Lucky for her, he wasn't the animal she thought him to be.
He approached her slowly. "I'm not going to touch you." She threw the bank at his head.
He caught it in one hand before he returned it to its spot on the dresser.
"I'm not kidding, Fury," she growled at him.
"And neither am I. I told you I wouldn't hurt you and I have no intention of going back on my word."
Her gaze dropped down to the bulge in his pants. "I won't mate with you willingly. Ever."
Those words cut him more than they should have. "Trust me, baby, you wouldn't be worth the scratches. Unlike the Arcadian bastards you're used to, I don't have to force a woman into my bed. Sit up here and rot for all I care." He walked out and slammed the door behind him.
Angelia didn't move for several fearful heartbeats as she waited for his return.
He was gone and she was safe again . . . she hoped.
Over and over, she heard the stories in her head about how the Katagaria treated their females when they were in heat. If unmated, the woman was handed off to the unmated males of the pack, who passed her around until they'd had their fill of her. The female had no say whatsoever.
"You're all animals," she snarled, cursing the fact that it was her fertile time of the month and she was trapped here with them. "Where are you. Dare?"
As if in answer, a flash startled her.
She tensed as she realized it wasn't Dare coming to her rescue.
It was Fury. His eyes brittle with anger, he stalked toward her. A true predator bent on the gods only knew what.
"Don't touch me!" She struck out at him.
He caught her hand in his and held it. "You know what? I'm going to teach you a valuable lesson."
Before she could ask him what it was, he teleported them out of the nursery and into a dining room.
Angelia panicked as she realized the room was filled with eight male wolves in human form. By their scents, she knew they were as unmated as Fury was.
Her heart hammering, she tried to run, but Fury wouldn't let her. Blocking her escape, he quickly pulled his clothes on.
"You will sit and you will eat," he growled low in his throat. "Like a civil human," he spat the word as if it were the lowest thing imaginable.
How she wished she had her powers to blast him and make him pay for this. No doubt she'd be the first course and he'd probably hold her down while the others raped her.
Fury walked her toward the table, to the right hand of Bride where a young, handsome wolfswain sat. His eyes darkened as he caught a whiff of her scent.
Angelia braced herself for his attack.
His eyes black and dilated, he stood up slowly. This was it. . . .
He was going to throw her down for all of them.
Just as she was sure he would, he inclined his head respectfully to Fury, picked up his plate and glass and moved away to sit at the other end of the table.
Fury sat her in the vacated chair.
Bride, who'd been watching curiously, let out a sigh. "I take it the two of you will be joining us."
Fury nodded. "We will."
A younger wolfswain who was sitting across the table from her stood up immediately, making Angelia flinch. "I'll get plates for them."
Bride smiled kindly. "Thank you, Keegan."
Thin and blond, he practically ran into the other room only to return with china and silverware. He handed one setting to Fury, then turned to Angelia. "Would you like me to serve you?"
"Sit, Keegan," Fury barked.
He immediately put the place setting in front of her and returned to his seat.
There was so much tension in the room that Angelia could almost taste it. Ignoring it, Fury put food on their plates and then set one in front of her.
"Uncle Furry!"
She looked up to see Trace entering the room with Fang. He ran from Fang to Fury, who scooped him up into a tight hug.
"Hey, whelp." He squeezed him even harder while the boy laughed in happiness.
"Trace hit his target!"
Fury laughed, his face softening to the expression she'd known so well in their younger years. . . before they were enemies. "Glad I wasn't here for the potty training. Good job, Fang."
Trace squirmed out of Fury's arms to run to his mom. "Trace hit three ducks, Mommy."
"That's wonderful, baby. Good job." She pulled him up to sit in her lap.
Fang's eyes widened as he neared them and he, too, caught her scent. He sucked his breath in sharply, before he sat down on the other side of Fury. "Sorry you missed Thanksgiving this afternoon."
Fury put more mashed potatoes on his plate. "Yeah, me, too."
Angelia didn't understand why that would make him sad. "Thanksgiving?"
Fury looked at her as he cut a piece of turkey on his plate. "It's an American holiday. Every year they come together with their families to give thanks for their lives and company."
"It's why all the wolves are here," Bride said. "The mated ones went home with their wives earlier. Traditionally, the unmated males stay here for dinner and marathon gaming tournaments."
Again, she had no idea what they were talking about. "Gaming tournaments?"
"Video games," Keegan said.
Fury scoffed at the young wolf's eagerness. "She's from medieval England, whelp. She has no idea what you're talking about."
"I can show you."
Fang rolled his eyes. "Down, boy. Arcadian females equate being with us to bestiality."
His face stricken, Keegan returned to his food and didn't bother to look at her anymore.
One of the older males at the table pushed his plate back. "I've lost my appetite. Thank you, Bride, for the food." He looked at Vane. "You need me to stay and help protect your house?"
"I'd appreciate it if you would. We still don't know how many are able to wield whatever took down the lion."
He inclined his head before he headed toward the living room.
Two of the others joined him.
Fang handed a bowl of bread to Fury. "So, Keeg, you been practicing Soul Calibur?"
Keegan grinned. "I'm going to pwn you so bad, buddy. No ring-outs this time."
Vane laughed. "Careful, Keegan, he's setting you up. Fang knows all the special moves for half the characters."
That set up a whole conversation about a subject Angelia had no understanding of. But as they chatted and joked with each other, she relaxed.
Strange how they didn't seem so animalistic like this . . .
They seemed almost human.
Trace slowly moved from his mother's lap around the table to all the men who took turns holding him for a bit. When he got to Fury, he stood on his legs and reached over to her.
"You got drawing face like my daddy sometimes."
Her cheeks heated up as that brought her back to the full scrutiny of the wolves.
The wolf on the other side of Keegan sighed heavily. "Damn, woman, stop panicking every time we look at you. We're not going to throw you down and . . ." He stopped as he looked at Trace. "Do what you think we're going to do. Yes, we know what's going on with you. And no, we don't do that to women."
Bride took Trace back from Fury. She handed him a roll to eat while she directed her attention to Angelia. "I know you don't know Katagaria customs. When a woman is . . ." She paused and looked at the baby before she continued, "in your condition, she selects the male she wants. If she can't decide, they fight and she usually picks the winner, and if he doesn't satisfy her, she picks another. But it's always the woman's choice. The males give their lives and their loyalty to their women. Since their survival hinges on their ability to procreate, that is hardwired into their beings."
As Bride started to rise, Keegan took Trace from her arms to hold. "Do you need something?" he asked her.
"Just going to the restroom, sweetie." She patted him on his arm as she walked past him.
Angelia looked at Fury as he ignored her presence.