Chapter 16

**Weston**


I have wanted to kiss Elise several times when our eyes fall onto each other at the same time and the world goes silent. Nothing I could imagine would be enough to describe the feeling of her soft lips on mine.

"Hey! You guys coming or what?" Sawyer's obnoxious voice calls out from the doorway.

Elise breaks our kiss to turn and look his way and I have to fight down the urge to murder my own brother. When I look his way as well I catch a smirk as he turns to head back inside.

"Fucker." I growl out and Elise laughs.

"It's alright. We shouldn't leave them waiting. I...don't know what came over me." I take in her flushed face and I know not all of it is from how intense our kiss had been.

She thinks she did something wrong by kissing me but that couldn't be further from the truth. I gently grab her chin and turn her head so that she is facing me.

"I loved every second of that, so don't feel sorry," I say firmly hoping she knows I mean every word.

Her eyes glance between mine and a moment later she nods and a small smile forms on those delicious lips. I don't think I am ever going to be able to stop imagining them...hungering for them. No woman I have ever kissed tasted as sweet as her. How is it that not only her scent but even the taste of her lips reminds me of fruity candy? It's addicting and I want to say to hell with my brothers and steal her away for the day.

Before I can cement that thought in my mind, she speaks up. "Shall we?"

I expect her to try and climb down from me but she wraps her arms tighter around me and plants a kiss on my cheek. My blood heats from that small touch and I decide that Sawyer had his time with her last night, so why shouldn't I lay my claim to her tonight?

I walk us into the house and we find my brothers waiting for us in the living room. They all give me a look that is asking what I've been up to and I smirk at them. Once we join them Elise taps for me to let her down and I do, reluctantly. She sits in an open spot at the end of the couch and I follow suit taking the spot right beside her. Archer is on her other side and he reaches over to take her hand. She smiles at him and turns her hand over so they can hold hands properly and my brother's face lights up like a Christmas tree.

"Okay, so there are several things we need to discuss, but there is one thing we need to cover first and foremost." Ezra starts. "Elsie, my brothers and I know that we have not known you long and maybe have been a little too forward with some of our attentions to you."

He throws me a look but I don't feel the least bit guilty over what we have just done.

"We all hope that even though there is a lot we still have to learn about each other...we would like you to stay. With us." He says awkwardly and I can't help but let out a laugh that I quickly cover with a cough.

Ezra having a hard time speaking is a rare occasion.

Elise doesn't seem to notice though and her eyes move to each of us. "Like as part of the pack? Are you sure this isn't all too sudden?"

Sawyer shakes his head. "No way sweetheart. We all feel it, you belong here with us."

"He's right Elise. We are drawn to you and I don't think it was an accident that we found you. You belong here with us." Archer adds.

Elise looks to Ezra next and he gives her a small smile. "I agree love. You belong with us. We can protect you but there is something stronger here than the simple need to protect you."

Her eyes look to me next and I nod. I know I don't need to say pretty words for her to know what I want. She seems to understand me without much help.

She lets out a shaky breath and looks down at where her and Archer's hands are entwined.

"What do you think love?" Ezra asks looking shockingly worried.

Sawyer also looks a little nervous and even though I don't show it I am too. It would kill us if Elise walked away.

She lifts her head and smiles. "I'd like that. I'm not sure why but it feels right to be here with you guys. Not one second of being with you guys have I felt afraid or unsure if I would be safe with you. I feel more than safe and maybe it's an Omega thing but you taking care of me means a lot to me. So, my answer is yes. Yes, I'll stay...be part of the pack."

Sawyer jumps to his feet and bellows out a whoop before heading right for her and pulling her off the couch and into his arms. He plants a loud smacking kiss on her lips and twirls her around making her break out in laughter. The sound is like a chorus has started singing all around us. It's beautiful and I want to hear that sound every single day from now on.

"I'm happy you agree, love. We are all excited to have you here and we will take things as slowly as you need to become more comfortable with us." Ezra says getting back to the serious talk.

Sawyer drops down in Elise's spot and keeps her in his arms with her now on his lap. She smiles at him and he leans down to kiss the tip of her nose and she scrunches it up adorably.

"Now to more serious matters. I'm sorry to have to ask you this love but can you tell us more about Raya?" Ezra asks and the happy mood from a second ago falls to something more somber.

Elsie sighs and turns in Sawyer's lap to face the rest of us.

"She was the first person I met after my parents were killed. She was so nice and after being dragged to the police station and all the horrible things that went on, it was nice. I moved into one of the dorm rooms with three other girls but she kept me as her ward. She made sure I was taken care of and enrolled in every possible class and activity available. Some of it I hated but she encouraged me to stick with it because it was good for an Omega to be well-rounded in all aspects of life. I thought it was because she cared about my future and wanted me to be the best I could be, but I found it overwhelming." She takes in a deep breath and looks down at her fidgeting hands.

"She came to me on the day I was eligible to start meeting packs and told me she would help me through it all. I met one or two packs and didn't really feel a connection to either, but then the third pack came. They were charming and obviously rich. Raya told me that they were the best option and that feeling of rightness would come over time. She was really encouraging me to pick them, so I figured she would know what was best. In the end, I picked the third pack. As soon as I told her she had me prepare to leave with them. They came for me a day or two later and that was it." She shrugs but she looks almost pale at the memory.

"Did it seem like she knew the pack?" Ezra asks.

She shakes her head. "Not that I could see but I was so nervous and shy that I wasn't looking for anything odd between them. I only realize now how much she was pushing me because of what happened."

"Do you remember anything else before you were knocked out?" Archer asks.

Elise makes a sound of thought but then lets out a defeated sigh. "No. Whatever they gave me made most of the memories from that day fuzzy. Sometimes I have dreams about it, but I can't tell if it's real or just me imagining the worst. I remember their faces, but we had barely left Haven before they drugged me."

"What other symptoms did you have from the drug?" Archer asks moving into his analytical mode.

"It felt like I was drunk at first but that didn't last long. Less than a few seconds before everything went dark. When I woke up I was really dizzy and I threw up several times before I was able to get a clear look at my surroundings. It was mostly dark except for a single hanging light right outside of the bars. A man came in front of the bars and laughed at me. His face is fuzzy too since I was still pretty out of it, but he told me that I should get comfortable. He said I was going to stay there until I was worth something to them. I eventually learned they sold us when we were near our heat. When I ran, I was about to be brought in for auction." I let out a low growl at that and her head snaps in my direction.

Instead of scared eyes though, I found a look of appreciation.

"Elise...Liddy said something today and I want you to know whatever you tell us won't change a thing between us, but we need to know everything." Ezra starts to say and I see Elise's body tense up. "How were you able to heal so quickly?"