Upon reaching the palace, Aiden was almost too eager to see his mate, but he couldn’t just yet. He needed to report to his dad first.
He knocked on the door of his office and waited for the instruction to come in. It took a few seconds for his dad to unlock it and open it himself.
Aiden wasn’t too surprised to see his mom in there. His dad only locked the office when he had his mate over for some reason or another.
Seeing her slightly flushed face, Aiden had a mild idea regarding what they had to discuss, and he smirked ever so slightly.
“Unless you want your mom to kick your ass, you’d do better to wipe that smirk off your face, son,” his dad whispered in a conniving tone.
Aiden’s lips twitched some more and then he tried to school his features.
“I’m here to report about the extraction mission,” he announced in a loud voice.
“Come in,” his mom said as she rose to her feet from the sofa she had been sitting almost too poised-ly on.
“We managed to successfully rescue the little girl,” he began proudly, before deflating ever so slightly and saying in an ashamed manner of sorts, “But I failed to be discreet, alpha. I didn’t think of calling the pack beforehand to tell them I would be within their territory. I was foolish. I apologize.”
Speaking in a more formal manner would maybe earn him less scolding from his dad.
He could hope…
His dad frowned deeply. And Aiden braced himself for the upcoming berating. Only it never came.
What his dad told him startled him greatly.
“You may have been foolish and did not call,” his dad started almost absentmindedly, “But I am not, and I did.”
Aiden tilted his head to the side in a quizzical manner. “But the warriors I encountered were far from friendly. They were ready to fight us actually.”
“That’s strange,” his mom observed.
“You don’t say,” his dad let out in a stunned manner.
“Should we have the pack investigated?” Aiden suggested as he frowned as well.
“It looks like we are not at the end of our troubles,” his dad stated on a sigh, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Yeah, looks like the alpha wants us to pay him a visit,” his mom said almost maliciously.
Aiden could almost sense her killer intent.
If his mom had one rule she lived for, it surely was that no one was allowed to mess with her family.
“I bet you’re itching to see Karen,” his dad then said with a smirk, “You can go.”
“Thanks dad,” Aiden nodded curtly at him, before heading upstairs to his mate’s room.
The closer he got to the room, the more excited he was.
He truly felt like a love-struck teenager.
It was silly really to see the next in line to be alpha ultra basically trembling as he raised his hand to knock on the door.
Get a grip, boy, his wolf snickered. You’re a leader, an alpha. Alphas do not tremble.
In front of their mates, they do, Aiden retorted lamely.
He knocked three times before the door opened to reveal a towel-covered Karen. His eyes widened briefly, before blackening completely as his damned wolf took over.
The beast within him was just as eager as him to see his mate. He just didn’t want to admit how weak and vulnerable she made him.
“Hello, mate,” he greeted her politely as he closed the distance between them in two steps. Only she took two steps back.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be back so soon,” she said in a breathless voice. “Has your wolf taken control?”
“Yes,” he managed to say in a less gruff manner. “We’re battling for control.”
“And I am winning,” his wolf supplied, almost rubbing it in his host’s face.
Karen gripped her towel and tightened it around as she blushed a deep crimson. “Should I be worried?”
“You should never be scared,” he called her bluff. “Whoever is in control will always look after you.”
She gulped her dread, nodded her understanding, and then said in a soft tone, “Let me just get dressed.”
“You have exactly three minutes to get dressed or I am coming in.”
“What?”
“Tic toc,” he taunted as he looked at his host’s wrist watch.
“You’re impossible… more so than Aiden,” if looks could kill, he would be six feet under.
Feisty, he observed mentally as she slammed the door in his face. I like it.
And then Aiden managed to win the battle and got his wolf back under control.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
“Is that you, Aiden? Are you back in control?” Karen asked the moment she opened the door and looked into the face of the one boy who made everything change.
How could a boy werewolf or not make her fate convulse so drastically?
“I am,” he nodded, a hesitant smile of sorts on his face.
She released a sigh of relief.
“You shouldn’t be worried,” he told her in a sweet tone. “My wolf would never hurt you. We’re one and the same, even if he’s like another entity within me.”
She frowned a little bit, not sure to get what he was saying.
“How do I say this? I don’t want to freak you out, but let’s just say that he’s the side of me that wants you by our side day in day out, that wanted to mark you at first sight… he’s the primal side of me.”
Yeah, let’s freak out the clueless little human by telling her all this, she thought to herself with a fond smile despite her.
“He’s just… intense,” she was downplaying it, but he didn’t need to know that when his wolf took over, she nearly had a heart attack.
Aiden merely chuckled at her.
“Wait,” she then said almost in afterthought, “so he’s the one driving to you to be with me, you yourself are not interested in me?”
“Don’t be silly,” he rolled his eyes at her. “Of course I want to be with you. I freaking love you.”
She nodded at him but was still a bit dubitative. It must have shown on her face for he went on, “He identified you as my mate, my feelings followed suit.”
“So if he hadn’t, you wouldn’t have spared me a second glance, is that it?” She raised an eyebrow challengingly even as her heart hurt at the realization.
“Are you trying to have a fight, Karen?” He questioned.
“I don’t know. Am I?” She retorted angrily. “But why won’t you answer the damned question?”
“You know what? I’m not going to have this argument right now. I’m tired as hell. I wanted to see you. Now that that is done, and that I have established that you don’t wish to see me, I’m just going to my room.”
“Seriously? Running away from a fight, Aiden?” She spat at him, displaying how hurt she was by her angry attitude. “Very mature… wow!”
He glared at her. “I’ve never run away from a fight. You’re obviously not being rational here. And I sadly cannot kill you and be done with it already. You’re my mate.”
And with that, he went away, leaving her hurt beyond comprehension and annoyed at herself for her naivety.