The Billionaire Wolves' Virgin Page 6

  The only hesitation he'd had the previous night was because of all the heightened emotions. With those out of the way, there was no reason not to fully engage in their pleasure.

  "Ugh, let's go!" Grace shook her head and hurried down the path, with Olivia chuckling as she followed.

  Nathan hurried back to the mansion. Tanya and Gabriel were on the front porch swing. Her head lolled back as his fingers probed her foot. The sight was oddly sensual, and Nathan quickly moved in behind her to rub her shoulders. She groaned and offered him a smile.

  "This is nice. Having two gorgeous hunks wait on me. I might be completely self-centered, but I don't want this to end."

  "It's self-centered to enjoy attention?" Nathan wondered aloud. "There is nothing wrong with enjoying what we have to give you. You don't have to pick for a while yet."

  "I don't want to pick."

  Both alphas froze. Their eyes met. Nathan already knew what she was suggesting, and… it wasn't a terrible idea. At least, not for him. But both alphas had strong personalities, they were bound to clash. And maybe they were able to get along last night, but he had seen the regret of Gabriel's face the next morning.

  "You don't want to pick?" Nathan muttered.

  Gabriel gave her a half-smile. "I guess that means we'll have to fight to the death."

  Though his tone was light, humorous, Nathan saw a note of seriousness in his eyes. It wasn't there long, however, as Tanya pulled her foot away from him and lightly jabbed her toes into his stomach. Her face pulled into a frown and she huffed, pulling away from Nathan as well.

  "There will be no fighting to the death."

  Gabriel laughed. "I'm sure you'll be able to choose once you get to know us better."

  "That's just the thing. It's not. Before, the choice was simple. I was just going to leave and let you deal with your pack issues yourself. But now? I am getting to know both of you. You're always going on about your strong personalities, well I have a strong personality as well. If it was just two of us, we'd end up having horrible fights. It happened with all my boyfriends. How could we compromise when there wasn't a third party to mediate these things?"

  Gabriel shook his head, pulling away. "It would just end up with more fighting."

  "Then what was last night?" Tanya sucked in a shaky breath. She glanced at Nathan, who remained silent. He wasn't going to speak until he could figure out what was going on in his own head. "Was that just… just because you were both desperate?"

  "No," Nathan said softly. "Not for me, at least. I wanted to hold you, I wanted to know that you didn't hate me…. for what happened with Olivia. The baby."

  "I don't hate you," Tanya said instantly. "You were hurt and…" A strange look came over her face. "Were you even talking to me just now?"

  Nathan opened his mouth to tell her yes, he was, but closed it again. He shrugged. "I don't want you to hate me… But Gabriel, there was a time when I thought we were friends. I know I was awful with Olivia, and there is nothing that can justify how I treated her. It was reprehensible. But I don't want you to hate me anymore, either."

  Gabriel was silent.

  "I guess I agreed to last night because I thought maybe it meant we could be friends… plus I wanted to see Tanya in the throes of passion. Such a sexy woman deserved a sexy night."

  Tanya rolled her eyes, but whatever she was going to say was lost in the moan that came from her as Nathan nibbled at her neck. Her hands rested on the alphas' thighs, and Gabriel slowly put his arms around her middle.

  "I don't think it will work," he said doubtfully. "I'm really not that great with sharing."

  "Wouldn't have guessed it from last night." Nathan grinned at him. "I thought it was pretty fun–like a live-action porno that I got to take part in. All the sweat and groaning and—"

  Tanya slapped his arm. "You're making it sound gross. It was more than sweat and groaning. It was the two of you working in perfect harmony. And a metaphor for how it could be with both of you as alphas. Gabriel has the personal touch, Nathan knows how to work money. It's perfect, don’t you see?"

  Maybe it was that. Before Nathan could say anything, though, there was the roar of a vehicle. A motorbike pulled into the front lawn, sending a spray of grass and dirt into the air. The rider was big, almost too big for the bike. He wore black leather from head to toe and a tinted faceplate on his helmet.

  The scent of gasoline hit his nostrils, followed by a more subtle scent of pine and bourbon. Nathan froze. His hands tightened around Tanya as the man climbed off his bike. He turned towards them, and Nathan leaped to his feet. He dropped to a half-crouch in front of Tanya, a fierce snarl rising up his throat. His wolf howled, pacing back and forth in his chest. His nails sharpened into claws and his teeth lengthened.

  "What is it?" Tanya asked, her voice pitched higher than normal.

  Nathan ignored her, eyes locked on the intruder. It was all he could do not to leap over the railing and attack the man. Gabriel stood and moved beside him, and for some reason, that action calmed him. It was like he wasn't alone, that he had backup. Even though he knew it was ridiculous to feel more secure with Gabriel there, of all people, he couldn't help but relax slightly. He straightened as Tanya pushed between them. His arms snaked around her waist and drew her back, keeping her away from the newcomer.

  "Get in the house," he told her, his voice low.

  "Why?" Tanya narrowed her eyes at the man. "Who are you?"

  The man removed his helmet, revealing that hateful face. Nathan snarled again as his father ignored Tanya and smiled at him.

  "Hello, son."

  Chapter Ten

  Tanya

  Son? This was Nathan's dad? Tanya could hardly see the man since Gabriel and Nathan stood side-by-side in front of her, but the glimpses she caught showed similar features to Nathan.

  But how was that possible? She thought that he could only be alpha if his dad died… If he was here, very much alive, then why was Nathan the alpha? She tried to squeeze between the two wolves, but Gabriel put his hand out, stopping her.

  "Get out of here," Nathan snarled. At first, she thought he was talking to her, but his gaze was completely focused on his father. It was like he didn't even realize anybody else was there. "I said leave!"

  "Nathan, that is no way to speak to your father." The man climbed the stairs and Tanya finally managed to squeeze through her wolves. Nathan's father smiled toothily at her. "Hello. I'm Cole. You must be the female chosen to be the alpha's mate."

  Tanya didn't respond. Cole was taller than Nathan and Gabriel both, broader in the shoulder. Fine lines creased his face and his hair was salt-and-pepper with a dash of red. When he stepped towards her, Nathan snarled. He pushed between the two of them and shoved Cole's chest. Gabriel grabbed Nathan and dragged him back as all his muscles bunched.

  "What is going on here?" Tanya demanded. Her heart pounded, eyes on Nathan.

  "He's only responding as any dethroned alpha would," Cole said, smirking at her. He completely ignored his son and stepped forward again. "You see, Nathan became alpha because everybody thought I was dead. Now that I've returned, I will reclaim my rightful place and he will… have to wait."

  Rightful place? Tanya stepped back unconsciously. Cole's predatory gaze never left her. "You're the alpha?" she choked out.

  "Yes. And I am here to claim my mate."

  "Hell no!" she burst out. The situation with her, Gabriel and Nathan had just started to make some progress. There was no way she was going to let it fall apart because of some guy who clearly spent too much time body building. "You can't just waltz in here, declare that Nathan's out and expect that I'm going to give you the packs. No. Not happening!"

  Her boys always looked a little exasperated and amused when she had one of her outbursts, but they still listened to her. Cole didn't even seem to hear her. His gaze ran down her body and his nostrils flared. He licked his lips, and Tanya shuddered, hating the way he looked at her.

  "Nate, we forgot—"
Grace came out of the trees to the left of the porch.

  Cole turned towards her. "Grace. Look at you all grown up."

  Grace's face blanched. She swayed on the spot, her eyes widening.

  "What? No hug for your father?"

  Her knees buckled but before she could fall, Nathan had jumped over the railing and caught her. With a continued glare at Cole, he clutched his sister to his chest and hurried her away. As they left, Tanya heard Grace start to cry. She made to follow after them, but Cole put an arm in her way, the other hand latching onto her hip at once.

  "Don't mind them. You and I have to get to know each other if you're going to be my mate."

  "I—"

  Gabriel spun Tanya out of Cole's grasp and prodded her towards the house. "Go on, I'll catch up. This is something that Cole and I have to discuss–as alphas."

  "But he's not an alpha! Nathan is."

  From the expression on Gabriel's face, he felt the same way as she did, but he also shook his head and again gently pushed her towards the door. Tanya ground her teeth together and marched inside, determined to go out the back way and find Grace and Nathan. Unfortunately, she emerged from the back just in time to see them disappear into the trees again.

  With a groan, she headed back to the front porch, hoping to catch some of the conversation. Before she got there, Olivia appeared and steered her up the stairs.

  "I want to know what is going on," Tanya snarled, her frustration rising.

  "And I'm going to tell you, but not here."

  Olivia steered her to her bedroom, where she shut and locked the door before turning to Tanya. An uncertain expression was on her face, and Tanya's stomach twisted.

  "The council is being called to determine if Cole had a right to be included in this," Olivia said, gesturing around. "A right to pursue you. I suspect he will be allowed."

  Bile crept up Tanya's throat. "What is he doing here, anyway? I thought Nathan was alpha. How can his dad still be around?"

  "People assumed that Nathan killed Cole. Everybody suspected that he was abusing them, and when he disappeared most people thought Nathan had finally snapped. There was never any evidence pointing towards it, so Nathan was made Alpha. Now that Cole is back…"

  Tanya shuddered. "If he's going to replace Nathan, then I'm just going to pick Gabriel anyway and that'll be that…" Bile rose in her throat at the look on Olivia's face. "Won't it?"

  With a sigh, the other woman sat down. She shook her head slowly, her hands twisting. "Nathan and Gabriel agreed that you would choose between them, but traditionally it would be decided with a fight. Cole might not honor Nathan's agreement, he might insist on fighting over you."

  "No." Tanya paced, shaking her head. "No way. He can't force me to mate him… can he? He won't… he won't… will he?"

  She couldn’t say the word, the possibility alone making her feel light-headed. If Cole did demand a fight, then she was out of here. England, Spain, Jamaica. It didn't matter. Part of her wondered if she was being unfair and if she should give him a chance, but then she remembered how Grace and Nathan had reacted to seeing him. If his own children reacted to him like that, he wasn't someone she wanted to have anything to do with. What sort of abuse had everybody suspected?

  "The concept of fighting for a female is very outdated," Olivia assured her. "I doubt that the council would support him if he tried to do that. And if he did, then I'll be the first to get you to an airport."

  Tanya hugged her gratefully but shivered still. Just when she was starting to figure things out… She closed her eyes and prayed that Nathan would stay with them. She could still choose both, couldn't she? They could find a way to make it work…

  ***

  The council convened the next day. It didn't take them long to reach a decision. Nathan was ousted as alpha, and Cole restored. Fortunately, he agreed to wait until the second full moon for Tanya to choose her mate rather than fight for her. The atmosphere in the mansion changed on a dime, though.

  Nathan was ready to move out at once, but Tanya begged him to stay a little while longer. Grace and Olivia both left, which didn't bode well, and Tanya had taken to sleeping in Gabriel's room with the door locked every night. Nathan was around during the days, but he always left at night. It made Tanya wonder if the worse had happened to him, and what she would do if Cole tried anything with her.

  Several days after Cole's arrival, Tanya went to the kitchen to get something to eat and found him there with a mug of coffee in one hand as he read the newspaper. When he caught sight of her, he smiled.

  "Tanya. Where's your bodyguards?"

  Her stomach growled, but Tanya still wanted to leave. Instead, she ignored Cole and walked to the fridge. Gabriel was on the phone with somebody in the pack, dealing with some sort of dispute between neighbors, and she hadn't seen Nathan that morning. She grabbed out a random container and checked to make sure it was edible. Pizza. Great.

  As she turned to leave, Cole blocked her way. "Why are you so scared of me, Tanya? You haven't even given me a chance to get to know you. What has Nathan been telling you?"

  "Nathan doesn't talk about you, but I saw the way Grace reacted to you."

  "Grace?" Cole shook his head. "Grace is a high-strung girl. She has… problems. It was just the shock. I've been gone for years, after all. I'll admit that I wasn't the best father, but I got help and I'm a changed man."

  Tanya doubted that was true.

  Cole moved closer, gaze trailing her body. "When I heard it was a human that had been chosen for the alpha's mate, I was stunned. But you're no regular human, are you? All curves. So sexy. A bit young for my tastes, but—"

  "I don't care," Tanya said bluntly. "I've already made up my mind, and I'm not choosing you. Even if it wasn't for Grace and Nathan, I'm not going to be with a man who is old enough to be my father. I'm not that kind of girl."

  Cole stepped towards her. She wanted to back away, but lifted her chin and glared at him. She wasn't going to let herself be intimidated this time. She dealt with guys like this all the time. Her editor being one of them… why did she even want that job again? Right. Because she wanted to be an ace reporter and win awards. That dream was seeming less and less appealing lately…

  "I don’t see how you could have decided anything," Cole whispered, curling a strand of her hair around his finger. "We haven't tested anything. I'm sure that Gabriel is enthusiastic, but that's no match against experience, Tanya. There's this one move that I do… you'll love it. Bend over the table and I'll show you right now."

  She acted without thinking. Blood rushed to her face and Tanya slapped him hard across the face. Her palm stung, leaving behind a red mark. Dark anger flashed over Cole's face and she shoved past him, turning so her back wasn't to him as she headed for the door.

  "I'm not bending over anything. Leave me alone." Cole grabbed her wrist. Tanya yanked away. Her heart pounded and bile rose in her throat. "Touch me again and I'm calling the cops!"

  "You're acting like I'm doing something wrong. You're my mate." Cole's dark eyes glittered. "Stop acting like I'm about to force myself on you. You're going to take off all your clothes for me, and when I have your body, you're going to love every minute of it."

  Tanya wanted to throw up. Would that stop him from harassing her? She drew back as he pressed forward and shook her head. "Don't you dare come anywhere near me!"

  "Stop being over dramatic. Humans! Among wolves when a female wants a male, she bends over for him. Put aside those prudish human morals and—"

  "This female doesn't want that male." Tanya pointed at him. "I am warning you one last time. Stay away from me. There's a reason nobody cared when they thought Nathan killed you, and I'm starting to see what that reason was!"

  Cole grabbed her wrist again. He opened his mouth, but before he said a word, snarling filled the kitchen. A blur moved past Tanya, and Cole's hand was ripped away. Something struck her chest, pushing her away. The table was knocked over, chairs thrown every which wa
y. Nathan drove his fists into Cole again and again.

  Tanya screamed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Gabriel

  Tanya's scream made his heart jump to his throat.

  Gabriel dropped his cellphone and tore from his office. He charged down the stairs, a snarl in his throat. Hair bristled on the back of his neck, his suit felt too small and claws erupted on the ends of his fingers. Growls and roaring were coming from the kitchen. He charged in, breaking the door from its hinges as he did so. The first thing he did was find Tanya and pull her into his arms.

  A loud crash brought his attention to the opposite side of the room. The fridge lay on its side, the plug ripped out of the wall, taking the outlet with it. The doors flopped open and various food products were strewn all over the floor.

  "What is going on?" he demanded as another crash came from inside the pantry.

  "Nathan," Tanya sobbed.

  It was enough for Gabriel. He pushed Tanya towards the door, telling her to go to her room and lock the door. He charged into the pantry to find Nathan and Cole going at each other. Black fur covered both of their bodies. Sharp teeth snapped at the air and their claws tore at one another. Nathan was on his back, swiping at Cole as the larger male pinned him to the floor, punching him over and over in the face. Blood spurted into the air as Nathan howled.

  Gabriel leaped forward. He grabbed Cole's shoulders only for the other alpha to grab him around the neck and throw him into the wall. He snarled and turned back, lunging again. This time he rammed into Cole's stomach and was able to use sheer force to push him off his son.

  "Nathan!"

  Tanya dodged right into the middle of the brawl and threw herself onto Nathan. Gabriel let out a strangled noise of protest just as Cole slugged him in the jaw. He collapsed, stars dancing around his head.