Leader of the Pack (26 page)

Aislinn found Cullen’s calm strange to watch. He was always so passionate with her, it was as though he was another person. She didn’t like the way her grandmother and Cullen were arguing. “That’s enough, both of you! Grandma, you said you could help us make something.”

Brinah looked at her granddaughter. Her eyes were searching Aislinn’s. Cullen wasn’t the only one referring to her as being with them. She was afraid she had permanently lost her granddaughter, and she had only just gotten her back. A tear formed in the corner of her eye. She leaned toward Aislinn and reached out to put her hand on her cheek. “If you choose this life here, you’ll never be able to go home Aislinn. There are a great many people there who love and miss you.”

Aislinn’s breath caught in her throat. Cullen sat there waiting for her response. She didn’t even look at him. If she managed to get away from all of this, and he dealt with Rafe, she could very easily go back to her life with her family. Rafe hadn’t changed her enough to make a human existence impossible. Cullen watched her with her grandmother, and he saw the loss in her eyes. She didn’t want to make the decision. He knew from the way she had spoken to him about her mother and her grandmother before that she missed them all terribly. He could easily understand that. He knew how he would feel if he was pulled out of the pack. Even so, he would willingly leave it all for her. He couldn’t make her make that choice. Especially, since she didn’t seem nearly as interested in being here as he was in having her here.

After a silent pause that seemed to last an eternity, Cullen shifted in his chair. His voice softened significantly, but his face went more stony, if that was even possible. There was no emotion to be seen in his eyes. The stranger Aislinn was looking at made her go numb. “All right. Brinah, you show us what we need to do to make something to stop Rafe’s mind altering abilities. When we deal with him, and it is safe, you and Aislinn can go home.”

The look on Aislinn’s face when he said that ripped into him, even if no one could see it. How could he do that? Was he just going to shove her out the door? “Isn’t that my decision to make,” Aislinn said in a cracking voice.

Cullen’s stomach turned. “I’m not going to ask you to leave your family for this,” he responded.

“So you’re done with me. Just like the others.” Aislinn couldn’t stop the tear that dropped from her eye. She stood up and walked away from his desk. She had expected it to happen, but not this soon. Aislinn thought about the afternoon they’d just had.
Not now,
she thought.
Not when I’ve finally let my guard down.

“This is nothing like the others,” he said.

“Right,” she answered, then walked out of the office, slamming the door behind her as she left. The shock wave that rolled through the room made Cullen flinch. He almost went after her. Almost. He decided that she needed to cool off, and if he was going to go through with this then chasing her would give her the wrong impression.
I’ll talk to her when we’re done here,
he thought. With more effort than anyone would ever know he turned his attention back to Brinah, Sarah, and Keith.

* * * *

Aislinn stomped down the hall into the elevator and hit the lobby button. She needed to get out of here and get some air. She knew there wasn’t anywhere inside this building that she could hide, and she just didn’t want to deal with her thoughts right now.

Ranaild only barely made it into the elevator before the door closed. She shot him a teary eyed glare when he joined her. It nearly broke his heart. Whatever had happened in that office wasn’t going to make his intentions any easier.

Neither of them spoke. He didn’t really want to talk to her. If he started feeling too bad for her, he might change his mind. Ranaild wasn’t sure how she managed to get out of Cullen’s sight, but there was no way he could pass this up. When the doors opened again, he wondered why the fates seemed so damned determined to give Rafe what he wanted. Aislinn slipped through the lobby straight for the front doors. Ranaild followed her. He couldn’t believe how easy she was making this.

She took off out the doors of the Madadh-Allaidh Saobhaidh, and then down the sidewalk. She wrapped her arms around herself. The cool air was helping. She was trying desperately not to cry.
I knew it,
she thought.
Nothing in my life ever stays good. I don’t know why I let myself get so attached so quickly. I knew that something would ruin it.
Her brain was swimming, and she just wanted it to stop. She didn’t even notice Ranaild following her down the sidewalk.

Ranaild decided to let her get as far from the den as possible before he took her. She was moving at a good clip. From what he could tell there wasn’t anyone else following her. He kept looking behind them and watching. He sniffed at the air, but didn’t catch wind of any pursuit. He seemed to be in the clear.

Finally, Aislinn stopped on a corner. There was a taxi sitting and waiting for a fare. Ranaild stepped up behind her and took her by the arm. She looked up at him with a shocked, angry glare. He returned an apologetic look, as he pulled the dagger from behind him and brought it covertly around to jab into her side. Her anger turned to fear as she realized what was happening.

Ranaild guided her toward the taxi. “Open the door,” he said in a frightening flat tone, pressing the dagger further into her side. Aislinn silently did as she was told. They both got into the taxi and Ranaild gave the driver directions to where he wanted to go.

Aislinn looked down at the dagger, covered in dried blood, which was pressing into her side. Then she looked back up at Ranaild. She knew him. She often saw him talking to Cullen. She knew that Cullen had trusted him.

* * * *

Celia watched as Ranaild sat brooding in the chair he’d angled so that he could watch the hallway. He was acting strangely. Everyone who had been in the elder meeting knew the possibility of one of their own being on the wrong side of all the mess that was going on. The rumors had everyone in the pack on edge. Celia thought about that as she watched Ranaild. There had been a reason that Cullen had taken her as a lover and companion. Ultimately she was one of the best in the pack. She had earned her position the hard way. She was intelligent, observant, and devious enough to see it in other people when sometimes it was overlooked. Ranaild was acting just strangely enough to get her attention.

When Aislinn came out of Cullen’s office in tears and Ranaild rushed after her, Celia watched with an uneasy realization that he might be one of the traitors. She couldn’t believe it. Ranaild? Celia went over to the elevator panel and watched only long enough to see where the elevator stopped. Then she hit the stairs. She flew down the flights of stairs as fast as she could. She knew she wouldn’t catch up if she waited for the next elevator, but she might be able to track them if she got to the lobby before the scent was lost in the throng of people coming and going.

Mack watched Celia dart for the stairwell and immediately trailed after her. He didn’t really know what she was up to. but it was a rare occasion that she ran anywhere. He was going to find out where she was going.

Celia almost raised the alarm, but she couldn’t bring herself to it without proof of what she thought she was seeing. She had been friends with Ranaild and Elise, his mate, for too long to do that to him and his family if it wasn’t true. At the same time, if it was true she’d rip his throat out herself. Elise? When was the last time she’d spoken with Elise? The thought was fleeting, gone the minute she came slamming out the lobby doors.

Celia headed for the elevator and immediately picked up Aislinn’s scent. She’d know that galla anywhere. When she saw Mack come through the stairs’ doors and into the lobby she swore to herself.
Doesn’t he have anything better to do?

“Whatcha up to Cel,” Mack said nonchalantly as he approached her.

“Mind your own-,” Celia started. Then she thought better of it. If what she was thinking about Ranaild was true, it might not be bright to chase after him alone. “Caoch,” she swore. “Just come on. Follow me and try and keep out of sight.”

Mack knew it must be serious when Celia stopped herself from trying to get rid of him. He nodded and followed her out. He picked up on Ranaild’s scent as they went, and it only took him a minute to recognize Aislinn’s as well. Everyone in the pack had caught the new girl’s smell. She was weird, hard to place. The rumors about her being ‘not quite human’ had everyone looking to get a whiff.

Twice Ranaild almost saw them. Celia’s heart was racing. She stood behind the newsstand and hid, waiting for him to keep going before continuing to follow him. “I can’t believe it. He really is following her. That piece of caoch.”

“What the hell is going on here Celia?” Mack asked with a growing fear of what she was going to say.

Celia looked around the corner. Seeing that Ranaild was moving again and watching Aislinn, she pulled Mack along behind her and headed after them. “I don’t really know. Ranaild is following Aislinn. I don’t know where Aislinn is going, but it’s all too weird,” she said hurriedly.

Mack grabbed her by the arm, hard, and stopped her. He pulled Celia to face him, and she lost sight of Ranaild. She fought Mack’s grip, but couldn’t manage to move him. Ranaild was one of his closest friends. Celia did a lot of stuff that pissed him off, but this was the limit. “Don’t you even suggest what I think you’re suggesting. Aislinn shouldn’t be out here. If he’s following her, he’s probably just keeping an eye on her.”

“Well we’ll never know that now,” Celia said angrily, as she wrenched her arm free and ran off in the direction in which they had disappeared.

Mack came walking up behind her. She was pacing the sidewalk where the scents mingled and then ended. “They got into a car,” he said.

“
Faigh muin! I caught that myself. I never should have brought you. You didn’t see the way he looked.”

“I know that Ranaild wouldn’t do what you’re suggesting.”

“You didn’t see the way he looked.” Celia paced. It didn’t feel right. “I agree with you. It doesn’t make sense. Ranaild has never… He wouldn’t… Would he?” The confusion in her voice concerned Mack.

“I don’t think so. Look, if Aislinn is actually missing then the entire place will be in an uproar. Cullen is far too gone over her. I’m betting that Ranaild is just keeping an eye on her. We’ll head back. If there aren’t alarms going off, and warnings of Cullen bringing the apocalypse down on us all if we don’t produce her from the shadows, then I think we can safely say that this isn’t what you think it looks like.”

Celia didn’t want to, but she let him talk her into heading back and seeing.
What do I care anyway? If Aislinn ends up gone, then things can go back to normal.
She didn’t even realize that she was leaning into Mack as they walked down the sidewalk, and she didn’t think about how his words had been more reassuring than they should have been. She hated how much she liked him. She growled under her breath.

When they got out of the elevator on the 13
^th
floor and walked into the great room, nothing seemed amiss. “I guess maybe,” Celia said looking around. Cullen was still in the meeting with Keith, Sarah, and that human woman Sarah had brought up. More odd rumors. She was getting tired of all the secrets. It wasn’t like Lord Arnauk.
Lord Arnauk
, she thought. Her mind took on a mocking tone,
Aislinn wouldn’t continue sleeping with a man who wouldn’t let her use his name.

“You guess maybe what?” Mack asked smugly, smiling at her.

“You’re probably right,” Celia snapped. “There. You happy?”
Gods why can’t I shut my brain off? How many times did he tell me that he’d never mate with me? Why did I think that I could change his mind if I just kept myself available. Is he an asshole, am I a complete fool, or both?

“Both,” Mack said out loud.

Celia didn’t realize she had been projecting. But Mack had always picked up on her thoughts so easily it didn’t really surprise her that he’d heard, but it did embarrass her sometimes. “I’d thank you to keep your opinions of what you know I don’t intend to say to yourself.”

“Cel, why do you fight me so hard? Is the fact that I’m not the alpha really that bad? You wanna break off and form our own pack? It’s not like we couldn’t manage. I just always thought that the family we had here was more important than rank. But you tell me what you want to do, I’ll do it.”

Mack’s sincerity seeped into her. She knew he’d do anything she asked him to do. Ambition aside she did care about him. She hated to admit it, but she did. She growled and rolled her eyes. The worst part was that she was going into heat. She hadn’t been with anyone in so long, and it was really getting to her. The little chase they went on didn’t help much either. “Come back to my room. We’ll discuss reality later,” she offered begrudgingly.

Mack leaned into her and tilted his head cautiously to the side, as he slipped an arm around her waist and bent down to kiss her. She hadn’t let him touch her since that time they had been out at the reservation on a hunt, and they nearly ended up mated. They had been so into each other that night. Cullen had thrown her over for one of the other girls, and Celia had gone with Mack for lack of another option. He thought he was going to catch fire when she moved into him for the kiss. Her hands slipped up his shoulders and grabbed the material of his shirt fiercely.