After telling the restaurant manager to lock up, Aaron held the door open for Nikki, and they stepped out into the cool night air. It was past midnight, and all the shops on the street were now closed, leaving the street deserted. Aaron draped his arm across Nikki’s shoulders and pulled her against his body as they walked.
Nikki lay her head on his shoulder. “What’s next?”
“Tonight or with us?”
“Tonight. I can only worry about one thing at a time.”
“We are meeting our pack a couple of blocks from here. I had Niyol call them here. I want them all to meet you, and we need to put a plan together to deal with the current situation.”
Nikki shivered. The thought of meeting “the pack” didn’t exactly thrill her. “Sounds like fun,” she said sarcastically.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it fun, but it is necessary. They’ll need to pledge their allegiance to you.”
“Oh, I bet Hok’ee is thrilled about that one.” Aaron cursed under his breath. “What did I say?”
“It seems Hok’ee hasn’t been seen since we saw him a few hours ago. Niyol said that Hok’ee’s place is empty and his clothes are gone.”
“I wish I could say that I’m surprised about that, but I’m not. He was very angry with you earlier, and he clearly wasn’t happy about us.”
“I guess he was more upset than I thought.”
Nikki pointed to an alleyway up ahead. “He didn’t go too far. There he is. He seems to be waiting for something.”
Aaron growled, then put out a call to the rest of the pack to join them.
Hok’ee turned toward the shadows in the alley and appeared to be having a conversation with someone clinging to the darkness. He laughed out loud when Aaron and Nikki drew closer. He casually leaned back against the building and gave them both a smug smile when another man stepped into the dim light of the street.
“It’s been a long time, Nikki.”
Nikki stopped in her tracks and held onto Aaron’s hand with a life grip. “Oh, god. It can’t be.”
“Nikki, who is that?”
“What’s the matter, Nikki? You don’t want to tell your lover who I am?”
Oh, god, Aaron, it’s…it’s…it’s Paul.
Aaron hesitated. I thought you said he was dead.
I assumed he was. I don’t understand, where has he been? And he seems…different.
He has no claim on you. Whether he’s dead or alive you still belong to me.
“Cat got your tongue?” Paul taunted, and Hok’ee barked out another loud laugh.
“Of course not, Paul, it’s just I assumed that you were dead along with the rest of our small town. Where have you been for the last five years?”
He gave her a sinister smile. “I’ve been stalking your every move.”
The hair stood up on her arms, and a deep-seated fear filled her. “Wh…what?”
A light breeze blew from the alleyway and past Aaron and Nikki. The stench of werewolf assailed them both. Aaron growled again, and tucked Nikki behind him. Ebony hair raced over his arms and face, but he didn’t shift. Stay behind me.
Her heart raced in both fear and shock. He’s the fucking werewolf we’ve been hunting?
It appears so.
“Oh, come on, Nikki. Come out from behind your bodyguard. With me between your legs, you’ll forget all about him in no time.” Paul cupped his cock through his jeans, lewdly licked his lips, and sneered. “If it hadn’t been for that damned father of yours and his loyal followers, you would have spread those pretty thighs for me years ago.”
“No,” came out in a horrified whisper. Nikki could feel Aaron’s wolf barely restrained. Don’t listen to him, Aaron. He’s trying to goad you into a fight. It’s obvious Hok’ee set us up and is here to help him. Hok’ee is hoping Paul will take you out to save him the trouble. He wants your pack, and Paul is his means to get it.
I agree. Stay close behind me. I will not attack unless he makes a move in our direction, and if that does happen I want you to run!
No, I’ve been trained for this. I won’t leave you.
No arguments. Your safety comes first.
“Ah, but yes.” As Paul rubbed his hand over his erection, Nikki’s stomach clenched in revulsion. “I’m going to take what was so innocently offered to me five years ago. And by take I mean just that. You can come willingly, or kicking and screaming, but I will have you. I actually prefer the latter. I like ‘em with a lot of fight. It makes my dick harder just thinking about it. I’m going to fuck that pretty pussy until you can’t walk, and I’m going to make him watch me while I do it. It’ll be epic.”
Aaron’s growl sounded from deep within his body. I’m going to enjoy watching that fucker die.
“Of course, he’ll have to die after I’m finished fucking you; I can’t have him trying to steal you back, now can I? That brother of yours has to go too. I want you all for myself, at least until I tire of you, and I don’t want you getting any ideas of running off. Maybe when I do eventually tire of you, I’ll let my new friend, Hok’ee, have a go at you too. From our recent conversations, his taste in sex runs along the same line as mine. He likes ‘em unwillin’ and full of spit and fire too. He’s ready to step in and take over the pack when your lover here is put down like the dog he is, and if you count your cards right, you could still be the alpha’s bitch. That is, if I tire of you.”
“You’re a fucking bastard,” Nikki shouted. “I will kill you myself before I will ever allow either of you touch me. I will take you down. I’ve been trained by the best.”
Paul threw back his head and laughed. It was a laugh deep from his belly, long and loud. “And just who do you think owns that little company you and your brother work for? Really, Nikki, you are still just as naïve as you were back then. It would be cute if it wasn’t so pathetic.”
“Oh god.”
“Ah, I see everything is falling into place, and you’re starting to understand just how well thought out my plan is. Back then you were a weak little girl, only too eager to jump into my bed. But as I said before, I like ‘em with a lot of fight, so I killed your family to prepare you for me.”
Aaron threw up his hand to block Nikki from charging past him. No, he’s baiting us.
Nikki screamed out her rage as she tried to push past Aaron to get to Paul. “If it takes my last breath, I’m gonna kill you!”
“Ah, fighting it’ll be.” Paul smacked his lips. “Just the way I like it.”
Suddenly Nikki felt others close by, and she turned her head to see Aaron’s pack right behind her. In the split second it took her to turn her head back, Paul and Hok’ee were gone.
“Aaron, where did they go?”
Aaron turned and pulled her into his embrace. “They ran when the odds were no longer in their favor.”
“I don’t understand why Paul ran.” Her eyes searched the dark alleyway for any signs of Paul or his pack. “He’s not a lone wolf, he’s part of a vicious pack. Why didn’t they attack us?”
“I’m not sure, but from the way he was taunting us, it sounds like he’s had this all planned out for quite some time. It appears his strategy is to have us so angry that we won’t think before we react. Rest assured that this will end tonight.”
“The elders are too old to fight the werewolves, Alpha,” Niyol said. “But I’ve brought the rest of the pack as you asked. We’re ready to defend our territory against those mutts.”
“Thank you, Niyol.” Aaron stood a little taller. “As most of you just witnessed, Hok’ee is a traitor, and he will be dealt with as such.” A murmur of agreements and objections spread throughout the group.
“Your alpha is right,” Ajei said. “Hok’ee can no longer be trusted. He must die.”
“There is more going on here than just Hok’ee’s betrayal, and we will speak about that in a moment,” Aaron said to his pack. “First, I need to announce that I have taken a mate, and before anyone objects, it is my right as an alpha to choose whomever I wish.”
A voice spoke up from the back. “But she is an outsider and a bruja. I can sense it.”
Aaron nodded. “She is an outsider, and yes, she is a witch. That is what you are sensing, but there is nothing evil about her. Her heart and intentions are pure, and she will make a great addition to our pack.” He put his arm around Nikki and brought her forward. “Her name is Nikki. Once you get to know her, you will love her as I already do. She is now a part of our pack, as is her brother, Seth.”
“Aaron,” Ajei said in a warning tone. “Your mate is one thing, but bringing in other outsiders without the permission of the elders is forbidden.”
“Normally I would agree with you, Mother, but it seems that Dibe has claimed him.”
Ajei’s eyes flashed red. “She has what?”
“I see where you get your temper,” Nikki whispered to Aaron.
“Dibe told me about an hour ago that she and Seth were soulmates, and she took great pleasure in rubbing it in my face that she didn’t need my permission to claim the outsider since I had done the exact same thing.”
“I am going to take that child over my knee when I see her,” Ajei fumed.
“I would say stand in line, but that’s Seth’s job now.”
Nikki snorted indignantly. “You two talk about them like they’re still kids and not capable of making an intelligent decision between the two of them. Hello? They’re two consenting adults. Get. Over. It.”
Ajei laughed. “This one has backbone. I like her already.”
“She does grow on you,” Aaron mumbled sarcastically. Behave.
Nikki smiled.
Asta made his way to the front of the pack and kneeled before his alpha. “With your permission, Niyol and I can scout ahead and see if we can find out where the mutts are holing up. They can’t have gone too far.”
“I think we should split up in groups of ten and scour the area. We have enough pack members to search the surrounding areas, which will make it impossible for the mutts to—”
The hysterical screaming in his ear cut Aaron off in mid-sentence. He brought his hands up and covered both his ears, squeezing his eyes shut.
Nikki shook his shoulder in a panic. “What’s happening?”
“It’s Dibe.” Aaron opened his eyes and lowered his hands. “They’re surrounded.”