2: Aiden

Maybe it was the heat that was driving his brain crazy, or maybe the stuffiness of the shop that was confusing his senses. His mother insisted he take a break from his work and walk with her here, but he could barely get past the first aisle of shelves before he saw her. A woman that looked to be a few years younger than him standing alongside Miss J. Her white hair flowed down her back like a snowy waterfall, swaying against her open lower back. Her curves fit perfectly in the clothes she chose, her crop top giving more to the imagination. Her pink lips looked soft and inviting, but her eyes drew him in. Her blue eyes were like the ocean on the clearest of days and her scent. By the Gods, he wanted to wrap himself up in it and be smothered to death by it. Yet here he was, hiding behind books as his mother talked to her so freely. All he had to do was move, to step out of hiding and get close, yet his feet wouldn’t budge. There was a stirring inside of him, a low growl making itself present. He hadn’t felt him wake in sometime, the summer heat always kept him quiet and low key, but he was ignoring the temperature now. Its attention was being drawn to something, or someone else.

He listened to her talk, his heart doing flips in his chest, if it were at all possible. It was like hearing an angel speak. He gripped the shelf to steady himself. Why was he thinking this way? He doesn’t even know the woman. Why is his mind filling up with these thoughts?

Lymeria waved goodbye to the woman and Miss J before heading for the door. He took the cue to follow her lead and left the door chiming behind them.

“She’s a lovely young lady, don’t you think?” She asked him, but he didn’t reply. He couldn’t reply to her. He feared in giving in to the running thoughts in his mind. “She looks so much like her mother. I’m surprised she came all the way up here, of all places.” She said. This time he looked over to her.

“Do you know her mom?” He asked her as they crossed the street. She smiled, holding the package close to her chest.

“Yes. She was one of my dearest and best of friend's daughter, but she passed away.” Her eyes grew dark, and she had the far off look in her eyes. Whatever she was thinking about was troubling her deeply, and it bothered him.

“Have you told me about her?” He asked her. Her eyes lit up again, and she smiled at him.

“I wonder if you should know.” She nibbled her bottom lip as she pondered the idea. His brows came together as she continued to think it over, so he redirected his attention to getting home and finishing his job.

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He walked into the bookstore after hours, surprised that the door was still unlocked. The lights were dim inside, and no customer appeared in sight. Instead, he made his way to the back corner by the table and couch where he found Amira sitting, her face in an old book. She wore jeans that fit her thighs, and a button up white blouse. Her hair was draped over her left shoulder as her eyes scanned over the texts.

He stepped into the light, making her look up from her book. She smiled sweetly at him as she set the book aside, rising to her feet. She suddenly appeared in front of him, her hands on his chest. The beast within him growled pleasantly at her touch. His hands went to her waist, and they kept moving until they linked behind her. She stood so close to him he thought she would start molding into his body, but she rose on her toes and kissed him. Every restraint he had vanished instantly the moment their lips made contact. His tongue parted her lips, dominating her own as he pinned her against the bookshelf that lined the wall. Several books fell off, but they ignored it. He needed to feel more of her.

His hands went to her blouse, ripping it open and sending the buttons clattering to the floor. His hands went to her bare breasts, massaging them aggressively. He would’ve held back if not for her moaning. That made him more persistent. The blouse slid off of her shoulders and he hoisted her until her legs wrapped around his waist. He felt her arms secure around his neck as he went back to feeling her body. That’s when he felt something was off. There was warm moisture covering her chest and as he pulled his mouth away, his eyes widened at what he found. Four large scratches stretched diagonally across her chest, blood streaming from them.

“Aiden?” Her voice spoke his name, but he couldn’t look away. He looked down at his hands, seeing her blood coating them, his nails turned into claws. “Aiden?” The voice came again, and he covered his ears, closing his eyes tight.

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“Aiden!” Someone broke through the barrier of his dream, sending him to jump suddenly and grab whoever woke him. To his surprise, his mother was sitting on the bed, her eyes wide as she stared at him. His breathing was rapid as he tried to register what was going on as he took in the room he was in. He recognized his bed, and the workout equipment next to it, along with his dresser. Everything was as is the night before.

“Are you okay?” Lymeria asked, her hand going to his forehead. He shut his eyes, relieved that it was only a dream, and yet...

“Yeah, it was just a dream.” He tried to reassure her, but the look she had showed she didn’t believe it. He guessed it was a parent’s intuition that knew something deeper was going on. “That woman at the shop.”

“You mean Amira?” She asked, raising a brow before an amusing smirk played on her lips. “Oh, I see how it is.” She snickered. He wiped the sweat from his brow. “Was it bad?”

“It didn’t start out that way.” He wanted to choose his words carefully, and yet it wouldn’t have mattered. His mother was giving him the accusing look. “She was bleeding.” That changed her expression instantly.

“Bleeding how?” She asked him. He shut his eyes. The sight of the deep wounds made him clench his blanket tightly. He felt angry, but was it directed at himself?

“She had these deep scratch marks on her chest like a Wolf tried to tear her to shreds.” He peered down at his hands, remembering the blood.

It felt so real.

Lymeria frowned, resting her hands on his. He slowly relaxed.

“Was it four?”

“What?”

“The scratches. Were there four of them?” She asked again, and he looked at her quizzically.

How did she know that?

She let out a deep sigh, turning away from him, resting her hands on her lap. “I guess there is no reason to keep this from you. After all, you were with us that night when it happened.” She said.

“When what happened?” He asked her. When her eyes met his, he could see sadness clouding them. He grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly. She smiled halfheartedly at him.

“The night we were to meet with the Hunters.” She talked, her eyes lowering to their hands. He racked his brain for those memories, vague images coming to mind of a small group of humans, a snow covered clearing, and a little girl. “Your father agreed to meet them. He agreed we could end this fight, but...” he saw a tear stroll down her cheek, her chin trembling slightly, “Something changed in him that night. He condoned the attack against my wishes, putting your life at risk.”

“Why did he change his mind?” Aiden asked her, but she could only shrug. He could see it was hurting her by explaining it, “Mom, you don’t need to share anymore.” He told her, but she shook her head.

“I need to. You need to know.” She composed herself. “The white-haired woman that was with the leader was my friend. She had brought her child along to meet you.” Her eyes grew dark again, and she squeezed his hand tightly. “She was in the middle of the fight when a Wolf turned on her.” Her jaw clenched with the painful look on her face. “I begged your father to call them off, but he prowled closer. I think his goal was to take out the leader, as any Alpha would do.” She looked up at Aiden, “I killed one Wolf that tried to kill the little girl.”

“Wait, why would you do that? He was part of our pack.” He got angry. She growled at him, and he shut down instantly.

“I did it to protect the child. It would go against my morals as a mother to not intervene. I know her mother would have done the same for you.” She gave a soft smile before dropping it from her lips. “Your father reprimanded me for it later, leading to my exile of the pack.” She said and shrugged as if that part didn’t bother her at all.

"Why am I remembering all of this now?" He asked her. Lymeria inclined her head as she pondered for a moment.

"It could be because the spell I asked Miss J to put on you to repress your memories finally broke after seeing Amira." She told him, holding up her hand to stop his next question, "I asked her to do it so you didn't have to remember such a horrific event."

“Why are the scratches significant?” He asked her, looking down at his hands as if the blood might appear at any moment.

“Your father slashed the poor girl’s mother. That could be what you are seeing.” Lymeria frowned at him. “This could be your mind telling you you might do the same if you get too close to Amira.” She exhaled. “But I hope that you’re smart enough to make your own choices. Don’t let your nightmares decide for you.” His mother told him, getting to her feet, “Now get dressed and, uh... deal with that.” She gestured to the rise in his blanket. He growled at her and she laughed at him as she closed the door behind herself.

The room fell quiet once more, and he collapsed back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He pictured Amira’s smiling face, then her body and he felt his groin grow harder and his Wolf growled deep within him. Aiden couldn’t deny the attraction he felt toward her. It was strong, stronger than anything he’s felt before, but along with that attraction came with fear. He knew what she was now, but could she handle who he was?

His hand dipped below the blanket and he shut his eyes, working himself into the release he desperately needed.

----------

It had been a week since his encounter with Amira at the bookstore and the nightmare that followed. He didn’t have the same dream again, but it didn’t stop him from growing concerned. If he saw her again, would the nightmare repeat itself? Would it change for the worse? Either way, he refused to go back there if it meant both of their safety. However...

“Aiden! I’m itching for Ms. Johnson’s delicious cookies.” His mother sang to him as he knelt beside a motorcycle. He wiped his brow, smearing oil on his skin.

“Then go get some. You don’t need my permission.” He told her, putting down one tool and picked up another, doing his best not to lose focus. She groaned, laying her head on the fold-out table. A screen door opened on the left side of the garage. An older man in a blue shirt and overalls stepped out and peered around the disarray of a shop.

“It’s hot as balls out here.” The man grumbled, going over to the AC unit he had on the wall and banged on it a few times, but no cool air came from it.

“It’s broken from the multiple times you banged on it, and you shouldn’t have it blasting while the door is open. It will defeat its purpose.” Aiden said without turning to look at him. The old man grumbled again, taking a seat across from Lymeria.

“What is it, sweetheart?” He asked her, his fingers brushing through her hair slowly. Lymeria sat up slowly, tugging at her shirt as it tried to cling to her body because of the sweat.

“I wanted Ms. Johnson's cookies, but Aiden won’t go with me.” She pouted. Aiden tensed up as he sensed her sadness, inwardly groaning. The old man’s eyes lit up at the mention of Ms. Johnson’s cookies, and he jumped to his feet.

“Let’s all go then. I haven’t seen had any of her delicious cookies in some time now.” He licked his lips hungrily. Lymeria clapped her hands together.

“That does it. Family walk. Let’s go, Aiden.” She got up from her seat, grabbing his arm, but he yanked it back down.

“I said no. I want to work on my bike.” He said sternly. She let go of his arm, growling low before turning and storming from the garage. He let out a sigh until he felt a slap to the back of his head. He grunted, looking up to see the old man staring down at him with icy blue eyes.

“Don’t be such a hardass.” He said to him before walking off after Lymeria. Aiden watched them go before tilting his head back and shut his eyes.

“Finally, some peace and quiet.” He sighed and returned to his bike.