Moonlight Kin 2: Aidan's Mate (Mid-Length Novel) Read online

  Something twinged inside of Aidan. Something he refused to acknowledge or name. Until he found his bondmate, there would be no smiling heirs for him.

  Aidan growled and shoved the French doors open. They banged against the outside wall of the house, the glass panes rattling, as he stepped out onto the balcony, allowing the darkness to embrace him.

  He inhaled to calm his racing heartbeat. The scent of Pine trees surrounded him, their needles rustling in the mild summer breeze. The sharp tang mingled with the delicate aroma of the roses growing in his garden.

  In the distance, he scented deer as they made their way through the woods, their silent hooves falling on the soft blanket of ferns below the green canopy.

  Their careful efforts weren’t enough to slip past the predator in him. Nothing came onto his property without him knowing about it, especially not prey.

  Insects buzzed and frogs croaked in chorus, creating a symphony of night sounds. Their steady hum a soothing balm to his werewolf soul.

  Aidan tilted his head toward the night sky and his blood pulsed, pulling him forward. The moon’s gentle tug would turn into a riptide strong enough to yank his feet out from under him by the end of the week.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his body shuddering with the urge to shift. Aidan threw his head back and let out a mournful howl, strangely diminished by his human form. Creatures scurried. Aidan’s eyes opened and he scanned the tree-line. Instincts demanding that he give chase.

  He turned away from the lure of the night and returned to the warmth of his bed. No sense putting things off any longer, when there were others waiting.

  “Last chance,” he said. Please go.

  “I want to stay.” Her thick lashes concealed her emotions, but not the strength of her voice.

  Aidan nodded. Without preamble, he dipped his fingers between her lush thighs, seeking her core. He stoked her, fueling her desire as he gathered the moisture needed to mount her. As soon as he had enough, Aidan climbed between her legs and thrust hard, entering her with one stroke.

  He rode her relentlessly until she came, leaving her gasping and shuddering beneath him, then pulled out spilling his seed onto the sheets. Aidan rolled onto his side, his chest heaving.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “So am I.” She rose quickly and pulled on her robe, then opened the door to leave.

  Aidan’s voice stopped her. “Send in the next woman.”

  Her mouth tightened and her shoulders tensed, but she managed to give him a clipped nod.

  Tonight, like every night, he would sleep alone. That would remain the case until he located his bondmate or another Alpha managed to oust him from his position. Since the latter wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon—thanks to René’s recent challenge—Aidan would have to continue his search.

  He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like, what she would be like. A soft knock on his bedroom door interrupted his thoughts.

  “Enter,” he said, reminding himself once again that this was his duty.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER THREE

  Aidan held the phone to his ear, listening to the other Lycanian Elders. They’d been droning on about his duties to his pack for an hour with no sign of the conference call coming to an end.

  He lifted his cup of coffee and took a sip. Aidan grimaced. Cold. It had been hot, when his personal assistant brought it to him first thing this morning. Aidan put the cup back on his desk.

  Robert LaBeouf knocked once and entered the library, which doubled as Aidan’s office. His P.A.’s normally stony face sported a light blush and he wore a queer expression. Aidan held up one finger.

  Robert nodded and kept his position by the door.

  “I am well aware of my duties as Alpha,” Aidan spoke into the receiver. “I do not need to be reminded again and again and again.” He pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off a headache. “Yes, the women are here.” Aidan took a deep breath to calm his temper. “No, I do not want to discuss my progress. If anything of import occurs, you all will be the first to know. Now I have to go.” He disconnected the call before they could respond.

  Robert stepped deeper into the room.

  “What is it?” Aidan asked, grateful for any excuse to get off the phone.

  “Sorry to bother you, Alpha,” he said. “But we have a bit of a situation at the front gate.”

  Aidan tensed. “What kind of situation?” And why hadn’t his wolves handled it already?

  “We have a visitor.” His normally monotone voice rose, belying his true emotions.

  They never had visitors, unless the Lycanian Elders called a meeting or there was a moon run. Since he’d just got off the phone with the Elders and most of his pack was already here for the run, then that meant the visitor was a stranger.

  “Hunter?” he asked.

  His personal assistant shook his head. “Don’t think so.”

  “Send them away.” Aidan didn’t have time to entertain any more guests. His house was already overflowing.

  Robert’s gaze darted back to the door. “I tried, Alpha, but she sat down in front of the gate and has refused to leave.”

  Aidan blinked in surprise. “She?” A sliver of premonition coursed through his veins, as he leaned against the edge of his desk. Aidan was careful not to disturb the neatly stacked papers he’d intended to read this morning, before the Lycanian Elders phoned and interrupted him.

  “Yes, a human female, Sir.” Robert nodded.

  Human? Disappointment welled in Aidan’s chest, though he didn’t know why. It wasn’t like he needed another female in his life right now. He gone through three Were’s last night and still had thirteen to get through. “Send one of the wolves out,” he said. “That should change her mind.”

  The crimson color in Robert’s cheeks reached cartoonish levels. It took two tries for him to clear his throat. “That didn’t work either,” he said. “Byron came running back to the house with his tail tucked between his legs. He said that when the gate opened, he growled at her and she growled right back.”

  Aidan’s brows rose. Either the woman was really brave, really stupid, or she was… “Are you sure that she’s human?”

  His assistant’s gaze met his for a moment, then skittered away. “Once Byron came back, I went out to see for myself. There’s no mistaking that odor.”

  Robert’s disgust for humans was well known within the pack. He never bothered to hide his feelings about them, griping to anyone who’d listen. He thought they were all vermin that needed to be exterminated. Fortunately for humans, most Weres weren’t so intolerant.

  Aidan scratched his chin. “Did she say what she wanted?”

  “She mentioned that her car broke down and that she needs to use a phone, but who doesn’t have a cell phone these days?”

  “Not many people,” Aidan said. “It’s possible that she has one, but it isn’t charged.”

  “I suppose so. She certainly looks like someone who’s been walking awhile. She’s sweaty, but she doesn’t smell right.” Robert’s nose wrinkled.

  Aidan leaned forward. “What do you mean?”

  “My senses tell me that there’s more to her than meets the eye. I can’t explain it, but I’m not convinced that her story isn’t an elaborate trick to gain entrance to the residence. Humans can be so deceptive.”

  So could wolves, Aidan thought, eyeing the man.

  The woman’s arrival could be a ruse. It wasn’t out of the realms of possibility. His success in business dealings had garnered an unusual amount of attention—unwanted attention, considering the secrets Aidan kept. Reporters phoned constantly. Everyone wanted an exclusive from the famous software recluse.

  If the woman was a reporter, she’d regret this bold move. No one came to his house uninvited. By the time Aidan finished with her, she’d be so frightened that she’d leave the area.

  Of course, if she were as she said—a stranded motorist, he couldn’t exactl
y leave her out there to wander around unsupervised. Aidan could not afford for her, or anyone else, to be traipsing around the estate this close to the full moon.

  “Show her in.” Aidan already regretted his decision, but at least he’d know if she were lying.

  Robert’s gaze shot to his face and his eyes widened. “Alpha?”

  “You heard me.”

  “But she seems dangerous,” Robert said.

  Aidan pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. “I’m sure that a pack of werewolves can handle one human female. Don’t you?”

  “Yes, sir. Of course, but it can’t hurt to keep an eye on her.” Robert left, pulling the door closed behind him.

  Aidan shook his head. He had no doubt Robert would keep watch, waiting for the unsuspecting human to cross the line, so he could invoke Lycan law.

  Robert would use any excuse to kill one of them. Luckily, he needed permission to do so and Aidan wasn’t likely to grant it.

  He glanced at the phone on his desk. He should’ve called the authorities to have the woman removed for trespassing. That was the prudent thing to do, but Aidan couldn’t shake his curiosity.

  What type of woman growled at a wolf?

  The same type who was foolish enough to come here on their own.

  Aidan stepped in front of the antique mirror on the wall to inspect his appearance. His unfashionably long black hair fell past his shoulders in desperate need of a cut. He checked his teeth to make sure there wasn’t raw meat stuck in them.

  The move stretched and twisted the jagged white scar that ran across his chin, cutting into his otherwise polished appearance. He ran his finger over the thin line, admiring the memento he’d gotten the night he became Alpha.

  Sharp amber eyes stared back from the mirror. In a few more days, they’d begin to glow and the façade he presented to the human world would disappear. His beast would rise and Aidan would be more instinct than man.

  He smiled in anticipation of the full moon and the freedom it brought him. A knock sounded on the door as he turned away from the mirror. “Enter.”

  Robert poked his head in. “I’ve put her in the parlor.”

  Aidan gave him a curt nod, then walked out of the library across the marbled entry hall to the closed door on the opposite side. Aidan raised his hand to knock, stopping short in surprise, unsure why he found the need to do so in his own home.

  He frowned and turned the knob. This was his house. He damn well didn’t need to announce himself. Aidan entered the parlor, his footsteps silent on the hardwood floor.

  The woman’s back was to him, her slender frame partially obscured by the cascade of strawberry blond ringlets flowing over her narrow shoulders and down her back. A worn camouflage bag lay at her feet.

  Aidan’s gaze locked onto her heart-shaped bottom as it swayed to some internal beat. Her long legs were bare where her brown walking shorts left off. Strong thighs, made for grasping a man’s waist, flexed with each side-to-side motion.

  A wisp of bare abdomen peeked out beneath a short white cotton shirt. Aidan couldn’t see her breasts or her face, but it didn’t matter. She already had his undivided attention.

  He inhaled to get a read on her before she had a chance to open her mouth and lie. The scent of lilacs in the spring slammed into him.

  Aidan scanned the parlor to ensure that Robert hadn’t placed a bouquet in the room. He hadn’t. She was the source of the delicious aroma.

  She bent over to get a better look at the photos in the curio cabinet. The move caused the material of her shorts to pull tight and cup her bottom. Aidan’s mouth watered and a rumble came from his chest.

  The woman gasped and spun around, knocking the lamp off the end table in the process. She fumbled to catch the base, but missed.

  Aidan rushed forward, using his preternatural speed, and caught the lamp before it shattered on the ground. When he looked up, their eyes met and the breath froze in his lungs.

  The woman had the face of a road-weary angel, who’d taken flight one too many times. Wide ice-green eyes, the color of pale peridot, watched him in shocked silence. A strong chin supported full lips that dipped and swelled, all but begging to be kissed.

  Those same luscious lips parted, breaking into a lopsided grin. That silly smile drew attention to the freckles dotting her high cheekbones and pert little nose. That same nose crinkled, as he continued his undisguised perusal.

  “I’m Jenna.” She scrubbed her hand on the side of her shorts, then held it out for him to shake.

  “Aidan.” For a second or two, he simply stared at her, unable to move, then ever so gently he clasped his big hand around her smaller one.

  The jolt hit like a shock from a wet plug.

  Aidan’s jaw clenched, as part of his body inconveniently stirred to life. He forced himself to release her, then pulled his shirt down to hide his perplexing condition. Aidan opened and closed his hand to dispel the remaining tingles.

  A single curl dropped onto her forehead. Jenna tucked the stray behind her ear, exposing an angry purple slash that bisected part of her eyebrow. Although he could see no blood, the wound smelled fresh.

  “Did you have an accident?” he asked. “My assistant was under the impression that your car broke down.”

  “It did,” she said. Truth. Lie. No wonder his wolves were having such a difficult time reading her.

  “The wound on your eyebrow says differently.” His voice chilled the air around them.

  Jenna’s hand flew up to cover the area. Her smile faded. Her clear bright eyes dimmed, overshadowed by wariness.

  Aidan sniffed, scenting her again.

  Underneath the sweet aroma of lilacs a faint odor of a man’s cheap cologne lingered on her clothes. His thoughts took a dark turn. Was he the one who’d struck her?

  A growl came from his throat. Aidan coughed twice to cover up the unbidden noise. The urge to shake her until she told him everything about this man besieged him. He clenched his fists at his sides to keep from acting on the impulse.

  She’s human. A stranger. And most definitely not his responsibility.

  Aidan fought to regain control of his turbulent emotions. His mind flashed to the hearing he’d attended on Damon’s behalf. His cousin had professed his love for the human woman, his bondmate. He’d said there was no denying the wolf once it made up its mind.

  A buzzing noise sounded in Aidan’s head, before being drowned out by his own heart beat thundering in his chest.

  Well it wasn’t going to happen to him, damn it. He was a Lycanian Elder. He had responsibilities. He didn’t think with his dick.

  Aidan ignored the strange feelings of possession that had momentarily overwhelmed him. It was just the pull of the full moon and his instinctual need to protect everything in his territory. It had to be.

  The fact the woman was human was coincidental.

  * * * * *

  Jenna had sensed his presence a moment before he’d cleared his throat. She’d turned too quickly and lost her balance, knocking an expensive looking lamp off the end table.

  He’d moved with incredible speed, catching the fixture before it hit the floor.

  When Jenna had looked up, an unusual pair of amber eyes had immediately captured her. The warm honey hue had heated and cooled as the man assessed her. His eye color was made all the more striking due to the contrast to his ebony hair. Jenna normally didn’t like guys with long hair, but for some reason the style suited him.

  She’d actually felt her heart skip a beat. Jenna thought that kind of thing only happened in fiction, not real life. Of course, men that looked like him didn’t exist in real life either. Yet here he was, standing in front of her.

  Never in all her years had she ever seen a man so devastatingly handsome. Nothing, not even the scar on his chin, could detract from his perfectly chiseled features. It was the one blemish that stood between him and the definition of pretty.

  Her heart tripped again. Once could be dismissed as coincidenc
e, but twice pointed to attraction.

  Jenna had given up on being attracted to any man after her ex-boyfriend, Ethan Manning’s betrayal three months ago, so to find herself drawn to this man, this stranger was disconcerting.

  Muscles rippled beneath his form-fitting shirt, as he lifted the lamp and gently set it back onto the table. Power oozed from his pores. Not the kind of power that Ethan flaunted, but a more subtle strength that he wielded like it was his birthright. At no point did he look away.

  The room shrank around them, cocooning them in a fragile bubble that one wrong word would pop.

  As he straightened to his full height, Jenna had to crane her neck to maintain eye contact. She’d murmured her name or at least she hoped that she had. He’d responded in kind.

  Aidan…

  It was the kind of name that swirled on your tongue and beared repeating. She swayed toward him, sucked in by the odd gravitational pull happening between them. The second Jenna noticed that she’d moved closer, her face flamed and she stepped back.

  What was wrong with her? Had she learned nothing in the last few months?

  Jenna swallowed hard. “Sorry about the lamp.”

  He remained silent.

  She fidgeted. “Thank you for letting me in to use your phone.”

  Amusement lit his amber eyes. “You didn’t give me much choice.” He watched her closely.

  Oops! She hadn’t, had she?

  Jenna had already apologized. What else was there to say or do? “Sooner I use your phone, the sooner I’ll be out of your hair.”

  Aidan pointed to the phone on the desk. “What about your car?” he asked.

  Jenna tensed. No way could she afford a tow truck. It would cost a fortune to get the Bug to Breakbend. If she had her garage handy, this wouldn’t be a problem. But thanks to her conniving ex, she didn’t.

  Ethan had taken the only thing of value she’d ever owned, the only place she’d ever called home, and the only family she’d ever known. And for what? So he could build a stupid luxury condominium complex? Like the world needed another one of those.