***
Once back at the pack house, Aiden returned to dutifully pretending not to have any interest in Willow whatsoever.
That was what Stephen expected from him, and that was what he was going to keep up the illusion of. He’d finally managed to get her cell number during the last bit of the drive back though, and now was free to talk to her as often as he wished, without Stephen interfering.
In fact, they’d just finished making plans to both head out of the pack house that evening and “accidentally” end up at the same spot. He couldn’t wait. Neither of them had been willing to classify it as a date, but Aiden knew a date when he saw one. The two of them were going to be alone and unchaperoned—the horror!—for the first time. His excitement was threatening to bubble over the top, and he was forced to counter it with an extra dose of dour frowning anytime anyone was around.
“Aiden.”
He froze as Stephen called his name, appearing from around the corner of the hallway that led to his office.
“Yes?”
“Good job with the pickup today. Not everyone can handle the fact that we do clandestine government work.”
“Ah, thanks.”
I’m pretty sure I just committed a crime, or helped aid criminals. Either way, Mack would likely be pissed about whatever it is you’re up to. Now my hands are dirty too though, and you know it.
That was probably the plan all along. Get him doing stuff that could incriminate him, so that if they went down, it would look bad enough that he’d be taken down with them. Whether Aiden knew what he’d been doing or not, it wouldn’t matter. He was an exile, and Mack wasn’t going to give him another chance. He had to bust this whole thing wide open, and soon.
“There’s a party going on tonight, outside of town.”
“Oh yeah?” He tried to feign interest, wondering how he was going to get out of this one.
“Yeah, boys-only sort of thing.” Stephen smiled, making it clear that there wouldn’t just be boys there.
Aiden had an idea what it was he was referring to.
“Bonfire?” he asked, trying to sound hopeful.
“Yeah, definitely. Everything is on the house. We’re leaving around seven.” It wasn’t an invitation. It was a command.
Aiden was expected to be there.
“Do you have these parties often?” he asked casually, trying to sound eager.
Stephen shook his head. “No, we haven’t had one in a while. But the pack is too worked up. We’ve been doing a lot lately, and it’s time the boys let loose and relaxed. Work off some steam.”
“I understand completely.”
And he did. Stephen wasn’t talking about a brush party. He was talking about a Frenzy. An organized orgy, essentially. From the sounds of it, complete with drugs and human women. Aiden wanted to hiss in anger at the idea that Stephen was putting one together. The women were rarely there out of a desire to be, and judging by the way his pack acted, he doubted that all of them would be returning home.
“Seven sharp,” Stephen said.
“I’ll be ready.” He smiled and let a low chuckle echo between them.
His Alpha smiled and disappeared back to his hallway.
Shit.
“Willow is not going to be happy.” He spoke the words under his breath.
“No, she isn’t.”
He spun to find her standing behind him.
“How long have you been there?” he asked, swallowing nervously.
“Long enough to hear all about how much fun you’re going to have tonight at the party.” She practically spat the word at him.
So much for her not knowing what was involved at the Frenzy.
“Look, Willow, I—”
But she was gone, disappearing up the stairs to the second floor. Moments later a door slammed.
“Son of a bitch.”
What the fuck was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t not go to the party. But he wasn’t going to sleep with anyone while there. And he had to ensure that the women all made it home safely. On top of all that, he was somehow supposed to prove to Willow that it wasn’t his idea to go, that he’d simply been pretending so his Alpha didn’t suspect him of anything!
What a clusterfuck.
He headed for his room, his brain already switching into high gear. He had plans to make. Right now, as much as he hated it, he had to put Willow’s thoughts toward him as a secondary priority.
Spoiling Stephen’s party and yet somehow managing to ingratiate himself further into the pack at the same time was top priority. The first part was easy. It was the second that took him some time to work through. In the end though, he knew he could make it happen. Aiden started contacting a few friends he had outside of Mack’s pack. In addition to the party, he had some questions about Willow’s family, and the supposed rogue Were.
It was time he started getting some answers.