by Amelia Jade
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 than 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.
Langdon walked calmly over to him and spoke into his ear as he followed him. Stephen became visibly agitated while Aiden watched, appearing to curse silently for several long seconds. Then he turned and pointed at Aiden, reluctance written all over his face.
Recognizing a cue when he saw one, Aiden stopped what he was doing and hurried over to Stephen’s office. The Alpha was already speaking when he got there.
“Flint, take Orren, Langdon and Rokk with you. I need the three of you there.”
“What about the pickup?” That was Orren.
“I was going to send you or Langdon with Willow to deal with that. But, since Deckard here isn’t along to help out, and we all know Patrice isn’t intimidating enough, I have no choice but to send him with Willow to handle that.”
Orren nodded. “Okay, boss.”
Flint motioned and the others all filed out, each one staring daggers at him as they went past.
“What the fuck did I do?” he snarled angrily at their backs.
“Shut up.”
Aiden bit down on his tongue to forestall a hot retort and simply nodded instead.
“You and Willow are going to take one of the trucks and go retrieve some supplies. You are manual labor, nothing more. She is in charge. If I hear that you did or said anything less than professional, I will tear your dick off and shove it down your throat so far you’ll be pissing out your asshole. Got it?”
“Absolutely.” I’d like to see you try.
“Willow will be here momentarily. Now get out of my office.”
Aiden hadn’t gone more than a step before Willow came through the doors.
“Ready?”
“You bet,” he responded.
Willow didn’t wait for a response, heading straight out the back. Aiden hurried to keep up with her. She walked over to a white truck, one of the small cargo ones that places often rented out to students and families when they moved.
Aiden’s long strides allowed him to catch up as they walked around the side.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked.
He frowned. “Getting in the truck?”
“Passenger side is over there,” she said, pointing up and over the cab.
“Ah, right. Of course.”
Willow snorted in amusement behind him as he hurried around to the far side.
At least she couldn’t see his cheeks burning from there.
Seven
Willow
“Can I ask you something?”
The question she’d been wanting to bring up had been on her mind since the very first day the tall brown-haired werewolf had walked up to her desk and blown away all the stereotypes she’d been building of him in her head. It was unlike her father to be so mistaken about somebody, but it was clear to Willow that he’d misjudged the newcomer.
She didn’t expect her dad to admit it, of course. Getting Stephen to own up to a mistake was such a novelty Willow wasn’t sure she’d react if she heard it happen. Probably throw a party or something, just to draw it out and make him more irritated about it. Which of course meant he’d never do it again. But still, it would probably be worth it.
“Um, what’s that?” Aiden replied, glancing over at her from where he lounged as comfortably as possible in the seat. He somehow made the worn chair look far more relaxing than it had any right to be.
“Why are you here?”
Aiden blinked. “Your father told me to come along with you. I’m manual labor, apparently.” He shrugged and continued quickly before she could speak. “I was as surprised as you, trust me. After the way he ordered me away from you the other day, to stick us into a truck together for…well, I have no idea how long the ride is, but even just pairing us up caught me off guard completely.”
“True,” she agreed. “But that isn’t what I meant…”
The werewolf was silent for several long moments as he considered her question.
“I mean, you’re smart, I can’t argue that. You have some drive, you aren’t incompetent at life. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Aiden nodded. “Well, thank you for that. But it wasn’t for any of those reasons. Well, not for a lack of them, at least.”
Willow considered that. “He thought you were a threat?”
She could practically imagine the way his big brown eyes danced as he laughed next to her. “Mack considers everyone a threat. That’s what makes a good Alpha, is analyzing threats and dealing with them. But no, he knew I had no designs on his position.”
“So what’s the problem then?”
The mood turned somber even before he replied. She could tell that admitting the truth behind it wasn’t easy for him, and it likely opened up some hurt that Aiden hadn’t known was there. But it was important to her to know the answer, so she didn’t back down or tell him that he didn’t have to answer.
“I couldn’t keep it together,” Aiden said at last, his voice heavy with regret. “Someone could blink at me wrong, or make even the slightest joke, and we had to fight. Had to. I didn’t see any other option. Nor did I care. I was good at fighting, and I wanted to do it. To prove to everyone how much of a badass I was.”
He laughed softly at himself while she drove in silence. “You’d think I’d have grown out of that after puberty, right?”
Willow considered her answer carefully, not wanting to say the wrong thing. “Sometimes it’s not just hormones, but a part of our personality. If you never had to learn to control your anger as a child, to let it out in healthy ways, then it’s only natural that you would want to fight often. That doesn’t make it right, but it is understandable, in a way.”
Aiden stared at her for a long, long time before responding. Long enough that Willow began to blush from the attention.
“You are a very perceptive young woman,” he said at last. “Very perceptive.”
Willow smiled. “I’ve lived around you werewolves my entire life, Aiden. I know you run hotter and tend to align with some of the more primitive and feral aspects of humanity. It’s in your nature.” She shrugged, keeping her hands on the wheel. “But I’m glad you’ve become aware of these issues. I hope that means you’re working to fix them.”
She clamped down on her mouth, not willing to say just yet why she hoped he was working on them. Telling Aiden she wanted him to stick around so she could get to know him better was not something he needed to hear just now. She wanted him to fix himself for him, not because he thought it would grant him a better shot at getting closer to her.
“You know, at first, I wasn’t. Mack exiled me, said coming here was my last chance and that Stephen would put me down in a heartbeat if I didn’t behave. Do you know the first thought that ran through my head after he said that?”
“No.”
“Bring it. I’ll take him on, I’m not afraid.” Aiden’s head banged off the headrest. “I thought that for quite a while. I was ready to come in the other day and just fight everyone until I was either dead, or Alpha of the pack.”
Willow sensed her cue as he stopped speaking. “What changed?”
“I slept on it. Figured that if I did that, Mack would just send one of the regional response teams after me, with orders to terminate with extreme prejudice.” He laughed weakly. “I’m good in a fight, but against a dozen of those guys? Not a chance. Individually, I’d be willing to test my luck, sure. I was a member of one for a decade. I know the tricks, the training. But they work as a team, Willow. Twelve wolves, hunting as one. I’d be dead before I knew it.” He ran a hand through the hair on top of his head. “No, I want to live. I figured out that was the most important thing to me. Living, to see what tomorrow brings, next week, next month. I want to experience the fullness of my lifespan, Willow. To see what other changes will occur in the world.”
The last thing Willow had expected was an inner monologue of his thoughts, and what was im
portant to him. But now she had it.
“Is that all you want to live for? Is to see what tomorrow brings?”
No! Bad Willow. Stop flirting with him. He’s going to pick up on it instantly and then you’ll really be in trouble with Father. And yourself. He’s a werewolf. Remember how we swore those off after the last one? Hmmm? Or did you forget how he nearly killed you before Father could rescue you?
She cursed herself silently, thinking of ways she could deflect any tension, so that Aiden wouldn’t pick up on her ulterior motives in asking the question.
“I’m still trying to figure that out,” he said, his head swiveling to stare at her.
She glanced over at him, letting her eyes get trapped for mere moments before returning them to the road. It was tough, but like Aiden, Willow wanted to live, and focusing on the road would aid that cause big time.
They rode the next ten minutes in silence, both of them lost deep in their thoughts, and Willow relieved that Aiden hadn’t pressed her on her question. Though of course, his response had been vague enough to make her wonder.
He could easily have been insinuating that he was still trying to figure out whether or not she was something he was living for. His response, if that were the case, was his way of saying he was confused, and unsure of how everything was playing out. Which was also true of her. Willow had no idea how everything was going to go. In fact, she’d never expected it to head down this road in the first place, so all of this was new territory for her.
“We’re here,” she announced, pulling the truck off the road and into the parking lot for a warehouse.
The building was huge. It dwarfed her father’s place, and that was just a section of it. The loading bays could easily hold twenty plus trucks at a time. It was better suited for use as a distribution center for a national or multinational company. Instead, it sat mostly empty, unused. Willow pulled around to the rear, where another quartet of loading bays were located, shielded from the road and others by the building.
Waiting for them were two cargo vans, their rear doors open and filled with boxes.
“What’s the deal with them?” Aiden asked, casually pointing to the two human guards standing nearby, automatic rifles slung over their shoulders.
