Page 32 of Country and Clove
“The new Alpha places women on a pedestal, so at least one will need to be a woman. And they both need to be capable of holding their own when it comes to the lifestyle of the pack. We’re talking ranch experience, physical labor, riding, roping, the works. If the new Alpha is anything like I remember, they’ll test us to see if we’re worth the time and energy of the pack.” Thinking back to his time in Texas, fear clutched at Aaron’s gut.
Lucas nodded. “I can work with those parameters.”
“Get Laurie to help you, and have them here as soon as possible,” Gideon said, standing. “Everyone else take a break, get some food, grab a nap. We’ll reconvene when the team is in place and go from there.” Gideon clapped Aaron on the shoulder as he walked by. “I have faith in you.”
The words were meant to be reassuring but they planted the seeds of doubt and failure into the wounded recesses of Aaron’s mind. By the time he peeled himself out of the chair and trudged back up to his apartment, he could barely keep his eyes open. A nap was seriously fucking tempting. He landed face-first on the bed, not bothering to change clothes, and let his adrenaline-numbed body slink off to sleep.
Lucas knocked on his door two hours later. Aaron met him in the hall, feeling like death warmed over. Lucas handed him a cup of coffee and the two caught the elevators back to the lower levels.
“How did the search go?” Aaron asked, his mind still groggy.
“It went great. I found two lycans that are perfect for the task. They’re waiting for us in Gideon’s office.”
“You’re the best.” Aaron nudged Lucas’s shoulder with his in an affectionate gesture.
“You say that now,” Lucas said ominously as the elevator doors slid wide. He peered at Aaron with a mischievous look as they approached Gideon’s office. “Don’t fight it. This is for your own good.”
The scent of peaches and honeysuckle slammed into him the second he entered the office. His eyes homed in on Clove’s location in an instant. She turned, her green and gold gaze widening as she met his.
“What are you doing here?” Aaron’s words escaped as a shocked growl.
“Aaron”—Gideon rounded the desk to approach him—“good news. It turns out the two best candidates for the mission were in your current pack of recruits.”
Aaron flicked his burning glare from Clove to Graham.You’ve got to be kidding me.
“These two will accompany you to Texas this afternoon. They’ve been briefed on the current situation and I have no doubt that between the three of you, you’ll be able to sway your old pack to our cause.”
Aaron’s mind was churning, working to find any possible reason to avoid bringing Clove with him. After several seconds of being unable to come up with anything, he nodded.
“We won’t let you down, Alpha.” He and Clove locked eyes again and his heart stuttered.
“I’ve sent word to the Alpha of the Texas pack. They’re expecting you within the hour. Time is of the essence, so pack what you’ll need and meet me here. Lark will facilitate your travels.”
The group dispersed, heading to their apartments. Aaron caught Clove stepping onto an elevator out of the corner of his eye. He sprinted that way, sliding in just as the door pulled closed. Clove gawked up at him in surprise.
“Couldn’t wait for the next one?” He didn’t miss her mocking tone. Aaron slammed his hand on the emergency stop button and prowled forward, forcing Clove into a corner.
“How’d you convince them to let you on the team?”
“I didn’t, you presumptuous ass. My life doesn’t revolve around your job and finding ways to tag along. Laurie called me at the crack of dawn while I was out on the ranch and said she needed Graham and I to drive in. I didn’t know until right before you got there that you would be leading our mission or I would have said something.” Her words had a bitterness to them that made Aaron’s wolf whimper within.
“What do you mean, you and Graham drove in? He was with you?” Something dark and green took root in Aaron’s chest. “As in, he stayed the night?”
Clove’s cheeks darkened. “Who I spend my time with outside of training hours is none of your concern.”
Aaron’s growl shook the small space. His hand shot out, possessively wrapping around her throat. “He better not have laid a hand on you or I’ll break every one of his fingers.” He pressed in closer, moving into her personal space and forcing her to look up to meet his stare. Clove bore daggers into him.
She leaned up, pressing her throat deeper into his palm as her voice dropped to a sultry purr. “It’s not his fingers you should be worried about.”
Aaron lost it. Sleek metal and harsh knuckles met as his fist drove deep into the wall. The tang of blood hit his nose. It tainted the space, ruining Clove’s peachy, honeysuckle scent. His wolf clawed toward the surface. Bones ground together and muscles swelled as the shift threatened to drag him under. He could tell by Clove’s startled expression that his eyes had already succumbed to his wolf, glowing with the power of his inner beast.
“I’ll kill him.” Aaron’s voice was deathly low and so cold it could give Nova’s ice magic a run for its money. He pulled away from Clove, vengeance coloring his sight red. He would find that motherfucker and rip him apart until the pieces were so small and mangled that his regenerative powers failed completely. Saliva pooled in his mouth at the thought of Graham’s blood.
Clove’s hand caught in his shirt as she dragged him back to face her. “Don’t.” Her green and gold eyes were alight with her own inner animal.
“He touched what’s mine. I won’t be able to stand looking at him now that I know what happened.”
“Nothing happened.” Clove’s voice wavered and guilt simmered beneath each syllable. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it would hurt you like this. Nothing happened. He didn’t touch me.”
