by Jade, Amelia
“That’s very generous of you, Father,” she said, mildly surprised at his calm dissection of the situation.
“Oh, if he messes up or tries anything stupid it’ll be the final straw. Fuck Mack for thinking he can saddle me with his problem children, that uppity bastard.”
Willow just smiled, looking out at the work floor. Aiden had just emerged from the back of the truck, and as he wheeled the pallet around she saw him glancing up in her direction. Trying not to blush, she smiled back at him briefly.
“Now now, Father. We all know your dislike for Mack. No need to go on a rant about it.”
Her tone was gentle and chiding, but she was deadly serious. His hysterics about the regional Alpha had gotten worse and worse over the past few years, and lately they’d become tirades to the point that she feared being in the same room as him if he went off. It wasn’t good.
Not that he would ever challenge Mack either. Stephen didn’t want the position and responsibilities Mack had. Yes, it was a status increase, but she knew the workload the other Alpha shouldered, and it was immense. Her father would crack under the pressure, she was certain of it. Willow didn’t want to see that, and so she did her best to try and keep him calm when discussing Mack.
It seemed to work this time, but she knew that was far from an everyday victory on her part.
Flint went by, wheeling a pallet of white boxes out of sight into a side room. Willow had seen those sorts of things before, but she’d never asked what they were. To see Flint handling them was odd, considering the fact that as the pack Second he was usually in charge of supervising everything, leaving the manual labor up to others. She wondered what it was all about, but couldn’t be bothered to ask. Her father knew how to handle stuff back here, and she could deal with paperwork. They made a good team.
On the floor two of the shifters, neither of them Aiden, suddenly snarled and sprang at each other, a brown box tumbling to the ground forgotten. Willow winced as something broke inside of it. The sound of clothing ripping was unmistakable. Neither were the barks and yips that followed.
“For fuck’s sake.” Her father stood up and rushed for the door. “Not again, dammit.”
Willow just sighed. She was going to have to order some more overalls after this. They could never keep enough of them in stock.
Five
Aiden
He slapped at his cell phone, the alarm going off like an emergency buzzer in his ear.
“Stupid piece of shit. Just shut the fuck up already. Fuck, let me sleep!”
The noise kept buzzing. He fumbled with the phone again, but it dropped to the floor at the side of the bed.
“Sonofabitch!” he cursed, rolling over and picking it up, sliding his finger upward in an attempt to get it to sleep.
It kept blaring.
“For fuck’s sake. If you don’t shut the fuck up I’m going to break you in half you insufferable piece of technology!” His voice was still low, but it was infused with anger now as his eyes opened and he focused on the screen.
“Shit.”
He’d forgotten he’d set it so that he had to solve a math puzzle to get it to shut off. What the fuck kind of sadistic person had Last-Night-Aiden been to come up with such a horrible idea? That jerk. If he ever found him, This-Morning-Aiden promised to lay a beating on him. Puzzle solved, he tossed the phone back onto the nightstand.
It was too late though. He was up and awake.
“Fucking hell.” He tossed the sheets back and stretched out his limbs. Muscles and tendons creaked, joints popped, and his nearly five-decade-old body came alive at his command.
Thankfully Aiden didn’t feel like he was closing in on fifty. He could reasonably expect to see his hundred and fiftieth birthday, which meant he was closer to a human in their late twenties in terms of age. And his body responded appropriately upon awakening.
“Seriously? Still?” He glanced down between his legs and sighed in exasperation. There just wasn’t time for that! Aiden had gotten up early for a reason, and that most definitely was not it.
Throwing his legs off the bed, he walked over to the bathroom, feeling the awkward side-to-side bounce between his legs. Going to the washroom was always an interesting adventure when he woke up like this. Leaning forward and over the bowl, he forced it down and away from him.
Sometimes being a guy sucks. Nobody should be forced to take such an awkward morning leak.
He perked up once he hopped in the shower next, the lukewarm water bringing his brain out of its foggy state, and helping encourage blood flow throughout his entire body, not just in one place. Nearly ten minutes later—an eternity for him in the shower—he emerged feeling awake and refreshed.
One thing I can say is that Stephen got the water pressure right. None of this pissy dribble stuff. That water has some force behind it!
Glancing in the mirror proved that shaving could wait another day. By then the stubble would be too long and he’d need to get rid of it. But it would be fine for today.
Moving in to a new pack house had been a weird and unsettling experience. But Aiden was no longer welcome in Mack’s, so he’d had to move out immediately. It had been three days now, and he was getting used to it as best he could. There was one thing that made it more bearable, and had made the transition easier.
It was that reason which had prompted his early morning, something Aiden was absolutely not known for. If a survey had been conducted about his attitude in the morning, it would probably have been a landslide victory for “Danger—Landmines—DO NOT DISTURB” or something similar.
Essentially, he was not a morning person. Which is why his hackles rose when he glanced at the clock for the time and realized it said nearly seven thirty.
Who the hell gets up at this ungodly hour? Not even wolves are awake right now.
Truthfully, he knew next to nothing about the habits of his wild brethren, and frankly, he didn’t care. They could be wide awake right now. But that’s why they were wild. Intelligence came with the desire to sleep in, or so he told himself.
Slipping his overalls on, he grabbed the keys to his room, locked the door behind him, and headed down to the common room of the pack house. Nobody else was awake, and knowing that his position was precarious enough without him agitating it, Aiden chose to move in as much silence as he could.
“Ah!” Willow yelped as he stole into the kitchen on the pads of his feet, barely making a noise. Her coffee mug flew into the air.
“Sorry!” he hissed, hand reaching out to snatch the mug. “Ow!” he sat the scalding-hot mug on the counter.
“A coaster!” she whispered, pointing frantically at the counter.
“It’s granite,” he said slowly, but doing as he was told. “You realize it won’t harm it, right?”
Willow rolled her eyes as she rinsed her hand of the coffee that had jostled over it. Thankfully the cup had been mostly empty, so not much had spilled.
“Make you a fresh cup?” he asked, pointing at the machine.
“I don’t need it,” she said slowly. “But okay.”
Aiden laughed and made her a fresh cup, dropping in a spoonful of sugar and two bits of cream as per her directions.
This is why he’d gotten up early. Most of the pack would start to rise in half an hour, and when they did, the place would become an absolute circus. The raucous noise the pack created was more than even Aiden could sleep through. So instead of trying, he’d gotten up early the morning before out of pure spite, to get ready before all of them.
Which was when he’d discovered that Willow did the exact same thing. She’d been heading out the door when he’d come down the stairs, and besides a brief exchange of glances, nothing more had been said. This time though, he was determined to do more than just look at each other.
Finding out her first name hadn’t been a challenge. He’d heard it at least twice the first day. Learning more about her, however, had proven to be a bit more difficult.
“Why are you up
early this morning?” she asked, accepting the fresh cup and blowing on it gently before taking a sip. “Mmm, perfect, thank you.”
“Beat the rush,” he said. “I am so not down with the circus life.”
Willow laughed, the light notes reminding him of butterflies and the color pink, for whatever reason. She had a way of evoking random images in his mind, things he associated strongly with her for some reason.
“Neither am I. You werewolves are something else.”
He watched in amazement as she slid into one of the bar stools that were under the standing-height island that occupied a huge amount of space, which was saying something, considering how oversized the kitchen itself was. It wasn’t her ability to seat herself that had caught his attention though. It was what she was doing once there.
“I didn’t think people your age even knew what those were,” he said, stunned as she opened the newspaper and began to read.
“What?”
“Newspapers.”
Willow frowned. “Just how old do you think I am?”
He shrugged, knowing full well the rough answer. “Early twenties?”
Her warm blonde hair was hanging down loose this morning, and now it bounced lively as she gave a full-throated chuckle. Bright green eyes that had a very wolf-like demeanor to them, even if she was very much human, regarded him carefully.
“You should try a little less flattery next time,” she informed him. “It might actually be believable then.”
Aiden nodded. “Duly noted. Late twenties would have been the better option.”
“Precisely. Then I could act flattered that you genuinely thought about it, instead of knowing you’re trying to get on my good side by saying an age that is far too young.”
“Well, you certainly don’t look your age, that’s for certain.”
Willow grinned. “Much better. Vague but complimentary at the same time. Perhaps you can learn.”
He shrugged. “With such an excellent teacher, how could I not?”
They shared a laugh.
“Perhaps you could teach me more about something else?” he asked, trying to keep his tone as light as possible.
“We’ll see. What did you have in mind?”
Aiden decided to go for the straight track. Willow seemed to appreciate being direct.
“You, honestly. I mean, you’re human, you aren’t mated to anyone here, and yet nobody seems to care. I don’t get it.”
“My father.”
His eyebrows went up a bit. “Pardon?”
Willow waved her hand around the room. “My father is the reason I’m here.”
“Stephen is your father?”
She nodded.
“But you’re human. And you don’t have the smell of a werewolf, or of any relation to him. How is that possible?”
“I’m adopted.”
Aiden rocked back on his heels. He’d never considered such a thing. Mainly because Stephen was an arrogant ass, and the idea of him ever adopting someone was…mind-boggling, to say the least. “I did not see that one coming.”
Her response was dry and full of sarcasm. “Yeah, your reaction is pretty clear about that.”
“Sounds like an interesting story.” Aiden really wasn’t sure what else to say. He hoped he hadn’t given away his feelings toward her father, but it seemed likely something had leaked through.
“It is. Father was really nice to me, took me in. I owe him a lot.” Willow didn’t elaborate, turning slightly to close herself off from him.
Aiden wasn’t picking up on any anger emanating from her. So it must be something else bothering her. Pain, perhaps? Memories of what had led to her being adopted? That seemed far more likely.
“I’m sorry I brought it up,” he said softly, stepping around the corner of the island to move closer to her.
“That’s enough.”
Aiden froze at the command from behind him. Wincing, he turned to find Stephen standing in the entryway to the kitchen, glaring at him.
“Stephen, I—”
“That sentence had better end with ‘I’ll stay away from your daughter,’ or you will very much regret any other words that you utter.”
Willow moved past him to stand behind her father. Despite his best efforts Aiden couldn’t prevent his eyes from tracking her movement. The threatening growl from her father—his Alpha—caught his attention though, but not before he saw Willow give him a smile. It was the barest ghost of an expression, but he saw it nonetheless, and knew that she would be okay if he continued to talk to her.
I’m just going to have to be far more discreet about it. Damn, I didn’t realize Daddy has issues with men around his daughter. No wonder she’s still single and lives at home with him. He’s probably got her conditioned to think ridiculous things like that are normal. Asshole.
Stephen snarled. “Do you understand?”
“I understand,” he said obediently.
“Good.”
Stephen spun and walked away, leaving Aiden alone in the kitchen. Sounds started from upstairs. Not for much longer, he thought. But for now, he could still enjoy a peaceful breakfast, replaying that last image of Willow giving him an encouraging smile.
Besides, Stephen never told me to stay away from her. He simply asked if I understood that my sentence should end that way. Of course I understand. But that doesn’t mean I agree, or I’m going to obey.
His cheeks crinkled as Aiden grinned. Perhaps not everything about this place was going to suck after all!
Six
Aiden
Willow was already gone the next morning.
Whether by design or circumstance he wasn’t sure, but Aiden didn’t let that dull his day. He’d gotten a good amount of sleep and was feeling rested, energetic, and ready to get on with his mission. The how of it was still escaping him, but he’d been working on the shipping floor long enough now to have noticed several things.
First, twice a week they would get deliveries from a truck that would be offloaded only by Flint, or if he was unavailable, Orren, the pack Third. Nobody else would touch it. That had been noticeable right away. He’d not been there long enough to confirm it was twice a week, but one of the others had spoken too casually at one point about the delivery.
Second, was that the items weren’t turned around and sent back out with Stephen’s fleet of contracted shifter drivers. They were promptly wheeled into a side chamber and never seen again. This could mean that they were being stockpiled, or that they were maybe reboxed and he had just never noticed them coming out. Or something else entirely, he really wasn’t sure.
But whatever it was, he most certainly wasn’t allowed to know about it. Nobody had made any comment about it to him, and so far Aiden had kept his mouth shut. So now he was stuck with trying to figure out just what was going on with those deliveries, without alerting anyone to the fact that he was interested in them more than any normal pack member should be.
Off to his right there was a crash and boxes started spilling everywhere. Stopping what he was doing, Aiden leaned against a pile of skids and watched yet another fight break out. Discipline among most packs was rather lax, but Stephen’s brought it to a whole new level. There were fights almost daily.
He doesn’t allow them out enough to blow off steam. It just builds up until the smallest things have them snapping at each other.
Deckard, to whom he’d still mentally tagged the name Tweedle-Dee, was going at it with Rokk, the werewolf that had broken Aiden’s ribs his first day. He was somewhat irritated at the fact that Deckard was challenging two ranks above himself. Technically Aiden was ranked above Deckard, because he’d beaten him on the first day. That was how pack rules went. So, if Deckard wanted to move up, he should have challenged Aiden.
But apparently his ranking was just smoke and mirrors, not anything actually tangible.
Thankfully Aiden wanted exactly zero to do with fighting just about anybody besides Stephen, or Flint, who was an even bigger asshole th
an Stephen, and made zero qualms about rubbing that fact in Aiden’s face. Oh how he couldn’t wait until the day that douchebag got what was coming his way. But the challenges would test his temper, and he needed to ensure he wasn’t a thorn in anyone’s side. The less attention on Aiden, the better.
Listen to myself. Don’t fight? Don’t attract any attention? Avoid rank challenges? Who the fuck have I become? I’m some sort of pansy-footed bitch.
A huge part of his core being urged Aiden to go get involved. To drop Deckard and drop him hard for having the audacity to ignore him. Hell, he could go after Rokk too, and put the big fucker square on his back while he was at it. Then the others would have to give him the respect that he was due.
If he did that though, Langdon would have to get involved as the next ranking werewolf, and at that point, Aiden wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop himself. He could take Langdon one on one; he wasn’t scared of him. Only Flint and Stephen would pose a threat in this pack. But after dealing with both Deckard and Rokk, it could be difficult, depending on how much trouble the other two were.
All in all, it just wasn’t worth it.
While he watched, Deckard went for an early kill shot, looking to end the fight early. Rokk was ready for him though, and the ranking shifter didn’t miss. Deckard went down, and Rokk made sure he stayed there, doing a number on the other shifter. Rokk wouldn’t be getting any more challenges for a day or two, that was for sure.
Aiden turned back to his own work as the pair resumed human form. Patrice, the other shifter Aiden had bested on his first day, came forward and helped Deckard off the floor before returning to clean up the blood. There was a lot.
What a waste.
As he was about to find out, however, the fight had just made his life a whole lot more interesting.
Stephen came barging through the doors with Flint at his side.
“Orren, Langdon, Rokk, Deckard. Get in my office!” he snapped, barking out the names like rifle fire, never breaking stride as he walked across the plant floor.
