Authors: Ashley Hunter
Chapter 4
Rocko had been insanely upset when Cecilia called the following day, having launched into a massive rant of expressed fear and concern for Ceci’s well being. The entire time that Cecilia had spent in that phone call had been in a guilty silence, expressing soft and heartfelt apologies for well over half an hour.
Gratefully, Aaron had given her enough space for her to make the call without hovering, and so for that time, Cecilia felt comfortable enough to cry somewhat as Rocko demanded for her to tell him where she was.
She almost did tell him, but paused when she realized she didn’t exactly know where she was either.
Even if she did know, she couldn’t forget Aaron’s warning.
“This situation may be a little more dangerous for your family to be aware of.”
Aaron had expressed as he handed her the phone, their fingers just barely grazing.
“If you want to ensure their safety, try to explain as little as possible. That’s all you can do at this point.”
The suggestion was sound in theory, and Cecilia had hoped to appeal to Rocko’s more pragmatic nature.
However, he didn’t take kindly to being told very little of the situation, only that she had been attacked but was now safe. Rocko was not convinced, but Cecilia did manage to calm him by promising to call him every single day for the next two weeks to at least let him know how she was doing.
It took almost two hours straight before Cecilia hung up and after that, she nearly sunk into the floor.
The whole thing had been so exhausting and emotionally draining that all she wanted to do was sink into the mattress in her temporary quarters and just wait for the next couple of weeks to pass by.
When she finally returned to the dining room where Aaron was waiting for her, her host offered her a sympathetic smile that she returned with a smaller, meeker version.
“Did he take it well?”
“As well as he could,” Ceci sighed.
“I felt so bad.”
Aaron’s lips quirked, “Well, we can’t have that.”
Her host had proven to be beyond gracious. He was sweet, caring, always asking if she needed anything. Aaron was what Cecilia had pictured the perfect guy to be, and she honestly found herself enjoying his presence.
Their conversations were so natural and easy-going, it had become almost supremely easy to forget that there had been a pack out there that had tried to kill her. She trusted him with a little more of herself and was pleased to find he returned the sentiment with equal fervor.
He invited her to a vast and impressive home theater, where they sat and ate popcorn and watched movies and talked well through the hours of the day. She sat belly down on a long cushion, giggling as Aaron told her a story of when he had been young and nearly got mauled by a moose that had wandered in their territory. It sounded like a terrifying ordeal, but he had laughed it off and made it seem so funny that she couldn’t help but laugh whenever he made moose like impressions.
Eventually, he found his way next to her, bumping shoulders as they watched yet another movie.
For the first time in Cecilia’s life, she felt like she had a friend.
The days followed similarly. She would wake and speak to Aaron, they’d eat breakfast and sometimes he would tell her he had business to work on and so allowed her to wander the mansion under the careful watch of Marlo’s presence.
Cecilia moved about slowly but surely, discovering a wonderful library and a room filled with artifacts that Marlo explained had been things Aaron had gathered from his travels.
A week in, Cecilia had found herself finding a small spot in the library, enjoying a book that was simple enough for her to read comfortably. With each passing page and each study of the artifacts she had seen, a strange new hunger began to burn in the bottom of her stomach.
“You know,” Aaron had said after Cecilia explained the setting of the book she was reading.
“Venice is actually really nice around this time of the year.”
Ceci’s eyes went wide, “You mean Venice is a real place? It’s seriously a city built on water?”
Aaron looked at her with surprise, “Jesus, Cecilia, what did they teach you in that school?”
She scowled, muttering darkly, “the Pythagorean theorem.”
Aaron reared his head back and let out a laugh, and Ceci couldn’t help but giggle along with him. She liked the way his lips parted in an eager smile whenever she asked him questions about a new place or a different artifact.
She liked how he never looked at her as though she was overbearing. She felt like she belonged when she was with Aaron.
Ceci found herself hoping that Lucas would never find the last of the pack—as awful as that sounded—because little by little she found herself wanting to stay in this place more and more.
It was a week and a half into her stay, and Cecilia was beginning to feel her nerves sprout tendrils of disappointment at the thought of leaving.
She couldn’t think much about Lucas’s words those nights ago, finding her stomach fall the more she considered being away from Aaron. She had never felt like this with anyone before, and frankly, she doubted she would feel like this with anyone ever again.
--
Teeth bared at her sharply, biting at her elbow and drawing out a painful shriek from her throat that slammed against her teeth. Suddenly, the teeth weren’t just at her elbow but pulling at her clothes, dragging her back into a void of fear and the unknown.
Cecilia let out a scream, tried to yank her arms from the pull when her eyes pulled upwards towards the sky, tried to find solace in the moonlight.
Instead of a whole face, the moon was a cruel smile that cut into the black above. It split, exposing jagged ends and piercing eyes that laughed at her.
“NO!”
Try as she might she couldn’t escape the pain, she couldn’t escape the way it threatened to swallow her whole.
“Pathetic bitch,” the moon laughed.
“You thought you were better than them… all those women who disappeared into the night.”
“I didn’t! No!”
“Your own self-deprecation betrayed you, little human.” Suddenly the smile exposed the face of Caleb.
“You can hide all you want but I will find you.”
The image of Aaron appeared, ripped apart like the wolves had been after Lucas’s huge wolf form dug its jaws against their bodies.
“I will find you.”
“Aaron!!” Cecilia reached for him, saw how his blood dripped into the shape of a rugged forest canopy. Hands dug around her shoulders, digging into claws within her skin.
“I will find you.”
“No! No!” Cecilia shrieked.
“Wake up, wake up!” she heard, feeling the force of the claws on her shoulders tighten firmly and shake.
Finally, her eyes snapped open, taking in the sight of the ceiling, the high paned windows and the rest of the room within the mansion.
She glanced down, seeing a pair of eyes—green and focused—before she let out a gasp.
“Hey,” he spoke and Cecilia froze. Lucas.
The last of the nightmare faded away, dribbling through the tears that cascaded from her eyes.
“Hey, calm down. It was just a nightmare.”
“Aaron…” Ceci began, reaching out to grab on to Lucas’s collar desperately.
“Aaron, he’s not safe—he’s…”
“Cecilia,” Lucas spoke, silencing her with a firm press of his fingers against her jaw.
“Aaron’s safe. You were only dreaming.”
Dreaming…
I was only dreaming.
Her body was still shaking, drawing out fierce shivers that made her breaths hitch into frantic sobs and whimpers. Her head fell to her chest, eyes burning with tears that failed to stop to fall from her eyes.
“I saw him…” she confessed in a tiny voice. “I saw him… Caleb… he… he said he’d find me.”
“Caleb is the wolf who attacked you,” Lucas said, half an inquiry, more confirmation.
Cecilia nodded, sniffling as she shook in his grip. “He’s not going to find you.”
“But what if he does?”
She slammed wide eyes into his, afraid.
“What if he does and he hurts Aaron? What if he…”
What happened next shocked her into a certain silence that managed to halt the force of her sobbing. Lucas pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her figure into a secure embrace. His arms were warm and steady and through his sturdy breathing, she caught the easy thrum of his heart beat.
It was powerful, and it laced through hers with ease. Surprised, Cecilia could do nothing but rest in his arms, and after a moment, finally melted against his frame.
Lucas was nothing like Aaron—his body trained into fierce angles and sharp curves of muscle that pronounced power. Yet, the scent of his body was not unlike his younger brother’s. It was earthy; a soothing musk that carried the smell of pine and birch like it was an essence rather than a perfume.
It pulled deep into her nostrils, made her head steady into the moment that became the embrace rather than the spin of horrid nightmarish imagery.
“I won’t let him hurt Aaron, Cecilia.”
She
felt
his voice in her chest more than she heard it and it sparked a motion of heat in her blood. Cecilia knew that she could trust him in his words then.
“I won’t let him hurt you, either.”
This closeness was different, hotter. She couldn’t distinguish why it calmed her so quickly but it did. Nodding against him, Cecilia sniffled once more, feeling her forehead graze against his jaw as he pulled away.
He did not pull away completely though, and in the dark, their eyes met. Lucas’ gaze was not the enthusiastic emerald of Aaron’s, it didn’t shine brightly. Rather, it was thick and firm, like a firmly rooted tree that refused to give in no matter how hard the wind blew.
She didn’t know that such a gaze could make her feel so much. The heat in her blood became more pronounced as he looked into her eyes and the proximity between them (mere centimeters worth of space) denied the desire to sink back into her pillows.
A small breath fell from her lips, taken in by his and before Cecilia could understand, she felt Lucas’ chin dip, felt his mouth press over hers in a strange pressure that was both a kiss and not a kiss. She tasted him on her tongue, her fingers fluttered against his collarbone before pressing into his neck and her mind was spinning for a completely different reason.
Lucas inhaled sharply through his nose, pressing harder against her mouth and parting her lips to dig his tongue against hers. The sensation sent wave after wave of pleasurable heat through her body and Cecilia shuddered against him.
The image of Aaron in her mind stopped her, and Cecilia wrenched away from Lucas’s mouth. It felt like tearing a part of her own skin, but she couldn’t deny the pain in her heart at the thought of feeling like she had betrayed Aaron.
Why though? Why?
“Cecilia?” Lucas breathed, and Ceci shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered, over and over. “I didn’t mean to…”
His grip was fading, letting her go against the bed and Lucas pushed away.
“Its fine,” he said, voice so strangely distant. When Cecilia finally looked up, she saw him staring at her with a cold expression.
“It won’t happen again.”
And he was gone.
Chapter 5
Cecilia could not meet Aaron’s gaze the next morning and this was not lost on the man. His eyes had gotten from happy green to a concerned jade, and when he approached her, Cecilia could only say that she was just tired.
“What’s wrong?” Aaron asked over breakfast.
“It’s nothing,” Ceci replied.
Aaron didn’t buy it, edging a little closer before he reached over and grabbed her hand in his. The sensation of his palm over her fingers was gentle, normal… it made her feel all the guiltier.
“Come on,” he urged.
“You can tell me.”
“Nightmares.”
Aaron’s hold tightened a bit, “What about?”
When she met his gaze, she did not hide the truth then.
“About you…” the image was so vivid that the fear in her chest overwhelmed the guilt enough.
“About that wolf hurting you.”
There was nothing else she could say, and she was content in knowing he did not try to pry any further.
Instead, Aaron pulled her to her feet and led her quietly to his study where she sat at his side as he carefully moved toward the display.
Curiously, Cecilia watched as he opened the glass before he pulled out the slim piece of deep emerald from the display.
When he turned, he was holding the gem in his palm and she couldn’t ignore what was coming.
“Aaron, I can’t,” she protested.
Aaron did not spare her a moment to finish. He took another step toward her, pressing the cool stone into her palm.
“I want you to hold on to it,” he said, smiling at her.
“I remember reading that emeralds make for great healing stones…I mean, that might be a full bit of bullshit, but the sentiment is nice enough, I think.”
Cecilia laughed despite the tears threatening to fall over her cheeks.
Aaron shrugged, sitting at her side and the feeling was so natural the guilt from before threatened to cave her stomach.
“When this is all over, I want you to have something. To remember me by.”
“What if I don’t want to leave?” She asked him then, sliding her finger nervously over the cool stone.
“I won’t force you to go.” Aaron replied.
“Would you…” she began, licking her lips in preparation.
“Would you want me to… stay?”
“Honestly?” Aaron asked.
“Honestly.” Cecilia insisted.
“You’re the only friend I’ve had in a while.”
He answered, and when he looked into her eyes. she could tell his honesty dug deeper than that.
“I like being with you.”
“I want to stay.” She said, sniffing hard as she tried to choke back tears.
“You’re the only friend I’ve ever had too.”
Aaron gave her a small smile that spoke volumes in affection. He leaned close, pressing his forehead on hers and Cecilia couldn’t hide the sob that ripped from her throat.
“I’m so sorry,” she begged.
Aaron pulled away to give her a perplexed expression.
“What for?”
Ceci dragged a pair of fingers under her eyes to yank tears from her skin.
“For this,” she said and she had to do something to understand what she was feeling. She reached for his face, cupping his cheek as she tilted her chin to capture his mouth with hers.
Aaron jolted, startled, but he sank against her mouth eagerly and kissed her back with tender abandon.
The kiss was different than the one she had shared with Lucas. This one was fire and sparks and delicious touches that made her tremble with a completely different sensation of belonging altogether.
When Aaron pulled away, they were both gasping.
He grinned at her, “Cecilia.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t ever apologize for that.”
Without warning, Aaron dipped his chin back down, molding his mouth to hers in a series of kisses that left her breathless.
They paused so that Aaron could pluck the emerald from her hands and set it down carefully on his desk.
Reaching down, he pulled her to her feet and pressed another kiss to her lips.
“Can I tell you something honestly?” He asked.
“Honestly?” She parroted, smiling.
“Yes, woman.” He chuckled.
When she nodded, Aaron pulled her close to drag another kiss against her lips.
“I want you.”
His words made her skin feel like it had been pressed into a flame.
She wanted nothing more than to repeat the same words back to him, half-knowing that such a confession would breach their friendship into new barriers that were unknown. Yet, at the same time, she was afraid.
Afraid because she had never felt such a rush before… and because just hours before she had been pressed to her bed by his older brother. The reminder only made her want to seize Aaron closer and with a certain decisive move, Cecilia grasped his hand and began to lead him out of the study.
Aaron was confused at first as to where she was leading him, but as soon as their feet landed on the staircase and her fingers twined into knots through his fingers did he suddenly pick up the pace. Before long they went from walking to jogging, to full out sprinting.
Cecilia couldn’t hold back the laugh that burst from her lips when he tugged her into his arms, spinning them around a corner as he pressed a kiss to her mouth.
Cecilia followed him as he changed route from her room to his, and when they reached it, she barely had enough time to take in the personal space.
He kissed her again, drawing out cute sounds from her mouth as she weaved her arms over his neck and followed as he led them to his bed. The sunlight was bright, making the excitement in his eyes feel like beautiful brands on her skin.
There was no doubt she liked him, she liked him infinitely more than when they had first met.
When her back fell over the sheets, she was overcome by his scent and the way his fingers gently traced on the edges of her figure, making her writher pleasantly with every touch.
She paused as he reached for her pants, stopping him by pressing her palms on his cheeks.
“Wait,” she gasped.
“I… I’ve never done this before.”
Aaron’s eyes widened, his enthusiasm slowed to a reverent nod.
“I’ll take it slow, then.”
“Wait…” she began again, halting him from taking another step further while she had this weight on her chest.
“I… I need to be honest.” Aaron paused, settling on his knees as he gazed up at her expectantly. Ceci took in a deep breath.
“Please don’t get angry,” she begged him, and he frowned.
“Last night, when I had that nightmare… I dreamt that you had died… that Caleb had found us and he took you down. He ripped you apart like how Lucas had ripped the others apart. When I woke up, Lucas was there, holding me. He… he managed to calm me down.”
Aaron tilted his chin, uncertain where she was going with this. Swallowing painfully, Cecilia fisted her fingers into the sheets of his bed.
“I don’t know how it happened… but he hugged me. He promised me that you would always be protected. That he would make sure nothing bad happened to me. And the next thing I knew… he was kissing me…”
Aaron’s body stiffened, green eyes turning glassy with surprise before they hardened into fierce stones.
His lips snapped together, his jaw tightening at her confession. Cecilia felt her heart shudder in fright.
“It happened so fast… I don’t think he meant to do that.”
“Did you kiss him back?”
Ceci paused, swallowing thickly before nodding. Aaron pulled away slowly, turning from her gaze to stare into the corner of his room.
“I didn’t mean to, Aaron… I thought of you and I pushed him away. When he let go… he told me it would never happen again.”
“It doesn’t matter, Cecilia.” He said and his voice was small.
“That’s not how it works.”
“Why not?”
When he turned around, he was giving her a terribly sad smile, “Because once an Alpha has marked a woman… she will be unable to resist him ever again. You won’t be able to stay away from him.”
“But,” Cecilia scrambled to her feet, heart aching and tight in her throat.
“But I pushed him away, I want to be with you!”
“I can’t, Cecilia…” he said, his voice defeated.
“Not after that… I would be betraying my brother. I would be betraying the entire pack by taking you from him.”
A lick of angry flames started in her stomach and she took a swift step toward him, yanking her hands into his hair and pulling him down into a desperate kiss.
Aaron’s mouth worked against hers, his hands flushing tight on her ribs before slowly pushing her away.
“I want to be with you, doesn’t that count for anything?”
“Tell me, Ceci,” he murmured and it was the very first time he spoke to her so lovingly, but it was so heartbreakingly sad as well.
“Did you feel like you belonged in his arms?”
The question dumped ice through her blood, made her chest feel so terribly caught. Her silence had been more than enough then, because Aaron pulled away.
“I cannot betray my brother.”
And just like that he was gone, walking away from her and making despair claw at her throat and make her want to fall to her knees and wish that none of this had ever happened.