Fated for Her Wolves - Tara West Page 0,9

same weary look her beta father, Van, had whenever he returned from a long tour with the Army. Dimitri, second alpha, had a feral look that unnerved her. Second alphas were known to be edgier than the rest of the pack, but something about his rigid stance set her teeth on edge. When their eyes locked for no more than a heartbeat, she felt the sting of venom. Was he angry with her for making him wait so long, or did he resent her for her involvement in his mother’s death? The beta, Andrei, had a tired smile that made her already pulverized heart ache anew, and Dejan, the lovable gamma, had the same sweet smile she remembered. She prayed it wasn’t forced. Her insides warmed when she saw the large bouquet of colorful flowers in his hands. She should have felt flattered by his thoughtfulness, but she felt even guiltier by his kind gesture.

Her mother clasped her hands, nudging Tatiana in the ribs. “Aren’t the flowers beautiful? What sweet boys!”

“Yes,” Tatiana agreed. Her mother’s forced enthusiasm wasn’t making this meeting any easier.

Constantine stepped forward, holding out a hand to her fathers. “Hello, sirs.”

“Let’s get going,” Tor grumbled, roughly shaking his hand. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“Of course.” Constantine stepped aside, greeting her mother. His brothers mimicked his actions.

Trying to ignore her trembling knees and roiling gut, she shrugged her duffle bag off her shoulder and thanked Andrei when he took it. “Hello.”

“Hi!” Dejan practically yelled as he handed her the bouquet, a big, goofy grin on his face. If he’d been in wolf form, his tail would be wagging full force.

“Thanks.” She thrust her face in the flowers and inhaled. They smelled divine. Even better, they acted as a buffer between her and the brothers.

Constantine grabbed her elbow and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “How was your flight?”

“Long,” she said, following her parents through the hangar.

Dejan followed beside her like a loyal puppy. “We’ll try to make your drive better.”

Her lips felt stiff. “I’m sure you will.”

Constantine and Andrei flanked her other side, and she was painfully aware of Dimitri following them. He’d been the only one not to greet her. If she’d had any doubts whether he was angry with her, his actions cemented her suspicions. Once they were outside, Tatiana squinted into the sunlight and breathed the fresh, cold air, feeling less stifled by Dimitri’s cool looks.

Constantine nodded to a newer, luxury European car. His alpha father, Boris, stood beside it. “You’ll go in my father’s car,” Constantine said to her parents, “if you don’t mind.” His cheeks colored. “We’d like to take Tatiana in ours.”

Her heart skipped several beats. A five-hour drive alone with them? What was she supposed to say to them during that time?

“We’ll drive safely, sirs,” Andrei interjected.

Tor cast her a cursory look before glaring at the brothers. “You’ll keep your eyes on the road and your hands to yourselves.”

Constantine’s cheeks turned even redder. “Yes, sir.”

Though she couldn’t see Dimitri, she had a feeling he was seething. This was going to be a long-ass drive.

Chapter Three

EUROPEAN CARS WERE uncomfortably small. Tatiana hadn’t minded being squished between them before, but now she felt ten degrees of awkward, sitting between Andrei and Dejan while watching Tor through the window as he faced a chain-link fence and pissed into the snow.

Before they’d gotten in the car, Dimitri had taken the flowers from her and thrown them in the trunk. She was more concerned about his gesture than about the flowers getting crushed. Didn’t he think she deserved them?

“So how was your flight?” Dejan asked her.

The slightest of tremors came from his knee, which was pressed against hers. “You already asked me that.”

He flushed crimson. “Oh, right.”

She glared at Tor’s back, wondering exactly how long it took for one man to pee. She rolled her eyes when Arvid joined him.

Andrei nudged her in the ribs, winking. “We think you’ll like how we fixed up the house.”

“The Devora house?” she asked, then regretted the question, especially when she heard Dimitri’s low growl from the front passenger seat. They’d torn down the old house on the property.

“No.” Andrei blinked at her. “We rebuilt everything.”

“I’m sorry, I forgot. How’d you fix it up?”

Andrei puffed up his chest. “It’s a surprise.”

Her fathers were laughing while pissing. What the hell was taking so long? Were they writing their names in the snow? “Okay.”

“But we think you’ll like it,” Dejan said. “We put a lot of work into it.