Mafiawere Brothers

Rose

He pinned me to the nearest wall, his body flush against mine, his arousal pressing into my lower back. His one hand held both of mine captive above my head, while the other began a slow descent down my body. Starting at my wrists, his hand traced a path down my arm, his fingers drawing circles until they reached the side of my left breast. He continued his journey south, his hand gliding over my ribcage, causing me to squirm against him and eliciting a low growl from his chest.

His hand came to rest on my hip, gripping it tightly, pulling me closer to him. A soft moan slipped past my lips as I tried to glance over my shoulder, meeting his golden eyes filled with lust and anticipation. I wasn’t afraid, but rather, I was filled with a sense of arousal, my body tingling and butterflies fluttering in my stomach. He leaned in close, his arousal pressing harder against me, and in a low growl, he whispered something that took me by surprise.

“This can’t be true... I’ve waited my whole life for you.” And just like that, he turned and walked away, leaving me leaning against the wall, trying to make sense of what had just happened. I was left a panting, aroused mess, and he hadn’t even done anything particularly special or said anything that would justify my reaction. My body was betraying me. Was I craving the intimacy and affection I’d felt with Noah, and now this stranger too?

Oh, good Lord, is he also one of Anna’s brothers? I needed to talk to Anna. I didn’t even bother making myself a cup of coffee to calm down. I needed answers, and Anna was the only one who could provide them.

As I reentered the movie room, I saw Anna sleeping and felt guilty about waking her up just because my hormones were in overdrive. So, I did what I always do to calm down. I grabbed my phone and headed back downstairs to do what I loved—I went outside to gaze at the stars.

Stepping onto the back porch, a cool breeze washed over my heated body, refreshing me. I continued walking towards the lake, taking in the beautiful scenery. Anna’s mansion was surrounded by forest, grass, and a stunningly large lake. It was like a real-life painting, and I could’ve stayed there forever, not missing a thing from the bustling city.

I sat down on the small deck by the lake, dipping my toes into the cold water and looking up at the clearest sky I had ever seen, adorned with the most beautiful stars. As I stared at the stars, trying to calm myself, a wave of guilt washed over me. I hadn’t called Jack to tell him I would be at Anna’s for the week, so I decided to do it now. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

Ring... ring... ring... ring. “What the fuck do you want?”

“Well, hello to you too, Jack. It’s so nice to hear your voice after this weird day.” “I’m busy. What do you want?”

“Jack, baby, come back to bed!” “Are you kidding me? You’re cheating on me!” “Yeah, and…? It’s just sex.”

“Thank you,” I said, laughing lightly. Suddenly, all the guilt I’d felt earlier disappeared. “Excuse me?” “Thank you for making this the easiest decision of my life. I’m divorcing your cheating ass,” I said, laughing before ending the call.

I sat on the dock, laughing like a villain until it turned into a full-blown sob. I knew things between Jack and me weren’t perfect, but hearing him cheat on me and not even trying to hide it tore my heart out. The pain was indescribable, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, not even my worst enemy. Even she deserved better.

I must have fallen asleep on the dock because the next thing I knew, I was in the warmth and comfort of strong arms. My heart fluttered, even though it had been broken a while ago. The scent of the forest, honey, and vanilla filled my senses, making me feel safe and wanted. I snuggled closer and drifted deeper into sleep.

For the first time in two years, I slept soundly and woke up feeling like I’d caught up on years of sleep in one night. I tried to roll over, trying to remember how I’d ended up back in bed when everything came rushing back to me. I sat up quickly and realized I wasn’t in the spare bedroom or the movie room in the mansion.

I started to panic, looking around frantically to figure out where I was, but it was still dark, and I couldn’t make out much. I obviously didn’t sleep that long, I thought to myself. I got up from the bed to look around. Turning on the lights, I realized I was in a log cabin.

I walked into the hallway and heard voices. Driven by curiosity, I went to see who it was. I peeked through the gap in the door and saw the two guys I’d met earlier with another guy whose back was turned to me. His bare back was covered with old scars and fresh scrapes with dried blood.

“Why the fuck did you bring her here? Are you insane?” Noah yelled at the guy with his back to me. “You expected me to leave her out in the cold after I told you what I heard her go through? You fucking selfish asshole! She is our mate, and she needs us.” “She is married!” Noah yelled back, his voice animalistic, causing me to look away in fear.

“She is broken! We don’t need a broken woman in this lifestyle. They will just use her against us,” the other guy I’d met said in a calmer voice. “I felt the same connection with her as you two idiots did, and I know she felt it too. I am not willing to lose my mate because of your arrogance. Yes, she is married, but from what Anna told me, he is a real asshole that doesn’t deserve or love her.”

My heart shattered all over again hearing those words from a stranger. I didn’t mean to let out a sob as I ran down the stairs to the front door. “Fuck!” was the last word I heard yelled before I ran into the forest, not knowing where I was going, but hoping it would lead me back to Anna.

I heard pounding noises behind me, and as I turned to see what was making the noise, I saw a terrifying creature running towards me. A wolf! A fucking wolf! I ran as fast as I could, not knowing where I was going, until the most clichéd thing happened. Yes, you guessed it. I tripped over a broken tree stump, twisting my ankle. As I fell to the ground, I heard a loud howl, then felt excruciating pain in my right shoulder.

The beast was standing over me, blood dripping from his teeth, looking at me like I was his next meal, when another wolf, larger than the first, attacked him out of nowhere. I screamed as loud as I could, hoping someone nearby would hear me and save me from these monsters, but it was too late. Darkness consumed me, and all I could feel was indescribable pain… and fear.

***

“What the fuck happened to Rose?” “Shit, I’m sorry, sis, it’s all my fault.” “No, Noah, it’s all our fault. I found her asleep outside after I heard her telling her husband she is divorcing him. I took her to the safe house so that she could get some sleep and be safe, but we didn’t realize she had woken up and overheard our conversation about her.” “Oh God! What did you assholes say about her? That you didn’t want her because she is married? ~Fucking idiots~!” Before I could catch the rest of the conversation, darkness consumed me again.

***

I woke up to an annoying beeping sound in my ears and a desperate need to use the bathroom. I opened my eyes and looked around the room, surprised by all the flowers and notes. I looked around again and was met by three pairs of gorgeous eyes. All three pairs were filled with relief and regret, and I couldn’t help but feel my heart flutter at the sight of them; I immediately felt that magical attraction to all of them.

I cleared my throat to bring my mind back to the reason I needed to get up. I tried to sit up, only to fall back as intense pain shot through my shoulder. I was immediately held back gently by Noah as he told me to keep still. “I need to use the bathroom,” I said in a raspy voice, blushing. Noah gave a small laugh, helping me up so I could do what I needed to do.

As I exited the bathroom, I saw Anna sitting on my bed, looking angry. I tried to hide my smile and failed miserably as she just started to smile back at me before pulling me in for a big hug. I held her tight for a while before the door opened, and my worst nightmare walked in. “Rose, love, I was so worried about you.” Jack’s sarcastic voice echoed behind me. “She has been here for three days, and now you show up? What kind of a sick asshole are you?” Anna said, a bitter look on her face.

I smirked to myself with my back turned to Jack as I heard my best friend giving my soon-to-be ex-husband a piece of her mind. “Fuck off, Tinkerbell, you are not welcome here,” he snapped back at her. That was it! I’d had enough! “Security,” I yelled at the top of my lungs. Not even five seconds later, three furious brothers came running into the room with security hot on their heels as I went off at Jack in my hospital room.

“Get lost, you jerk! You’re never going to see me again. If you dare come near me, I’ll make sure you regret it, and I’ll take pleasure in doing so. My lawyer will be in touch with you about the paperwork.” With those words, I turned back towards my bed.

“You stupid bitch. You’re not going anywhere. You belong to me, and you’ll regret this.” Those were his final words before security and my three furious brothers dragged him out of my room.

“Rose… I… umm… We need to talk. About what happened… about what you witnessed.” I gave her a puzzled look, unsure of what she was referring to.

“You were assaulted,” she said, avoiding my gaze. I knew something was off. She always looked me straight in the eye when we spoke, but now she couldn’t. My eyes widened as the memories started flooding back.

I remembered what had happened after I caught Jack cheating on me. I remembered the feeling of safety, the comforting arms that enveloped me, and then the guys spewing the most hurtful words about me. Then, I remembered the heartbreak, the second one I’d experienced in a single day.

And then, I remembered them. The wolves.