by Jade, Amelia
Furred Lines
A Fated Mate Romance
By Amelia Jade
Furred Lines
Copyright @ 2017 by Amelia Jade
First Electronic Publication: November 2017
Amelia Jade
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
All sexual activities depicted occur between consenting characters 18 years or older who are not blood related.
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Furred Lines
One
Aiden
He glided up to the compound, as silent as death.
There was no need for stealth; all the scents were familiar to him, and none of the warning lights were lit. No, his near-silent movements were simply a matter of habit. Truthfully, he wasn’t being all that quiet, what with his flanks heaving the way they were. He struggled to bring his lungs under control, but after the wild run he’d just been on, it was going to take time to calm down.
The cool stone of the courtyard came underfoot, and he was home. Surrounded by the high stone walls, a feeling of familiarity washed over him. Not safety—never safety in a pack house—but as close to it as he was ever going to be.
With a mental decision, the large lupine creature shivered and then suddenly was replaced by a naked human. He was on his knees, forearms resting on the ground. The muscles in his back flexed and contracted wildly as he heaved for breath, unable to stay as quiet in this form as his animal. But long practice worked in his favor, and the tortured complaints of his respiratory system soon eased.
Standing up, he padded forward across the rear courtyard toward one of four stone obelisks that rose up between the entryway and the house itself. Reaching one, he slipped two fingers into a notch and pulled. The beautifully fitted stone door swung out easily on its hinges and he pulled a robe of luxurious cloth from within before closing it. The garment was dyed a deep, rich purple that had the look of royalty to it.
Clasping it in one hand, he walked over to the large fountain in the middle of the courtyard. The simple design was circular. The water spouted from the mouths of four stone wolves standing back to back, facing the four primary compass points. The features of the carved spouts were so finely detailed a master sculptor would be jealous.
But Aiden ignored all that as he plunked the robe down on the thick ledge that ran all around the overly deep catch basin. He glanced around, and then hopped over and into the pool. Water that wasn’t warm, but wasn’t freezing slipped over his body, washing clean the sweat from his pores. He relaxed into it, running a hand across his skin to help clean it deeper.
“Ahhh,” he said quietly, glad that for once he was out here alone and uninterrupted.
If Rayne had been there, the entire thing would have been—
“What the fuck are you doing?”
Ruined.
“Hello, Rayne,” he said languidly, opening his eyes and giving an equally lazy wave. “What brings you out to ruin my day this time?”
Don’t do it. You know you shouldn’t taunt him. Mack said to leave off on each other.
“God, put some clothes on.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “We’re fucking werewolves. What kind of frea—”
He stopped as the pack’s second-in-command narrowed his eyes, daring him to finish his sentence.
“—freedoms should we expect to lose if we lose this one?” he finished.
It was a lame attempt, but the point was more that he tried, not that he was successful. That in itself was a change in the right direction. Before Mack’s last warning, he would have just kept taunting the other shifter, despite his higher rank.
After all, I can’t help it if Rayne is an idiot. That’s not my fault.
“Why are you out here?”
“Because I’m not inside.”
Rayne glared at him. “No more games, funny guy. What were you doing beyond the walls?”
Aiden sighed. “You realize leaving the compound isn’t against the rules, right? But,” he said, smiling cheerfully, “just for you, I’ll tell you what I was doing.”
He closed his eyes and sank back into the water, letting it cleanse his face.
Fingers closed around his ankle and yanked him closer to the edge of the fountain bath. Aiden’s eyes flew open at the unwanted interruption and touching of his person.
“What the fuck was that for?” he snarled.
“Because, you little shit, I can tell you’re trying to get the best of me. But the jokes on you. You’re the one who needs to be careful. One word from me and it’s buh-bye for you. So tell me what you were up to.”
His temper flared and Aiden splashed to his feet, water soaking up over the ledge and drenching the robe. He stood there naked, lips pulled back and teeth bared as he growled at the other man.
Rayne matched him, his arms slightly pulled behind him as he leaned forward, spitting and snarling in return. The two of them stood like that for several seconds, issuing challenges and taking the mettle of the other. It wouldn’t be the first time they had clashed. Nor would it likely be the last. Rayne had had it out for Aiden from the moment he’d joined the pack.
Probably recognizes competition when he sees it.
Just to irritate him some more, Aiden started swaying his hips back and forth from left to right. The movement produced some rather interesting movement of his junk.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Rayne snapped, his eyes momentarily distracted.
“Ha! You looked!” he crowed, doing whatever he could to make the situation uncomfortable.
Aiden didn’t have a problem with nudity. He was a werewolf; it came with the territory. Any time they shifted, they were naked, or prepared to lose the clothes they were wearing. Which meant when they shifted back…you guessed it, nudity! He’d seen more dicks than he could count. Which could sound bad, when taken the wrong way.
“Not much to look at,” Rayne shot back.
He growled angrily, knowing he shouldn’t be irked by the insult, but angry about it nonetheless.
Rayne began to taunt him. “You just gonna stand there and take it, aren’t you?”
Aiden simply stared, willing his temper down.
“You’re no better than a bitch in heat, taking everything she can get.”
He launched himself at Rayne, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. The pair bounced and rolled across the stone courtyard, the individual pieces ripping patches of skin from Aiden’s naked body even as he struggled for position with Rayne. One particularly rough patch of stone tore a large patch of skin from his back. Aiden yelped more in surprise than anything.
Rayne took advantage of the opening, slamming a forearm into
his neck and pressing down with all his weight. Aiden was too experienced to fall for that though. He simply brought a knee up and into Rayne’s rear end. It didn’t knock his opponent away, but it forced him forward.
Right into range of Aiden’s head. He connected perfectly, right onto the bridge of the nose of his pack’s second-in-command. Rayne reeled from the unexpected blow and Aiden was able to use this to fling himself free. There was a snarl midair and clothing exploded as Rayne shifted.
He contemplated the white wolf streaked with charcoal for a split second before initiating the change himself. He could feel his body shiver, the precursor to the change, and a moment later he was three feet lower to the ground and standing on all fours. Aiden stepped forward, noting the deep black fur that covered his legs now as he and Rayne stalked each other in a slow circle around the courtyard.
There were lights on in the pack house now, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before someone came out to see what all the noise was. Fights weren’t uncommon when you housed nine werewolves in one building, but that didn’t stop them from always being a big spectacle.
Shit.
The single word summed things up quite nicely he felt. A spectacle was exactly the last thing he wanted just then. Because that meant it would draw the attention of Mack. And the Alpha had made it fairly clear he didn’t want to even know that Aiden existed for the new few weeks.
That had been yesterday.
But he couldn’t back down from the challenge now that it had been issued. And dammit! He was sick and fucking tired of Rayne always strutting around like he was some sort of gift from God. Aiden knew he could take him. This time he was going to prove it. It wasn’t like it would change how much shit he got in from fighting Rayne. Again. So he may as well go all out and prove to everyone that he was better than his tormentor.
At a minimum it would hopefully get him to stop bugging Aiden. Hopefully.
The white and gray beast snapped one last time before he charged. Aiden closed as well, darting to the left at the last moment, his head shooting back in as he tore a small chunk of flesh from Rayne’s hind leg. Not enough to cause issue, but enough for him to know he’d been pinked.
Let’s go, you bastard. I’m gonna make you regret this.
They closed again, and again Aiden was too quick. Rayne leapt aside, both legs now oozing a bit of blood. Aiden let his mouth hang open in what most would term as a “doggy smile,” letting the blood in his mouth color his teeth and tongue.
Figures were emerging from the house now. He could see them in his peripheral vision as they spread out to watch the fight. None of them were storming forward to put an end to it, so clearly Mack wasn’t there yet.
Good. Time for me to end this before he does arrive.
Aiden pushed off the stone and drove straight for Rayne. The white wolf froze for a moment, trying to understand just what his foe was doing. Aiden, having half-expected that reaction, headed right at him. They crashed together and went down in a pile, rolling over and over, biting and clawing one another. Aiden had been ready for it though, and Rayne was caught off guard by the unorthodox tactic. He managed to gain position, and his teeth closed around Rayne’s hind leg. He ripped and tore a huge chunk of flesh and tendon from a hind leg, tossing it free as coppery-tasting liquid filled his mouth.
Rayne howled in pain, throwing his head back in a reflex action. It was exactly the wrong move though, and Aiden showed him why as he gained ground and closed his jaws around the Second’s neck. He tightened them until his teeth punctured skin. Rayne went perfectly still, knowing just how little it would take for Aiden to rip the life from his body.
But he didn’t submit.
Aiden was about to bite deeper when a hammer exploded against his hind leg, forcing his mouth open in shock. He flew ten feet through the air, only stopping because his body hit the stone wall that surrounded the rear courtyard, bringing him to an abrupt halt. He bounced off the wall slightly before hitting the ground.
A ferocious snarl filled the air, cracking like lightning. A huge beast as pure white as Aiden was pitch black stood over Rayne, twin plumes of fog billowing from its nostrils as yellow eyes stared at Aiden, promising a swift death if he did anything he wasn’t specifically allowed to. Judging by the way his hind leg wasn’t responding in any way except to send white-hot needles of pain through the rest of his body, Aiden didn’t sense that to be an issue.
So he just lay there, feeling defeated. He’d had Rayne. Had him dead to rights. Everyone saw it. It felt so good to finally give that pompous ass what he’d deserved. Five years of pretending to kowtow to him was over and done with. Aiden didn’t expect to be made the pack’s Second, but he did know he was done putting up with Rayne’s bullshit.
“Aiden.” The commanding tone from his Alpha, Mack, rang out across the courtyard. “Put some clothes on, and find me in my office. Now.”
The pack Alpha turned and walked back inside. Silence rang out through the assembled werewolves. Most of the rest of the pack was there, and they were all watching him. Not a single eye was on Rayne, who was getting to his feet. Aiden felt a sense of gloom come over him. He’d finally thrashed the Second, but nobody was going to remember that if Mack came down on him like a ton of bricks.
Fuck.
Gathering his wits, he became human once more. The agony in his leg increased, instead of subsided. Aiden wanted nothing more than to lie flat on the ground until his leg healed itself. But when an Alpha issued a command, you obeyed. So he struggled to his feet, nearly blacking out from pain the first time he put his foot down on the ground.
But his healing was already kicking in, and the leg would support his weight. Barely. Aiden limped toward the house, step by slow, agonizing step. The weight of the rest of the pack fell upon him as they all stared, none offering a helping hand. Instead they simply watched as he passed them by, heading inside to get his ass handed to him by Mack.
Eventually he made it to the room that Mack classified as his office. His fist rapped against the doorjamb.
“Inside. Now.”
Aiden stepped inside. He contemplated apologizing right off the bat, but his stubborn pride got the better of him, and instead he simply came to attention, staring at a spot on the wall above Mack’s head.
Mack looked up at him, saw the set of his jaw, and sighed. The Alpha rose from his desk, walked around it past Aiden, and closed the door. Aiden prepared himself for anything from a verbal tirade to a physical beatdown, but Mack surprised him with neither. Instead, he acted…defeated. Almost like Aiden had felt earlier.
“You’re done, Aiden.”
He frowned. This wasn’t going the way he’d expected it to at all. He opened his mouth to respond, but Mack casually backhanded him before he could speak.
“I’ll tell you when to respond. Until then shut the fuck up.”
Aiden just nodded, fighting down the surge of anger that clouded his vision.
“You’re a loose cannon. Unreliable. Untrustworthy. I gave you a simple command. Don’t fuck with Rayne anymore. Very simple. That was yesterday , Aiden. You couldn’t even go twenty-four fucking hours without disobeying me. And you did it where everyone could see, when they all knew that you had been ordered not to. That’s blatant disrespect to my authority as Alpha.”
Aiden wisely didn’t comment on the fact that it had technically been about twenty-nine hours since the command had been given. Somehow he suspected that wouldn’t go over very well if he pointed it out. Mack didn’t seem to be in a humorous mood.
“That was the last straw,” Mack said heavily. “You used up your final chance.”
Dread began to fill his veins as Mack spoke. He was using words that didn’t usually lead to happy scenarios. Aiden was confident in his chances in a straight-up fight with Mack. He wasn’t sure he’d win, like he knew he could with Rayne. But he would give him a good enough fight that Mack wouldn’t try it unless he knew better.
But with his leg busted to hell and g
one, it wouldn’t even be a challenge.
“I’m not going down without a fight,” he said at last, not bothering to wait for Mack to leave him an opening.
A fist came out of nowhere and Aiden flew into the back wall.
“Maybe,” Mack said calmly as he stood over him. “Maybe not.”
Aiden felt the wolf’s fury building. He almost launched himself right at Mack.
“I’d rather not kill you though,” his Alpha said. “That would be a waste of talent. Unrealized and wasted talent. But talent all the same.” Mack shook his head. “What you need is a proper focus. So, I’ve got one last chance for you.”
“What is it?” he rasped, extricating himself from the wreckage of the blank wall he’d been sent into. Neither of them expected him to say something like “I’ll do it” or “I won’t let you down.” Those would be useless platitudes, and Aiden wouldn’t insult Mack by using them.
“You’re to go to Stephen’s pack. He’s up to something, but I don’t know what. You’ll find out what.”
“I see.”
“It will be complete Banishment,” Mack said levelly, no hint of pity or remorse in his tone. “No contact at all with anyone from this pack.”
“What if I find something?”
“Then you bring it to me, and only me. I’ll handle it from there. But make no mistake about it, you’re done with my pack. Even if you don’t succeed in this, which I find unlikely, you aren’t coming back. If you do, I’ll kill you myself. Understood?”
Aiden nodded. He got it. Mack had an image to keep. Not only as Alpha of his own pack, but also as the regional Alpha of the megacity they inhabited. It was a lot of pressure, and he couldn’t afford to deal with things like misbehaving pack members. He was well within his rights to kill Aiden and just be done with the whole situation. But he wasn’t; he was giving him a chance to redeem himself.
What might happen if he succeeded didn’t matter. All that mattered was staying alive. Aiden wasn’t ready to die. Not yet.
