Aiden wasn’t surprised to see that the daring abductor was confident enough to come alone. The guy looked vaguely familiar to him. And he soon enough recognized him as the eraser.
Good god, what a fool he had been to bring an outsider into his business! Look where that got him.“Why, hello there,” the warlock had the nerve to smirk at him.Kill him. And find mate.We are getting there, Aiden sighed as he tried to clear his mind of his inner beast’s killer intent.“What do you want from me, warlock?” He asked, uncaring to know his opponent’s motives. All he wanted to know was what he would have to do in exchange for his mate’s safe return to his side.Would he have to kill him and then find her as his wolf suggested? That could very well mean war between the witches and the werewolves. And seeing as Blake was adamant about killing every breathing living witch, if his mate were to pass, that would only meanAiden’s reunion with Karen was the furthest it could have been from his imagination. To say it didn’t play out the way he had expected would be the understatement of the year.He hadn’t expected her to welcome him with open arms, admittedly, but he had thought he’d find her scared and confused, not angry beyond comprehension.Indeed the moment he stepped into the desolate cabin in which she had been kept captive, his beautiful blonde mate looked at him, with murder in her eyes.That was not a what-kind-of-mess-did-you-get-me-into kind of glare… it was much more intense, and held so much more heat to it.He would have startled back from it had he been any lesser wolf, but he wasn’t, and thus he didn’t.He tried to shrug it off as he breathed out a few relieved words, “You’re okay. Oh god, I’m so glad you’re okay.”She didn’t utter a word in response, even as he went to free he
“Who are you?” Aiden demanded to know, while mentally preparing himself for the fight that was sure to follow.“I was just wandering the woods – my woods – when I sensed your presence…” the man announced before seemingly zoning out.Aiden raised an eyebrow at that, mildly unnerved by Karen who hadn’t gotten in the car, and who was no doubt intrigued by the stranger, but also wildly unnerved by the man’s response which, in fact, didn’t answer his question at all.“What about my presence?” Aiden decided to play by the man’s rules for the time being while shielding his absurdly and endearingly curious mate.“Well, you do ooze off a certain amount of power. I have always been drawn to power,” the man went on, almost in a daze, “And let’s just say that I want that power as my own.”That sentence was the breaking point of the discussion, for the man, who ha
Aiden called his bodyguard. Karen didn’t even know he had one. And where the fuck was this bodyguard of his when he had been fighting for his life?Stop worrying about him, she told herself inwardly. He broke your trust. He didn’t believe in you.He also protected you with his life, her inner slut purred. And good god did he look good doing that.Karen had to shake her head to get it out of the gutter.Although she could admit that he did look good, that didn’t necessarily mean she was attracted to him, did it?“Are you okay?” He asked her for what seemed like the tenth time since he had ended the fight.From where he was standing, right next to the driver’s door, his privates well covered, he was titling his head in a quizzical manner.“Why wouldn’t I be?” She retorted, rolling her eyes.She had always been a little bit squeamish, and had never tolerated violence – which was a bit ir
Five fucking hours and two stops later, and Aiden finally announced, “We’re here.”“Where’s here exactly?” Karen frowned at him. All she could see around was the green lush forest. For some unfathomable reason, she trusted him – he did protect her with his life – and thus didn’t question him anymore about their destination.A few more meters, and she was able to see a gate.There were guards at the fancy looking gate.He opened his car window and said amiably, “Would you open the door for us?”One of the guards looked at him briefly, confusion filling his eyes when his gaze fell on Karen, before he obliged, “Yes, young master.”Young master? Karen echoed mentally after the guard.What did she get herself into? Some kind of mafia web?The car moved forward slowly and Karen took in their surroundings. If he lived in this luxurious mansion all his life, she couldn&rsquo
“Karen,” she heard Aiden call her name for what felt like the umpteenth time when it was only the fourth, as he knocked on the door of the room she had been given.She stubbornly and quite childishly ignored him… until he barged in, saying, “Ready or not, I’m coming in. You’re worrying me.”She could only roll her eyes at his behavior.“Typical alpha male, I suppose?” She taunted.“I am an alpha,” he told her in a detached tone, seemingly not liking her attitude.Well, tough!“Yeah, yeah,” she carried on taunting him, challenging him, in an attempt to get a rise out of him so she could blow out at him. “So you say, Aiden.”“I was born to lead,” he said in a resolute tone, “and you were born to be mine.”“Says who?” She raised an eyebrow.“Fate. Fate brought us together…”“Do you even
The moment they reached a familiar clearing, Aiden slowed down and then stopped altogether. Karen got off his back, and she was positively glowering.Oh well... When was she not?He quickly changed to his human form, not minding his nudity, and said i
Jonathan, Aiden’s dad, with the help of his mate, sent a missive to all the US packs’ alphas. There was a ball of power, as Aiden explained to Karen, that served to transmit the message – both in image and sound.
Aiden watched his father during another witchy transmission explain the situation, putting emphasis on the fact that The Devil’s Pact was still valid despite all that had transpired. He admired his dad for what he was doing – trying to keep peace between species at all costs – and he hoped that he too, one day, would be just as dedicated to the cause.Once that was done, his mom clapped her hands twice and said, “I say that a party is in order. Karen, care to help me out?”“Sure,” Aiden’s mate agreed readily, even though she didn’t know what to expect. “I cannot bake to save my life,” she gave her a sheepish smile, “but anything other than that is fine by me.”Aiden’s mom laughed good-humored
Karen, the too-goody-two-shoes, the nerd, fell for the bad boy, the werewolf, the alpha ultra to be. And she fell hard.Her plans of making it out of the town and into the college of her dreams became a reality soon enough. And Aiden, the man she called hers, even admitted enjoying his time in college.All issues had been addressed, and peace had been restored.The couple spent each of their summer holidays at the palace, learning everything they could about their upcoming responsibilities.It wasn’t Aiden’s idea but rather her own to do that. He tried to convince her to go abroad more, to experience life fully, but she was much too indebted to his parents, and admittedly dedicated to him, to think she wouldn’t enjoy everything the palace had to offer.As long as she could stay with her beloved Aiden, she didn’t mind not getting a taste of the world.The world was a nasty place. And the man she had always looked up to as her fath
The following day, school was buzzing with excitement as there was going to be a dance. And as per the traditions, for the first dance of the school year, it was up to the girl to ask a guy to escort them to the dance, and not the other way around.Karen was naturally going to ask Aiden. She was even planning on confessing her strong albeit complex feelings to him.You can do this, Karen, she told herself as the fourth period ended and it was time for lunch.She and Aiden were heading to the cafeteria together to have lunch when he whispered in her ear, “I can sense that you’re nervous about something. What’s wrong, love? Is there something I should know?”Her eyes narrowed at him briefly. How could he be so dense? And then a pout broke onto her features, softening them.“What is it?” He insisted.“Oh god, you’re so thick!” She exclaimed angrily.“Oh my, thank you,” he said in a teas
Karen asked Aiden to take it slowly when they reached the bedroom.“If you have doubts, I’ll stop at once,” he told her softly as he kissed her lips gently.“Not doubts,” she shook her head negatively. “It’s just that I am a virgin.”“So am I,” he said with a small smirk.“Oh?” She was shocked by that to say the least. He was such a hunk.“Why is it such a surprise?” He raised an eyebrow as he helped her out of her dress.She had no time to feel self-conscious and cover herself for he grabbed both her hands in his.She had trouble coming up with a suitable answer, and ended up saying awkwardly, “You’re just so handsome, I cannot help but wonder how that came to be.”“I was taught to respect women,” he shrugged before discarding his shirt on the floor.Her eyes travelled across the acres of hot sculpted chest and she dampened h
“What are you playing at?” Aiden all but growled out the words at the sight of his mate in another guy’s arms.He and Karen were back to Fort Myers. They resumed school, leaving behind everything that pertained to the werewolves, the witches, and the vampires. Aiden knew his parents were still young enough to be able to solve it all without his help. And even if he did want to give them a hand, Karen had expressed her desire to continue school, and that brought them back to the town.“I’m hugging my best friend?” She asked rather than stated.Mason glared at him. “Where did you take her? You both disappeared completely off the radar.”“I kidnapped her. What is it to you?” He deadpanned almost angrily.“Aiden,” she groaned her displeasure. “Play nice.”“Aye captain,” he mock-saluted.And her best friend laughed at his expense.“You too, Mason,&
“Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to reach an understanding with…” Aiden started his angry tirade as he rose to his feet, only to be interrupted by his dad.“Calm down,” he commanded in a booming voice.Aiden glared at his dad at that, not because he was a spoiled brat who didn’t like taking orders, rather because his dad had used his alpha tone on him…“You have to understand that we’re doing this for you,” his mom told him softly.“Oh really?” He taunted.“Yes, really,” his dad assured him as he put a calming hand on his shoulder. Aiden wanted to shrug it off but didn’t want to upset his dad. “You’ll thank us later.”“Right,” he scoffed.“By choosing to give you 5 years, we’re allowing you more time to love one another,” his mother told him softly, “away from the palace drama, away from every
Karen had meant what she told Aiden. She was more than willing to start over with him, and she did her best not to flinch or shy away from contact the following day, to keep herself from voicing out her insecurities in a way that could possibly hurt him too.“You don’t have to force yourself,” he told her softly after a while.“It’s not like that,” she shook her head negatively. “It’s just that I’ve been… I’ve been abused by my dad for so long that I forgot what it felt like to be loved. I’m just scared, you know.”Tears sprung to her eyes. And Aiden’s eyes softened on her when he said, “You’re my mate, Karen. I would never hurt you the way he did.”“I want to believe you. I really do,” she had a hard time not choking on the words. “It’s just so hard. I told you that I have my own demons to battle as well.”“I understand
Aiden had just slammed the door to his room close, when Jasmine, his mother, appeared next to Karen who had remained in the hallway, too stunned, angry and hurt to move.“Is everything alright?” The witch asked her.“I don’t know,” Karen said in a soft whisper. “I am human. He is a werewolf. I am not used to your ways. And he doesn’t try that hard to make me understand.”“What do you want to know? I’ll explain what I can,” she offered softly.“Really?” Karen beamed at her.“Yeah, I can sense that you are troubled. I want to help,” Jasmine told her, her deep blue eyes reminding her of the sweetly calming sea.“He said that his wolf identified me as his mate, and that his feelings started from there,” Karen said on a sigh. “What does that even mean?”“Here’s the deal,” the woman began, “Aiden was so eager to meet y
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 s
Hunting down witches had never been on Aiden’s agenda. He was a sucker for peace. Besides, his mom was a witch herself, so one could understand his reluctance to go on the mission.Not only did he meet one of the warlocks who were probably involved, but he was the target too. His dad left him in charge of the squad of warriors he sent.That put a lot of pressure on him even if he would never admit it out loud.His task wasn’t to capture the witches or anything of the sorts – Blake was adamant about that according to his dad – but rather to find their base and possibly get them to talk. What unnerved Aiden more was that this hunt was making him part ways with his beloved mate.But then, he reminded himself that this was for the sake of peace – and because they made the first move. It wasn’t his fault if Blake vowed to rain down hell on them as soon as possible.Aiden had to travel back to Florida. He first went to the place