Surrendered to the Wolves [Werewolf Brides 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Werewolf Brides 1

  Surrendered to the Wolves

  Esther Johnson answers an advertisement for mail-order brides to marry two men of their choice from twenty-four eligible bachelors. Then she learns they’re werewolves. But the werewolf community at Cooper’s Farm is very welcoming, and Xola and Kairu Cooper are extremely yummy. It’s not how she’d planned her life, but once she finds a job, she’ll consider their attractions.

  However, getting a job isn’t all that easy. Oh, it’s way better than in her old neighborhood, but there are so many other considerations. She’s made friends with the other mail-order brides, and Xola and Kairu keep distracting her with outings and their wonderful bodies.

  Then Xola sees some people watching the farm and he and Okapi learn that there’s something not quite right going on in the local BDSM club. Is Esther safe? Are any of the human women safe? And how will Xola and Kairu protect her when she’s determined to go work in Coopersville town.

  Genre: BDSM, Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 35,580 words

  SURRENDERED TO THE WOLVES

  Werewolf Brides 1

  Cara Adams

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  SURRENDERED TO THE WOLVES

  Copyright © 2013 by Cara Adams

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-062-5

  First E-book Publication: December 2013

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Surrendered to the Wolves by Cara Adams from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  About the Author

  SURRENDERED TO THE WOLVES

  Werewolf Brides 1

  CARA ADAMS

  Copyright © 2013

  Chapter One

  “Dera Williams?”

  A woman at the end of the line raised her hand.

  The man with the clipboard pointed to the gate at the airport and the woman rolled her to the ramp. Another man, just as large as the one with the clipboard, picked up her luggage for her as she followed him out onto the tarmac.

  “Keisha Robinson?”

  Another woman stepped forward and was escorted through the doors.

  “Mailiki Jackson?”

  “Nala Davis?”

  “Qwera Thomas?”

  “Shakina Brown?”

  “Siyandra Taylor?”

  “Tanisha Wilson?”

  One by one all the other women had their names called and were taken out.

  “And you are Esther Johnson.”

  It was more a statement than a question, but Esther nodded anyway. The man’s piercing black eyes seemed to pin her feet to the dirty carpet. Esther wondered if one of her jobs would be trying to clean floors like this one. Then she shrugged the thoughts away. She’d had two choices. Accept this job or become a topless waitress. Likely she’d end up flat on her back in bed either way. But at least this job promised a marriage and some love, not just a one-dollar bill shoved in her pocket after someone pinched her ass in a restaurant.

  “I saw your interview.”

  Esther nodded again. She’d assumed the interviews would be recorded so the men could look at the women and pick which one they wanted. She’d even had a momentary fear that none of the available men would want her and she’d be rejected. One of the few good things about being from a poor family was that all the available money had been needed for rent and utilities. She hadn’t had money to spare for sodas, chocolate, ice cream, or junk food for so long she’d just about forgotten what chocolate tasted like. Except that she hoped she’d be given a big enough allowance by her new husbands to buy some at least once in a while.

  Whatever, poverty and unemployment meant she’d walked everywhere to save money and had lost any excess pounds she’d been carrying over six months ago. Of course, it also meant she didn’t have any pretty lingerie to wear to inspire her new husbands either, but her brother-in-law assured her men liked naked. She hoped he was right.

  “Let’s go, Esther.”

  Esther shook off her thoughts and followed the clipboard man out through the exit door and across the tarmac to a very small plane. Perhaps they were going to be the only people on it. Her, the other eight women, and the two men. Plus the pilot, she supposed.

  Her suitcase was loaded into the cargo hold, and she climbed the stairs into the airplane. There were only twelve seats, as she’d wondered. She slid into an empty one half down the aisle and fastened her seatbelt. Esther felt she was possibly the only twenty-five-year-old in America who’d never been on an airplane before today. Today, however, she’d flown halfway across the country, changing airplanes and walking through airports three times, so she felt she was g
etting pretty good at flying. Also at navigating her way around unknown places. Likely it was excellent training for her new life.

  “All right, ladies, listen up.”

  That was clipboard man again. He was so tall he had to sort of hunch over in the center of the aisle at the front of the airplane. Even so, the top of his head was brushing the ceiling. Was it called a ceiling in an airplane? Roof didn’t seem the correct word either.

  “This is your last chance to change your minds. You should all have your contracts in your hand luggage as instructed. Did anyone put her contract in her checked luggage?” He looked around but none of the women said anything.

  “Good. I want you all to take out that contract and read it through carefully. Once I collect them, the door will close and we’ll leave. When we’re airborne, I’ll tell you where we’re going and about the community you are planning to join. If you have any reservations at all, if you did not agree to come here and sign that contract of your own free will, now is your last chance to withdraw your consent. Do you understand me, ladies?”

  Once again he stopped and looked at each woman. Esther felt his black eyes digging into her soul, but she had no intention of changing her mind. Women had agreed to arranged marriages since the dawn of time. What she was doing was no different from what thousands of women had done before her. In effect, she was exchanging her body in return for care, protection, and hopefully, love. Her offering would be service, obedience, and, if they were good men, men she could respect, love as well. Sure, two husbands was a little unusual. But from what she’d seen on the television, plenty of men in some parts of Asia and Africa had a whole passel of wives, so the basic premise wasn’t new.

  Esther took her contract out of her purse and read it again. She’d gone through it word by word, really carefully, the first time. Then her brother-in-law had read it as well and witnessed her signature. He’d agreed it was a fair offer, although neither of them was certain it was actually a legal document. She was promising to marry two bachelor men of her choice, from a community called Coopersville within six months of her arrival there. She had been warned that the community did not approve of divorce, but was assured that the community would welcome and care for her and all the men had been instructed to treat their brides fairly and with love.

  Esther knew about domestic violence and knew she was running a risk of tying herself to an abusive person. But she was hopeful that a community prepared to advertise for women and bring them into town wouldn’t condone bad behavior. Also, as her brother-in-law pointed out, if they beat her they’d break their side of the contract so she would be free to run away. He also made her memorize his cell phone number in case they took her cell phone, or she had no credit, and needed to call him. “If you’re being badly treated, call me reverse charges and I’ll come get you,” he promised.

  She’d hugged him in thanks, but really hoped that didn’t happen. He and her sister had no money either. With forty percent unemployment in their town, most people were out of work and everyone was struggling.

  Clipboard man came down the aisle collecting the contracts and she handed hers in silently. Once he had them all he returned to the front of the plane and called out, “Okay. Prepare for departure.” He locked the airplane door, strapped himself into an empty seat, and the plane taxied over to a runway. A couple of other airplanes took off first and they looked huge beside the little one she was in. But their plane didn’t need much runway to lift off and was soon banking over the city, then heading due east.

  Clipboard man stood up and moved to the front again. “Coopersville is a medium-sized town of about a quarter million inhabitants. Our community is on the outskirts of the city and most of our people work in town. Whatever career you want or kind of job you’d like, you should be able to find there. If you want to study, there’s a community college in town and we will pay all your study expenses as long as you pass your tests. Unemployment is very low and the town council is not corrupt or inefficient. Our own people have lived in this area for half a dozen generations now and we are active in local affairs.”

  Esther really hoped that didn’t mean the town was as corrupt as hell, but that their community was running the crime. But really, if they were the bad guys why would they advertise for women. Surely they’d just buy them or kidnap them instead of getting them so openly?

  “All the people born in our community share the surname Cooper. We were the original inhabitants of Coopersville and have kept the name to illustrate our connection. My name is Xola. It starts with an X, not a Z though.” The man grinned at them and suddenly looked years younger than he had before. Esther decided likely he wasn’t really all that much older than her after all. Maybe thirty, but no more than that.

  “The reason we advertised for women is that for several generations now far more boys than girls have been born into our community. At first our leader was concerned that it was because of inbreeding, although many of our members had found partners outside the town. More recently we’ve learned that it’s a worldwide problem. People like us seem to give birth to two boys for every girl. Hence our need for brides for our men, and the need for men to share a woman.”

  He waited quite a while this time, as if expecting questions. Esther looked around the airplane as best she could, but none of the other women had raised her hand, or seemed particularly upset or concerned at the news. After all, if they were flying women into the town, there had to be a reason for spending so much time and effort to do that.

  “Over the past year our unmarried men have formed themselves into pairs. Two men who are used to working with each other and are prepared to share a woman. Men who have stood the test of time as good friends or companions. When you choose your husbands, you will be choosing a pair. The two men you’ll marry. Do you understand? Are there any questions?”

  “How many pairs are there to choose from? Like, I mean, is there just enough for us each to have a pair?”

  The question came from right up the back and Esther didn’t see which woman had asked it.

  “We advertised for twelve women. Only nine passed our tests and agreed to come. So even the woman who decides last will have a choice,” replied Xola.

  He waited for a while, Esther guessed it was for any other questions, but no one said anything. Finally he said, “There is one other thing you all need to know.” He clicked his fingers together and the curtain behind him into the cockpit parted. Esther got a glimpse of the back of the pilot’s head, and then a big black dog stood beside Xola.

  Xola clicked his fingers again and the dog paced through the cabin, stopping beside each seat. Some of the women stared at him, others petted his head. Esther was trying to work out what was happening. Obviously this was some kind of test, but what for? When the dog stopped by her she stroked his head and ears. His fur was silky soft so he was evidently well cared for. But he was very big with a long tail and she had no idea what breed he was, never having owned a companion animal or even had a close friend with a dog.

  Eventually the dog had visited each of the women and stalked back to Xola. He did look quite fierce, but he had behaved with perfect manners. Was he perhaps a guard dog or something?

  Xola clicked his fingers a third time and the huge dog shimmered, and turned into the man who’d helped with the luggage. Xola held his clipboard over the man’s genitals, hiding them, but Esther didn’t think anyone would be checking out his cock. Most of the women were gasping and chattering. One had shrieked, although whether that was in fear or surprise, Esther wasn’t sure. She really couldn’t think right now. Fucking hell. What have I agreed to?

  * * * *

  Xola and Kairu had spent hours watching and rewatching the videotapes of the mail-order brides being brought to their pack. Xola had treated the choice of their woman as a business project, writing a list of attributes he’d like, in priority order, then checking off each applicant against his list. But no amount of checkmarks could change the fact that his heart
drew him to Esther Johnson. She wasn’t the prettiest bride, nor was she the most talented, or the most intelligent. But the way her hazel eyes changed from green to amber to brown, as she considered the questions she was asked and answered them, had his gaze fixed to her instead of to his list. Her voice was sweet and calm to his ears, and her answers were thoughtful and meaningful.

  Kairu had taken one look at her interview and said, “That one. She’s ours.” Xola’s heart agreed but his brain had forced him to say, “They’re all good women. Any one of them would suit us.”

  “That’s true. But she’s the one I want. Already I can feel a bond between us.”

  “You can?”

  “You know I can. You feel it, too, don’t you?”

  “This’s why we’ll share a woman. We’re brothers in our hearts. They beat for the same things, including this woman.” Xola punched his friend on the arm and they laughed together, but inside he was shaken that both of them had identified this one woman out of nine as their mate. He was terrified at the thought that perhaps she wouldn’t like them, or perhaps one of the other partnerships of men would entice her to them before he and Kairu had gotten to know her. But his innate sense of justice and fair play would not let him say or do anything to Esther right now, in the airplane, when the other men weren’t here to meet their women. He could say and do nothing until the official time. Any other action would be a gross misuse of his power.

  His job had required him to watch all the women very carefully to analyze their reactions when Gowan had shape-shifted. There was universal surprise, and some shock, but he didn’t detect any genuine fear. What fear he smelled was more the fear that comes from something unexpected. Not the deeper, more worrying fear of lack of personal safety. Esther had adapted to the disclosure well. She’d petted Gowan’s head, and he knew Gowan would report back satisfactorily about her. Which was a huge relief to him. He wasn’t quite sure what might have happened if one of the women had been genuinely terrified. Their interviews had indicated none of them had an exceptionally high-strung kind of personality, and none of them feared dogs, but still, anything at all had been possible. Now it was time for him to finish his speech, otherwise the flight would be over and his tasks not all done.