While I waited for Jared, Aidan filled me in on why he had me pulled from class. He had a plan. As far as I could see, though, it wasn’t much of a plan, and I was eighty-nine percent sure there was more to it that he wasn’t telling me. The gist: he was calling the team together and tomorrow, once Dad got back and I played up my relationship with Jared a little, they were going into the mountain to hunt the werecougars.
But my doubts about his plan could have also had something to do with the new additions to our pack. Aidan said they were temporary, help sent from his parents, and I really didn’t know what to make of that. I hadn’t thought about Aidan belonging to another pack before now. I guessed it made sense; he had been a werewolf before he’d shown up in Dog Mountain, but the information only managed to fill me with questions, and reaffirm the fact that I really knew nothing about him. Another item to add to the growing list of things he hadn’t told me.
Chris and Tommy were like statues behind him as he spoke. Seriously, it was as if they weren’t even breathing. The only thing that moved on them was their eyes, constantly sweeping the room and windows, alert and ready. Was this how enforcers were supposed to act? If it was, then our pack was more screwed up than I had thought.
“Don’t think you’ve actually thought this one out,” I cut in, when Aidan paused to yawn for at least the twentieth time. “Have you considered that Dad’s going to notice Tiff isn’t around? If you’re not here, who’s going to stop him from trying to seek her out to get the wolves she promised him?”
When I had refused to fight for alpha female, Tiffany had won by default, accepting the role and technically becoming Aidan’s mate. Her reign hadn’t lasted long. She had been the star of the video Erika had gotten, her leading man, my dad. She had conspired with him, for reasons none of us knew, agreeing to send some female wolves to the cougars, because as my dad put it, his boys liked some fight in their women and the werewolves would heal faster. Once I saw that video, everything changed. I hadn’t been able to not fight. I couldn’t stand back and do nothing. Not when my wolves were in danger. So I fought. And I won. I killed her.
I shuddered at the memory. There were times where I swore I could still taste her blood on my tongue. I knew I should have felt sick over the whole thing but I didn’t. Really, the only thing that got to me was that for a short time Aidan had belonged to someone else. I couldn’t feel bad for taking the life of someone that would willingly risk the lives of my pack members. My inner-wolf wouldn’t let me hold onto the feeling even if I had wanted to.
“Yeah, I thought about it,” Aidan said and yawned again. “That’s why I’m going with the team. It would make sense that Tiff would be with me since she’s supposed to be the alpha female, my partner.”
A pang of jealousy worked its way through my chest. Partner. I guessed I should have been thankful he didn’t call her his mate, but nope, I wasn’t. Partner was just as bad. I swallowed down a growl. “And me?” I asked, and winced inwardly at the bitter tone in my voice. I swallowed hard. “What am I supposed to do?”
He arched a brow, and a crooked smirk appeared. “You’re part of the team now, aren’t you?”
“Hold up,” I said. A shocked laugh worked its way out of my throat and my eyes widened. He couldn’t be serious. He just couldn’t. I fixed him with what I was sure was a stunned glare. “You really think going with me and Jared to hunt them down is a good idea? ‘Cause it’s not.”
God, it really wasn’t.
How was I supposed to spend that much time with him and not let my struggle show? How was I supposed to pretend that Jared was the one I really wanted? Even sitting here in the same room as Aidan was a challenge. My inner-wolf was restless; I was restless. I could still feel his arms around me, the heat of his body pressed against me. And I couldn’t believe the way my body was responding to his scent, as if it belonged to me and no one else, as if I had to have it or die trying to get it. It was crazy, but as crazy as it was, I found myself drawing in another deep breath, letting the sweetness and the greens and the power of his aroma fill my lungs.
I trembled and my inner-wolf stirred, swirling my own scent around me. I need to tell him the truth, I thought, as I watched him close his eyes. His nostrils flared, and then he winced as if I had just hurt him. Really not the reaction I had wanted, that was for sure, and just like that, my confessions died on the tip of my tongue.
Aidan shook himself, readjusting in his chair, and his smirk turned into a full smile. He chuckled. “Jade, whatever it is that you think is happening here, it isn’t.” The smile died and his lips thinned. “My pack is being threatened. Like you just said, Tiff was going to give some of my wolves to them, and your dad is still expecting that to happen. You can hate me all you want later. Right now, the pack is more important.”
That hurt and I groaned trying to hide the pain his words were causing. It wasn’t that I hated him, I just didn’t trust him. “Get over yourself, Aidan,” I said with as much snark as I could muster. This was your choice, I reminded myself sternly. You’re the one that walked away. But even if I knew that, it didn’t lessen the pain; it didn’t change how I really felt. I tried to spit out the truth, but the confession was stuck in my throat. I swallowed a few quick swallows, then I sighed. “We don’t even know why she was going to do it. What was she getting out of it? We need to be here. We need to try and get the information out of him.”
“No, we don’t,” Aidan said. He held my eyes for a long moment and let out a windy breath. “This really isn’t up for discussion.”
The rumble of a diesel engine pulling into the driveway caught my attention, stopping me from snapping out something that most likely wouldn’t have helped. I glanced over my shoulder to the window. Jared. His truck was a monster, diesel with dual back tires. He killed the engine and the team slowly piled out.
Jared didn’t bother to knock, instead just barging in as if it were his house. The team hung back as he walked in the door, kicking off his shoes. His gaze swept the room before settling on me. He looked calm enough, although I could see he was pissed. It was in his eyes, the flecks of gold, the hard edges. I grinned at him, hopping off the couch. “Hey, baby, what took you so long?”
Jared watched me closely as I made my way across the room. He was in black jeans and a black, form fitting tee. His fists clenched at his sides, the muscles in his forearms, roped and straining. I stopped in front of him, overly aware of everyone watching us, specifically, Aidan. My inner-wolf bucked and fought me, begging me to back up, walk away. But I didn’t.
Jared stared down at me, unblinking and unmoving, for a moment longer and in that moment, he was impossible to read. His face was a mask, his scent, calm-ish. His arm snaked out, wrapping around my waist, pulling me against him, and I squealed in surprise. “Couldn’t find Erika,” he said, finally. He leaned down, pressing his lips to mine. His lips were warm and moist, his kiss, rough and demanding.
Something dark and wild and frantic surged through me. I stood rigid in his arms. I knew what he was doing, marking his territory. Showing Aidan I was taken. My inner-wolf bucked some more, furious with me. The only thought I had as I fought against her protests was that Jared was so not the cheese to my macaroni. Darn you, Mac, for putting that thought in there!
I sighed when he broke away, and he grinned, clearly taking the sigh as something more than just relief that the kiss was over. He winked and then let go. As he stepped past me he asked, “What’s my girl doing here?”
“She’s my partner,” Aidan replied coolly. “We had some business to deal with.”
I cringed. I couldn’t stop it. And I couldn’t turn around. I felt dirty, filthy, letting him kiss me like that, mark me as his, but I didn’t know what else to do. As far as everyone else was concerned, I was with Jared. Beck was the only one who knew the full truth, and he was keeping it quiet, just as Jared and I had planned.
The guys stood just outside the door, grinning at me as if they actually thought this was funny.
Landon leaned into Beck and whispered something that I was glad I couldn’t hear, because I was sure I would want to deck him if I had. He was grinning at me, a grin that was both knowing and condemning. Whatever he had said, it made Beck laugh, hard.
I was about to tell them to shut up and get inside when Jared said, “Jade, come here.”
I cut a dirty look at the team before turning around. I mustered up the sweetest smile I could and started toward him. “What do you mean you can’t find Erika?”
Jared was already sitting on the couch, his arm draping over the back, and his glare was fixed on Aidan. “Exactly what it sounds like,” he said without looking in my direction. “I don’t know where she is.”
I sat down beside him, pressing close, and nudged him with my shoulder, trying to pull his death stare off of Aidan. He didn’t respond so I nudged him again and wiggled against his side.
I risked a look at Aidan. His glare was fixed on me. His jaw ticked. His nostrils flared. His hands gripped the armrests, his fingers turning white. The butterflies in my stomach made themselves known, flapping and fluttering. The jealousy that flared in his eyes stole my breath and a hot blush streaked to my cheeks.
“Who are the statues?” Jared asked, tensing further. I knew he could smell the spike in my scent, and hear my frantic heartbeat, but I couldn’t make myself calm down.
I shifted my focus to Jared, snuggling a bit closer. “They’re friends of Aidan’s.” My voice squeaked a little and I cleared it. “Um, they’re kind of joining your team.”
“Your idea?” he asked, glancing down at me. The warning in his eyes was clear, and again I tried to tone my scent down.
I shook my head. “No. But we could use the help, don’t you think?”
For an incredibly tense moment, Jared didn’t say a word. The team crowded around us, along the back of the couch, and one by one, Beck, Landon, Mark, and Craig touched me. Whether the hands were there for support, or to show Aidan they’d staked a claim to me, I didn’t know.
“Anything you want, kitten,” Jared finally said. His arm draped around me then, pushing off all the hands that had found their way to my shoulders, and his body relaxed, as he pulled me into his side. He kissed the top of my head, breathing me in and then asked, “So what’s this business about that was so important that you forgot to call me before ditching school and rushing over here?”
CHAPTER 7
~ AIDAN ~
I was sweating. My boxers, yeah, were soaked. I felt as if I were sitting in a puddle, no, it was more like a lake. Had the team agreed? Had Jared agreed? I scrubbed at my face. I felt as if I were losing my mind. Her scent worked through my system, screwing with my brain. It didn’t know if the constant flares of her scent were for me or for him. Damn, it almost seemed as if the fragrance was spiking for both of us. My biceps flexed. My inner-wolf shifted. I started to get up, but my legs wouldn’t move. This was a nightmare. It had to be. The kind where I knew I needed to run, but my legs wouldn’t obey. Did any of that just happen?
Jade smiled. She waved. Jared wrapped an arm over her shoulder and kissed her lightly. He winked at me; clearly he knew this was torture for me and I was sure he loved every second of it. I was living in a damn nightmare. The door shut. The truck started. And I sat there watching as my mate left me again with Jared.
“Well, that was … interesting,” Tommy said, running a rough hand over his clean, hairless head. He paced a few steps, tugged at the collar of his polo shirt, and then dropped onto the couch.
“He sure has some hold on her,” Chris added with a long whistle. He was sitting on the arm of the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, and legs stretched out, folded at the ankles. “I’ve never seen an alpha female or any female fight so hard to ignore the call of her mate.” His chiseled face looked harder under all the creases lining his narrowed eyes.
I swallowed hard. Her scent lingered. Fruits and almonds. My muscles flexed again. Shit! “She’s not …”
“Yeah, she is,” Tommy said, cutting me off. “It’s pretty obvious, kid. She feels it. Jared sees it, too. Her inner-wolf may want him, but she sure as hell doesn’t.”
What the hell just happened? I took another breath. I shifted in my chair. No one had argued. No one had challenged my decision. Jade agreed to everything. She even told Jared she wanted Chris and Tommy on the team, that she wanted me with them on the hunt. Where was the fight she had before Jared showed up? How the hell had he calmed her into a docile, obedient … Shit!
For a second I’d thought I still had a chance. A real chance. She’d melted against me like putty. I had smelled it. Her desire. Her need. But then he showed up. He calmed her. Her inner-wolf wanted him. The scent was there, she had been throwing it off like crazy when he had walked through that door. He possessed her in a way that I’d dreamed of having her since the moment I had met her.
I shifted again, sweating even more. “Dom?”
He looked just as confused as me. He sat on the couch beside Tommy, one arm over the back, staring at the door with a big question mark on his forehead. His brow furrowed and he shook his head from side to side a few times before his hazel eyes finally focused on me. He shrugged. “I told you before she’s stubborn, but if I had to guess, this whole Jared thing really has nothing to do with you. Jade might hold a grudge, but she wouldn’t do this just to hurt you. She’s not that much of a bitch. My best guess, she actually likes him. It’s obvious her inner-wolf does.” His tone was dry, as if his throat had closed up, and the look he shot me said he didn’t really believe what he was saying, but that didn’t matter. All I heard was likes him.
“Likes him,” I echoed. My jaw ticked. My eyes flared. Get it together! “Likes him,” I said again. Every muscle in my body screamed as I forced myself to stay put and not go after her.
Dominic didn’t miss my sparking rage. He stood up, moving behind the couch, putting a safe distance between us. “I can call Mac,” he blurted. “See if she found out anything this morning.”
“This morning?” My voice was a growl. My scent flared. His mask splintered and cracked. He paled. His head bowed. I was falling apart. I could feel it, deep within my gut. My nostrils flared as I sucked in more and more of her lingering scent. Mine, my inner-wolf growled into my mind. Dammit! She was mine. Every instinct I had was urging me to go after her. Pull it together!
“Yeah.” Dominic tugged a hand through his blond hair, his head bowing further. “I sent her over there this morning.”
“Dammit, Dom!” I jumped up and started to pace. My skin was crawling, my inner-wolf howling, begging to be let out. “Can’t you follow anything I say? I told you both to keep away from her. She wanted space.”
“Aidan,” Tommy choked out in a hoarse voice. He stood up and stepped in front of me, placing a hand on my shoulder, and squeezed. “Keep it together, kid.”
I closed my eyes, taking in a deep, centering breath. It didn’t help. God, was her scent getting stronger?
“Jade doesn’t know what she wants,” Dominic whispered. “And Trevor found tracks outside Mac’s house this morning. She can’t stay at home. Her dad won’t let her move in with her mate and he won’t let Trevor stay there, so being at Jade’s with the team always hanging around is the safest place for her.”
I glanced at him then, my scent still flaring, and he shuddered. His eyes were full of concern, full of misery.
“Aidan,” Chris growled through his teeth. “Tone the scent down. It went well. She’ll see her dad in the morning. Play up the Jared bit and then meet us. He won’t see it coming. And it will give you exactly what you need. The more time you spend with her, the better chance you’ll have at getting her away from Jared. We went over this.”
“You don’t get it!” I snarled. “That team has never agreed with anything I’ve said. And, Jade, she’s not that easy to convince of anything. Something’s not right here. Something else is going on.” The rational part of my mind knew he was right. Everything was going as planned
and tomorrow I would have the entire day to try and talk to her, beg her to forgive me, but the other part was crazed, furious that she had left with him — again. Right then I was certain she had given up on me.
An uneasy silence crowded the room. Tommy dropped his hand from my shoulder, and took a step back. He huffed out a breath. “Look, kid, we have to get going,” he said. “You heard Jared, he wants us to stay with Landon. Don’t want to give that team any reason not to trust us. We’ll email you with anything we find out. Get some sleep. It’ll look better tomorrow.”
~ JADE ~
I had to force myself out of the house, one foot in front of the other. I felt wrecked. Shattered. Jared wouldn’t talk to me. I got in the truck. We dropped off the team. And still he hadn’t said a word.
Aidan’s scent clung to me. On my skin. In my hair. Could Jared smell it? Was that the reason for his maddening silent treatment? He had to know I let Aidan take me into his arms. He had to know that my heart was still racing; that my inner-wolf was doing back flips, begging me to go back. That had to be it. The problem was I didn’t really care if he knew. Did that make me a bitch? Probably.
He pulled into my driveway. Turned off the truck. He didn’t move. I shifted in my seat, opened my mouth, and then shut it. His knuckles were white. His jaw, clenched. The muscles in his forearms, straining. He had never been this mad at me before, not even when I wasn’t one of them and despised the pack. I swallowed hard, popped the door open, and got out. He would talk when he was ready. Hopefully.
Mom was sitting on the couch when I walked in. She glanced at me as I went by and frowned, but didn’t say anything. I figured I looked as bad as I felt.
I went straight to my room, sat on the bed, and waited. And waited. And waited.
The glowing red numbers on my alarm clock flipped by, minute by agonizing minute. An hour passed and still Jared hadn’t come in. I wondered for a moment if he had left, but I knew I would have heard his monster of a truck start up if he had.