“Welcome home.”
“Little brother,” the owner of the sharp green eyes stared at them both. His voice was deep, the same graveness that Cecilia knew she had heard. She couldn’t shake away the memory of seeing this man’s body explode into the figure of a powerful beast.
She couldn’t know how she knew, because her eyes hadn’t been able to register the details of his face then… but Cecilia knew him.
She knew him as easily as she knew her own name. How could one ever forget someone so monumentally shocking?
“I see you’ve found the latest addition to the household,” Lucas said, nodding towards her. Her body shivered despite herself.
“Have fun yet?”
Aaron didn’t find the comment funny.
“Two visits in twenty four hours,” he grunted.
“That’s a new record.”
Lucas shrugged, massive shoulders shifting and Cecilia flinched—was he going to transform now?—the movement was not lost on him.
His green eyes took in her sudden reproach with some amusement and Cecilia couldn’t help but shake.
“Do you remember me now?” the oldest sibling asked, ignoring Aaron’s jab.
Ceci had no idea how to respond, keeping silent as her fingers tightened harder around Aaron’s hands.
Lucas didn’t need the reply, apparently. “Look at you, as scared as a rabbit. Take it easy, girl. I’m not going to hurt you.”
The words only unlocked the very final bits of memory Cecilia needed to remember what was missing. This man had saved her life… but he had taken her from her home.
Was he planning on doing the same to her as the pack that had tried to violate her?
“Cecilia,” she heard Aaron said softly.
Her body twisted towards him, and her eyes met his green eyes staring at her soothingly, concerned.
“You okay?”
Hunger forgotten, Cecilia wanted nothing more than to backpedal and run out of this place. She wanted to run back to her small apartment and disappear from men who threatened her and transformations that she would never be able to forget.
“I want to go home,” she muttered quietly, shoulders tightening into knots by her neck as she tried to shy away from Lucas’s piercing gaze.
“No can’t do, missy.” Lucas stated, cutting through before Aaron could respond.
Cecilia faced him with wide eyes, shocked. He was leaning his elbows on the table, one of his broad hands reaching for a plate of scrambled eggs, his eyes cutting into hers.
“Not until the threat is finished off anyway.”
“What do you mean?” Aaron voiced her concern for her.
“I thought you said you took care of the pack.”
Wait—What? Cecilia shot a look toward Aaron. He knew? He knows…? Of course he knew… but wait… what did this make him?
Lucas shrugged, “I said I took care of most of the pack. I’m still hunting them. Cocky mutts have been making the edges of the territory a mess. I had to stop and speak with Mikaela’s pack to keep them from taking advantage of the situation. Lucky for us, Stephen was in a good mood. Although, you’d know all this if you—oh I don’t know—did your fucking job and joined me in this. We might have even caught the little shits by now.”
Aaron gave a short huff of annoyance, “Sorry if my idea of fun doesn’t include pissing on trees and running around next to your flea-bitten ass.”
“This isn’t about fun, Aaron.”
Lucas snapped, patience seemingly gone.
“It’s about making sure our pack’s territory is respected.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Aaron deadpanned.
Lucas let out a loud snarl and was storming in his direction with the thunderous approach of a train. Cecilia squeaked in fright, pressing herself tight against Aaron’s body to hide from Lucas’s attention.
To her surprise, Lucas never got close enough and when she blinked out from Aaron’s chest, she saw Marlo and one of the maids standing between the siblings.
Lucas stared violently green eyes into his brother’s, jaw flexing as he huffed viciously.
“Step aside, Marlo,” Lucas hissed, never tearing his gaze from Aaron’s.
“Sir,” Marlo spoke.
“I’m afraid I cannot do that.”
“Coward!” Lucas spat, turning around and thundering around in a brutal pacing that Cecilia could feel beneath her feet.
“Father knew you’d turn soft!”
Aaron said nothing, instead he waited in silence as his older brother stormed off, ripping his shirt from his back as he approached one of the back doors of the dining room. A maid seemed to appear from behind a wall in time for her to push open the door and Cecilia stared, stunned, as Lucas barged out the door.
His body surged and exploded in the familiar body she had seen just the night before, but he was out of sight and deep into the expansive background of green trees and lush bushes of the forest before she could catch the finer details of his body.
Aaron gave a small sigh. Cecilia managed to pry her gaze from the door that was now closing and toward the man who held her close.
“Sorry about that,” Aaron explained, his eyes betraying a hint of dismay.
“My brother is a bit more…caustic than people can handle.”
It didn’t hit her then that she needed a little more space.
Pushing herself from his hold, Cecilia tried to ignore the way his eyes frowned at her sudden movement.
“He’s a werewolf.” She said plainly, despite how her body trembled.
Aaron’s eyes widened for a fraction before he nodded.
“Your brother just… he… he transformed, and—and that’s okay…?”
Cecilia stammered, her eyes found how Marlo and the maid watched her, expressions unreadable.
“Are you…?”
“A werewolf?” Aaron finished, expression hard. “Yeah. I am.”
“So, you can… you can transform like that too?”
He gave a half-shrug and she saw the family resemblance all too clearly then.
“Yes.”
Cecilia cringed, taking a step back, her eyes wide and fearful.
“You…you won’t try to…I’m not here to be a bride, am I?”
At this Aaron’s expression faltered, surprised.
“No,” he answered.
“Why would you…”
“Because that’s what they wanted!” Cecilia exclaimed, her hands reaching to dig against her cheeks.
“They tried to…!”
It suddenly became hard to breathe, and Cecilia was crumbling to the ground in a series of harsh and panicked wheezes that made the three approach her.
She let out a small scream, suddenly aware how they were all around her and how they could transform at any moment…!
Aaron pulled a hand in the air, silently ordering the maid and butler to stand down as he knelt before her.
“Hey,” he began soothingly, gentle.
When Cecilia looked into his eyes, she saw soft compassion in his gaze, saw how he kept his distance even though his hands reached for her.
“Hey, no one is going to be a bride, Cecilia. I don’t want that… none of us do. Lucas may be a beast but he’s not a degenerate. I promise, you won’t be harmed here.”
“How could I possibly trust you?” she asked, words tiny as she gulped down air.
Aaron gave her a soft smile, “You’re still alive and safe, aren’t you?”
The fact did bring her some calm, and after a while of staring Cecilia could feel the shaking in her fingers slow to a light tremble.
“I can—I can leave?”
Aaron nodded, “You’re a guest here, Cecilia. You can leave whenever you want, but I would feel better if you stayed—just for a little while. The pack that tried to hurt you is still out there… until I know for sure that they’ve been taken care of, you can go home.”
Cecilia shook her head for a moment. Aaron took another cautious movement
toward her, but she didn’t flinch away.
“You have my word,” he said, tilting his chin to peer at her from behind his lashes.
“I promise you will return home safely. I swear it.”
She couldn’t know whether or not it was wise to trust him all of this, but there was a sincerity in his gaze that made her want to believe him. He was right. Had they intended for her to become a captive or a source of entertainment, they probably wouldn’t be treating her so kindly.
Cecilia glanced down at his hand, remembering the way she had felt when she had been in his arms. He didn’t try to force himself on her… he respected her distance, he even offered her a place to stay.
“What about my family?” She muttered, thinking of Rocko and the folks back at the clinic.
“You can call them and let them know what happened, if it makes you feel better,” Aaron said.
“But, for their safety, I wouldn’t tell them too much.”
The opportunity to speak to Rocko at least brought her enough calm to make Cecilia accept Aaron’s offering. It was better than any other option at the moment.
Slowly, Cecilia extended her hand, hesitating just for a moment before allowing her fingers to curling into his palm.
His hand was warm, calloused but not in a rough way, and when he gripped around her hand, she could feel her breath return slowly.
“I can…call my family?” she verified.
Aaron nodded, smiling with contentedness now that she had accepted his help.
“Yes, but not until you’ve eaten breakfast.”
Cecilia nodded, lips quivering into a small smile as he pulled her to her feet.
This was an unbelievable turn of events… but she couldn’t deny that a tiny part of her trusted Aaron and hoped that in the end everything would turn out okay.
Breakfast had been a slow start into something close to normalcy after the volatile encounter with Lucas. After nibbling on a croissant, Ceci felt more confident to dig into the finer food, eating until she was full and her body felt pleasantly warm from the attention of the sunlight from above.
Aaron had proven to be a watchful host, offering her answers to her questions and even going as far as sharing stories of his life.
He was a business man, working with a company of traders and the import and export of precious stones. Cecilia listened attentively, becoming in awe as he explained how his business had been encouraged by his mother, and how the money that came in allowed their home to become finer over the years.
The mansion had been owned by the family for generations, but lack of care had made the place fall apart in places. Growing up, Aaron hated being in such a rundown place, so he focused on improving the home as soon as the money began to pour in.
He spoke fondly of the house, as if it were a project he had been nourishing with care, and it only further confused a small part of Cecilia.
Because why would someone who put so much effort in something look at the result with something akin to disdain?
Eventually, he spoke of the places he’d visited, how when he had began to travel his relationship with his brother had soured.
“Have you ever traveled, Cecilia?” Aaron asked, munching on a stick of celery smothered in peanut butter. Ceci blinked in surprise.
“Uh, no… never.” she admitted.
Aaron seemed somewhat surprised, “Not even for vacation?”
“No,” Ceci shrugged, feeling starkly small.
“I’ve been living in the same town for years.”
“What about your family?” Aaron asked. Cecilia’s lips pursed, unsure whether or not to share so much.
“We never got out much.”
“Huh,” he hummed.
To her relief, he pushed away from his chair. “Come with me, I want to show you something.”
He led her from the dining room to a study near the back of the mansion. Cecilia hardly had enough time to take in the sight of the mansion as he walked ahead, urging her with fast paced words and excited anecdotes of his work.
None of it made sense to her, but Cecilia couldn’t deny the small smile that spread over her lips as she took in his enthusiasm. She hadn’t ever met someone so passionate before, it was both intriguing and overwhelming.
When they arrived, she gasped in surprise when she saw how the walls of the study were decorated in displays of hundreds of stones of varying colors and shades.
It was incredible and the light of the day made light shatter pleasantly over some of the stones.
“I’ve gathered quite a bit over the years,” Aaron explained as he motioned her towards a display by his desk.
“But these are some of my favorite.”
Cecilia’s eyes beheld some of them with awe, her lips parting as she took in the shapes and colors. He pointed at one of them, a beautiful stone of mixed colors of brown, green, and gold.
“This is an opal. I love opals above many stones.”
“What’s this one?” she asked, motioning toward a gem of deep green color.
“That is an emerald. They come in a huge variety of green. The deeper the green, the more expensive it is.”
“It’s beautiful,” Cecilia admitted, glancing up to meet his green eyes with a smile.
Aaron grinned back and it only occurred to her then that his gaze was slightly more brilliant than the stone below. She found herself liking the color very much.
For the remainder of the day, Aaron showed her various parts of the mansion, speaking animatedly until they found themselves sitting in one of the balconies. She enjoyed the respite.
Cecilia was feeling better than she had earlier, but her injuries still caused her discomfort. As they spoke, she couldn’t help but feel warmer that he was so attentive.
Eventually, the words of her own background came pouring out easily from her tongue, explaining how she worked in a tavern and how Rocko had a tendency to pay her more than she knew was proper.
“Sounds like he’s a real caring guy,” Aaron mused. Cecilia smiled.
“I love him dearly.”
Aaron tilted his head after a moment, “So how long have you been going out?”
This confused her.
“Out?”
Aaron nodded, “He cares for you, yeah?”
Then it became clear.
Cecilia flushed pink, snorting out an abrupt laugh that made her chest ache.
“Rocko’s not my boyfriend,” she giggled. “He’s like a father to me. Well, the closest thing to a father I ever had anyway!”
It was then that the surprise of her announcement hit her unexpectedly and she could tell the information was not lost on Aaron. His jaw tilted slightly and Cecilia’s smile wavered.
“Yeah,” she sighed.
“I kind of don’t have parents… My mom died when I was three and I don’t know a thing about my dad. The people at the clinic did a good job at raising me though, and eventually Rocko kind of took me in.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Aaron said gently and despite how he sat a few feet away, she kind of wished she could feel his palm on her fingers again.
“I can’t imagine growing up without parents.”
“Rocko was my parent,” Cecilia said, smiling.
“He’s still like my dad. So, I made it out okay.”
Aaron watched her for a moment, seeing something in her that Cecilia couldn’t fathom. Eventually his lips parted into a beautiful grin that made her feel hot.
“You’re something else.”
“Is that a good thing?”
And then he did reach over and pulled a strand of her hair from her face to place behind her ear. The flush in her skin became hotter, made her insides squirm and Cecilia found herself somewhat smitten by the way his lips curled into a half smile.
“I sure hope so.”
Chapter 3
“Sir,” Marlo’s voice was a soft note in a gentle silence.
The day had concluded so swiftly that by the time the sun had set and
Cecilia had departed to her room, Aaron had found himself in his study to stare into the display where the Opal and Emerald sat side by side.
Marlo’s presence was always a welcome one, one that shifted and appeared with impressive silence that unnerved his brother countless times.
Aaron glanced up from the display to meet his butler’s gaze.
“If I may…?” the butler asked.
Aaron nodded, settling back on his chair and turning green eyes with more focus at the old man.
“I do not believe this is wise.”
Aaron gave a small huff there.
“We’ve had guests before, Marlo.”
“None that know of your heritage,” Marlo cut in.
“She is the first that does.”
“She’s a human from a tiny town even I’ve never heard of.” Aaron sighed, lifting a hand to brush away the hair from his face.
“If you’re worried she’ll be a threat to my position here, I highly doubt she’d ever do anything stupid.”
“Humans are strange creatures, sir.” Marlo explained.
Aaron said nothing at that, shutting his eyes.
The moonlight that cascaded through the windows was piercing, digging into his skin like forced music and the vulnerable desire to sing and dance without holding back. He hated it.
Hated how much he loved the way his blood surged beneath his skin and spun with the desire to make him do something stupid.
“I know that,” Aaron muttered, taking in a slow breath.
Marlo remained silent and after a moment spoke once more.
“Shall I lock the door?”
“I haven’t transformed in months,” Aaron replied, green eyes narrowing as he pushed the sensations of his blood away.
“I can control it.”
Marlo didn’t sound convinced.
“You have her scent in your head, sir. I haven’t seen you like this before.”
“It’s nothing.”
Then Marlo was approaching, and in this moment of heightened senses, Aaron could feel the movement as easily as he could breathe.
“This is not nothing, sir. Your brother could come home any moment… he can control himself far more than those pups, but he might not believe you can once he sees you like this.”
“What, like this?” Aaron gestured to himself, shaking his head.
Romance: Tied To The Wolf: BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Werewolf Romance, BBW Paranormal Romance, Shifter Romance) Page 3