Page 13 of Knot Her Mountain Men

“Only so many options,” I replied.

“Water, please,” she signed.

Bear nodded and disappeared down the hall.

“You know ASL?”

She nodded, adding a sign for school.

“Bear gets fucking jazzed when other people know it. Makes conversation way easier.”

She tugged at the hem of her shirt before giving up with a frustrated growl. “Help,” she signed.

“You’re fine stripping down in front of me?”

She shrugged and gestured behind her, where Bear had returned with a glass of water. Morgan took it with a quick thank-you sign and chugged half of it down.

If she was fine with it, then I would roll with it. I set her water aside and helped peel off the soaked wool. When she was down to her underwear, I helped her stand and closed off the shower curtain, letting her strip down the final pieces herself and toss them wetly to the floor, where I collected them. Bear monitored her while I took them downstairs and dropped them into the laundry sink for a soak, giving them a few minutes before I returned upstairs, too anxious to be far away from her yet.

Bear had her bundled into one of the robes that came almost down to her feet, and a towel wrapped around her hair. She leaned her weight against him and lifted her face pliantly so I could apply some soothing moisturizer to her damaged skin. Her eyes fastened on me as I spread a generous amount of balm on her lips, her breath shallowing to match my own.

This was going to be the longest blizzard of my life.

Ididn’t know her well yet, but I knew exhaustion when I saw it. Morgan was dead on her feet. Melting for Kit while he washed her hair, letting me bundle her up after her shower…neither seemed quite correct for someone who had been through her ordeal, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If the scent match was helping her trust us, to be at ease, that was a good thing. I didn’t want her to be weighed down by the trauma of her experience.

If I ever encountered the man who’d left her for dead, I would gut him and leave him as a gift for the mountains. The wolves would appreciate an easy meal.

Morgan’s body trembled with the effort to keep upright, so I pulled her into my arms. She’d need something to wear besides the robe. My room was down the hall from Kit’s, so I took her there and set her on the bed, watching carefully for signs of discomfort. She curled up on her side at the foot of the bed like a cat, eyes half-closed.

“Clothing or sleep?” I signed.

“Both,” she signed back.

With a nod, I pulled one of my well-worn black T-shirts from the drawer and passed it to her, then diverted to the closet to get my softest flannel. I didn’t have any underwear alternatives for her, but at least a couple of layers that came to her knees would be better than nothing.

She signed a quick “thank you” and made a spinning motion with her hand to tell me to turn around. I stepped outside the room while she exchanged the robe for my clothes and almost dropped to my knees when she asked me to come back in.

Fuck me.

She looked good enough to eat, all wrapped up in my clothing.

Morgan’s lips parted, a soft whine slipping out. Her maple syrup scent washed over me, tensing every muscle in my body, cock instantly tenting in my pants.

She didn’t need that sort of attention from me right now. All she needed was to be warm, comfortable, and hydrated. I offered my hand and Morgan slipped hers into it, letting me draw her up to standing. I tilted my head toward the doorway and she nodded, letting me pick her up again.

Holding her like this was deeply satisfying to my alpha instincts. She surrendered her weight, looping her arms around my neck and tucking her face against my throat. I purred softly and carried her downstairs, where the others sat in the living room in front of the main fireplace. I walked right past them into the kitchen and set Morgan on the countertop.

“More water?” I signed.

Morgan nodded and I poured some of the water that was still hot from the kettle into a cup and added a spoonful of honey.

The others stared at us over the couch and I gave them a warning look. Two alphas were enough for the moment. Morgan must have noticed my distraction because she turned to see the three of them, her little body freezing up instantly. I stepped between her and them and signed out the names of my pack members for her. “R-Y-D-E-R. M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K.”

Morgan nodded again, gaze slipping back over to them. No one made a move. Kit’s spruce resin and beeswax scent floated over, but there was nothing from Ryder or Maverick. The two of them got blocker shots so they were always ready to hunt at a moment’s notice. Their preparedness was shit luck, honestly. Morgan wouldn’t be able to recognize them as scent matches until the shots wore off.

“Sleep?” Morgan signed, looking at me imploringly.

“Soon. More water.”

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