They were out of time. Now they had to go face Leon, and confront her asshole of a father.
Chapter Fifteen
Aaron hid behind an enormous dumpster and focused on his breathing. The rest of the enforcers were seeded up and down the block in cars, other alleys, and inside the coffee shop itself. The downtown street looked like every other one in Denver, filled with everyday life, but nearly every one of the people visible was on their team.
The pack had done everything they could to safeguard Gwynn, but still Aaron throbbed with the need to shift and tear into the coffee shop, taking down every single person who might be on Mike Leon’s side.
There was a sound behind him and he turned snarling.
“Hey man, it’s just me. Jesus, Aaron. You’re in serious jeopardy of losing it.”
“I’m fine.” Aaron wiped his palms on his thighs. His control was next to gone, and Zeke knew it.
“Don’t lie to me. I can smell your adrenaline even over the stink from the trash. Hell, you should have claimed her before we did this.”
Aaron growled. If it had been his show and one of his operatives was this crazed, he would have booted him off the team. But it was too late now.
Zeke sniffed the air. “That’s it. You’re even worse than I thought. We should pull you back, put someone else in position.”
“No fucking way. I’ve got this.” It was a bald-faced lie. His fear and instability might screw this up, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He couldn’t leave Gwynn, not when she was in danger.
“Alright. Just to be sure you’re still all there. Review the plan.”
Aaron counted to ten, cracked his neck, and blew out a breath. “Gwynn’s dad, Herb, meets her at the Cup-o-Joe. We’ve contacted Leon and told him we’ve got the girl and the dad will be there with the money.”
Leon needed the cash. He was desperate. Desperate enough to trust Aaron. Desperate enough to be lethal.
“Fuck. I never should have let her come.” She was brave, his mate. He just wished she were a little less brave and a little more cautious. But she’d insisted on doing this. And he’d been talked into letting her. Never again. He shifted his weight from foot-to-foot, unable to hold still. “We should cut our losses and get out.”
“Too late. Isn’t that her dad? Man, he’s a wreck.”
Herb walked up looking even worse than on Saturday. He reeked of fear. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair was pushed up over his bald spot. The man darted tight-eyed looks everywhere, never settling long enough to really see. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have seen the real threat. The wolves that lined the street looked just like the humans.
He walked up to Gwynn.
They started talking, and then arguing. Gwynn got up and walked off, leading her dad closer and closer to the alley. Aaron could hear her talking as she led her dad closer to the alley. Her high, tight voice stretched Aaron’s frayed nerves.
“I’m not your property, not something to be turned in for cash at the pawnshop.”
“Baby, I never meant for him to sell you. I just meant for you to buy your old man some time. Please understand.”
“How much do you owe, I mean, really owe?”
“Too much. I don’t have it.”
A black SUV with the darkened windows drew up and blocked the front of the alley. It was a newer, fancier model than Chuy and Bob had driven. Leon had arrived.
“How much, Herb?” Gwynn stood just outside the edge of the alley, just beyond Aaron’s reach and too close to where Leon could grab her from the street. Gwynn knew the plan, but Aaron could see, dealing with her dad was taking all of her effort and she was too involved in their argument to notice the vehicle.
Aaron panted with the need for Gwynn to step back into the alley, into his protection zone and away from the men. She never should have been here. He never should have allowed it.
Mike Leon stepped out behind Gwynn. “Hello, Herb.” Two large men in black leather dusters got out and flanked Leon. These were the guys who came after Aaron had attempted to pick up cash from the deadbeats. The men who did the jobs he refused to do.
Herb’s face drained to a shocky white. “Why the fuck is he here?” He turned on his daughter, his voice rising in panic. “Gwynn, did you call him?”
Leon’s men’s cold expressions were identical, and they centered on Herb’s eyes jerking from side-to-side like a cornered rat’s. Herb grabbed Gwynn, pulling her in front of him and backed toward the alley.
Aaron tensed and fought the urge to shout at Gwynn. He knew the plan—Gwynn needed to get them on tape. Then he could get her the hell out of there.
“Come on. Come on. Give me the signal.” But she didn’t and there was nothing he could do but wait and pray she’d be safe.
As if his vibrating anxiety had communicated itself to her, she began talking again. “How much, Herb? How much do you owe?”
Herb’s pasty face contorted but no sound emerged.
“How much does he owe?” Gwynn faced Leon and his men, her dad cowering behind her petite figure. The smell of her fear pushed Aaron’s wolf to desperation.
Leon’s smile sent chills down Aaron’s back. “Fifty big ones.”
“I’m sorry. You have to translate. I don’t speak mob.”
“Fifty thousand dollars. He owes me fifty thousand dollars.”
“Is this true?”
“Yes.” Herb hissed the word out of lips that barely opened. Gwynn wrenched out of his grip and spun around to face him.
“You left me as payment for fifty thousand dollars?”
Herb’s mouth fished open and closed.
“Say it. Say it to my face.”
“Yes.”
Gwynn’s face crumpled. “Oh, Dad. How could you?” The pain in her voice pulsed through Aaron, and his humanity ebbed away. He growled and braced for the attack.
Zeke murmured in his ear. “Ten seconds, pal, ten seconds and we’ll have what we need. Then you can kill him.”
“Well, this is sweet,” Leon interrupted. “But I came for my money. And it doesn’t seem like your dear dad has it, do you, Herb?”
Herb’s shoulders hunched and he shook his head no.
“So, looks like we’re back to square one.” Leon gave Gwynn a good look up and down. “You’re pretty and I’ve already set up the sale. It’s not my first choice, but I can be flexible.” His smile disappeared. “Put her in the car, men.”
The heavy on the left reached for Gwynn. She started to run, but her dad grabbed her and shoved her straight into the man’s arms.
“Good luck, baby.” Herb broke for freedom and darted into the alley, but Aaron didn’t waste a second on him. One of his fellow enforcers would take care of the scum.
Everything slowed.
The second thug pulled a gun and fired, too late. Zeke was already on him. But for Aaron there was only one person in focus—Gwynn, and the fear on her face as she fought the man pulling her into the open door of the SUV.
Holding his human shape with the last dregs of his will power, Aaron lunged. He grabbed the man’s head and slammed it onto the pavement. Dropping the unconscious body to the ground, he reached for the other man threatening his mate. Rage poured through him and a red haze filled his vision, narrowing it down until he only saw his prey.
The second man reached for his gun as he backed away. Before he could pull it, Zeke had him by the throat.
A howl rang out behind Aaron. And another. The pack was here. From all over the street, men and women rushed to the scene, howling in that particular tone reserved for them—the Fated Mountain Enforcers.
Aaron stepped over the body and reached for Leon. Leon had ceased to be a person, ceased to be anything other than a threat to his mate. But before he could complete the kill, Gwynn’s soft scent filled his nose.
She touched his arm. “Aaron, stop. Let him go. He’s not worth it.”
He struggled to form words, but all he could do was whine.
Gwynn seemed to und
erstand. “I’ve got this.” Keeping her hand on his arm, she faced Leon. “You’d better run while you still can, Leon. You can’t have me and you can’t have Aaron’s land. The deed is sewn up tight.” She stepped up to him, fists clenched at her side, her eyes flashing fire. “And if you even think about retribution, everything here has been recorded—film and audio. It’s going to the police. You have no time to waste. You’d better run.”
Leon’s eyes narrowed. His small mouth fished open but nothing emerged. He reached into his coat.
Aaron caught the metallic, oily scent of a gun just before Leon pulled it from his pocket. Aaron launched at Leon, seizing and twisting his former boss’s neck before the sound of Herb’s scream had faded behind him.
Aaron turned back to Gwynn.
Everything inside him froze as she backed away, her eyes wide with shock.
She was human. She couldn’t understand, and he could see it all over her face. She’d never consent to be his mate. Not now. His howl of despair echoed off the alley wall.
AARON ENTERED THE GUEST room, shutting the door with a quiet snick, careful not to wake Gwynn. He smothered the hot rise of anger he had no right to. The pack had backed him up. Taken him back in. Taken Gwynn in. But it all was going to hell.
The council had met and they’d stripped him of his former status. He’d gone from being one of the Fated Mountain’s top enforcers to bottom of the pack, all because of his efforts to save the land. It bit him hard.
And worse than that, Gwynn would share his low status as his mate. Unless she refused him, which was likely given the way she’d looked at him when he’d killed Mike Leon right in front of her face.
The claiming Fever throbbed under his anger and he leaned against the door, straining to bring himself under control.
The only blessing in this whole fuck-up was that he was so far gone the elders had declared there would be no competition for Gwynn. Otherwise, instead of standing here staring at Gwynn asleep on a borrowed bed, he would be fighting rival males.
He had no competition and still he faced the fight of his life.
He was screwed. He was too far into the Fever not to claim her. If she refused he’d have to leave and go native in the woods until he either handled it or died. A few wolves had come back from the rejection, but they were never the same.
Gwynn’s hair lay wet across the pillow, her chest rose and fell with the deep breath of sleep. The urge to take her unaware and make her his mate rose up and pounded hard in his skull.
Aaron’s vision went red and he nearly went under. Hands fisted, legs tensed, sweat beaded on his skin as he wrestled down the surge of violence.
He’d hurt her enough. He’d screwed up over and over again, and he’d make it up to her. This thing that thrummed deep in his blood wasn’t just instinct, wasn’t just the virus—it was love. Enough love that he’d let her go—even if it meant sacrificing his sanity.
The Fever had held him for too long and he didn’t have much time. He needed to leave. If he still could. But there was one thing left he had to do.
He stepped into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face, examining his dripping reflection in the mirror. Black hair that should have been cut a month ago, gray eyes flaring with turmoil.
What would Gwynn see? The face of a man who had seen bottom and made it out? Or the face of a werewolf?
He sat down next to her on the bed. Afraid to wake her up. Afraid when he did and finally asked the question, she’d reject him.
He stroked the silky texture of her arm and she stretched and murmured in her sleep. Electric tingles crept up his fingers. A wave of fierce possessiveness followed by fear of rejection pushed him to the edge.
She was his down to the ache in his bones.
Gwynn’s lashes fluttered. She was awake. Now was the time of reckoning.
“Hey, honey.”
She rolled away and sat up.
“Gwynn, please listen.”
She crossed her arms under her breasts, the wariness in her eyes stabbing him down deep. “I’m listening.”
He balled sweaty palms into fists, gritted his teeth, and fought down the instinct to just take her and fix it later. “I’m sorry I had to kill Leon.”
“Why?” Her eyes narrowed. “He was a piece of trash. He did nothing but hurt people. He loaned my father too much money at exorbitant rates. He swindled your poor grandfather. And he would have sold me to God knows who. I’m glad he’s dead.”
His mouth went dry.
“I don’t understand. I saw your face. You were disgusted.” She’d seen what he really was. Ex-enforcer, rogue, and down deep—a stone-hard killer.
“Aaron. I don’t know what you think you saw on my face, but when I saw that gun come out, I thought we were dead.”
Relief made him weak and he sank to his knees. She hadn’t been horrified by him—it had been the threat of the gun, the men, Leon. She was a strong woman, a match for his wolf. If she could face what had happened in that alley head-on, she was strong enough to choose to take on the challenge of life with him. It was a chance, slim, but he’d take the gamble.
“So...I guess that leaves the big question.” He looked up at her. Her arms were still crossed and her body still tense. He tried to swallow past the fear. “Will you stay with me?”
“You hurt me, Aaron. You lied and manipulated me. Do you even care about me at all? Or is it all from this stupid fever. Why shouldn’t I just get up and leave?”
“I’m at the end, Gwynn. I either walk out now, or I claim you.” He rotated his neck, vertebrae cracked and rolled. “I’ve held back for your sake, and it’s cost me. If you can’t stay with me, you need to say it, and I’ll go. But, honey, know this—I need you. I want you. I love you. You’re brave and strong and more resilient than I think you know. Wolves mate for life. I want to be with you. Stand by you. And I will fight by your side—until I drop.”
He waited. His world hung suspended.
“I might love you, Aaron, but I don’t think I can be what you need. There’s a very good chance I won’t be a wolf, that I won’t be anything at all. I should go and let you be with your own kind.”
She didn’t want him.
Blood pulsed heavy in his head. A howl fought to rise out of his aching throat. The urge to claim her and keep her from leaving nearly shattered his tenuous control. He was about to break.
Chapter Sixteen
Gwynn kept still in an instinctive effort to keep the beast in Aaron’s eyes at bay. She was sure he could hear every frantic beat as she stood up to him and fought for her heart.
“I can’t do this, Gwynn. The fever’s gone too far.” The cords in his neck stood out and he shook with a monumental effort.
“I don’t understand.” Was this it? Was this the thing they’d warned her about?
Aaron took a deep shuddering breath. “I either claim you, now or I leave the pack and go wild.” He knelt at her feet, his hands outstretched. “You’re my fated mate, Gwynn. I can’t live without you.”
This was it, her moment of truth. Wolves mated for life, was she ready for this?
This man wasn’t what she’d thought she wanted—a normal, geeky guy—but Aaron had kept her safe. He would put her before his pack, fight off the mob, protect her from her father. Her heart was already his, what she risked now was her inner self. Her lifelong beliefs built on the idea that a man like Aaron would be undependable like her dad. But he wasn’t her dad.
If she said yes to him, he would stick around for a lifetime. This man wasn’t going anywhere. He’d proved he’d risk everything for her—even her love.
“Gwynn.” His ragged voice cracked.
If she didn’t take this risk, she would lose him.
She pictured going home to her empty apartment. Pictured years of empty, safe relationships with no risks, no love, no passion. And no Aaron.
A lump formed fast and hard in her chest, stealing her breath. She closed her eyes.
It was
n’t safe to love. He might hurt her again. And there was so much more to this choice. She might become a shifter. Or something else, something she still didn’t completely understand. But losing him and living on her own would leave her life a wasteland.
He was right, it was fate. Her fate. And he was her mate.
She opened her eyes and took a freeing breath. “Yes, do it.”
His nostrils flared, but he stayed put, kneeling at her feet. “There’s no going back, Gwynn. Tell me you love me. Tell me you’ll be my mate. Forever.”
“I’ll be your mate.” She reached out, and he tangled his fingers in hers.
“And the rest? Please don’t say you’re doing this just to save me. Do you love me, Gwynn?”
“I—” She could do this. She could say it and he wouldn’t break her. She trusted him. “I love you. My mate. Forever.”
Her words set him loose. Aaron pulled her over to his side of the bed and ravaged her mouth, took everything she had to give. He tore their clothes off, using his powerful arms to rip and shred. She kept up with him every step of the way, licking and nipping and plundering his mouth for every drop of ecstasy.
“I love you. Love you.” Hot kisses punctuated every sentence.
“I love you too.” She could barely get the words out. She ran her hands down and gripped his firm cock in her hand. He was hot and hard, and the feel of him in her palm sent pulses of need into her body. “Aaron, I’m ready, now.”
He groaned and pulled her on top of him. She was wet and ready. She slid onto his erection, encasing him inside.
“Too... soon.” He panted in her ear. “I can’t stop.”
She moved up and down, tightening her muscles, knowing she pushed him past his limit with each pleasurable pulse. He gripped her hips and moved her faster. She’d never come like this before, with no foreplay but his cock inside her driving her closer and closer to a frenzied edge.
His moves were desperate and hard. His face pressed into her neck and his teeth sank in, biting her at the same moment as her climax, sending her into spasms of pleasure twined with pain.
Fated Mate: Paranormal Werewolf Romance (Fated Mountain Wolf Pack Book 1) Page 12