Aristotle (The Strong Pack Book 2)

by Crystal Dawn

  “Lead on.” I demanded. He turned and walked away as I followed him thinking the male had one fine ass. I should smack myself for thinking those kind of thoughts but damn, it was right there in front of me. Even though I tried to pretend it hadn’t affected me, I was still under the power of that incredible kiss.

  I was starting to realize I wasn’t in as good of shape as I thought I was. Ari had set an ambitious pace but he had no problem keeping it. It was little ole human me that was struggling and my breathing sounded like a freight train coming down the track. If he was trying to show me human genetics were athletically inferior, he had succeeded. I couldn’t keep up with the big bad wolf boys no matter how hard I tried. He stopped and I assumed it was so I could catch my breath but I saw the tail end of our group ahead so that may have been why too.

  He looked at me and I thought I saw grudging approval in his eyes. I could only guess that it was because I had kept up even if it had taken everything I had to do so and I hadn’t complained although my throat was sore from my ragged breaths, my lungs burned, my legs ached and felt so weak they shook and I felt bone weary all over. Tomorrow I would feel even worse and might not make it out of bed. The naughty thought of spending the day in bed with him snuck into my head and I feared the magnetism that drew me to him might beat my self control and my denial. T. J. had fought it and lost. Was I any stronger or more stubborn than my sister?

  We walked slowly up to the group to join them. They looked surprised to see me and I wondered if this had been some sort of test. Jasper gave me a smile and I wondered if he had just won a bet. My suspicion was justified moments later as one after another the team members started to hand Jasper money. One of them looked up and our eyes caught and held. I narrowed mine in disapproval but the cheeky young wolf just smiled and shrugged. I didn’t think he’d bet against me again.

  Jasper and Ari spoke or at least they appear to, even though I couldn’t hear a thing. I was really just happy to lean against a tree and rest my tired body for whatever would come next.

  I was surprised at the creatures that came out and ran around our group. Couldn’t they tell predators were everywhere? Squirrels played nearly on top of us as if a pack of wolves at the base of their tree was an everyday occurrence. Fuzzy bunnies ran by and a deer even peeked out before turning around and shaking its tail at us. Birds were everywhere as they frolicked in the trees. It wasn’t even really a forest, just a wooded area of a few acres, tops.

  My breathing and heart rate were back to normal but the back of my legs ached like it would never go away. Ari motioned for us to move out and I was ready to go since we were close and moving slowly with great care not to make a sound or disturbance of any kind. The only sound I could hear besides the birds as they flew from branch to branch, was my own breathing. We were stalking our prey and I hoped I wouldn’t be the one that alerted him to our presence. As a reporter I had done my share of stalking and I knew I was good at it, but as far as I knew I’d never stalked a supernatural of any kind.

  I tried hard to keep my breathing low and quiet as the buildings we were targeting came into view. The house was small and in bad repair. I would bet money that the roof leaked like a sieve when it rained and the window barely kept the cold out. The front door looked like it had been kicked in a time or two and repaired with scrap boards and miscellaneous items. One of the items looked like a belt and had been nailed around the door to hold the two main parts together. How did that even work?

  There were several run down sheds and one that had finally succumbed to gravity due to ill repair. A big barn stood behind the house about a hundred yards or so. I could tell the buildings that held up better were made of raw rough lumber that weathered well but was hell to work with. I remembered helping my grandpa build a barn much like this one when I was a youngster. My grandpa had cussed and carried on when the hardwood boards had bent half his nails when he tried to pound them in.

  “God damn, it must take a better man than I am to get these cheap ass nails into these boards. Sherona it’s a hard way to build but this barn will still be here when your children’s children come to visit!”

  I loved my Grandpa Devlin and I thought my heart would explode when he died. Grandma joined him two months later. She didn’t have the will to go on without that old man by her side. At least that’s what she’d told me as I held her hand in the hospital while she lay dying.

  I’d snuck into the hallway when she fell asleep and heard the doctor talk to my mom. “There’s nothing wrong that I can find she just doesn’t want to live anymore. It’s more common than you might think when an older person loses their spouse, they just give up.”

  Mom just shook her head and looked so sad. I suppose she loved her parents but Mom wasn’t a hugger. She held her feelings in close and it was hard to tell what she felt. Sometimes we kids weren’t really sure how she felt about us.

  Ari touched me bringing my attention to him. He put his finger to his mouth to tell me not to speak and he pointed back the way we had come. I felt something stir in the air around us that made me nervous. I glanced back at the door to the house and I saw Deeds looking around like a crazy male. I slipped back slowly and got behind Ari.

  Deeds just stared at one point then moved on until he had looked everywhere. I was certain he hadn’t seen us when his nose lifted to the air and he inhaled so hard I could hear it with my poor human hearing. He smile maniacally and stepped off the porch. “I know someone is out there. Come get me you chicken shit bitches.”

  To my surprise no one moved. They stood in their assigned positions as if frozen there. I found I couldn’t move even though I tried to step back. Was it Ari’s alpha power that held us all enthralled? Or was it fear in my case and self control for the others? I wasn’t sure what they intended to do nor did I ever find out what might have happened had it played out as planned. I heard a giant sneeze come from directly across from me and I knew that Kaleb had been standing there. Deeds pulled a gun that was entirely too big for his small pocket and bullets started flying. Ari jumped on me and I felt his weight hit me and take me down to the ground.

  He weighed more than I expected and I couldn’t even draw in a breath until he shifted slightly pulling some of his weight off me. I gasp for breath like I was dying and he shifted more weight off me. I could still feel the heat of his body and even in this life and death situation I was drawn to him.

  I tried to look in the direction I knew Deeds was in but Ari wouldn’t allow it. I realized that he had probably been taken down in a bloody and primitive way. He gave his wolves some time to clean up the mess and then he let me up. I saw that two wolves had been injured and later he told me Deeds had shot them.

  Kaleb wasn’t one of them, but he looked pretty pissed off about the whole thing. I think he was angry with himself but sometimes you just couldn’t stop a bodily response. I knew that personally because when Ari had been on top of me, even though I could barely breathe, I thought I might have an orgasm as his body rubbed mine in all the right places. I’d felt both turned on and embarrassed. It made me question what I felt for Ari and why I felt so much this soon. I didn’t really understand the bond of wolf mates because I wasn’t wolf. I wondered if my humanity would diluted the pull or if my white wolf blood caused me to feel exactly what Ari did.

  I knew he wanted me and because he was wolf he never questioned it. I wanted him too, but I was human and I wanted to understand it. My need to know didn’t stop me from wanting, it just made me fight against that want. It looked like it might be a losing battle no matter how hard I fought. I also questioned why he always seemed to know how I felt. Was the emotional connection already there even though we hadn’t yet mated? If it was then I was so screwed!

  By the time Ari allowed me back where the others were, everything solid was cleaned up. I could see blood and the smell of it hung in the air. I didn’t feel sorry for Deeds, I just felt sorry that Deeds had been what he was and that it had made it necessary to kill hi
m. I wasn’t a hard person, but I had seen a lot in my life and understood that some evil must be rooted out so it couldn’t grow. We were done here and Ari led me back the way we had come.

  Chapter 3

  The Next Move

  We were headed back home and I was proud of the way Sherona had carried herself. Some females, even wolves, might be hysterical or cry. I explained the reasons for our actions and she accepted what had to be done. She would be a perfect pack alpha’s mate. My next move would be to figure out how to seduce my mate. Maybe it was just the male animal in me, but I thought that if I got her in my bed the rest would follow. My original plan had been to befriend her and get to know her, but the need I felt was just too primal and strong to ignore.

  I couldn’t understand how she ignored it when I had clearly sensed her reaction to me when my body lay on top of hers. I could smell her arousal and feel her body shake with desire. I wanted nothing more than to lick her entire body before I buried my heavy cock so far inside her that my balls slapped her ass every time I moved. The thought sent a rush of need through me. I was a fool to think about these things when we were in a SUV full of wolves and she was sitting next to me.

  The return trip was much faster than the trip there and it wasn’t long before we were back at home. We had hoped to bring the rogues in but they had left us no choice so we all felt the raid was successful. I wasn’t sure if Sherona was aware that Deeds hadn’t been the only rogue killed. There had been several in the woods around us that my wolves had taken out. The rogues had no wish to go to prison so it had been a fight to the death. The council might not agree, but I didn’t give a damn. I had told them I would risk none of my people in the capture of that rogue or any others. I had hoped to bring him in, but it wasn’t my priority it was theirs.

  My priority was to protect what was mine first and foremost. Next on the list was to claim my mate by any means necessary. I considered this a hunt, not in the usual way obviously, but a hunt never the less. My lovely prey planned to out maneuver and eventually escape me but she didn’t realize the pull of mating was working against her as much as I was. She knew to fight me, but did she know to fight her own needs, wants and desires?

  I would woo her and I would push her out of her comfort zone so she would hopefully fall into my open arms. “Sherona I would like you to go somewhere with me tomorrow. I have something to show you.” I explained. I knew she would think it something she could use for a story but I didn’t feel guilty in the least as I waited for her reply.

  She smiled at me and it was like the heavens opened and I glimpsed an angel. My heart felt like it would explode in my chest as a feeling of complete devotion and protectiveness surged through me.

  “Sure, Ari. Thanks.”

  Yeah she misunderstood but I hoped she would enjoy the outing anyway and who knew what we might discover that she could use in her work. I watched as she walked away and noticed she already moved with the power and grace of a she wolf. Long and lean. Her tight clothing allowed me to enjoy the ripple of her muscles and the gentle sway of her perfect ass as she hurried to her room.

  I headed to my office where I would oversee the repercussions of this raid we had just carried out. Edward was waiting for me when I entered my office.

  “An unfortunate turn of events and I have already notified the council. We can’t be held accountable for the insane actions of rogues and they agreed.”

  It was a relief that I wouldn’t have to deal with the council and that they were willing to let this go. But my relief was felt a bit too soon.

  “Oh Ari, they have another rogue they need captured and this time they want us to use tranquillizer darts so he won’t be killed.”

  “I shouldn’t be surprised. Who is it and why would we go after him? We have our problems to deal with and while we help the council from time to time, we’re not their hired hands.”

  “I told them the same thing. We are not theirs to direct and order about. That said, they gave me a good argument for working with them on this. They have found proof that there is an organizer for the rogues that has been trying to build strength and take some of the power from recognized leaders. Deeds was in this organization but he is a minor leader. The council feels they are trying to take advantage of this time of reorganizing to challenge the council and some pack alphas.”

  “Am I understanding this right? Some rogue thinks he can go against the council and possibly some of the established pack alphas in a power grab? They’ll have no hope in hell unless they have strong allies. Even though the council was weakened by the corruption and abuse of power by some of its members, it still retains great power and would be supported by most pack alphas. I can’t imagine that a group of rogues could be a credible threat.”

  “I don’t want to believe it either but the council has informers that have sent some frightening reports if they are correct. If we back them and the threat is not serious, they owe us a favor and no harm done. If we don’t back them and the threat is as bad as or worse than estimated, our whole world could be undone in a flash and the clock won’t reset. I recommend we work with them until the threat is uncovered and neutralized.”

  “How could rogues organize in large numbers without us knowing?” I asked, worried and stunned.

  “They hid their numbers away from our population centers and any strong packs. Now they are coming out like Deeds did to test the waters. We took quick decisive action, but his wasn’t a strong or even military type group. I believe Deeds and his group were a sacrifice to confuse us and make the information the council got seem inaccurate. It needs investigating. Once we know the truth we can proceed.”

  “Do whatever must be done my friend and keep me informed.”

  This seemed crazy but the more I thought about it, the stories and rumors I had been hearing might help me understand what was really happening. If I remembered things properly, I had heard more tales of rogues and not just Deed’s group. Other groups had formed but everyone thought it was to find a pack as a group since the council had offered amnesty for those rogues that were not criminals otherwise. What if that wasn’t the reason they were gathering? What if it was to challenge those in leadership roles and the authority of the council in general? How many rogues must there be if someone felt there were enough to even attempt this thing?

  I was worried now and I couldn’t clear my mind of this new concern. I was also tired and hungry so I headed to the kitchen to grab a bite and take care of the most pressing need. I was sure Sherona and most of my pack were probably in bed by now but I was wrong. As I entered the kitchen I found Sherona sitting with T.J. talking and sharing a snack. My eyes narrowed as I thought about the possible reasons T.J. might be unable to sleep with the baby due anytime. I felt my heart speed up with concern as I questioned whether or not she might be in labor and decided she was. The question was if she knew or not. I pulled out my phone calling the nurse that was on night duty at the med center and giving her a heads up.

  “Where is Jericho?” I asked. He would want to be here for the birth of his pup.

  “He’s in the training room with Sam. He’ll be up here when he’s done,” T.J. said.

  “Is he aware you’re in labor?” I asked.

  “Labor? I’m not in labor. I’m just having some stomach cramps. The ice cream helped a little, but they seem to be coming back,” T.J. explained.

  “Oh my God! She’s in labor?” Sherona asked as if it had never occurred to her that it might happen soon. “We should call someone, do something!” She looked at me as if I held all the answers and I smiled at her.

  I did hold all the answers and I was perfectly happy to take over.

  “We need to time the cramps. I’ve already alerted our medical people and now I will call Jericho while you time T.J.’s contractions.” I smiled at Sherona and she seemed to calm a little. I pulled my phone back out and hit Jericho’s number. It was like he was expecting a call and as big as his mate had gotten, he probably had. He
answered on the first ring.

  “Jericho.”

  “Son she’s in the kitchen and she’s in labor. There’s plenty of time but just get here.” His phone went dead and I was sure he’d hung up to hurry here.

  I was proven right minutes later when Jericho raced into the room.

  “Where?” He asked as his eyes landed on T.J. “what are we going to do?”

  “We’ll keep track of her labor and when the contractions get closer together we’ll take her to medical and they’ll call in the doctor.” I declared.

  “Okay how far apart are the contractions?” Jericho wondered.

  I looked at Sherona since she was timing them. “I got seven minutes on average,” she said.

  “Okay when we get down to four minutes between contractions then we go to medical.” I determined.

  “Are you sure that’s soon enough?” Sherona questioned.

  I gave her a long, hard look. “Yes I checked out everything with the doctor as soon as I knew T.J. was expecting.”

  I just shook my head. Questioned by my own mate, the one who should have complete faith in me. Maybe it was the nature of her career that she questioned everything. I tried not to take things personally but failed.

  Everyone seemed to calm down and we sat there with glasses of tea while Jericho and I had a plate of food. I was glad T.J. didn’t seem hungry because she couldn’t eat now that she was confirmed as being in labor. She could drink, but only moderately. The pains seemed to occupy her and it was easy to see when she had one because a strained look came over her face. I was glad Jericho and Sherona were taking their lead from me. I would never risk any harm to that precious grandchild or the exceptional daughter I had gained through my son.

  We had been sitting around talking and trying to keep T.J.’s emotions balanced and her sense of humor fed for some time before her contractions got near the four minute mark. It was close enough and I was unwilling to sweat the decision any longer. Jericho and I helped her up and walked on each side of her in case she ran into trouble. We led her around the back of the building where the medical area was. The location had been selected purposefully and this whole section of the building was strictly used for medical purposes. It was in the most protected and secluded area of our pack lands.