A Wolf's Oath by Jennifer T. Alli

happy.”
    At least I’m not going to have to win them over as well. They
might even be willing to help me. Inside help would be very
useful, he grinned.
    Erica touched the sore skin of her neck resigned to defeat,
Sebastian's scent refused to fade leaving her surrounded by
him. I suppose I could become a
hermit, she reasoned walking down the
corridor towards the living room. That way
no one would need to know about my pesky mate. The sound of giggling reached her ears and was immediately
dismissed as nothing of importance until the deep timbre of a man’s
laugh floated along the short corridor. She moved stiffly towards
the living room. As Sebastian's scent grew stronger with every step
she took, nervous energy began to fill her. Standing in the doorway
that opened in to the living room her body froze at the sight that
greeted her eyes. Dylan and Wyatt were rolling happily on the floor
with Sebastian, using his body as though it was their latest toy
and he was accepting their touches with a warm smile.
    “ Dylan! Wyatt! What are you doing?” she snapped. Her harsh tone
stopped all laughter and she momentarily felt guilty for yelling,
she rarely did so and never without a good reason. She glared at
Sebastian, struggling to ignore how his playful smile made him if
possible even more attractive. Just what
has he told them?
    “ Erica, I was beginning to wonder where you were. Are you going
to join us? We were just playing a little.” He smiled, readjusting
his arm behind him so that Dylan wouldn’t fall from her position on
his back
    “ No, I’d rather you left.”
    His smile didn’t falter in the face of her open hostility. “I
was hoping you’d say that.”
    “ Really?”
    “ Yes, I think we should all go out. What do you guys think?” he
asked. The pair nodded enthusiastically and Sebastian turned back
to face Erica, a wide smile now on his face.
    Not only has he turned my body and wolf against me, now he’s
turned by brother and sister against me too. Her eyes narrowed as she continued to glare at him
intensely.
    “ I brought food,” he noted pointing to a small basket near the
door.
    “ Can we go Erica?” Dylan pleaded, turning large brown eyes
guaranteed to make her concede on her sister.
    Erica didn’t hold out long, but she hadn’t expected to. “Fine,
we can go.” It doesn’t mean I’m happy
about it though, she mused, wishing that
Sebastian could hear her thoughts and understand how much she
disliked the idea of a mate. “Let’s just get this over with,” she
snapped moving to the door and grabbing the small basket before
tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for the others to join
her.
    Noting the deep scowl on her sister’s face, Dylan climbed
down from Sebastian's back and began to walk slowly towards her
sister. “Are you ok Erica? You seem angry.”
    At Dylan's perceptive question, Erica forced her body to
relax, smiling widely at her younger sister. “I’m fine Dylan, don’t
worry about me. I’m just getting a little behind with all the work
I need to do.” It’s not really a
lie, she said, reassuring herself. I’m getting behind with my housework, but that’s
to be expected when I’m constantly thinking about the mate who
refused to leave.
    “ We don’t have to go,” Wyatt suggested moving to stand beside
his twin.
    Erica knew enough about her siblings to tell that though he
had suggested calling off the trip, Wyatt was hoping that she would
ignore his recommendation. His voice was muted and his eyes
downcast as he tried not to look in the direction of the door.
Dylan's mannerisms were slightly different, her body unconsciously
leaning towards the door with a false smile plastered on her face,
but the message was clear. They wanted to go.
    “ No, it’s fine. We can go. I’ll do the chores later, it’s not
as though they’re going any where.”
    “ I’m willing to help you Erica,” Sebastian inserted,
volunteering his services for whatever she required.
    A