeting where people were discussing my death. There’s no point in trying to deny it. Even if I hadn’t been there, I was threatened by one of the people that live here. Ryan isn’t doing himself any favours by trying to keep me here, all it’s doing is angering those around him.”

  “Most people aren’t of the opinion of those Lords and Ladies. You may not have known it but most of those that wanted to harm you aren’t close to Lord Ryan. Every single member of his family wants you to stay, we want Lord Ryan to be happy and that’s impossible without you. You aren’t a hunter and those close to Lord Ryan understand that. It’s hard for a male wolf to be without a mate and even though he rarely said anything and was constantly smiling, we knew that he was unhappy. Now that you’re here things will be different. This chance that you have given him means more than you can imagine, all that I ask is you try and see it through to the end,” Helen pleaded, her green eyes desperate.

  “You really care about him,” Chloe remarked.

  “Like he were my own son,” Helen answered automatically.

  “I’ve agreed to give him a chance, anything beyond tonight is up to him,” she sighed, trying to reassure the pleading woman. Silence reined for a few minutes as Alice set to work on applying make up to Chloe’s face. It felt strange having someone else do it but when it was complete, she had to admit that Alice had done an excellent job. “So how long have you known Ryan?” she asked conversationally.

  “Since he was a baby,” Helen answered simply. Chloe pulled her head away from Helen’s skilled fingers and turned, fixing her with a disbelieving stare. “I know it doesn’t look that way but it’s true. Our aging process is different to yours. We stop aging once we’re in our prime.”

  “Right,” she drawled, turning her head and letting Helen finish her work.

  “Lord Ryan was always such a troublemaker when he was young, especially in comparison to Sebastian. Those two were like night and day.”

  “Now that I can believe,” she smiled. “Since I met him he’s done nothing but actively seek trouble.”

  “He causes the most trouble when people that he care about are involved. First it was Lord Sebastian and now it’s you.”

  “I’m guessing they fought a lot.” Alice laughed at her guess and Helen smiled, trying desperately not to join Alice in her revelry. “What?”

  “Nothing could be further from the truth,” Alice commented. “Lord Sebastian never fought any body. He much preferred to be left alone and when other children did get physical with him, he never raised a hand in self defence.”

  An image of Ryan’s brother came to Chloe’s mind and she frowned. “Why? Sebastian looks like he could have taken care of himself.”

  “Sebastian is the calm one of the two, always has been,” Helen commented. “When they were younger he was very much a loner, he couldn’t seem to connect with people his own age except for Lord Ryan. For his part, Lord Ryan was always the first to know who had hurt his brother and the first one to see retribution on his behalf. I honestly think that about two-thirds of all the fights Ryan has been in have been connected to Lord Sebastian in some way, shape or form. The other third…well they were probably inevitable given his nature, besides children here generally like to have a tussle every now and again.”

  “He’s a good man,” Alice inserted. “He always looks out for those he cares about and while others such as myself and Helen may have a place in his mind, you’re now on the top of that list.”

  They stepped away from her and indicated that she should stand. The dress was removed from the rail and they guided her into it. Apparently satisfied with their work, the two women left her in front of the mirror and silently left the room. It was amazing to think that the woman in the mirror really was her and Chloe ran her hands up and down her body nervously. The slit in the dress was still dangerously high in her mind, exposing the length of her thigh when she moved. What is it about you Ryan that has every woman I’ve met since you brought me he
re jumping forward to defend you? She stilled for a moment, looking at herself in the mirror again before sighing in resignation. I guess I’ll try and find out tonight. There’s no alternative, I’ve just got to take a leap of faith.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “I hate ties,” Ryan scowled, tugging at the material that hung from his neck. He was standing in a corridor waiting for Chloe, the setting for his date prepared and ready behind the doors that he stood in front of. It was for his mate that he had once again braved the horrors of a tie, determined to make a good impression now that she was willing to give him a chance. The time he had spent in cities and amidst humans had told him that most human males wore the things on dates and Chloe needed some degree of normality now that she was surrounded by werewolves. Ryan could never understand why ties had become so popular among humans. When he had been growing up hangings were still used as a punishment and ties couldn’t help but remind him of the hangman’s noose. He pulled the tie once again, increasingly uncomfortable with waiting. His restlessness died an abrupt death as soon as Chloe appeared at the end of the corridor, walking towards him.

  She was like a vision, an angel sent to earth solely for his happiness. He had chosen her dress personally, convinced that she would look even more beautiful should she wear it and his intuition was right. The cream sheath clung to her skin in all the right places, emphasising the generous curve of her bosom and the gentle sway of her hips as she moved all the while making her skin appear to glow. Her blonde hair shone and her violet eyes captivated him, stealing the breath from his lungs in an instant.

  Perfect, his wolf ground out. Ryan, you have to touch her. Kiss her. Make sure she knows who she belongs with.

  I know, he whispered in response, still mesmerised by the way Chloe was walking towards him. The instant he had seen her, his blood had heated, desire thrumming through his veins. I know. He was still frozen when she finally reached him, stopping just in front of him.

  “Ryan?” she called uncertainly.

  The sound of her voice snapped him out of his frozen state, dragging him back to the situation at hand. He inhaled reflexively, breathing in her scent to determine her mood regardless of the fact that her scent made him crazed with the need to have her. What he smelled brought a frown to his face, she was nervous. Now that he was looking at her without desire obscuring his vision, his eyes confirmed what his nose had smelt. There was a flush to her cheeks and she was constantly running her hands over her body nervously as though uncomfortable.

  He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way, eliminating the distance that was between them in a single step. “You look beautiful Chloe. I knew you would but…wow.” She opened her mouth and he knew without her speaking that she was going to contradict him. Lifting his hand to the nape of her neck, he pulled her closer to him. “I mean it Chloe, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

  As he looked into her violet eyes, he felt himself falling into their mesmerising depths, bending down and pressing his lips against hers. What was intended as a simple greeting quickly intensified as her scent continued to invade his mind. His tongue thrust forward determinedly, parting her lips with ease before slipping into the moist cavern of her mouth. His body temperature rocketed and he groaned, pulling her fully against him as their tongues continued to duel for supremacy. Time seemed to come to a halt as the kiss continued and it was only when Chloe began to push at his chest that he realised that he had let himself succumb to his wilder side. Reluctantly, he pulled away, allowing her to come up for air and releasing her from his body.

  Her face was flushed as she fought to catch her breath and when she turned to look at him he realised that she might try to scold him for his actions. “Come on,” he began, heading her protests off before they had begun. Placing a hand at her waist he guided her through the doors that led out onto the balcony they had talked on earlier.

  Shock wasn’t a strong enough word to describe what Chloe felt upon seeing the transformed balcony and it truly had been transformed. Candles lined the stone barrier that circled the area, giving everything an almost magical glow. A single table lay in the centre of the space, more candles lighting the surface while the floor was covered in flowers.

  “Do you like it?” Ryan asked.

  She jumped, slightly startled by where the question had come from. Amazed by her surroundings she had allowed Ryan to sneak up on her and his arms were now wrapped around her waist, his head nestled in the crook of her neck. “Did you do all this?” she asked, her tone breathless.

  “Of course, only the best for my mate. Come, sit down, your dinner will start to get cold.” He led her to the table, guiding her into her chair.

  As the smell of hot food wafted up to her nose, Chloe’s stomach growled in anticipation. The food in front of her smelled delicious and looked divine. She lifted her knife and fork and began to eat, groaning loudly in appreciation as the taste exploded in her mouth. It didn’t just look and smell good, it tasted fantastic as well. “Did you make this as well?” she asked doubtful.

  “Yes,” he answered simply, his attention on the woman in front of him rather than the food he had made earlier.

  “You can cook?”

  “Yes,” he responded confused as to the amazed tone of Chloe’s voice. “You sound surprised.”

  “I am.”

  “Why?”

  “No one in my family can cook. They live off takeaways and whatever else they can get their hands on. I don’t know why, I just didn’t expect you to be able to do it. I suppose I just took you for the muscle bound type.”

  “We have a lot to learn about each other Chloe, it’s not anybody’s fault that your assumption was wrong.”

  “How did you learn?”

  Ryan smiled as fond childhood memories filled his mind. “When I was a kid, I was always hungry. I would eat entire meals and be hungry an hour later. Because of that I developed a really bad habit.”

  “What?” Chloe asked, genuinely curious.

  “I would sneak down into the kitchens at night when I thought that no one was about and take whatever food I could get my hands on. I would gorge myself until I was sick sometimes but you have to understand that the chefs here are amazing and whatever they cook is just as amazing. The people that become head chefs for the clans have spent decades travelling, gathering knowledge about food and how to cook it before they come back here to stay. I managed to do it for a little over four months before I got caught.” He winced remembering the lecture he had received. “The chef was waiting for me in the kitchen one night and saw me having my late night feast. He was furious,” Ryan laughed. “Apparently my snacking had been ruining his carefully planned menus for months and he wasn’t pleased, he ranted and raved until the sun came up.” Chloe laughed at his description and for a moment Ryan was stunned, Chloe’s smiles were a rare thing and now that he had made her happy enough to grant him one he was intent on making her do it more often. Her face was aglow and she shone with such radiance that she could put the sun to shame.

  “Ryan?” she called confused as to why he had stopped.

  “Sorry,” he rushed. “Where was I? Oh yeah, I remember, the chef and his raving. As punishment he demanded that I spend the same amount of time that I had been taking things from the kitchen working in them. I wasn’t happy. That first month all I did was gripe and moan but I realised fairly quickly that staying in the kitchen meant that I could eat what I wanted when I wanted so long as I was prepared to help make it. By the time my punishment was over I’d gotten so used to being there that it felt odd not to spend some of my day in the kitchen. The sly chef had been teaching me things without me even realising it and so over the next few years I would sneak down and give them a helping hand every now and again. I still do it.”

  “I wish I’d thought of doing that with my brothers, maybe they wouldn’t be so useless now if I had done.” She thought on the matter for a moment before chuckling, “Who am I kidding, they
would have ignored me if I’d tried anything like that. If I tried to single one of them out then they would have called in the cavalry and ganged up on me.”

  “Are you close to your brothers?” Please say no.

  “I love my family, they’re the only ones who have ever accepted me as I am and not demanded that I change something about myself.”

  “I accept you for who you are Chloe,” Ryan reminded her. “I wouldn’t change anything about you at all. And I don’t go around hurting innocent people either,” he muttered the last though apparently he hadn’t been quiet enough.

  Chloe’s eyes narrowed. “Ryan, don’t talk about my family like that. If you want to keep bad mouthing them then you’ve ruined your chance and I’m leaving.” She stood up but his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, keeping her in place.

  “I’m sorry Chloe, don’t go.”

  She sat back down. “If this chance is going to work then we’re going to have to agree not to talk about my family. We have very different opinions on them and all that’s going to happen if we talk about them is an argument, is that what you want?”

  “I don’t want to fight with you Chloe.”

  “Then my family is off limits.”

  “Can I ask just one thing and then we won’t talk about them again tonight.”

  Her eyes narrowed once again in suspicion. “What is it?”

  “Your mother, where is she? You’ve never said anything about her. Whenever you talk about your family you only ever mention your father and brothers.”

  “My mom died about ten years ago,” she answered simply.

  Please don’t let it be one of our people that killed her. If that’s what happened then she would have actual reason for being wary of me. “How did she die?”

  “It was a car accident, a drunk driver that shouldn’t have been allowed on the road, ploughed into her car. The doctors said she died instantly, there was nothing anyone could do.”

  “I’m sorry Chloe.”

  “Don’t be. It was a long time ago and you never knew her.”