“What the hell is she doing at your house, cat!” Aleks roared. Liam smiled. He was making this too easy.
“Well at the moment her luscious little self is in my shower and wait, yes, I smell coconuts. She’s bathing.” He held the phone away from his ear again at the roar, unaware that everyone had stopped what they were doing to listen.
“If you so much as lay one finger on her, cat, I will rip you apart.” Aleks growled.
“What was that, Rebecca, you need help getting into your dress? Don’t worry, kitten, I’m coming. Sorry, Aleks, have to run. Toodles.” He stayed on the line long enough for one last roar to come through before disconnecting the line.
He turned around whistling and saw everyone staring.
“What?” he asked.
“Aleks Arkadion is going to kill you,” Ashby said, white as a sheet.
“No he isn’t. If he didn’t kill me for wrecking his Charger, he won’t kill me now,” he said, sitting down on the sofa. He reached over and grabbed a magazine and started to flip through the pages.
“That was you?” Rian asked, his eyes wide.
Liam just chuckled.
* * * *
“Aleks. Can’t. Breathe,” Liam said as Aleks’s hand squeezed his throat. Aleks was surprised at the lack of interference he was getting from the pride. They just shrugged their shoulders.
“Ashby told him you were going to kill him,” Rian said.
“Where is Ashby?” Aleks asked, his hand still around Liam’s throat.
“He’s upstairs finishing Rebecca’s hair. Nicholas did her makeup. She put in a lot of effort for you, bear, so you better not fuck this up,” Rian said, his arms crossed.
Aleks raised an eyebrow. The pride seemed to be more protective of Rebecca than their Alpha, whom he had pinned to the wall by the throat.
“Oh for God’s sake, Aleks, let him go! You’ll upset Rebecca and ruin your evening before it begins,” Kate said, coming down the stairs. Aleks immediately dropped Liam.
“Kate, why are you here?” he asked.
“Why would I miss the opportunity for actual girl time? We don’t have much of that at the pack,” she said, swiping a piece of chocolate.
Aleks opened his mouth to say something when the door upstairs opened and Rebecca appeared at the top of the stairs. Her scent hit his nose, and he felt his chest constrict. How could he have possibly thought he could stay away from her? She made her way down the stairs with Nicholas and Ashby following behind her. She moved gracefully, and when she got to the bottom of the stairs, he got the full effect of the dress. It had tiny spaghetti straps that seemed to accent her shoulders. The black dress only seemed to display her creamy skin to its every advantage. The lone slit up one side was nearly his undoing. He didn’t realize he was growling until Liam hit him in the ribs. Rebecca just blushed and smiled at him.
“Ready?” he asked, holding out a slightly trembling hand. She nodded and moved forward, taking his hand.
“Goodnight, everyone, thank you, for everything,” she said, smiling at the room.
“Have her back before midnight, young man,” Liam said, standing in front of the pair.
“Out of the way, cat,” Aleks muttered. Rebecca stepped forward and gave him a hug.
Aleks growled. She ignored him.
“Goodnight, Liam.” She kissed his cheek. Aleks growled again.
“I’m serious though, if you don’t want to go back to the bed-and-breakfast we made up a guest room for you. That’s where Sebastian has been hiding. I let Leona know you may be staying here,” Liam said, smiling down at her.
“Watch him for me?” she asked. Liam nodded.
“Who’s Sebastian?” Aleks asked. Rebecca waved.
“Goodnight, everyone.” She started walking toward the door.
“Who’s Sebastian?” Aleks asked again, walking out the door with his arm around her waist.
* * * *
“No, seriously, who is Sebastian?” Aleks asked again when they had been seated. They had driven outside of town to one of the best restaurants in the area. Their reservation had been for eight, giving them time to get there.
“How was your day?” she asked, smiling up at him. He sighed then smiled back at her.
“Better after having seen you in the afternoon,” he said.
“Did you catch any criminals?” she asked. He laughed.
“No, mostly I help to mediate disputes between families. Today I followed up with Bran’s men about checking the perimeter. Everyone in town knows not to hunt near the road. We believe there may be hyenas close by,” he said.
“Hyenas don’t follow the laws put forth by the council, right?” Rebecca asked. Aleks looked at her in surprise.
“Exactly, did Liam tell you that?” he asked.
“Yes, he has been explaining a lot to me, Leona too. This is all completely outside my realm of knowledge,” she said. Aleks frowned.
“I should have been the one to explain these things to you. I’m sorry,” he said, meeting her gaze. Her eyes widened.
“Let’s not think about that right now. Let’s pretend this is a typical first date with no drama,” she said, leaning forward and taking his huge hand in her tiny one. Aleks froze. Her small hand was so cold.
He immediately got up and wrapped his coat around her shoulders. He then motioned to the waiter.
“Can you please turn up the heat in here? My lady is freezing.” He indicated to Rebecca, who was swimming in his suit jacket. The waiter smiled at her then nodded at Aleks.
“Of course, sir.” He walked away to make the adjustment.
“Why did you do that?” she asked. He couldn’t help but smile. She looked absolutely adorable being swallowed up by his coat. He liked that his scent was covering her now.
“Do what?” he asked.
“Give me your coat and asked them to turn up the heat,” she said.
“Because you were cold,” he said, confused.
“So just like that you did something about it?” she asked, tilting her head.
“Yes, you are my mate. It bothers me on every level to know that you are cold and uncomfortable,” he said simply.
She just smiled softly then nodded.
The rest of the dinner went smoothly. Aleks learned that his mate was intelligent and kind. She was fierce when she talked about something she was passionate about. He found himself surprised to be learning about some of the townspeople from her. She observed everything through fresh unbiased eyes.
When the waiter came up and let them know it was closing time, Rebecca frowned. It had been a magical dinner. There were never any awkward silences, and it seemed as if they went from strangers to old friends somewhere between the appetizer and dessert.
Aleks walked her to the car and noticed the sad look in her eyes. He pulled her against him and raised her face to his with his hand.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Didn’t you enjoy dinner?” he asked softly. She nodded.
“Then what’s wrong? If I can fix it I will,” he said.
“I’m afraid that when we go back this spell will be broken and you won’t want me anymore,” she said as tears started to spill down her cheeks.
“Oh God, baby, no, please don’t cry. I don’t care if it takes me the rest of my life to prove to you that I need you, I will. Things between us will only get better and better. I’m not fighting our mating anymore,” he said and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.
“You promise?” she asked, placing her small hands on his large ones as he framed her face.
“I promise,” he said then leaned in slowly, giving her time to back away. He gently brought their lips together. He felt her hands tighten on his as she leaned forward kissing him back. He gave a low growl and deepened their kiss.
“Do you think the bear will share his human?” a voice asked behind them.
Aleks looked up and swept Rebecca behind him.
“Back off, hyena, you know the laws,” Aleks said, baring his
descended canines.
“We’re not in Arkadia, bear! You don’t rule out here,” another voice said from behind Rebecca. Before Aleks could move, they had grabbed her and were pulling her towards a car. The hyena that had been in front of him stood with another between him and his mate.
“Aleks!” she screamed.
He could feel his bear straining to break free. He let out a roar and charged the two hyenas. He brought his arm up and raked his claws across their chests before flinging the third one into the building.
“His hands are shifted!” one yelled.
“Of course my hands have shifted, I am an Arkadion. We’re one of the original shifter families. A partial shift is child’s play to me.” He backed Rebecca up against the car until he could feel her trembling against his back.
“This isn’t over, bear. She’s worth too much, we need her.” The hyena that had been flung stood wiping his mouth.
“You threaten my mate and I will personally kill each of you with my bare hands,” Aleks said.
The hyenas cackled nervously and all three shifted and ran into the brush.
“Get in the car!” Aleks barked as Rebecca scrambled to get in the car. He raced around and jumped in the driver’s side. He watched as her trembling hands tried and failed to buckle her seat belt. Gently he took the belt from her hands and clicked it for her.
“It will be okay, baby, they will never touch you,” he said and kissed her forehead.
Her entire body shook beside him. Enraged, he took out his phone. Within seconds he had Liam, his parents, and Bran conferenced in and on speaker.
“I need you to send an escort to meet us and get us into town safely. I am taking no chances with my mate,” Aleks said.
“Connor, Rian, Damian, Emmett, and Duncan have already left. Kate is coordinating with them on a separate line,” Ma said calmly.
“Rian and Damian were most adamant to be the ones to guard your mate,” Pa said.
“They ju–just want t–t–to hear how th–the date went. They are s–s–so nosy,” Rebecca said, her teeth chattering.
“Aleks, turn up the heat, it sounds like she is going into shock.” A familiar voice came across the phone.
Aleks looked over and saw that Rebecca was still shaking and started cursing as he jacked the heat in the cabin.
He recognized the voice as Dr. Claybourne. He was glad his Ma had called him. He wanted to make sure Rebecca was okay. He cursed under his breath.
“Aleks, language!” Ma said and Aleks smiled at the familiarity of it.
“Yes, Ma,” he said and pushed the gas pedal down further.
A little before the halfway mark, which proved to Aleks how fast his brothers must have been driving, they met up with their escort. Two trucks did hairpin turns and flanked his car. Aleks let out a breath, feeling better now that his brothers were with him.
“The others are here. We should be home in less than thirty minutes,” Aleks said.
“Bring her straight to the diner. I want to lay eyes on the both of you,” Ma said.
“Ok, Ma, love you,” he said.
“Love you too, baby boy, hurry home,” she said and he hung up the phone.
“I’m sorry our date was ruined,” he said softly.
“It wasn’t ruined. You were willing to fight and kill for me. That shows me how you feel more than any words can say.” She grabbed his hand and held on tight.
“I would do anything for you,” he said and she smiled.
Chapter 5
“She’s fine, Aleks, no harm done,” Dr. Claybourne said, stepping back from Rebecca. Aleks breathed a sigh of relief.
“Repeat what he said again,” Ma asked.
“I don’t know. It was something about Rebecca being worth too much,” Aleks said, running his hands through his hair, causing it to stick up in different directions. Rebecca realized what would look messy on another man made him look like he just got out of bed. Yum.
“He said, ‘This isn’t over, bear. She’s worth too much, we need her.’ Then they left,” Rebecca said, blowing on her hot chocolate.
“Okay, that was creepy,” Connor said. She looked around.
“What was creepy?” she asked.
“When you repeated what he said, you kinda sounded like him, babe,” Aleks said.
“Oh, yeah, I do that. I have an eidetic memory, sort of,” she said, sipping her drink.
“Really?” Aleks asked, surprised. Having a photographic memory that could also recall sensory impressions was quite rare.
“Yeah, it sucks sometimes. When I hear something that makes me sad, it stays with me a long time and I can recall it with perfect clarity, like when the police came in to tell me my father had died. I remember exactly what he said and how he sounded. Or like the other day when you were talking to Connor and you…” She trailed off.
Aleks stood and picked her up before placing her in his lap and wrapping his arms around her. He nuzzled the back of her neck and she giggled. Everyone smiled at the pair.
“How soon can we close our borders to them?” Aleks asked.
“We can’t,” Ma said softly.
“Why the hell not?” Aleks roared.
“Because we can’t prove that they were acting with their clan’s approval. If we close the borders to them they could bring charges against us for not remaining neutral. It could lead to the dismantling of not only this town but Arkadia’s sister towns as well.” Ma explained.
“That is bullshit!” Rian exclaimed. Heads nodded.
“But that’s the reality that we have to deal with,” Ma said.
“Come on, baby, let’s get out of here,” Aleks said and felt her tense up in his lap. She shot a look to Liam and then Rian and Damian. Rian was the first one to realize what was wrong.
“You can’t take her away, Aleks. She is coming home with us so we can hear all about your date,” he said, winking. Aleks began to frown. Damian chimed in.
“That’s right, she owes us a story.” Damian stepped up and scooped Rebecca out of Aleks’s arms. Aleks began to growl. Rebecca turned and faced him.
“I’m not saying no, just not tonight. Please understand,” she asked, looking down at Aleks, her eyes pleading. He knew she needed more time.
“Don’t forget to pick up your luggage from the bed and breakfast. You will want a change of clothes for the morning,” Leona said, smiling.
“Thank you, Leona,” Rebecca said, smiling.
“My door is always open to you, baby girl,” Leona said, giving her a kiss on the cheek before heading out the door.
Aleks, unable to deny her anything, sighed.
“Okay, but they have to feed me in the morning. I’ll be over for breakfast,” he said, grinning evilly at Liam, who rolled his eyes.
“I also want to cook you dinner tomorrow to make up for the way tonight’s date ended. Would that be okay?” he asked.
She nodded, smiling, and then leaned forward from Damian’s arms and kissed him.
“Okay, no smooching in my arms, it’s weird,” Damian said, laughing.
“See you in the morning,” Aleks said.
“Goodnight,” she said, waving.
Aleks waited until Damian, Rian, and Liam left with Rebecca before swinging to his brothers.
“Emmett, you take first watch, and Connor, you can take second. I’ll take third watch and then stay for breakfast. I want her watched at all times until we can close the borders to those damn hyenas,” he said.
His brothers nodded.
“We got this, Aleks,” Emmett said. Both brothers pounded fists with Aleks. Emmett grabbed the thermos of coffee his ma had prepared and handed it to Connor. Aleks knew he wouldn’t feel better until the borders were closed.
* * * *
“Okay, do you want to explain why we rescued you from what would have been a primal claiming? He was totally amped up from defending you. It would have been hot!” Damian demanded, waving his hands beside her in the backseat. It had only taken
them a few minutes to pick up her luggage from Leona’s. Rebecca shook her head and looked out the window of Liam’s Excursion as they made their way back to the Pride house.
“I think he has accepted that he has a mate, and I think he has even accepted and is okay with a human being his mate. But I want him to want me, Rebecca, as a mate. Does that make sense?” she asked, turning to look at Damian, who sat beside her.
“I understand what you mean, darling, but here’s a little inside information. For shifters, when we meet our mate, that is it. Aleks may have had reservations about you being his mate since his protective instincts were in overdrive and he didn’t want to hurt you, but he and his bear know you are it for him,” Damian said.
“Tonight was magical. I felt like we really got to know each other, but he doesn’t know everything about me. How can he already accept me as a person?” she asked.
“Rebecca, for shifters your mate is your everything. Before you, Aleks may have only dated tall, Nordic blondes who were built like linebackers. But now he is only attracted to tiny, dark-haired humans. Everything in him wants, no, needs everything that makes you, you. You have just found the one person in this whole world that will love you and crave you, just the way you are, because just the way you are makes you perfect for him,” Rian explained from the passenger seat.
“Just like that?” she asked. All three men nodded.
“In our world finding your mate is like winning the lottery. Our whole culture teaches us to cater to our mates, because we know how much of a blessing it is. Mates always, always come first,” Liam said.
“Tall, Nordic blondes?” she asked, and all three groaned.
“You would pick up on that one single sentence.” Damian playfully smacked her on the arm. She laughed.
“So enough of the self doubt, tell us everything! I want details, woman. Aleks has been the most eligible bachelor and most sought-after shifter in town. He’s always so intense.” Rian turned around and stared at her in rapt attention. She smiled.
“Ahhhh! Look at that smile. I know something happened, tell all, woman!” Rian exclaimed.