Page 25 of Country and Clove
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Aaron sipped on his beer, mulling over everything he knew about Clove and her sister, which was admittedly very little. The other two talked incessantly, making up for the time they’d spent in different packs. Hunter and Dane were practically joined at the hip. It reminded Aaron so much of him and Lucas. It still shocked Aaron that Dane was so accepting of Hunter mating his girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend. Hunter looked so happy and at ease. He was a man in love and it twisted something inexplicably personal in Aaron’s gut. It was as if he were watching an alternate reality play out—what could have been his life if he hadn’t rejected the mate bond. Aaron bided his time, waiting for Dane to head back to the bar for another round.
“You’re mated to Clove’s sister. Has there been any mention of powers?” he asked, not bothering to ease into the question. Hunter looked surprised.
“Not for Gigi or Clove, but their mom was a Chosen.” Hunter shrugged. Having a Chosen parent definitely increased the chances of having a Chosen offspring.
“Was?” The word made his stomach drop.
“She died when they were in high school. Drunk driver hit her.” Hunter’s eyes saddened. No doubt he felt the pain more keenly now that the loss belonged to his mate. “Gigi said that’s when Clove started dyeing her hair and spending all her time at the ranch.”
“What ranch?” That piqued Aaron’s interest for multiple reasons. Dane slid back into their booth, passing out the round of beers.
“It’s their grandfather’s ranch. That’s where Clove stays mostly. Waylin too,” Hunter said casually.
Aaron’s hackles rose. “Waylin the new recruit?”
Hunter nodded. “Yeah, those two are basically inseparable these days.”Inseparable. Aaron seethed. Clove wouldn’t give him the time of day but with some other asshole she was inseparable.
“Aaron?” Dane asked cautiously.
“What?” he bit out and Dane leaned back instinctively.
“Your wolf is very fucking close to the surface.” Dane’s own eyes began to glow in response. Aaron checked in with his wolf. Dane was right. The damn animal was trying to break free. It was flooding him with visions of Waylin, bloodied and in so many pieces he was barely recognizable. Aaron gripped the edge of the table, fighting for control as the wood cracked beneath his fingertips.
“I need to get some air.” Aaron excused himself. He pushed out into the crisp night air and breathed deeply. His animal was demanding its turn with their body and Aaron cried out as his bones unexpectedly began to rearrange.
The shift was always painful but usually happened too quickly to care much. But when he and his animal were fighting, the shift could take several agonizing minutes to complete. He pulled out his phone, letting Dane know that something came up. He’d barely pressed ‘send’ when his claws shredded through his fingertips. He pulled off his clothes in an effort to salvage them but the shift had other ideas. He hit the ground, panting, and half shifted as the moon rose high in the sky.
Everything was fucked up now and it was all his fault. Was he ever going to stop questioning if he made the right choice?
Clove’s luminous eyes were the last thing he thought of before his wolf took full control, and he surrendered to the change.
CHAPTER11
The next day had come too soon. A steady growling rumbled beneath Aaron’s breath. His wolf was restless, even after a full night of running. Dane’s eyes flicked back to him every few minutes, but he seemed to have enough sense to keep his distance. Aaron watched the trainees sparring with a distinctive chip on his shoulder. Of the fourteen recruits present, his eyes were only able to focus on two. Clove had chosen to spar with Waylin. The two of them were pretty evenly matched. Clove delivered an impressive kick to the solar plexus that knocked Waylin flat on his ass. Every time Aaron watched Clove he became more mesmerized by her strength, skill, and beauty. He realized now that he knew nothing of the girl he’d left in the woods that day.
Clove leapt on top of Waylin, her fist sailing toward his face. But Waylin was quick. He clutched her arm and used her momentum to flip their bodies over until he had her pinned. His hips pressed into Clove’s and Aaron’s blood burned so hot he feared it may set the very room ablaze.
“Switch partners,” he ordered. His pulse steadied as Waylin moved away from Clove. Waylin offered Clove a hand up, and smiling, she took it. Aaron’s dislike of the new recruit grew. He set his gaze on Waylin and followed the man as he moved across the room to pair with Abigail. A smile tugged at his lips as the new pair began sparring. Now he wouldn’t be able to put his filthy hands on his uh…on her.
Aaron’s eyes flicked back to Clove and his fury ignited all over again. She had chosen to pair with Graham. Aaron snarled. Graham turned and gave him a questioning look. Aaron’s wolf was calling out to Graham’s in a challenge. Graham’s dark eyes glowed in response. He was one of the few here who would likely accept Aaron’s challenge without hesitation. Graham was highly trained and dominant. He didn’t even need the current program Aaron was putting the other trainees through. If Graham had wanted, he could have just proven his skills in a scheduled challenge observed by the Alpha and gotten instantly assigned to a job. Aaron got the feeling Graham joined the program out of boredom and something about that unnerved him.
He sucked in a breath and used every bit of willpower to bury the beast behind a wall of tempered self-control. Graham’s eyes dropped their heated glow and he turned back to Clove. Her gaze was glued to Aaron. He wasn’t certain, but for a moment she appeared almost concerned. A moment later it was gone, replaced by the usual pissed-off look she sent his way.
He sighed and ran a hand down his face. What the hell was he going to do with her? He was filled with the urge to claim her as his mate despite the fact that he didn’t want to lose his goddamn mind in the brainless fated-mates curse. He was struggling to draw her in, but he couldn’t stand the thought of her being with anyone else. Something had to change. Was it going to be him?
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“Ow, lass. Not my dick,” Graham groaned as Clove removed her foot from his groin. He was a mountain of a man and when he hit the training mats it sent a tremor across the floor. Clove had to get creative when fighting an opponent so much larger than she was. It was the same reason she’d gone for the nuts in her fight with Aaron. That, and he deserved it for deserting her in the woods. Kicking Graham in the dick hadn’t given her quite as much satisfaction as when she’d done it to Aaron.
“Sorry, big boy,” she teased, helping him to stand. “You left yourself wide open and unguarded. Plus you’re a lycan, your dick will heal.”
“It better. It’s my best attribute. I could show you sometime.” He grinned at her. Clove kicked out in warning and Graham immediately shielded his junk. “Just a joke.” They began circling each other once more.
“I’ve never had a sparring partner who talks quite so much,” she droned.
“I’m chatty.” He shrugged. “Plus it distracts my opponents who are trying too hard to focus. Speaking of which, what are your powers?” Clove faltered just long enough for Graham to dive forward, hammering her with a range of jabs and elbows that she blocked as best she could.
