Aiden eyed the bag sitting on the hood of his car, and his stomach grumbled appreciatively at the scents that he was detecting. “What’s in the bag?”
“Come out here and find out.”
It wasn’t like he was hungry. He’d taken time at night to hunt, but a diet consisting of PowerBars during the day and small animals at night was getting old. Aiden could smell a sweet pastry in the bag, and his mouth was watering in anticipation.
He opened the car door and climbed out, ignoring the stupid grin on Craig’s face as he grabbed the bag and looked inside. Reaching in, he pulled out a flaky pastry that still held some warmth to it.
“Are these warm because—” He bit into it, and the incredible flavors of currants and brown sugar flowed over his tongue.
“Fresh from Catherine’s oven about twenty minutes ago.” Craig lifted his face to the sun and then took another sip of his coffee. “Looks like it’ll be a nice day today.”
Aiden took another bite and then grunted at him, unwilling to lose one delicious flake that was melting on his tongue.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” Craig stood up and moved around to the front seat where Aiden left the binoculars.
Aiden watched his friend look through them in the direction of Brenna’s house, and then he slowly circled around. “What’s there to tell?”
“You got close enough to have her robe in your car.” Craig stopped and focused in on something, and Aiden was willing to bet the pastries in the bag he knew what that was.
“I’m practicing to be a stalker.”
Craig lowered the binoculars and then nodded his head in the direction he’d been looking a moment before. “And the assholes down there? I saw some of them in town the other day. What’s their story?”
“Who’s asking?” Aiden wasn’t about to share any pack information with the human police. “Is this an official police inquiry or are you asking as a fellow shifter?”
“I’m on a break, Aiden.”
Aiden finished off the second pastry in the bag and then crumpled it up and tossed it on the passenger seat through the window. “They’re a bunch of assholes I’ve been tracking for a while. They’re an offshoot of the pack that was in Nova Scotia. They travel around and try to take control of small towns that don’t have a strong enough Guardian force. The more towns they hold, the stronger their little army becomes because they immediately start recruiting.”
He held out his hand, and Craig placed the binoculars in it. There wasn’t much to see right then. The rogues hadn’t strayed from the house and had been up late partying the night before. So far they’d kept to themselves, but Aiden knew it was only a matter of time before they discovered the vulnerable parts of the town to hit in order to take over. Which is why he was taking a moment to sneak a peek at Brenna. He knew he should stay away from her, but his wolf demanded he watch out for her.
“Aiden, you and I were fostered in the same pack for training.”
Aiden wasn’t certain where Craig was going with this. “Yeah, and you tried to leave every chance you got.” Aiden remembered their time in Nunavut. It had been fucking cold all the time, and Craig’d hated it. The only way out was by a small Cessna, and Craig’d tried to barter a flight every chance he’d gotten.
“They weren’t bad people, Aiden. I couldn’t get past the hate I felt for my shifter nature.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I helped smuggle you on board the plane that day. There was no way you could’ve stay up there.”
“But you did.”
“I did, and I learned what I needed to. It was a perfect place for me to learn some control.” Back then, every time Aiden’d gotten angry he’d shift into his wolf. Having an uncontrolled shifter in a city wasn’t safe for anyone, but up in the Great White North, no one knew or was near enough to be threatened.
“You can’t leave Brenna behind and expect me to pick up the pieces.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t expect that of you.”
“What about when you took off with the Guardians to help out with the border wars out west? Who do you think helped your parents when you were out saving people?”
“I was doing my job.”
“I know, but while you’re off saving the world, life goes on. Bills need to be paid and family gets sick.”
“Don’t you dare throw that in my face.” Aiden thought of his grandfather every day and still regretted not being there to help his grandparents. After the rogues killed his parents, he couldn’t see anything past stopping them all. “I knew you were there. You told me not to worry about it.”
“You’re right, I did. I meant it then as much as I do now. What I’m trying to say is this time I can’t cover for you. Brenna needs you in her life. You have a responsibility to your Mate.”
“I never wanted a fucking Mate,” he snapped at Craig. He had enough responsibility in his life, and a Mate was a liability to a man like him.
“Well, asshole, be thankful Fate disagrees with you, because I think Brenna could be the best thing for you.”
“Why the hell would you say something like that?” If he was a different man, and those rogues hadn’t killed his parents, then he would’ve fallen at Brenna’s feet and worshipped her. But that wasn’t his life, and he was doomed to watch her through a pair of binoculars.
“You need to learn to look beyond the end of your own nose. You have to accept your responsibilities to Brenna and to me.”
“You’re not my Mate, Craig.”
“No, but we share one. Brenna needs us both. I can’t provide everything she needs on my own.”
“What the hell does she need from me?”
“That’s for you to figure out and take care of.” Craig flicked his sunglasses down over his eyes
“I’m only good at protecting people, Craig.”
“If that’s all you can offer her, then why are you trying so hard to leave?”
“You don’t understand. It’s not like that.”
* * * *
“Then make me understand, Aiden, because I’m kicking your ass in a minute.” Craig squeezed his fists and felt his knuckles cracking. The tips of his fingers itched with the need to release his claws and take a round out of his friend. After all this time, he’d thought that this might actually work out, and now Aiden was saying he didn’t want it.
“How sure are you that Brenna is your Ma—”
Craig swung his fist before Aiden finished his sentence. Aiden’s head snapped back, and he took a step back to steady himself.
“You get one, Craig. That’s it.”
“Really?” Craig contemplated whether the next strike would be at Aiden’s face or gut.
“Listen to me, you hard-headed asshole. Stop thinking with your fists and listen to what I have to say to you. I’ve fought every moment of every day to stay away from her for the past ten months. Every day I wake up and remind myself why I can’t go after her. Do you know what kind of liability she would be?” Aiden’s voice rose with every word.
Craig punched him in the gut for that one. “A Mate isn’t a liability. They’re a treasure to be earned.”
Pain erupted along Craig’s jaw, and his head snapped with the force of Aiden’s punch.
“Don’t you think I know that?” Aiden snarled, “Brenna is fiercely independent, strong willed, and loyal to a fault. She would never betray someone she loves, but what if someone used her to get to me? They’d hurt her over and over, and she would never break.”
Aiden was right, and the thought of it made Craig’s stomach cramp up. “That’s why she has two Mates. Between the two of us we could keep her safe, but not if you insist on fucking off.”
“I can’t take that risk, Craig. These assholes I’m hunting don’t care about Mates or sanctuary. They’ve come to Ecstasy Lake thinking it’s easy pickings, and it might be. There isn’t any obvious Guardian presence here.”
“There’s a reason for that, boy.” Gordon stepped out of the
forest behind him and approached them.
Oh, shit. As if being caught fighting with a friend wasn’t bad enough, but having your Mate’s father walk into the middle of a dominance battle wouldn’t help. Aiden stood his ground against Brenna’s father. Gordon Roberts was a force to be reckoned with. The man was as easygoing as they came unless you threatened someone he cared about. If he felt the need to step into this, both he and Aiden were in trouble.
“You can play all the dominance games you want, Mr. O’Reilly, but unless you’re willing to go clawed in front of me, then they mean nothing.”
Craig glanced down at his friend’s hands. Sure enough, Aiden’s fingers were completely human.
Aiden dropped his gaze off to the side and broke the staring match he was having with the town’s Alpha. Gordon looked up at him as if he were waiting for Craig to challenge him. Craig nodded at him and then looked down in respect. He didn’t feel the need to get into a pissing contest with his Mate’s father.
“Aiden’s used to packs that rely on their Guardians for protection.”
Gordon glanced back and forth between them and shrugged. “That works for lots of packs, but that isn’t what I want for this town.”
“Gordon, you’re Alpha, but no one follows protocols around here,” Aiden said.
“And I don’t want them to. I’m not some god or supreme ruler that needs to have omegas shivering at my heels in order to feel strong. I want this community to be strong on its own. I lead by example.”
“And if something were to happen to you?”
“Then the town would survive. How many times have you seen a pack fall into anarchy when the Alpha is killed? There are more deaths as everyone squabbles for position. I didn’t want to live that kind of life. Here my family is safe because everyone watches out for everyone else. If I were to be killed, then the town would carry on.”
“But what about security?”
“I have Guardians here, and they know who they are. I’m not stupid. I’ve learn from my mistakes. A little over a year ago, a Hungarian pack waltzed into this town and attempted to murder the Mate of two citizens. I won’t have that happen again, but I don’t want this to become a police state. Ecstasy Lake is a sanctuary. Those who need to be here will always find their way, and I don’t want any militant protocols scaring them away.”
“I think that you’re inviting danger into this town being so lax about the rules.”
Gordon stepped up to Aiden again, squaring off. He growled low in his throat, a vicious sound that made Craig uneasy. Craig knew that Gordon was much stronger than the image he portrayed to the world around them. “Boy, if we followed proper protocol, I’d have killed you for laying hands on my daughter.” The Alpha’s anger drained away, and Gordon patted both Aiden and Craig on the back. “Trust me, I’m not entirely certain I’m making the right decision by choosing not to kick your ass. If either of my wives find out, you best watch your back. There’s only one thing more dangerous than a pissed-off Alpha around here. And that’s the Alpha’s wives.”
Gordon nodded at them both and then sauntered past them and into the trees. Leaping into the bush, he shifted into a wolf in a blink.
“Fuck, for a moment I thought he planned to tear me a new one.”
Craig chuckled. “Yeah, he would’ve if it weren’t for the fact that you’re Brenna’s Mate.”
“I was serious, though, Craig. He needs a more secure system. There are ways of securing the town without it looking like a military fortress.”
“Too bad you aren’t planning on sticking around. You could’ve spoken to him about it and maybe convinced him.”
* * * *
Craig walked off after that comment. Aiden struggled with the urge to tackle Craig from behind and pound out some of this frustration. He hadn’t asked for a Mate. He didn’t want one. Why did Fate choose now to fuck with him? Couldn’t this have waited for after he killed those asshole rogues?
He hated the feeling that punched him in the chest when he thought about moving on and leaving Brenna behind.
Craig drove away, leaving Aiden standing there to watch the sun drop down beyond the forest. The trees’ shadows stretched out until everything around him was covered in the misty gray of dusk.
He didn’t have any idea what he could offer Brenna. She spent her days trying to take care of helpless animals and mongrels abandoned by their selfish owners. She tried to save lives, and he took them. She was loud and bold and loveable. He brooded and glared and generally made people uncomfortable. Craig was easygoing and quiet. He was there when anyone needed to talk and the first to jump in the melee if someone needed help. Why would Fate put the three of them together?
If he wasn’t here to protect Brenna, then what did he have to offer her? He doubted a broken heart was what she wanted in a Mate, but that was all he could give her.
Chapter Seven
Brenna looked around the parking lot of the veterinary clinic and then up into the stretch of trees surrounding the lake. She couldn’t kick the feeling she was being watched. Part of her wanted to believe it was Aiden, but after she’d walked out on him she couldn’t bring herself to believe he would be back. She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. Aiden’s bold handwriting dominated the paper. She’d thrown it out three times, only to regret it a moment later. She would never call that number, but carrying something he wrote made her feel a bit better.
Brenna hadn’t realized how often Craig’d been around until he’d disappeared. Had he found out what she did with Aiden and decided he didn’t want to share? What was that stupid saying she’d heard before? “Bros before hos”? Craig had no reason to be loyal to her, and it was obvious he’d known Aiden longer.
Hoping a walk would help clear her mind, she headed out. It was a quiet day, and River was inside with Carol, checking out travel destinations on the computer. Carol was planning a trip this winter with her husbands, Jaxon, Kaden, and Sloan. Brenna was happy for her friend. She’d known the Henderson brothers almost her entire life, and they loved their wife with every bit of their souls. That’s what she wanted. She wanted to be loved like that.
She sauntered down the main street without having any real destination in mind. The McGuigan sisters waved from their chairs out in front of the yarn shop. Their metallic knitting needles flashed in the sun as they worked. Lavender waved her over, so after a quick look back and forth, Brenna crossed the street.
A young girl sat on a stool next to Lily and was being taught how to crochet. Brenna smiled, remembering when she sat on that exact stool and learned how to knit. She didn’t have much time to practice what the sisters had taught her all those years ago.
“We have something for you,” the three of them chimed out in harmony. Poppy handed her a large bag. Inside was a set of scarves and a cap. One reminded her of the warm gold tones in Aiden’s eyes, and the red wool cap would look incredible on Craig. She wasn’t a bit surprised when there was a fluffy black scarf with accents of both gold and red in it. Her heart clenched as she looked at it. “They’re beautiful, thank you.”
Lavender stood up smoothly and gave Brenna a tight hug. She was always amazed at the sisters’ strength. They played the part of frail old ladies, but Brenna knew not to underestimate them. “We want to see you smile more, and hopefully this will help.”
Brenna kissed each of the women on the cheek, and they promptly went back to their yarn work. Lily winked up at her and grinned. “It’ll get better.”
Lavender gasped, and Poppy shot her sister a dirty look. Lily stuck her tongue out at them and went back to teaching the child at her knee. Brenna wasn’t exactly certain what all that was about, but she felt better than she had earlier.
As she walked down the street gently swinging her bag, she wondered what it would be like to be between Aiden and Craig. Her heart clenched at the idea, more out of fear of what might happen if she let herself dream.
She understood Aiden’s loyalties lay with his job. She didn’t
like the idea of her Mate loving his duties more than her, but was she so selfish she couldn’t live like that? Should she expect her Mates to focus all their attention on her all of the time? Well, not all of the time, but was it too much to expect them to want her over everything else?
“Now where are you going in such a hurry, young lady?”
Brenna looked up and met the dual gaze of her mothers walking toward her. Oh, shit.
* * * *
Brenna sat in a corner booth at The Shack with moms flanking her. She’d known the minute she’d seen them both heading toward her that she might as well give in. According to her dad, there wasn’t a force stronger in the world than her moms on a mission. They had a plate of Catherine’s sausage rolls and a big pot of tea. Currently Catherine was carrying Willow around, visiting with everyone in the shop.
“Where’s Lulu?” Brenna’d been trying to keep the conversation on anything and everything except herself, and so far it’d been working.
“She’s out at Lars’s place with your dad. I’ve already warned him that he and Lars had better not get any bright ideas about putting her on her first dirt bike.” Ann shook her head and took a sip of her tea. “They’re going to give me gray hair. That child is adventurous already. She doesn’t need encouragement.”
Helen stroked the back of her fingers along Ann’s cheek. “Better she explores and tests her boundaries under Gordon and Lars’s watchful eyes. You know they wouldn’t let anything happen to her.” Brenna’s mom Helen was human and looked much older than her wife, even though Brenna knew that Ann was almost double her biological mom’s age. Brenna and Ann looked more like sisters than mother and daughter.
“You’re right.” Ann reached out and clasped Helen’s hand. “What would I do without you?”
“Have the kids wrapped in Bubble Wrap,” Brenna replied dryly. She often teased Ann about being overprotective, not that Helen had been any less when Brenna was a kid.
Protect and Fur [3xtasy Lake 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7