Free Suck It Up by Emma Hillman Page B

him, kept on watching as he clasped his fingers around her mate’s shoulder. He said something, but they were too far for her to overhear their conversation. Almost as if he’d felt her gaze on him, the man turned and caught her staring.
    His eyes gave him away. This must be Andy, Nate’s other brother. He was taller than her mate, wider too, towering over every other man in the room. He looked as if he ate small children for breakfast, his lion so close to the surface she felt it from where she sat.
    She gulped when he stepped closer to the bed.
    “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice unbelievably soft.
    She nodded, not sure she could speak.
    “Nate said you’d been hurt.”
    “I…” She licked her lips. “I shifted.”
    “Is the pain gone now?”
    She nodded once again, and he smiled at her, almost as if he were trying to comfort her. That was nice of him, it was, but he wasn’t her mate. She needed Nathan. As soon as the thought hit, she found herself with her feet on the floor. She blinked, wondering how she’d gotten there.
    Someone pushed her back down, murmuring about her needing clothes first. That’s when she remembered she was naked underneath the thin blanket. That woman had touched her…
    No! Her lioness roared inside her, forcing her to think of something else. Our mate needs us. Something is wrong with him.
    “Wrong?” Kellie mouthed to herself, wondering what her animal was talking about. She looked around and wondered how she’d even manage to get dressed when there were still so many people in her house. Maybe she could ask someone to hand her some clothes? Or maybe she could avoid them all and slip into the bathroom?
    Their Alpha chose that moment to stride into the room. Tension rose in the air almost immediately, every single man staring down as he stopped at the foot of her bed.
    His gaze took it all in, from his son still prone against the wall, to the body on the floor, to Kellie hiding in plain sight. He went to her first, shocking her so much she had to ask him to repeat his question.
    He growled, “How are you?”
    “Okay.”
    “Don’t lie to me!”
    Her lioness flattened her ears inside her, moving further away. “I…I need to go to Nate. He’s hurt.”
    Something flashed in his eyes. “I was asking about your physical condition, Kellie. Andy told me she tortured you with an electrical device.”
    She shivered at the reminder, hoping she’d never have to feel such pain ever again. Jane had kept talking about her sex toys, but that thing hadn’t been one. It’d been an instrument of torture, pure and simple. And by God, Kellie was tired of being tortured. What had she done to deserve this? Was her karma really that bad?
    “I asked you a question.”
    She looked up, realizing she hadn’t answered Alistair. Considering he was already close to the snapping point, she really should pay more attention to her Alpha. “Can I go to Nate first?”
    He nodded and stepped forward. She frowned. He was going to help her? “Here. Grab my hand,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
    She did as ordered, unable to move away. As soon as she touched him however, the world seemed to right itself. She found herself leaning against him, her head falling onto his shoulder. His arm curved around her shoulders, tucking her closer.
    For the first time in hours, she felt alive. All thanks to her Alpha, the man who was supposed to hate her… She was even more grateful when he helped her stand up, wrapping the blanket around her so she didn’t flash anybody. With his hand around her waist, he led her to her mate who still hadn’t moved.
    “Nate?” she asked, leaning forward and nearly falling flat on her face.
    “Careful.” The Alpha pulled her back in the nick of time. “You’re still weak. Son?”
    They both looked down at the man sitting in front of them. Nathan had his face adverted, his palms hiding his eyes as if he didn’t want to look at the room.
    Kellie felt a sharp pang