Page 33 of Country and Clove
Aaron studied her carefully, willing the truth to come forward. His body was painfully close to the shift. Bones had begun to pop in his shoulders and his jaw was starting to reform. Clove brought her hand up to touch his cheek and he snarled. She flinched but didn’t draw back.
“Come back to me.” Her fingers stroked his face as her eyes pleaded with him. “Nothing happened. I swear it. Just breathe.”
Aaron dropped his eyes closed. The world hummed around him. He forced his ribs to expand as he sucked in deep lungfuls of Clove’s sweet scent. Little by little his body settled back into its human form. The pain subsided and he leaned into Clove’s touch. Her lips ghosted over his and his eyes flew open. She drew back, her gaze betraying her uncertainty.
Aaron’s fist wrapped in her dark hair and he drew her to him, his lips melting into hers with the heat of a forest fire. He backed Clove against the wall, pressing his body against hers until he could feel every lush curve of her body as it molded against him. Her lips returned his kiss, eager and frenzied. He shifted his hips, allowing her to feel every inch of need within him. Clove’s lips parted on a moan and he sank his tongue into her, deepening their kiss and devouring her mouth with a desperate need that only she could satisfy. He was burning alive, a falling star dropping to earth, plummeting to inevitable destruction as his desire for her engulfed every part of his body and mind.
“Everyone okay in there?” Mack’s voice shot through the speaker on the far wall. Aaron let out a resigned sigh. The heat fled his body as he pushed away from Clove to click the small red call button.
“Yep, we’re fine in here.”
“Oh, hey Aaron. Sorry about that. I’ll get you moving momentarily.”
The elevator lurched back to life, shattering their bubble of bliss. Protocol gave security staff the power to override the emergency stop once they realized there wasn’t a true emergency. They would chalk it up to some glitch in the system. The doors slid wide on their floor and Clove moved hastily past him, darting through the doors and heading to her apartment down the hall. He hadn’t realized she lived on his floor. Aaron watched her leave and his wolf howled mournfully.
Why is she always walking away from me?
* * *
Graham and Clove were already waiting in Gideon’s office when Aaron returned with his bag. Lark shimmered into view and everyone tensed. “Would it kill you to use the door every once in a while?” Aaron grumbled. Lark gave him a curious look before vanishing from sight. The door swung wide a moment later and Lark strode through with a smirk.
“Better?” Lark’s silver and hazel eyes sparkled with amusement.
Gideon ignored their banter as he addressed the room. “Dane will take over training the recruits until you return and Lucas’s team will continue regular perimeter sweeps. We have several other groups lined up to visit packs in California, New York, and London. The sooner we build up our list of allies, the better chance we’ll have of surviving if Fjor attacks us full force. We’re counting on you to impress the urgency of this situation onto the pack, and sway them to our aid. I have full confidence you’ll do just that.”
Lark stepped forward, holding out his arm. The three reached out, grasping his wrist, elbow, or shoulder. “Yeehaw.” Lark grinned and then the world dropped away.
Aaron sucked in a breath as his body shimmered from existence, moving through a vast emptiness before reappearing beneath a bright, sunny sky. His boots landed on dirt and he shook his head. Teleporting was definitely his least favorite way to travel.
“Well look what the cat dragged in.”
Aaron looked up, finding himself staring into familiar sea-blue eyes. Tawny folded her arms, giving him a curious stare.
“This ain’t your daddy’s pack anymore. I’m the Alpha now.”
“So I’ve heard. Thank you for allowing us in your territory, Alpha,” he offered courteously. Aaron’s heart was beating out of his chest. He recognized several of the wolves slowly moving in around them. He hadn’t been back in more than ten years and the memories of this place still haunted him.
Tawny eyed him suspiciously. “Come now, Aaron. Is that any way to greet your aunt?”
CHAPTER14
Their Alpha is a female? That was a surprise. Clove stared at the fierce woman. She had long coppery hair that had been braided over one shoulder, and brilliant blue eyes. A buckskin Stetson shielded her face from the sun. It was almost identical to Aaron’s. Her face was clean of makeup save for the bright red lipstick that decorated her full lips and matched a set of short red nails that tipped her fingers. Her skin was tanned and freckled. She was strikingly beautiful. Power flowed off of her in palpable waves. Her influence drifted over Clove, sizing up her wolf and pressing in around her with tentative pushes. It was similar to Gideon’s presence but not nearly as powerful to an outside pack member. A group of ten wolves moved into a defensive formation, circling their small group with less than well-hidden distrust. The Alpha was the only one currently in her human form.
“Aunt Tawny,” Aaron offered uncomfortably.
Aunt? The Alpha was Aaron’s aunt? Clove suddenly felt like she was on the wrong end of a bad joke. Why didn’t Aaron mention any of this beforehand?
“You sure you’re here to ask for our help and not to challenge me for the Alpha title? I assure you, your daddy met a gruesome end and even though I promised my sister I’d always care for you, I’ll put you down if I have to.”
Holy shit. Aaron comes from a line of Alphas?
“I’m sure my father got the savage ending he deserved,” Aaron said. “I’m not here to challenge you. I swear it. My pack is in need of allies. That is my only mission here.”
Clove’s gaze flicked between Aaron and Tawny. The tension was suffocating. Tawny moved closer to Aaron, stepping right up to face him. She wasn’t quite as tall, but what she lacked in height she made up for in power.
The wolves circled tightly, following her lead. Tawny studied Aaron closely, her eyes glowing for a few moments with the monster within. Just when Clove feared the tension would tear her in two, Tawny barked out a low laugh.
“Come here, you.” She grabbed Aaron, pulling him into a tight embrace. He stiffened in her hold, but then his muscles relaxed and he wrapped his arms around the woman. She nuzzled into him, gripping him tightly. “I have missed you.”
