Willow
The two wolves stalked around each other in a circle for what felt like an eternity, feinting and dodging without ever really striking a blow. Aiden’s huge raven-furred beast against the nearly equally large white wolf that was streaked with dark gray.
When they finally closed with each other, it happened so fast she could barely keep up. The black wolf darted in with what looked to be another feint, but this time it never stopped. The other wolf was caught off guard and reacted too slow to get out of the way. Realizing it was going to take a hit, it accepted that fact and ripped a chunk of Aiden’s flank free. The dance repeated itself again and again. Neither side seemed to be gaining an advantage, though they were both covered in blood.
In the end, it was the smallest of mistakes that ended the fight. Aiden had been circling, pushing ever so much closer to his foe. The other wolf matched him stride for stride, when suddenly Aiden’s black wolf shot forward. To her eyes he appeared to be moving slower, as if he wanted to give time for the unknown fighter to back away.
Which is exactly what happened.
The white and gray wolf shuffled backward, preparing to swipe a paw across where Aiden’s face would be. Willow saw it all coming from a mile away, and she knew if she could see it, then both wolves could see it.
But what she and Aiden’s opponent had failed to notice was the ending of the stone patio. It was so large, over a hundred feet across, that they were just sort of used to it. But now it ended, and grass began. It was only a four- or five-inch drop, but when the white wolf put its weight on its back legs and they suddenly had to fall half a foot farther, it was caught completely and totally off guard.
Which is when Aiden darted in low and ripped the throat from it.
She cried out and turned around, not wanting to see the result. It wasn’t the first time she’d watched a challenge, nor the first time she’d seen a werewolf bleed out and die from the result of one. But that didn’t mean she enjoyed it.
“Okay,” she said as Aiden limped back into her view. “Now, what the fuck was that all about?” So far she’d been fairly patient, but it was about time she started getting answers about everything that had been going on.
Before she could though, she saw Aiden straighten painfully, his eyes focused on the house. Turning, she saw someone else emerge from inside. As they walked over, she saw his eyes dart back and forth between Aiden and the body. Beside her, her newfound love was holding a position of attention that had to have his body screaming with agony from the wounds.
“What is going on here?” the newcomer asked.
“Rayne decided that he could deal with me on his own,” Aiden said stiffly. “Word unfortunately was not given to your teams that I was on the inside, and they came after me as well as the rest of Stephen’s pack. When I finally got Willow to safety, two of his goons took me down.”
The two RRT members who had remained nearby for the entire thing shifted uncomfortably as the newcomer’s gaze shifted from one to the other.
“Is that true?” he asked, his voice deadly quiet.
“Uh, Rayne said it was part of the operation,” one of them protested, looking uncomfortable. “He didn’t tell us the truth. We thought we were just following orders.”
As much as she didn’t like it, even Willow could hear the truth in his voice. She wanted them to pay for aiding this Rayne in his quest to kill Aiden. But it seemed they were innocent.
“You’re fired,” the newcomer said. “Get the fuck out of my city, and never come back.”
“But—” One of them started to protest, but the rest of the words died on his lips as the newcomer took a step toward him.
“Who is this?” she asked, speaking out of the corner of her mouth. She was tired of thinking of him as “the new guy.”
“Uh, Willow, this is Mack, my former Alpha. Mack, this is Willow, the girl I told you about.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “You told him about me?”
Aiden blushed.
“Yes, he did,” Mack said, stepping in front of both of them. “He told me all about the goings-on here.”
Behind them there was the sound of a struggle. They all turned to see two more members bringing Stephen from the house, held firmly between them.
“Willow, I know we just met, and this will make me seem like an asshole, but your father has to die for his crimes.” There was an awkward pause. “Um, if you want to say anything, I’ll give you some time.”
Mack went to move away, but Willow shook her head.
“No,” she said, her voice hard. “I would have loved to speak to my father, to tell him I loved him.” She spat in Stephen’s direction. “But my father died thirty-five years ago, murdered by this pathetic asshole.”
Stephen’s eyes went wide. “Who told you?! I’ll kill them! I’ll kill them all.” He started to struggle.
Willow shook her head. He was insane. Being presented with his death had caused a break with reality in Stephen. It was most obvious in his eyes. They were wide, looking back and forth, focusing on things only he could see.
“I didn’t,” she said sadly. “I just played a hunch. I still don’t understand why.”
“I’m not sure we ever will,” Aiden said softly from next to her, taking her hand in his. “But my guess is perhaps they stumbled onto his operation and threatened to expose it. He killed them and took you in as cover, to make himself appear more down-to-earth and likable by everyone else.”
Willow nodded. “I’d come to most of that same conclusion myself.” She looked up at Mack. “Do what you have to do.”
“Inside,” Mack said, indicating he wanted it to happen out of sight.
The werewolves holding Stephen in place yanked him back to his feet and hauled him inside and away from her.
“Are you okay?” Aiden asked.
She shrugged. “Most of my entire world has been turned upside down. I’ve gone from latching on to a fake father, to a brand-new man in my life. I’m terrified that I’m going to learn that you’ve been faking everything all along.”
Aiden grimaced. “I’ve not been faking who I am, or how I feel about you. The only thing that I didn’t tell you was that Mack sent me here in hopes that I might be able to expose whatever it was your f—” he shook his head—“what Stephen was up to. I was still banished, and I’m now without a pack. That part was all true. As is the part where you’re my mate, and I am so madly in love with you. None of that was a lie, Willow, I swear to you.”
She squeezed his hand tight. “I never figured I would actually find a mate. But if I’m forced to do that, I suppose I can’t argue about it being you.” She winked.
“Just a warning. I have no idea what the future holds for me. We’ll probably have to move out of the city, find somewhere new to live. I overstayed my welcome here, and screwed up one too many times before I found something worth changing my ways for.”
Willow furrowed her eyebrows. “You did? What’s that?”
The werewolf lowered his head, shaking it slightly. It took a moment for Willow to realize it was laughter.
“You!” he said, looking up at last.
“Um, oh.” She felt rather sheepish. That was a fairly obvious answer. “Thanks?”
Aiden just shook his head a few more times and then leaned in and kissed her. “You’re welcome.”
“So, where do we go then?” The idea of leaving the city behind scared her. She’d lived here her entire life, aside from when she went away to school, but even that was in a big city. The idea of country living wasn’t something that had ever crossed her mind, even though the pack house was well outside the outskirts of town, almost enough to be classified as country living.
“You don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to,” Mack said, speaking up at last, having maintained polite silence.
She looked at him. “What do you mean?”
Mack glanced at Aiden, and then beyond him. “Well, there’s an opening now in my pack. If you can show me you truly have changed, then you would be welcomed back.”
Aiden stiffened next to her.
“Willow would of course be welcome too.”
Her mate relaxed somewhat, but he still seemed as hard as metal. She shook his hand. “Well, what do you say?”
“Umm, can I take a few days to think about it?”
Mack blinked in obvious surprise. “Of course. But not too long, I’ll need to fill the position soon. Seventy-two hours. No longer.”
Aiden nodded. “Right, three days. Got it.”
Willow wasn’t sure what she was missing, but one thing was clear. It was going to be an interesting next three days.
“Is there anything else?” she asked, stunned at how calm her voice sounded. “Because if not, Aiden’s going to take me to a hotel and I’m going to have a breakdown about how the life I’ve known was a lie and is gone now, if that’s okay with everyone.”
The words were barely out of her mouth when she suddenly felt dizzy as adrenaline faded and realization set in.
“Aiden.”
“Yes my love?”
“Catch me.”
“What?”
“I’m going to faint.”
And she did.