4: Aiden

Oh, the irony...

When he touched her cheek, it was barely a graze when it hit him like a freight train. A jolt of electricity electrified every nerve in his body. He became more aware of her presence, the softness of her hair, the smoothness of her skin, the deepness in her eyes. He watched her face light up as she must have felt the same sensation rush through her body and her breath held. She looked in awe and surprise as she drank him in. His Wolf howled with glee.

Mate.

Aiden washed his face repeatedly, hoping with each splash that he’d wake up from this dream. Did he truly hope that it was a dream? Finding his Mate was fate, no matter the location or situation. Why did he brush her hair away again? He couldn’t hold back his reflexes. She was in a trance by that damn Vampire, his instincts just kicked in. He needed to protect her, but if he hadn’t stepped in, would she have snapped out of it?

Her scent was familiar... Almost nostalgic. Why is that? Every time I think about it, a wall comes up and I can't make any connections.

Aiden played with the food on his plate, lost in his thoughts when he felt a sudden smack to the back of his head. He grunted softly, looking up to see the old man, Jenkins, giving him a scrutinized look as he sat down with a fresh new plate. Aiden glanced over to see his mother watching him with worry in her eyes. It had been a few days since he found out Amira was his mate. He was still struggling to wrap his head around it, but it seemed like his Wolf was pleased with the results.

“Are you feeling okay? You’ve been out of it for a few days now.” She asked worriedly, and he nodded, pushing his plate away.

“Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind right now.” He stood up, taking his plate to the sink and cleaned it. His mind flew back to Amira’s advancement in the truck, he could still smell the faint body spray she used that morning.

“Is it a certain white haired girl?” She sang, and his Wolf growled softly at the mention of her. He turned a hard eye on his mother, practically seeing her Wolf ears perk up with interest. He made his way to the garage without another word to her.

That should satisfy her for now.

Amira's truck sat in the driveway, fixed and ready to go as rain started to fall from the darkening sky. He grumbled, looking at the clock on the stereo, tapping his tool box. He switched glances between the truck, the rain and the clock. He grabbed her keys off of the table.

-----

He parked in the closest spot he could find, the rain coming down harder now as students started filing out of the school. He came here on adrenaline, and the desire to see her, but what if she didn’t want to see him? It had been a few days, and neither of them had bothered to try and make contact. Did the incident in the truck scare her that much?

As he stepped out of the truck, the cold rain hitting his burning skin he thought steam was rising off of it, that’s when he saw her. She stepped through the doors, her hair like a snowy blanket down her back and over her shoulders. She wore a black tank top that gave her curves definition and showed the roundness of her breasts. Her shorts rose up high on her thighs that he thought she wasn’t wearing any at all. She stopped when she saw him, barely standing beneath the ceiling of the walkway. He stared back at her, the rain beating him, but once he saw her, everything else faded away.

“Aiden, what the Hell?” She asked as she rushed over to him. The rain drenched her body almost instantly. She opened the door to the driver’s side and pushed him back in. He tried his best to ignore the shock again as she slammed his door shut and climbed in the other side.

“Well hello to you too.” He said to her, mentally facepalming himself. She swept her hair over one shoulder, trying to ring out the water.

“I’m sorry, I pushed you pretty hard. Are you okay?” She asked him, her blue eyes staring up at him. He felt his face grow hot, looking away from her.

“Yeah, you couldn’t hurt me anyways, pipsqueak.” He said to her and she gasped.

“Excuse you, I can most definitely put you on your ass.” She said firmly and he raised a brow at her. He leaned in close, watching her cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

“You can most definitely try.” He dropped his voice low into his chest, watching her sway a bit at the sound. She cleared her throat, sitting back.

“Why are you here?” She asked, looking away from him now.

“It was down pouring, so I figured you’d appreciate a ride. But if you’d rather walk instead, I’ll boot you out.” He said, and she met his gaze with a look of defiance that made his knees weak.

She could bring down the world with that look.

“You wouldn’t dare.” She said, but her eyes slipped past him and she pressed herself closer to him. He felt his defenses rise up as he glanced over his shoulder to see her professor eyeing the truck before going back inside.

“Is he still bothering you?” He asked her without removing his eyes on the school.

“No, but a girl went missing in my class. Apparently she never made it home yesterday.” She said, and he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise up. He put an arm around her, holding her against him as he surveyed the building. With how hard the rain was coming down, he couldn’t see past it, but when he let his eyes shift over just enough for his Wolf sight to gaze through, he noticed the professor in a classroom talking to another female student.

“Aiden?” Her voice whispered into his ear, making him put his Wolf away and gaze down at her. Her bright blue eyes peered up at him through the locks of white hair. Her body rested against him, his hand holding onto her waist. One of her hands rested on his thigh, dangerously close to his crotch. He quickly shifted position, releasing her and moving his leg so that her hand lifted from it.

“Sorry, I guess my instincts kicked in.” He said, looking back at the school again.

“You have good instincts. So, you’d react that way with any girl?” She asked, a slight annoyance in her tone. He eyed her carefully as she sat away from him and opened her bag to bring out that large book again.

You're not just a girl...

“Any luck with that?” He asked as he turned the truck on and headed off.

“No. There's nothing written anywhere. No title. No author. I didn't have the balls to ask my professor, but I don't want to get rid of it either.” She skimmed through the pages before coming to an abrupt stop. "No, that's not it."

“What is it?” He asked her, and she shut the book and stuffed it away.

“It’s nothing.” She quipped, before taking a deep breath, “I wanted to apologize for how I acted the other day.” She said, and he peered at her from the corner of his eye. He pulled down the curve to the shop, coming to a halt in front of the driveway.

“Why are you sorry? I instigated it.”

“Still though. I’m not so straightforward like that. It’s not normal for me.” She said, and he noticed the pinks in her cheeks again. She was feeling embarrassed.

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” He tried to reassure her, but even he felt at fault. With how things were going the other day, he was struggling to hold himself back. Now that he realized it, he’s been talkative with her, joking with her like it was natural. Was it the Mate bond that they shared?

“Oh, how much do I owe you?” She reached into her backpack and pulled out her wallet. He reached over and rested his hand over hers. The shock sent goosebumps to rise along his arms and legs, his hair on the back of his neck rising up. His Wolf growled pleasantly, wanting to come out. He smelled the rain on her skin, and how tight her tank top clung to her body.

“Dinner.” He said deeply, watching her sway when he talked. He liked seeing the effect he put her under. His hand slid up her arm slowly, sending the jolts along her skin. She gasped, but she didn’t pull away.

“Dinner?” She asked breathlessly, her eyelids fluttering. He could feel his fangs sharpen and he panicked, pulling away suddenly. His fangs retracted. She panted lightly, trying to catch her breath.

“Let me take you to dinner.” He said again, giving distance between them. She glanced over to him.

“How is that me paying you?” She asked, and he shook his head.

“I don’t want payment. Just dinner.” He hadn’t been upfront with someone in a long time, especially another woman. Not until Amira showed up. She wasn’t afraid to hold eye contact, to get close to him. Though she was shy about all of it.

“Do you have a place in mind?” She asked him. He scratched his head as he thought it over. “You don’t seem like the wine and dine type of guy.” She said to him.

“I can wine, it’s just not my preference.” He replied, smiling a bit. He eyed her carefully, “Are you of age?” She blushed a beet red.

“I’m an adult.” She said defensively, and he chuckled.

“I meant are you of age to drink?” He asked her, and she frowned.

“Not for another week.”

“Then consider it a birthday treat.” He said and hopped out of the truck. She slid over to the driver side. The rain continued to come down hard on him.

“Aiden.” She called to him and when he turned to face her, her face was so close to his as she pressed her lips against his cheek. The shock was intense this time that he had to hold himself up against the truck to steady himself. She pulled her lips away slowly, the rain streaming down her face and dripping from her hair, “Thank you.” She whispered, but he heard her clearly. He gave a stiff nod, shutting her door and watched her take off.

“My goodness, it’s hot out here.” His mother said behind him and he looked over his shoulder to her. She was beaming at him like a little school girl, “Did it happen?” She asked him as he stepped into the safe haven of his garage. He shook the rain from his hair the best he could, peeling off his shirt.

“Nothing happened.” He grumbled at her, but she was bouncing in place.

“She’s your Mate, isn’t she?” She asked eagerly, and he sighed heavily. She squealed happily, “Her mother would be so happy.” She said, and he looked at her then.

She mentioned her mother again. How close are Amira and I exactly? How much does my mother know that she isn't telling me? If I ask her, will she tell me everything about Amira that I desire to know or would she be cryptic again?

“Aiden, sweetie.” Lymeria interrupted his thoughts and he focused again on her. She took his face in her hands, “You are a good man, and a good Wolf. I know you will not hurt her. Fate would not have brought you two together otherwise.” She said, and he leaned into his mother’s touch, shutting his eyes. He was his own man, his own Wolf.

----------

The Earth trembled beneath his paws as he dashed past the trees, letting the wind brush through his fur. He was at peace in this form, letting his beast take over and letting go. He can hear the animals waking up to start their night, or rustling to hide as he made his way through. He zigzagged past thick trees, splashing through puddles. After the storm passed over, all of the scents in the forest heightened to their extremes.

He slide to a stop, panting as he looked around him. Darkness of night greeted him. He looked up toward the canopy, barely seeing the nearly full moon peaking through. He felt free.

A scent drifted through his nose, his ears twitching as his head turned toward it. He knew the smell all to well now. He could see her blue eyes as he trotted after the trail, being drawn to her even now.

He stuck to the shadows of the buildings, keeping low as a few stray cars drove by. It wouldn’t be too odd to spot a Wolf crossing a street this far north, but a Wolf of his size would raise questions and bring hunters. That would be the last thing he’d need. He came to a stop in an alley across the way from the book store, seeing her locking up the door. She had switched from her tank top and shorts to a black hoodie and black cargo pants with boots. It seemed like she stepped out from her normal self and into some rogue that stealth through the streets at night. She put her hood up and started walking down the sidewalk. A moment later, someone separated from the shadows of a building nearby and started to follow her. He growled low and deep, keeping to the shadows.