by Zana Wilder
Liz tuts. Looking past me her eyes widen “Someone here might be keen to persuade you out of your spinsterhood”
Looking up quickly I see Marc gliding towards our table. I was really hoping not to run into him again. I've categorically ignored his text messages. He's a bit 'much'. I don't understand why someone like him is trying so hard with someone like me. That's what he's doing – trying too hard, way too hard, it's a complete turn off. Not to mention his behaviour in the bistro.
Marc slips into the seat beside us, offering his apologies for the last time we met. Just as he sits down, Liz's phone goes off.
“Sorry Freya, Tavey's a bit lost, I think he's nearby though” Liz glances between me and Marc apologetically “I'll be right back after I track him down. I promise!”
I immediately groan to myself. So much for staying as backup! I'm already feeling my migraine worsening at the very thought of having to deal with Marc. I glare at Liz's departing back before turning to Marc “Apology accepted, but... I can't stay long – I have another thumping migraine” I touch my temples as it ramps up.
Without asking Marc reaches towards me and massages my head. There's nowhere for me to move to and I'm immediately annoyed. What is it with this guy and invading my personal space?!
I'm about to tear strips off him for disrespecting my boundaries again when it hits me- the migraine that's been grumbling for days has vanished. Completely and utterly vanished.
“What?... How did you do that?” I splutter “The pain, it's completely gone, completely and utterly gone, it's like magic!”
Marc grins and I can't help but smile back – the relief from the constant pain of the past few days is amazing. I glance up to see Liz grinning in the window with Tavey hooked on her arm. Seeing me looking smiley and relaxed Liz waves a cheeky goodbye in the window and drags a frowning Tavey off towards the shops.
Marc and I sit for a while longer over another hot chocolate. Grudgingly I have to admit his attention isn't exactly unpleasant. I've been unbearable and in a hideously bad mood with everyone because of the pain. He's probably not a bad man, just pushy.
Marc insists on driving me home, via an entirely unnecessary bunch of flowers from an expensive florist as an apology for his behaviour. It's a bit overwhelming – I sneak a look at the price, they cost twice as much as my weekly grocery shopping!
As we drive closer to home, I feel a bit uncomfortable; I can see Marc looking around in shock.
“Isn't it a little rough around here for a single woman like you?”
His condescension prickles, “It does me just fine thank you!”
He has the good grace to look abashed, “I'd just hate to think of anything happening to you” he amends quickly.
Immediately I feel I've been harsh. He's just looking out for me, I'm sure he's imagining the neighbourhood to be far worse than it actually is, and it has definitely gone downhill since I moved in too.
I hear myself confessing I'd thought about moving but didn't know of anywhere much better, that was affordable. Marc immediately offers to go flat hunting with me – part of his family business is in property rentals, and he has friends who have other properties if I wasn't comfortable with renting from someone I was dating, he slides in quietly.
By the time I finally shut my front door I'm exhausted. More to get him to go than anything, I've agreed to letting him look for some 'suitable' apartments. Whatever the hell that might mean. Urgh. I hate people meddling in my business, especially a pushy rich man who probably has no idea of what affordable might mean to me, AND who just tried to refer to us as dating. He didn't even have the good grace to look ashamed when I set him right.
Looking around my flat my beautiful plants are in desperate need of some attention. I haven't been in the mood to look after them recently- the migraines have been all consuming.
Pain-free for the moment I make the most of it, yanking on my comfiest hoody, disposing of my tight bra and pulling up some very loose granny pants, while I wander around crooning to my babies. I'm in my element, feeling very Bridget-Jones-esque in my moment of self-care.
I'm not entirely sure I can put my good mood down to not having a migraine, or if it's aided by the flurry of texts I've just had from Aaron.
“Hi beautiful stranger! I was kicking myself I didn't get your number. I'm not sure I approve of Tavey whoring me out, but since it's to you, I'll forgive him”
“That's twice we've met and you didn't ask for my number... what's a girl to think?!” I reply quickly.
“That she's too stunning for a man to think straight?? Sorry... too cheesy?”
“Stilton-esque cheesy!” I can feel a stupid grin on my face.
“Be fair, I WAS busy trying to defend your honour when you ran out on me...”
“Who talks like that?! But, yeah thanks for scraping me off the floor. I hope you and Marc kissed and made up after I left?”
“Did we hell! I could make it up to you though? With or without the kiss... ”
“It's a date”
Shit, it is a date isn't it? That is what he meant surely? I only stop cringing when he starts arranging where to pick me up. Liz is not the only one going on a date tomorrow. I smile to myself, and then have a little twinge of guilt.
I don't think I'm leading Marc on – accepting help house hunting does not constitute a date – I set him straight on that. He's foisted himself on me, not the other way around. Still, I need to make sure he really doesn't have the wrong end of the stick when I see him next.
Chapter Ten
Aaron's POV
Meeting Freya has completely thrown my plans. Before, I was so so sure that taking a chosen mate was the right thing for my pack and for me. Now my wolf won't settle, he's constantly pining after her, it's bloody frustrating. She's just a human. Not only can she not be our fated-mate, but there's no space for her in my life. I'm furious with myself, and with her for confusing me.
With my sister's wolf gone, the pack really needs some good news right now. Completing the Luna Rite and the big celebration afterwards would have been perfect. My position in the pack would've been solidified, we'd have created closer allegiances with the Luna's pack, and I'd be significantly closer to being alpha.
Now, I can't even fucking start to think about a decision when my head's so full of Freya's scent. For one tiny little human, she has created a bloody great big mess in my life right now.
I need to get this girl out of my system. Since she somehow got hold of my number I've stopped myself replying to her message countless times.
Maybe I'm going about this all wrong. Maybe I need to take her out, show myself she's nothing special, fuck her if it means satisfying my wolf and move the hell on with my life.
At least my wolf approves of my plan.
∞∞∞
I'm humming to myself, as I pull up outside. It feels good just to be off the estate and away from the pack house for a bit. Everything's still so intense there, and every time I see Aurora she's crying. This time away is desperately needed.
I double check the address is right, it's not exactly where I'd expected to be picking Freya up from – it's pretty rough. The ground floor of her tenement has boarded up windows which is fucking bleak.
Stepping out into the street discarded litter blows past, and a smashed Buckfast bottle crunches under my feet. It's bizarre how much the street's grimness contrasts with the bright sparky woman I met.
My heart's thundering in my chest. I'm here to get this woman into bed, and out of my head, but for the first time in ages I actually care about a date going well. I roll my eyes at myself, pull it together Aaron.
I'm taking her to a wee Italian place she mentioned wanting to try. I checked it out. It's inexpensive and authentic – not what Brits expect of an Italian, but what Italians living in Italy would expect of their local taverna – and it's cosy, perfect for an intimate evening.
Thinking about how much I was moping around before I decided to meet Freya, and how
my wolf came to life after, I can't help but wonder about this girl. I don't fucking believe in fated mates, but if I did... everything about her is screaming something special. It's sort of a shame it's not possible, but even worse – it's screwing everything else up too.
I hit the buzzer at 7pm exactly and hang around for a few minutes before I remember she said the fucking thing doesn't work. Freya sounds a bit rushed on the phone, like she wasn't quite expecting me yet. Is being on time unfashionable? Maybe I should have arrived late. Girls take ages to get ready...
Fuck, I have to stop fussing over the unimportant crap and relax. This is meant to be a fun evening. If my wolf would stop doing super-excited laps of my head and calm the hell down for half a second it would help.
I can't help but grin to myself at his excitement. He's not normally this worked up over getting laid, but then I've never considered fucking a human before.
By halfway through the mains, and with a refill of wine I stop feeling like a nervous kid on his first date. Freya seems keen on me- maybe this will work well. I fish for an escapee meatball while secretly watching her.
She's wearing the flattering green dress I'd first seen her in, although she's dressed it down with some slightly scuffed leather boots and her necklace from the first night is fashioned into a cute bracelet. Before I can think, I've reached out to touch her bracelet. She flinches, smiling at me nervously and I pull my hand away slightly confused.
“Sorry, it's just really unusual, and I'm sure it was a necklace the last time I saw it!”
Thankfully she seems to relax a little and the smile reaches her eyes.
“Aren't you the observant Mr Hawkeye” she teases “It can be either - my auntie made it for me when I was a kid, before she left”
She moves her hand closer allowing me to look again and I brush her wrist gently with my thumb. Immediately her pupils dilate. I'm sure mine are doing the same - touching her skin is like fireworks going off. I'm grinning like a damn school boy again. I hope she's not been wined and dined by too many slick operators because I am far from my smoothest tonight.
Watching her breathing speed up I know she feels the connection too. I'm desperately trying not to stare at her chest but I feel myself harden seeing her breasts rise and fall quickly, knowing I'm responsible.
There is something so unbelievably sexy about this woman. The things I want to do to her... Thank fuck she's sitting opposite me and can't see my immediate boner. Pretty damn sure getting a hard on from touching a pretty girl's wrist puts me in the fairly creepy category with a human. Alpha-blood's have a high sex drive, and she is fucking hot, but it isn't like I can explain to her what I am.
The whole evening glides by on fast-forward. The only tricky thing is steering the conversation away from the family emergency I'd abandoned her for. Lying outright feels wrong. I plump for saying it involved my sister and her friends getting into some serious trouble.
It's enough truth not to be really lying and elusive enough not to draw attention to the fact that it was an entirely other-worldly emergency. Freya is, at the end of the day, human, and I've no idea how to reconcile our two realities.
I wonder if maybe somewhere far far back in her ancestors there's a little bit of a supernatural bloodline... I can't really explain how I'm feeling, and how she's reacting otherwise. I have to gruffly admit to myself that despite my reservations, I'm feeling more for this damn human than any she-wolf I've ever met.
Coming out tonight also helped me put off making a decision on the Luna Rite- explaining there was a female my wolf was interested in.
It made sense to my father that I had to explore a potential fated-mate before committing myself to a chosen Luna instead. The pack have no idea my date tonight is human, and it's none of their damn business either!
A few smaller packs have recently accepted the odd human or cross-species match, but there is not a chance in hell that the leading shifter pack in the country will accept that for their future alpha.
I let out a sigh and refocus on the delightful ball of red-headed energy in front of me – it's a problem for another day, tonight's way too enjoyable to get bogged down in politics.
After dessert I scoot around beside Freya and we savour the last of our wine. She's all wide-eyed innocence and smiles and I can't resist draping my arm over the back of the bench, tensing for her reaction.
The minx's eyes twinkle and she wriggles her bum nearer, nestling into me, tilting her chin up to peer into my face. That's more than enough consent for my wolf, and before I'm even aware of what I'm doing I've taken her face in my hands, kissing her roughly. She freezes just long enough for me to be alarmed, then I feel her whole body relax.
Her hand reaches out and touches my chest, tracing the lines of my abs under my shirt, and I grab her waist and pull her into me.
“Ahem, the bill... Sir... Madam”
Fuck, I was completely oblivious to the restaurant around us. A low grumble emanates from my chest as I disentangle myself from Freya and go to pay. I glance across and see her blushing. I can't wait to give her something to properly blush about.
We're just leaving when my phone pings. I go to slip it away, but Freya's eyes light up as she catches sight of Tavey's name. Without really thinking I show her the photo he just sent – him and a girl out on a date.
The girl is Liz, Freya's friend.
Before I can blink there's a flurry of text messages and some strong female plotting rapidly unfolding. Freya's best pal is the female shifter Tavey's been dating, although I assume Freya has no idea exactly what her friend is. I have to admit they seem a good match, my beta and her friend.
Sure enough, the girls have concocted a plan for the rest of the evening. A double date in a 'milk bar', whatever the hell that is. It's one hundred percent not how I wanted the evening to end. I get the feeling Freya's back-peddling a bit. Maybe my alpha nature got a bit carried away? I guess French kissing and heavy petting in the restaurant on a first date could be a little much.
I can take a reign check on a sexy ending to the night if it means I get another chance at a more charming approach on a second date. Although, she didn't seem to be complaining, there might still be hope for the very end of the night, if I play along.
∞∞∞
The bar is awful - it's like walking inside a black and white themed cliché. I make Freya as comfortable as she can be, perched in the window on a leather monstrosity of a stool.
Just as I turn to find the bar I spot Tavey arriving on his motorbike with a very spirited looking shifter on the back, clutching him around the waist. They dismount and I subtly sniff the air.
She's not a wolf I realise, surprised Tavey hadn't mentioned it, not even a fox. A cougar?! Ouch, in deep there buddy, cougars have a rep for their ferocious tempers. I grin to myself – he needs some reigning in anyway, it'll do him good.
The next few moments happen in slow motion. Tavey glances up and sees us. His eyes narrow, his face looks thunderous and he storms in.
“Outside, now Aaron”
I raise an eyebrow, entirely unused to my beta ordering me around
“OUTSIDE. Right NOW” his volume rises
I send Freya an apologetic shoulder shrug, roll my eyes and follow my bizarrely behaving beta outside.
“What the hell is up? I didn't want a fucking double-date to end the night either, and I know I'm supposed to be looking for a fated-mate, and I know she's human but....”
Tavey explodes in my face.
“THIS is the girl you've been moping over? This is the girl you've been wondering might be your mate?! She can NOT be your mate. She is a bloody witch! After your sister, I'd have thought dipping your dick in the Coven is the last thing you'd do!”
I laugh incredulously feeling my anger rise “Get over yourself Tavey, if she” I jab a finger towards a puzzled looking Freya in the window “is a witch don't you think I'd know it?”
“Then she's hiding it from you Aaron, I can sense it. You mus
t believe me”
I check my temper. The urgency in his voice makes my hackles rise. Tavey has an inherent sense for the truth of things, far better than your average wolf. Doubt starts to linger at the edge of my mind and I take a sideways glance at the stunning red-head inside.
If she's hiding being a witch, and if she's so good at hiding it ... why is she hiding it? My thoughts are running away with me when Tavey interjects.
“She's not even taken her supposed best friend into her confidence – Liz has no idea who she is, what she is! As your beta I'm telling you, you can not trust her” he hesitates, taking a deep breath before ploughing on “And as your friend I'm telling you I've seen her with Marciel. Intimately with him, Aaron – just this week, getting a fucking massage in a coffee shop from Marciel. Marciel de Vaudou.”
The air is sucked out of the world. I lean over, nausea and dizziness washing over me. She's been canoodling in public with Marciel, whom I thought I was 'saving' her from that night in the bistro.
Could that have been a set up?! Marciel is the heir to the de Vaudou's Dynasty - the French aristocracy heading the Coven for centuries- the Coven that destroyed my sister's wolf. The same Coven that are targetting wolf-shifters, my family, my pack.
It suddenly makes sense... this feeling of connection with a simple human, this stupid idea that perhaps a human could be my mate, my fated-mate. It's all been a fucking spell.
A deep growl of disgust escapes me as I glare at the witch through the window. How could I be so stupid? I didn't even believe in fated mates until now. I've allowed myself to be manipulated, used, drawn into whatever heinous plan the Coven have. My heart and my wolf are protesting, but at least my beta caught her out before anyone else got hurt.
Tavey is watching me carefully. “Witches aren't all bad Aaron” he sighs “but why the hell did it have to be this one? I'll grab Liz, and leave you to deal with her”.
The 'her' came out strangled. I blink slowly watching Tavey walk away, shoulders slumped, dragging a protesting Liz. My beta seems nearly as cut up about it as I am. It's what makes him a good beta I guess. He won't go too far, until he knows the 'threat' is safely dealt with. Until I deal with it, with her. I turn back inside trying to shake off the creeping sadness filling me.