Page 2 of Country and Clove
Gideon growled in response. “She’s pregnant with twins and she’s still a new lycan. Her hormones are out of control. I’ve barely slept for weeks.”
“I hate to break it to you, mate, but no one feels sorry for you.” Lucas clapped Gideon on the shoulder. Gideon just sighed irritably.
“Maybe you can catch a nap in your office today,” Aaron joked, opening the door to the coffee shop.
“Speaking of which. I need to see both of you first thing. Be in my office by eight.” Gideon turned and jogged across the street.
“Yes, sir,” Aaron and Lucas answered in unison
Aaron frowned. “Dahlia’s got him so pussy-whipped it’s not even funny.”
“They’re mates, what do you expect?” Lucas ducked under Aaron’s arm and moved to stare down into the cabinet of freshly baked pastries.
Aaron ordered a black coffee and a breakfast burrito.
“He wants three breakfast burritos, love,” Lucas corrected with a wink. He was like a damn mother hen lately. Lucas got a hazelnut latte and twelve homemade cherry Pop-Tarts. The barista blushed as she handed him the food.
“That girl was into you,” Aaron noted between mouthfuls of bacon and egg as they made their way up the complex steps.
“Nah, she’s just sensing my wolf.” Lucas bit into his third cherry Pop-Tart.
“Since when do you like cherry Pop-Tarts so much? I’ve never known you to be a sweets kind of guy.” Aaron eyed the frosted treat.
Lucas shrugged. “I don’t know. I just like them lately.”
The Ulric complex was already bustling with life as they crossed the lobby and headed into the sleek black elevators that led to the apartment levels. Aaron finished the last of his burrito, grateful Lucas had been so pushy.
“Don’t be late,” Lucas mumbled as he unlocked the door to his apartment. Aaron’s own apartment was one door to the left. The two of them had requested an apartment near each other a few years back and spent most of their time together since. Aaron was a transfer, like Lucas, and Lucas was his first friend when he moved into the complex. They both rose quickly in the ranks of Gideon’s inner circle and now they were two of his most trusted pack members.
“Looks like Gideon’s going to be in a real mood today,” Aaron agreed.
“How can a guy who’s getting so much ass be so irritable?” Lucas chuckled then paused. “Speaking of getting ass.”
Aaron perked up, listening intently. Moans emanated from the apartment next to Lucas’s. “It’s not even eight in the morning and those two are already at it. I swear that’s all they do. I wake up, they’re at it, I stop by for lunch, more sex sounds, dinnertime, off to bed, three in the morning…” He shook his head.
The couple next door was a pair of newly transferred fated mates. Liv, a lycan who was the daughter of the previous Alpha of the London pack, and her mate Abigail, a human and Chosen witch also from London. Fated mates were already rare. Two female fated mates was almost unheard of. Aaron would be lying if he said he hadn’t fantasized, on more than one occasion, about the two women inviting him in for a three-way.
“Well, evidently fated mates do nothing but fuck and live happily ever after so there you have it.” Aaron’s tone dripped with sarcasm.
“Dane said we shouldn’t complain. He’s next door to the brand-new transfer, Graham. He said that Scottish asshole has three or four girls in his room at a time. Said he barely gets any sleep.” Lucas chuckled. “So maybe he’s right. I’ll take two moaning girls over the grunting, orgy sounds of that giant, crazy Scot.”
“American girls will drop their panties for anything with a foreign accent,” Aaron groaned bitterly.
“Ain’t that the truth.” Lucas gave him a wink before heading inside.
“Australian prick!” Aaron called out as Lucas’s door shut.
“Southern asshole!” Lucas called back from inside his apartment. Aaron cracked a smile, one of the few that had graced his face since the attack.
CHAPTER2
Gideon strode into the conference room at precisely eight o’clock, looking his usual polished, clean-cut self. He lived nearly twenty-four-seven in impeccably tailored suits that probably cost more than Aaron made all year. But he guessed when you were a big-wig Alpha and billionaire appearances were important, you could spend your money on whatever you wanted. The door opened just behind Gideon and the pack’s Beta, Lance, walked in. Another figure entered just behind him and Aaron’s hackles rose.
Lark strode in, looking his usual cool, collected self. Everything about Lark, from his ghostly white hair to those spooky fucking color-changing eyes, set Aaron’s wolf on edge. Gideon should have put that mutt down when he had the chance. Lark’s eyes snapped toward Aaron. They shifted from burnt orange and icy blue to a steely grey and deep purple. Now that Aaron knew Lark could read minds, he hated him even more. That freak was probably reading his mind right now.Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.The Celestial wolf frowned as he looked at Aaron, but then a small smile curled at the corner of his lips before he took his seat. That smug, stupid—
“Let’s begin,” Gideon commanded the group. The room fell silent at the sound of his voice. Aside from Aaron and Lucas, the meeting consisted of Leah, no surprise there seeing as she was the Alpha’s advisor and bodyguard, Dane who had only recently secured himself a spot in the inner circle, the Alpha, Beta, and creepy-ass Lark. Gideon saw some worth in him but Aaron didn’t understand it. Sure, Lark was powerful. He was a lycan with a lethal wolf along with the ability to read minds, enter the Veil, teleport, and electrocute people. Those were just the abilities Aaron knew about. Apparently, thanks to all his torture time as Creedin’s apprentice, he had a whole host of other powers that were being kept under wraps.
Thinking of the horrific way in which Lark was forced to take in the powers of others did give Aaron pause some moments. He’d come to accept that it wasn’t Lark’s choice to be this way. He’d suffered immeasurably at the hands of that psycho. But he still unnerved him and Aaron didn’t trust anyone who could read people’s fucking minds.
