"This is absolutely absurd!" Regan shouted while two hunters tied his arms behind his back with pure silver chains.
Terrence and Christian were already tied up and being led out of the restaurant. They had made a huge scene and put up a right. It resulted in a few of the hunters being carried out of the place on stretchers.
For a moment I worried about the pack members in the dining room. But I hadn't noticed earlier that they were all from the Hollows and Waters Edge. How did I not see that? This whole night was a set up to capture the other Alphas.
"Johnny, duct tape his mouth would you? I am getting tired of listening to his incessant complaining," Evan ordered while he took a seat at the half empty table.
The only ones left were my uncle, aunt, Walter and Tristan. Uncle Bruce and Walter were at a stalemate. They were glaring at each other from across the dinner table. Aunt Fiona was gripping the tablecloth tightly in fear. Her knuckles were turning white from the hold.
Tristan still had his arm around my shoulder and he wasn't letting go any time soon. Evan was calmly watching everyone with an amused expression on his face.
"Are you going to tell us what is going on?" Bruce asked finally looking away from the staring contest with Walter.
"Is there really any need to keep these two around?" Evan asked, ignoring Bruce's question.
"We have no use for them," Walter responded.
"Johnny, take care of this for me."
"Don't even think about touching them," I hissed at Johnny when he stepped towards my family.
"Maybe you should take the little blonde girl too to be safe."
"She has to stay within fifty feet of me at all times," Tristan defended me as soon as Johnny reached out his hand to grab me out of my seat.
"Well it seems we have a bit of a dilemma then. Tristan, why didn't you inform me of this situation?"
"You didn't really think I would let you take my mate, did you?"
"I told you last night that she was going with the others. Do you think this is some sort of game so you can play big wolf on campus?"
"She is my mate. You lay one hand on her and my men outside will rip your men to shreds" Tristan threated him.
The tension in the room rose to new heights. I hated Tristan for keeping me hostage and marking me without my consent. I couldn't help but be thankful that he wasn't going to let the hunters take me without putting up a fight.
"Fine, just for tonight. We will talk about this tomorrow. As for these two, take care of them like I said Johnny."
"If you lay a finger on their heads I swear you will regret it. Leave them alone now," I threatened Johnny. I stood up quickly. My chair thudded to the ground.
My hand wrapped around his arm before he could touch either of my family members. I pushed his body up against the wall and dug my fingers into his bicep.
Evan placed a hand on my shoulder, "Down girl."
I flinched and shrugged his hand away from me, "Don't touch me."
"I think perhaps it's time for you to leave now Evan."
"Fine, but don't you forget about our talk tomorrow. Johnny, a word."
"Do you always have to cause problems?" Tristan asked when Johnny and Evan stepped out of the room.
"When it comes to my family I will do anything."
"Let's get you home before you cause anymore issues with Evan."
He gently placed his hand on my shoulder and led me out of the restaurant. I reluctantly got back into the car while we waited for Johnny to join us again. It seemed like Johnny was Evan's way of keeping tabs on Tristan.
The car ride back to the Hollow's pack house was once again spent in silence. Johnny kept glaring at me through the rearview mirror. I stifled back a giggle when I saw the nail marks on his bicep.
He huffed at me before slamming hard on the breaks when we reached the house. This time Tristan opened the door for me. He took my hand and led me back into the house. The whole house and woods surrounding us were oddly silent for the nighttime.
For a split second I thought I heard something moving in the trees. I shook it off as my mind playing tricks on me.
"Why don't you get a little more comfortable?" Tristan asked when we reached the bedroom, "I need to go back down and talk to Johnny for a minute. Borrow anything you like."
After he left I rifled through his drawers. I settled on a pair of his boxers and an old t-shirt. His soft comforter eased my mind and body from the night's events. I closed my eyes and basked in the relief.
I must have lost track of time. It seemed like only seconds had passed before I heard Tristan's footsteps echoing down the hallway. He walked around the room for a few minutes before I felt the other side of the bed dip as his full weight pressed into it.
I felt his hand softly, slowly touch my back.
"Arianna," he whispered into my ear.
"You poisoned me so he wouldn't take me tonight."
I didn't have to ask. I already knew it was true. It was the one thought that had been endlessly running around my head since Evan let it slip they had this planned out.
"You really think I would go into that dinner without a contingency plan? You are my mate, Arianna. I won't lose you to them."
"Well thank you I guess."
"I'm not going to let him take you away from me," he pressed his lips against my bare shoulder.
I shivered under his touch. Him? Was he talking about Evan? Or could he possibly mean his brother? The thought was immediately lost when he moved his lips along my collarbone. He gently pushed me back onto the bad. I was no longer facing away from him.
"What are you doing?" my voice was barely above a murmur.
His fingertips lightly traced from my hand all the way up to my shoulder. Tingles ran through my arm in every spot he touched. He didn't answer my question before his lips quieted mine.
I hesitantly placed my hands on his shoulders. I was unsure if I should push him away or pull him tighter to me. My heart was fighting with my body. The bond was screaming at me to continue. But my heart that belonged to Dante was yearning for him to be the one touching me, not his brother.
He took advantage of my hesitation. He pinned my arms above my head and roughly shoved his tongue in my mouth. This was nothing compared to the way Dante kissed me. But I was used to Tristan's rough, greedy kisses now. Oddly enough, my body liked this side of him.
I moaned when his other hand lightly traced circles around my hipbone. The touch was like fire burning through my body. It took every effort I had to hold back another one. He groaned as I twisted under him and pressed his body harder into mine.
"Wait, Tristan," I protested when his hand trailed from my knee down my thigh.
"No, don't push me away."
"We can't do this. You need to stop."
"You really don't want me to stop, Arianna," he half moaned while his hand reached under my top and slowly began pushing it up my body.
'Ari.'
I gasped when Dante entered my mind. Tristan just thought it was over him sucking on my neck.
'Dante.'
I quickly pushed Tristan away from me as the bedroom door slammed against the wall. Tristan barely had a chance to grab at the sheets to keep himself from falling on the ground.
"Get your fucking hands off my mate," Dante growled before snatching me off the bed and out of Tristan's grasp.
He quickly pushed me behind him to hide me from Tristan's view. They were both in attack stances as they prepared themselves to fight over me. Growls erupted from both of them in a possessive manor.
"How the hell did you get in here?"
"Your men were easily taken down. You might want to check on Johnny in a few minutes. He wasn't looking too well when I knocked him out a couple seconds ago."
"Give her back to me, brother, and just maybe I will let you go in one piece."
"I don't think right now you are in a position to threaten me, brother," Dante growled back at him.
Dante's hand curled around my wrist in assurance for him and for me. My heart was racing for my two testosterone filled mates. They were more than ready and willing to tear each other to pieces. But that one touch more than calmed me.
"She can't leave me," Tristan snarled with a smug look "She has to be within fifty feet of me at all times, dear brother."
"Well, let us test that theory."
"No, don't Dante. It'll hurt too much."
"Just trust me, Ari. Everything will be okay."
"You're not taking her anywhere."
"You're wrong about that one Tristan. I am taking her far away from you and these hunters. You will never get her back."
Dante pushed me back towards the wall then lunged for his brother. I already knew how this was going to end up. Tristan was half the size of Dante. His muscles didn't even begin to compare to Dante's.
He barely had any time to block Dante's fist from flying swiftly into his nose. Blood streamed down his chin and splattered onto the floor.
He tried to swing at Dante but he didn't stand a chance. Dante was running on pure anger. He dodged the hit to the left and punched Tristan in the stomach. He doubled over and fell to the ground.
Dante took this as his chance and rushed to my side. His hand wrapped around mine and he tugged me out of the room. We ran down the stairs and I waited for the painful tug on my insides. It never came.
"What is going on?" I quietly asked myself.
Dante heard and pulled me to a stop.
"The poison used his blood. That happens to be the exact same as mine since we are twins. It works either way. You can be within fifty feet of him or me."
I grinned and hastily flung my arms around his neck. He didn't pause for a second before crashing his lips into mine. My heart felt like exploding at any moment. Every single inch of my body burned with love for him.
"We have to get going Ari. We don't have much time," he spoke after reluctantly pulling away from me.
"You're wrong. You don't have any time."
We both turned to see Johnny standing in the kitchen twirling one of his bowie knives in his hand. He had a nasty bruise on the side of his head and a crazy smile on his mouth.
"Why couldn't you just stay down?" Dante growled before once again pushing me to the side to guard me.
"I did rather enjoy spilling your father's blood but I think I'm going to take real pleasure in tearing your mate to pieces in front of your very eyes, Arianna."
"Bring it on man."
Dante pressed me back into the wall before lunging at Johnny. In one swift movement he knocked the bowie knife out of his hand. It clattered to the floor and lay forgotten by both of them for the moment.
Johnny hastily put both his hands around Dante's head and knocked him into the kitchen wall. He dazedly swaggered on his feet as he tried to regain his balance. While he was momentarily distracted Johnny quickly tried to grab at me.
I leapt around the kitchen counter to dodge his attack but I wasn't fast enough. His hands enclosed around my biceps and he slammed me to the floor.
My eyes snapped up to a glint of silver that caught my attention. My left arm broke his grasp and reached out to grab the knife that was lying on the ground right in front of me. Johnny must have realized what I was doing because he suddenly snatched the knife out of my reach.
"Nice try little girl."
I threw my elbow back hard. My bone connected with his stomach. He grumbled in pain and anger but it wasn't enough to push him away from me.
Before I could hit him again his whole arm wrapped around my chest. He pulled me off the ground with him. He backed away from Dante, who had finally regained his ground, and pushed us to the far corner of the kitchen.
"Get away from her," Dante growled at him.
"I think not. Take one more step and I will slice her open," Johnny threatened and raised his knife to my face.
"Please, just let her go and we will leave you alone," Dante begged once he realized Johnny was a little crazy and more than serious.
"Step all the way back to the stairs," he ordered.
Dante held up his hands and backed off in compliance.
My blood was pounding in my ears and my heart was slamming against my chest. He pressed his knife lightly into my cheek. It took all I had not to flinch when I felt the cold blade on my warm skin.
"Please don't," I whispered.
"Shut up!" he hissed at me. His arm clutched me tighter to his body.
I squirmed under his hold, which made him even angrier. The blade pressed firmly into my left cheek and slid across from my ear to my lips. The pain seared in my face. It took me a moment to realize I was screaming.
"Dante," I called out.
He made a move for us but before he reached us Johnny was jerked back. I fell out of his arms. Dante caught me before I fell to the ground. We turned to see Cooper holding Johnny up against the wall by his throat.
"Get out of here!" Cooper yelled while he squeezed Johnny's throat tighter.
Dante scooped me up into his arms and ran us out of the house. A couple of Dante's pack members were waiting for us in their wolf forms. Unconscious hunters and Hollows pack members littered the ground all over the backyard.
"Let's go," Dante ordered his pack. We took off into the woods.
"How did you know about the poison?" I quietly asked on our way back to his pack house. The movement of my mouth stung from the cut on my cheek.
"Your mother told me."
"How is she?"
"She was a little shaken up at first from the chase. She is with Carla now and that calmed her down."
I nodded my head to acknowledge him. I didn't ask any more questions. My mouth was in too much pain to move again. I closed my eyes and tried to rest while he carried me back to the pack house.
"Someone get the doctor," Dante ordered once he stepped into the house.
"No."
"Ari, don't be stupid. You need to have that cut looked at."
"I will be okay. Just take me upstairs and I will clean it myself."
"I want the doctor to stitch you up."
"Seriously, Dante, please just take me to our room."
"Our room?" Dante asked and raised his eyebrow with an amused look on his face.
I smiled, "Yes, our room."
He chuckled and shook his head. He carried me up the stairs and into the bedroom. My feet touched the cold wood floor when he placed me on the ground.
"Wait right here."
Dante walked over to the bathroom and turned on the tap. He rifled through his closet for a washcloth and an emergency first aid kit. He picked me up bridal style and walked us into the bathroom.
He gently sat me on the marble countertop and began to clean my cut. While he concentrated on my face I focused on looking him over. His jaw clenched every time he pressed the wet washcloth against my face.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he grumbled.
"No, you're not. Dante, tell me what's wrong."
"I want to kill him for doing this to you," he finally admitted.
I reached my hand up and soothingly cupped his cheek. He closed his eyes at my touch. I took the moment to press my lips against his.
He growled in approval before roughly grabbed my shoulders and pushing me into him. My heart soared at his touch.
"God, I missed you," he moaned into my mouth.
Dante picked me up and walked us over to his bed. My back met with his soft comforter as he dropped me onto the bed. I grinned when he eagerly captured my lips with his once again.
This was too good to be true. I couldn't believe I was already back here with him.
He tugged down my shorts and his fingers lightly traced my thighs. He quickly pulled away when his fingers touched the bite mark Tristan had left me.
"I can't believe he had the nerve to mark you."
I suddenly felt the need to reassure him of where my heart lay. He needed to know that it would never beat for Tristan like it beat for him.
"You know I will always choose you Dante, right?"
For the first time tonight, his mouth stretched into a genuine smile.
"I love you, Arianna."
"I love you too, Dante."
Before he could say anything else, I tightly wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips back to mine. He pushed me further into the bed and wrapped both my legs around his waist.
I whimpered under his touch when his lips kissed every inch of my neck, including the spot where he marked me. My fingers tangled in his wild black hair and raked down his head. He moaned in pleasure at my touch.
Each of his kisses burned in every spot he placed them. It felt like my body was on fire every time he touched me. Tristan marking me was just a memory long forgotten while Dante made love to me. His body fit perfectly with mine. He was made just for me.
We lay in bed afterwards just looking at each other. He laced his fingers with mine and his thumb lightly brushed across my hand. He placed a gentle kiss on my cheek where my cut was starting to heal already. It was going to scar pretty badly.
"I have never been so scared in my entire life than the moment when I woke up after the fight with the hunters and found out they had taken you."
"They tried to tell me I wouldn't see you again."
"Well they certainly gave it a good effort to make sure of it. It took three shifts to fully heal that stab wound. I thought I was never going to find you."
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know yet, Ari. We are going to have to come up with a plan."
"It has to be soon. I don't know what they're planning to do with the Alphas or how long they will keep them alive."
"We should get some sleep. We can worry about it in the morning."
"But I'm not tired," I protested as I tried to hold back a yawn.
He chuckled, "Good night baby."
"Good night."