Leader of the Pack (19 page)

The suggestion started the entire room buzzing with excitement. Cullen had been around a long time and had never seemed inclined to mate with anyone. Jenna had been a political convenience and wasn’t expected to disturb the order of the pack. If he chose a mate like Aislinn, then things were about to turn upside down, in the female ranks anyway. The pack was already dividing into the group that was happy for him and the group who was disgusted that he’d pick a non-lycan outsider.

“It’s none of your business. If you don’t want to end up like Meredith I suggest you leave me alone.” The deadly calm in Aislinn’s voice was almost enough to make Celia back down. Almost.

* * * *

The last thing Sarah wanted to deal with was contention over pack rank right that instant. She was standing in the great room surrounded by the six women who were going to be directly affected if Sarah decided that Aislinn’s fight with Meredith constituted a rank change. She growled with annoyance. “There are more important things to be dealing with right now. As far as I know, I have not been told that the girl will be here permanently. I’ll need more information before making that kind of decision. But if she’s capable and wants to take up the challenge, then you know full well how this decision will fall.”

Sarah pushed her way past the frustrated women and headed down the hall to find out where Keith and Cullen had gone. She could pretty well guess. It was always the kitchen or Cullen’s office. It depended on his mood. Since he had appeared to be in a decent mood, outside of the meeting, she figured the kitchen. She was growling to herself and almost missed the commotion that began emanating from the opposite direction. Sarah stopped and listened. She already knew what it was. Celia had gone looking for Aislinn. Sarah quickened her pace toward the kitchen.

She stormed into the kitchen in a rage that instantaneously started Keith laughing again. Cullen pushed the chili aside and got up, apologizing to his stomach as he did. He was already guessing what Sarah was going to say before she said it. When Cullen heard Celia’s name in the same sentence as Aislinn’s, he stormed through the door of the kitchen and down the hall. If this was what was going to happen on the first night she spent with them, he couldn’t help but wonder what the future held. It’s not like he could take her with him everywhere he went.

As Cullen, Keith, and Sarah entered the doorway of the games room they heard Aislinn’s deadly warning. Cullen started to head toward the women, but Sarah stopped him. This was a matter of female rank and none of his business technically.

Neither Aislinn nor Celia noticed the addition to their audience. They were too busy staring each other down. Celia growled low in her throat. Aislinn was good enough at sizing people up to know when to hold her ground and when to run and hide. This seemed to be a tossup. Celia was neither rash nor mouthy as Meredith had been. She was just angry. Aislinn watched the woman pace around her, thinking.

Celia’s eyes were concentrating on the mark that Cullen had left on Aislinn’s shoulder. It wasn’t quite deep enough to scar. It would heal. But, that didn’t change the fact that he had done it in the first place. “How did it happen,” she asked in a dangerous low voice.

“Why are all of you so stuck on how exactly we had sex? I don’t get it,” Aislinn glared at her. “It’s none of your business.” Cullen stiffened and Sarah gave him a harsh glare at that.

“On the contrary. They’re stuck on it because what the alpha does with his women is everyone’s business.” Celia grinned. Sarah had to hold Cullen back as the face off continued. Celia leaned in closer to Aislinn. Neither woman was willing to drop her gaze from the other for an instant. “Did you bite him back? Taste him?” Aislinn didn’t answer. “No? Shame. I would have. Did he do it on purpose? Did he tell you what it means? Do you have any idea what it takes to be the alpha bitch?”

Suddenly Celia stopped. She tilted her head, and her eyes looked over Aislinn’s shoulder to the three elders who had been watching. She smiled broadly. “Have you come to make sure I didn’t hurt her?”

Aislinn wasn’t sure if Celia was trying to distract her so that she could attack, or if there was something that was actually drawing her attention. Celia stood upright and dropped the threatening demeanor as though it had never been. She looked at Aislinn with more hatred than Aislinn had ever seen, and at the same time there was a tear in the corner of her eye. She stepped in closer to Aislinn. Speaking in a whisper so low that Aislinn could barely hear what she was saying. “Do you love him,” she asked.

Aislinn swallowed hard. She didn’t have an answer.

“Then you and I will have to finish this later,” Celia said.

Aislinn looked at her in confusion, then followed her gaze to the group in the doorway. Cullen was eyeing them both cautiously. The woman with him looked pissed, and Keith had a disappointed air about him. He obviously wanted to watch a fight. Celia nodded in submission toward Cullen, and headed out the door. A man who had been standing against the wall immediately followed her. He had an annoyed air about him, and Aislinn shortly heard arguing from down the hall.

She was waiting to see what Cullen was going to say. She was pretty certain that he wouldn’t be happy with her. To her surprise he came over to her and started looking her over for injury. “Are you alright?” The rest of the room stared on in shock and amusement.

Aislinn tried to stop his fussing but wasn’t very successful. “Yeah, I’m fine. I told you I would be.”

Cullen stopped as she growled at him and he grinned at her. “Picking up bad habits,” he said.

“Huh?” Aislinn was frustrated. It had been a difficult evening.

“The growling. Not generally a human habit.” He smiled at her. He was greatly amused by the fire in her eyes. The idea that she had held her own against Meredith made him feel better about her fitting in. Then there was watching her with Celia. No matter how concerned he had been for her safety he had to admit that she had looked and sounded impressive. He leaned in and kissed her. It took her and all the others totally off guard.

Aislinn could feel his fingers on her chin gently guiding her mouth to his. His lips burned against her and she felt passion rolling in her stomach. She reached up and took hold of his shirt, partially to keep herself from falling over. When he ended the kiss, she stood with her eyes closed for just a second longer and took a deep breath, feeling his scent seep into her and wash the frustration she had been boiling with out of her system.

He ran his fingers over her face and smiled at her. “Have you had enough for one evening?”

“What?” It took Aislinn a moment to catch what he was saying.

“Would you like to go to bed,” he added. His eyes swirled with the suggestion.

Aislinn couldn’t help but join him in the smile at that point. “Sounds nice.”

Keith and Sarah approached the two. “We hate to interrupt. But,” Sarah said. She looked considerably less pissed off than she had a minute ago. The anger had been replaced by a bemused resignation. She reached out and pulled the neck of Aislinn’s shirt aside to see what Celia had been ranting about earlier. Then she gave a motherly look to Cullen. “I take it that Aislinn will be staying with the pack on a permanent basis?”

Cullen cleared his throat and, upon seeing Aislinn’s uncomfortable stance with Sarah examining the mark on her shoulder, he pulled Sarah’s hand away. “Aislinn has been told that she can stay as long as she wants. Anything more has yet to be discussed in detail.”

Sarah crossed her arms and her tone adjusted to match the motherly look in her eyes. “You were behind her when you did that.”

Cullen looked around to see how many people were witnessing the conversation, and he watched Aislinn carefully. He had started to explain it to her earlier, but she just didn’t seem to understand the significance. He was certain she wouldn’t completely get it until she was dealing with it firsthand. “This isn’t the place to talk about that,” he said and eyed the onlookers suggestively.

Sarah shook her head and then looked over at Aislinn. “Are you okay with being in his rooms or do you think you might want rooms of your own at some point? I mean, he’s only likely to get more aggressive, and if he takes the play too much farther then you may end up stuck with him whether you like it or not.” She looked at Cullen. “But if he’s smart he’ll do it by the book instead of taking things into his own hands.” She looked back at Aislinn. “I know you probably don’t get this right now. But if he gets out of control there won’t be a way to stop him, and the entire pack should be involved if it really does go that far.”

Aislinn looked at Cullen and then at Sarah again. She was sounding more and more like his mother. Aislinn’s brain was wheeling. Everyone seemed to be awfully concerned about this and she was starting to join them. The real problem was that the entire explanation was more than anyone seemed willing to say in detail and all the veiled information wasn’t going to help. She looked over at Cullen. He looked concerned. She smiled at him.
Hell, I haven’t felt this good about someone ever.
“No, I’m okay in his bed. As long as I’m wanted.”

Sarah looked at Cullen then back to Aislinn. “Girl, if you actually doubt whether or not he wants you there, then I can think of a few elementary classes we give to the children that you need to sit in on. My concern is more that he doesn’t seem to have a grip on where to draw the line.” Cullen growled at her. “I am happy for you,” she responded to the growl with a sincere tone. “Just be careful. And get around to making sure she knows what she’s in for. I’m only half kidding about sticking her in one of the classrooms.” Then she walked off shaking her head.

Cullen watched after her like a child who had just been scolded for doing something he knew he shouldn’t have. “Well that went well.”

“I did catch the sarcasm,” Aislinn responded. Keith just stood there watching and waiting with a goofy grin on his face as if something great were about to happen.

“Aislinn, that was Sarah. She’s one of my best friends, and for all intents and purposes, she’s in charge of the women. There are too many in this pack for me to deal with all of it myself. At some point you’ll have to spend some time with her and get your position around here straightened out. But with the rest of the complications at this point I think it best if that waited.”

Aislinn nodded. “Alpha female,” she said earning an impressed look from Cullen. She looked at Keith quizzically as he just stood there amused. “Is there something growing out of my forehead,” she asked Cullen.

He shook his head and glared at Keith, who only returned an unimpressed look. “Have you actually met Keith?”

“That first night we met. At the bar.”

“Yeah,” Cullen breathed out. It was all like a bad dream now. “Well, this is Keith. He’s a pain in my ass and my right arm. He’s mostly harmless, though his mate is not. Where is Jaylyn anyway? I’m surprised you’re still wandering the halls.”

“You know, one of these days you’re going to hurt my feelings,” Keith replied good-naturedly. Then he looked at Aislinn again. “In case you don’t know it yet, he’s none too subtle when he wants to get rid of someone. Jay doesn’t care where I am as long as I end up in bed with her eventually. He’s just afraid that I’m going to say something to embarrass him and so he wants me to disappear. That is an impressive bite mark Cul,” he said rather loudly, not wanting anyone to miss the fact that Cullen had finally chosen a woman to mate with. “You were behind her when you did it. I can tell from the angle. Nice! When’s the actual ceremony?”

Aislinn blushed furiously. “Well it seems as though Cullen was right about the embarrassment factor,” she said, in an authoritative voice that raised Keith’s eyebrows.

“Oh yeah, this one is much better than Jenna,” he chuckled. “She even has your annoyed tone. This is going to be fun. Things were getting rather dull with all the attacking and raiding and mystery. Give me a nice simple way to pick on the boss and my day brightens immensely.”

Cullen reached out and took hold of Keith’s shoulder. He pushed the man out of the way, and with a hand at Aislinn’s back he guided her past his friend, heading toward the elevator. By morning everyone in the pack would know that he had bitten Aislinn. He couldn’t decide whether he should try to talk to her about it again or not.

When they got into the elevator Cullen reached for his key only to realize that Aislinn had it. She was holding it up to him with a smile on her face. He nodded to the panel, and she put the key in and hit the button for the top floor. Cullen was torn between being tired and being playful. “By all the Gods you’re beautiful,” he said in a soft serious way that sent chills up Aislinn’s back. His arm went around her, and he started kissing her.

He couldn’t help it. All he wanted was to be inside her. When the elevator doors opened they virtually fell into the room, almost forgetting to grab the key. By the time they were in the bedroom, they were naked, and by the time they were in the bed, Aislinn's legs were wrapped around his waist. They never did get a chance to have a conversation that night.

* * * *

Rafe backhanded the man who had come to report in. The large lycan only barely moved from the force of the blow. He was as unimpressed with Rafe’s physical abilities as Rafe was with lycans. Rafe didn’t understand why his ancestors had been so enamored with them.
Of all the weres they could have created they chose wolves
, Rafe thought with disgust.
Wait until they see what I do.
“How did Arnauk get his mongrel hands on her?”

“I don’t have that information. Just that she’s there. He’s keeping her in his rooms.”

Rafe paced, allowing anger to bleed out and mar his generally placid appearance. If she was in his rooms that implied more than Rafe was willing to concede. “I need her out of there. You’ll arrange it.”