by Fel Fern
He withdrew from the kiss. Aiden tasted so sweet. He could get addicted to him. No. Ryder already was. Aiden was his to keep. Screw Price and the rest of the Black Claws. They’d need to pry Aiden right from his dead paws, because he wasn’t giving Aiden up easily.
When his pack mates had done illogical things for their mates in the past, Ryder had thought them crazy, but now he understood. He’d do anything for Aiden. Aiden had started as human, so he couldn’t understand or comprehend how the mating call worked yet, but he would soon. Once a shifter found his better half, that was it for them. Aiden was it for him.
“Fuck me?” Aiden asked him so sweetly. Aiden’s cheeks were a little pink.
Ryder shook his head. “Not today. When you’re better.”
Ryder got off him and Aiden huffed. “What the hell? Look at me. The damage Price did to is already scarring up. I’m healed.”
“I’m not talking about your body,” Ryder told him patiently. He reached for Aiden’s hand and was unsurprised when Aiden flung it aside. Ryder guessed if their positions were switched, he’d be pissed off as well. “Let’s head back to camp.”
“Why? Your pack mates clearly hate my guts. They see me as the enemy,” Aiden muttered.
“They’ll need time,” Ryder explained. “Our pack’s been fighting with the Black Claws for a long time. They see all panther shifters as the enemy, but sooner or later, they’ll understand you’re different.”
“Am I?” Aiden blurted. Aiden grabbed his arm, eyes wide. “Ryder, he made me. What if Price also passed his crazy onto me?”
Ryder clasped his fingers. “He didn’t. Your animal is also a part of you, a reflection of you even if you don’t see it right now. You’re a good person inside, Aiden.”
“You don’t even know me.” Aiden wrenched his fingers away and stood up. Aiden stumbled, but Ryder easily caught him. First-time Changes were exhausting, Ryder remembered. Aiden’s stomach rumbled. When did Aiden last eat?
“I do know some things,” Ryder finally said. “You have the most amazing smile. Everyone in that stupid town’s afraid of me, of my pack mates, but you weren’t. You were bold and daring. Aiden, you also have plenty of guts. You survived Price and his cats. You decided to live.”
Aiden looked a little shaken by his words. Aiden looked at his feet for a moment, then finally met Ryder’s gaze. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
“Take it as a compliment.”
“I need to ask you one thing,” Aiden said as they started walking back to the campsite.
“Ask me anything. I know this is scary for you and everything feels so different and strange, but I’ll walk you through it.”
“That’s the thing. Why are you being so nice to me? You tracked me down, even saved me. We only met yesterday. How did you find me anyway?”
“I saw you go on your break. I followed you, saw your phone and name tag on the ground. I had Tom pull up the security camera. I recognized two of the Black Claws.”
“Yeah, okay, but why would you risk your neck for me? You even brought your pack. I might be half dead, but I saw them. The other wolves fighting with the cats.”
“Like I said before, you’re important.”
“You mentioned you understood what I was going through, that a Feral bit you,” Aiden said. “That was all true, wasn’t it? You didn’t just say all that to make me feel better.”
Ryder halted, tipped Aiden’s chin with his fingers. He forced Aiden to look him in the eye. “I’d never lie to you. Ever.”
Ryder let him go. Aiden looked shaken, spooked. He should take it slow. Aiden needed time to process everything. His new surroundings, what his future would entail as a shifter.
“I’m sorry,” Aiden finally said, surprising him.
“For what?”
“That your family treated you like shit after that Feral bit you.”
“Part of life,” Ryder said with a shrug. “I knew they were set in their ways. They’ve been shifter haters since my great-grandfather’s days.”
“How could they do that to you? They’re supposed to be the people who support you. I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m not even close to my own parents when they were alive.”
“I’ve made peace with their betrayal a long time ago,” Ryder admitted. “Wasn’t an easy place to get to, but they’re better off without me and vice-versa.”
Ryder scratched his head. He’d never shared this part of himself to anyone, especially not his pack mates. Everyone there had their own share of secrets, reasons why they chose to live on Ashfall Mountain, but he’d make Aiden an exception. Aiden was his mate after all. He deserved to know the truth.
* * * *
Ryder was opening up to Aiden in ways he didn’t expect. Aiden was hungry to know more about his savior, about the selfless werewolf who risked his neck to save his. He was no longer angry at Ryder for withdrawing sex. Aiden understood that, in some ways, Ryder was right. Aiden wasn’t ready. He’d been ready to submit to Ryder, to give into mind-blowing sex out of need and desperation. Nothing wrong with that, but part of him understood Ryder had a point.
How could Aiden love anyone else if he hated himself and what he’d become?
Love? Aiden didn’t know what he was talking about. He was attracted to Ryder, sure, but that was desire. Lust. Still. He liked being around Ryder, felt so comfortable around him. With other people, Aiden strove to please. He got hurt when someone said something bad about him. He always cared what people used to think about him. He didn’t need to pretend with Ryder.
“What happened to the Feral who Changed you?” he asked Ryder.
“Dead. I knew he was hunting me, so I left my family ranch. No loss there. They made it clear I wasn’t welcomed anymore. I holed myself in the middle of nowhere, knowing he’d track me down. We fought. I killed him.” Ryder sounded matter of fact, indifferent.
That should scare him, even just a little. Aiden wasn’t naive. He knew the townies feared Ryder and the shifters living on this mountain for a reason. Aiden used to be on the sidelines, not caring about shifter politics, but he couldn’t stay neutral anymore.
“Were you happy about it?”
“I thought I would be,” Ryder admitted. “I felt empty inside afterwards. I realized the fucker picked me for a reason.”
“What reason?”
“He needed to Change someone strong enough to take him down.”
Aiden reached out to touch Ryder’s chest unthinkingly. So warm, he thought. He touched scars under the ink and swallowed. Ryder’s Change had been more violent than his was.
“That’s what the tattoos are for?” Aiden asked him, pulling his hand away.
“I got tired of looking at the souvenirs that bastard left behind.” Ryder glanced at him. “We can do that for you, too. I know this amazing tattoo artist in town.”
“I’m scared of needles, but I think I want that,” he said.
Ryder chuckled, the sexy sound making Aiden’s cock jump. Oh hell. Aiden was getting hard again. He guessed the rumors about shifters having a big sex drive was true after all.
“Brave kitty. You got guts after all.”
Aiden shook his head. “Don’t make me out to be this amazing person. I’m not. I used to worry about what people thought about me. I don’t like the sight of blood. I’m scared of pain.”
“Everyone’s scared of pain. We just get used to it,” Ryder said, holding out a hand towards him. “Besides, that’s all in the past. You’ve gone through a hellish experience but maybe you can also think of it as a second chance.”
That was certainly a different way of looking at his situation.
They were leaving the woods. Aiden could make out the campsite up ahead of him now. He could see a couple of people gathered by a campfire. Aiden never liked fish, but the smell of trout cooking on a frying pan made his stomach rumble. He glanced at Ryder, wondering if he heard the sound. Ryder grinned at him. Ryder believed in him. Aiden could do this. Confront Ryde
r’s pack mates. Clear any earlier understanding. New Aiden wasn’t a coward.
He gripped Ryder’s fingers. “I’m ready.”
Ryder led him out of the woods. Ryder grabbed a pair of discarded pants from the ground and tossed them at Aiden.
“You can borrow these. I’ll grab another pair inside.”
He clutched at Ryder’s arm after putting his pants on. They were too big and kept slipping down his hips. He used one hand to keep them up.
“Don’t leave me. I don’t know how to apologize to your pack mates,” he whispered.
“Hey! Aiden, right?” The same guy he’d run into that morning, the one with muffins, came over to him. “I’m Teddy and I’m the one who should apologize.”
Ryder cinched the pants Aiden had borrowed with the belt. “There. See? There’s no need to worry.”
“You surprised us earlier, that’s all,” Teddy was saying. The submissive werewolf’s smile was warm, welcoming. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to others. Ryder, put on some pants please.”
Ryder rolled his eyes, then clasped Aiden’s shoulder. “Go with Teddy. You can trust him.”
“Okay.” Ryder left for his cabin. Teddy led him to the campfire. He was met with a mix of curious and downright unfriendly faces.
“Smile, you assholes. Don’t be rude,” Teddy said. The others grumbled among themselves. A submissive werewolf bossing the monsters around was quite a sight to see. That made Aiden rethink his opinion of Ryder’s pack mates.
“Hi, everyone,” he said shyly.
Teddy made introductions. “That’s Dom over there. The blondies over there are brothers, Kris and Alec. The quiet one next to Alec is Mac. That’s Sam, Kris’s mate, and Chip, Alec’s mate.”
“I don’t like being called a blondie,” Kris told Alec.
“Me either,” Alec muttered.
“It’s nice to meet you, Aiden. I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through,” the one called Sam said, joining them. Aiden’s panther identified this one as human. For a second, he envied Sam for being so normal, just like him before Price. He pushed that negative thought away.
Aiden was already having a hard time controlling his inner cat from snarling at everyone. He made a silent promise to Ryder, to himself that he’d do better. Aiden didn’t want his vicious attack to define his present. He wanted to understand and eventually accept the beast that now lived inside him. If Aiden could do that, then maybe he could see a future with Ryder.
Chapter 8
3 Days Later
Ryder watched Aiden prowl through the trees above him, panting. They’d chased the entire afternoon away in the woods, with Ryder giving Aiden what he called ‘shifter lessons.’ From his view on the ground, it seemed Aiden didn’t need a teacher anymore. His kitty fit into his new body like a glove, like Ryder thought he would.
Ryder padded closer to Aiden. He gave his paw a lick. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Aiden’s golden eyes gleaming in the branches of the ash tree left of him. Ryder lay flat on the ground, putting his muzzle over his paws, pretending to let his guard down.
Seconds passed. Aiden crept out of his hiding place and leapt. Ryder’s heart was in his throat. True, Aiden moved a lot more graceful now, but there had been accidents over the past few times. Moments where Aiden mistimed his jump or misjudged his landing spot. No surprise there. Aiden had only been a shifter for three days.
Ryder rose to all four paws, panicked at the sight of Aiden scrambling at the air with his paws. He ran to his future mate. Too late. The air left his lungs as he surged forward, but Aiden only landed on his paws. Trust a cat to never fall flat on his face.
If he were in his human form, Ryder would’ve breathed a sigh of relief. Aiden saw him coming and ran up to him. Aiden was more like an energetic puppy than an indifferent feline. Aiden pressed his furry face against his own. Ryder licked at his nose. Aiden swatted him with his paw or tried to.
Aiden didn’t pull away yet. He simply closed his eyes.
Three whole days they’d been together, and already, Ryder imagined changing his entire life for this man. The injuries Price had inflicted were long gone, save for the bite mark on Aiden’s neck. Ryder promised they’d head into the ink parlor in town soon, but for now, he wanted to make sure Aiden wasn’t scared of his new body, of the beast that now lived in his skin.
Ryder’s pack mates remained a little apprehensive of Aiden but only because they weren’t used to having a panther shifter in their midst who was an ally, not an enemy. At the very least, Aiden had become fast friends with Teddy, Sam, and Chip.
He gave Aiden a nudge. They prowled back to the area where they had left their clothes. Ryder changed back to human form, and was aware Aiden didn’t do the same immediately. His kitty watched him intently, hungrily. Ryder grinned, took his time putting his pants on. He didn’t bother with a shirt. To complete his look, he wore his favorite ratty cowboy hat and tipped it to Aiden.
“Your turn,” he told Aiden.
He could almost imagine Aiden groaning. Aiden eventually shifted. The process was painstakingly long, but that was true for every newly Turned shifter. Aiden ended up on his hands and knees, panting, entire body covered in sweat.
“I prefer being a panther. My body’s stronger, swifter, more graceful,” Aiden muttered.
“Yeah, but you can’t be in cat form forever.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “I remember. A shifter who stays too long in animal form would someday forget he was human in the first place.”
“And?” Ryder prodded.
“That shifter has a chance of becoming Feral.” Aiden shivered at those words.
As if he were cold, Aiden covered himself up with clothes. What a pity. Ryder could just eat him up, but how would Aiden feel if Ryder took him right here in the open woods? Ryder noticed everything. Aiden’s skinny jeans looked amazing on his tight ass. He snarled in disapproval when Aiden put back his shirt, which covered his lean chest. Clothes. A nuisance that got in the way of skin touching.
Ryder had held himself back over the past few days. It hadn’t been easy, keeping his distance. He knew Aiden was still coming to terms with his attack, trying to make sense of his new life. Those first few days Ryder had been a new shifter had been murky in his head. He didn’t need to remember. Those days had been filled with bloodlust and meaningless fights.
Aiden was a little fortunate to have been reborn with a submissive panther, not a dominant beast. That didn’t mean his kitty was weak. Aiden was a fighter. He’d proven that when he didn’t die from Price’s bite.
Ryder couldn’t wait forever, couldn’t keep sating his desires by masturbating in the bathroom. Sooner or later, he wanted the real thing. Aiden was temptation, plain and simple. Ryder had never hesitated before. If he wanted someone, some cute guy at the bar, he never had any problems, but he’d always known Aiden was different. Special. Screwing things up with Aiden wasn’t an option.
A growl rumbled out of his chest. His wolf disagreed with that line of thinking severely. The wolf saw what he wanted, and Aiden lay within close reach of them. He’s better off without us, Ryder reminded his wolf.
Except where would Aiden go? The local human townies might tolerate their shifter neighbors, but they’d never accept Aiden. A Black Claw had Changed Aiden. In the eyes of the other locals, Aiden was one of them. One of the monsters who lived on Ashfall Mountain.
“Did you just growl at me?” Aiden asked him. “Are you angry?”
“No.” They started for the campsite again. Ryder did his best to keep his hands to himself, but Aiden stood so close their shoulders brushed against each other. Aiden smelled damn fine, too. Tasty kitty. Ryder could drink him up like a tall glass of water.
“I mean, I know I’ve been taking up a lot of your time. I’m probably a frustrating student.”
“Don’t be silly. I promised you I’d guide you. You’re a fast learner. Looks like I have nothing else left to teach you.” Aiden surprised him by grabbing his
arm. His touch woke the sleeping beast inside Ryder. When it came to Aiden, his control grew shakier than ever, and Ryder wasn’t the steadiest individual in the universe either.
“Are you getting bored of me?” Aiden asked him, wide-eyed.
“Keep touching me like that and you’ll live to regret it.” Ryder couldn’t stop the words coming out of his mouth. Shit. He thought that was it, that Aiden would pull away, stung. He’d lost his chance, except fire lit Aiden’s eyes.
“Regret what? Ryder, I need to know. Did I do something wrong? Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful for all your help, but I can’t help but feel you’re slowing distancing yourself from me,” Aiden said, lowering his hand.
“For your own safety.” Ryder’s words came out harsh, inhuman. He clenched his fists by his sides, felt his claws tear out of his skin. Blessed pain. Ryder shoved the beast back. The wolf only wanted one thing—to claim Aiden and make him theirs. Didn’t matter if Aiden carried a panther inside him, not a wolf. Ryder didn’t care if his pack mates, his Alpha disapproved of Aiden.
“I feel safe with you. Always.”
Ryder shoved Aiden into the nearest tree. He placed one clawed hand on one side of Aiden’s head, breathing harshly. He could hear it. Aiden’s heartbeat spiking up. He could almost taste it. Aiden’s fear. The smell of his sweat. Aphrodisiac to his beast.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he gritted out.
“Your eyes are gold,” Aiden whispered. He didn’t look afraid now as he planted his palm right over Ryder’s left pectoral, right over his heart. “Ryder, you have no idea how much I’d give to have you look at me like that.”
“How am I looking at you?”
“Like you want me so badly you can’t control yourself. I’m average, a nobody, but you gaze at me like I’m the most desirable thing in the world. A conquest.”
