Moonlight (6 page)

“You’ll want to be at full strength before we do this. It’s not an easy process, and whether or not you transition is up to your body’s ability to heal.”

I cringed. The fear of death returned. It was really only a fifty-fifty shot, and injured as I was, I wondered if that really did have an effect on the odds. “What’s involved?”

“To start, you’ll need to eat the flesh of the Alpha.” He said it so matter-of-factly, as if it were nothing to perform an act of cannibalism.

I felt my breakfast rise to the back of my throat. “Eat… what?”

“Sorry, babe. That’s how the curse enters your blood. You have to ingest some of the wolf to become one.”

I swallowed back the bitter chunks in my throat.
This whole idea just gets worse and worse the more I learn about it
. But, gross as it sounded, I’d made the commitment, and I would go through with it.

“Then what?” I prayed there was nothing else icky I had to eat or drink. I wasn’t sure my stomach could handle it.

“Then comes the hard part.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Then… you get mangled.”

“What?” Maybe I was still hearing things. I had hit my head pretty hard. He didn’t just say “mangled,” did he? “You’re going to beat me?”

“Try not to think of it as domestic violence. I’m not going to hurt you out of anger. But, that whole ‘scratched or being bitten thing,’ that’s the nice version of what happens to people who are turned into a wolf. To really transform, your body needs to be taken to a state close to death so that the curse can take hold. If it does, your body will miraculously heal.” He smiled, as if that was supposed to make me feel better about it.

My head began throbbing all over again, pounding like the sounds of a death march drum. “This is sounding worse and worse every minute.”
What the hell did I sign up for?

“It’s not pretty, but that’s the way it’s been done for centuries. Still want to go through with it?”

I closed my eyes and exhaled very slowly, reminding myself I had given my word. I loved this man, and I would do anything to be with him. Anything! “I guess I have to.”

A thin olive-skinned man with faux hawk and a goatee burst through the office door. “Aiden, we’re not done yet.” He scowled at the two of us lying on the floor together.

One of Aiden’s dark eyebrows quirked up. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Micah.” His voice threatened danger, while his lips pulled back into a wolf-like snarl.

“My apologies, Alpha. There is still business to attend to.” The lanky looking man lowered his eyes, as a sign of respect, but the arrogance did not leave his voice.

“I’ll deal with you and the rest of the council momentarily.” There was no mistaking the message in his tone. He had a serious get-the-fuck-out vibe going on, and even Micah with his arrogance couldn’t ignore that.

“Of course.” Micah bowed his head and turned around grumbling, “Humans are more important.”

I felt Aiden’s muscles tighten. A growl rumbled in his chest.

“You better go take care of them,” I said. The last thing Aiden needed was dissension in the ranks. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’re injured.”

“Yeah, well, you need to keep pack morale up, and it’s clear
the human
is causing a problem with that.”

“I’m prepping you for the transition. This is official pack business too.”

“How long do you think the pack will give me before I have to change?” Fear had backed me off my “turn me now” attitude. I was still going through with it, but at this point I’d settle for a few more days to wrap my mind around things.

“The sooner the better.”

I nodded. “Can I at least have a day or two to still be
me
?”

“You’ll still be
you
, silly. You’ll just be a furry you.” He ran his fingers through my short hair. “But, yes. You take the rest of the week and enjoy yourself. Heal and pamper yourself too. Call Alyssa and arrange some spa time if you like. I’ll hold the troops at bay. I promise.”

I squeezed him tight. That man was too good for words. “You’re so good to me, baby!”

“I hope you can still say that after the transition.”

“Me too,” I said, hoping that I would still be
alive
after the transition.

“Don’t dwell on the bad part. You’re going to make one sexy she-wolf.”

Aiden helped me back to our room. Being the Alpha had its perks. Instead of having to stay in the cabins, which really weren’t all that uncomfortable, we had a lovely suite right inside the main building of the wolf preserve. Even though I could have walked the short distance myself, Aiden felt it necessary to carry me. Personally, I felt he wanted to show off his strength and make any passersby aware that I was his at the same time, but the romantic gesture wasn’t lost on me either. He put me on such a pedestal, that man. It was clear that I was his world in every sense of the word. And that fact right there solidified my decision. I would do anything for that man, even if that meant putting my own life on the line.

By the time we made it to the room, my whole body was throbbing with aches and pains. It practically begged for the jetted tub in the ensuite bathroom. And I was determined to take a very long soak.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay while I’m gone?” Aiden asked. “Should I send Brady?”

“You’re too cautious. I don’t need a babysitter. Just go, and hurry back.”

“I don’t like leaving you, especially with the concerns you raised about Diana.”

I didn’t like the concerns I had about her either, but at the moment my only thought was relaxing and making sure I was ready for a fight if need be.

“I’m fine. And I don’t think she’ll be stupid enough to try and attack me again.” At least she didn’t seem like she would be
that
stupid.

“I’ll begin an investigation on her, and if she is found guilty…”

“I’ll put that bitch in her place.”

He beamed at me and  ruffled my hair. “I can’t wait to see you as a wolf. You’re going to make one hell of an Alpha.”

Aiden deposited me on the bed and captured my lips. He was heat and need and urgency. The chemistry between us went beyond passion; it was an all-consuming inferno. If pain hadn’t been drowning out all of my other senses, I would have taken things further than a little tongue play, but my aching muscles could only handle so much.

I pushed back against his chest. “Baby… later.”

The urgency in his voice teetered on begging. “Promise?”

How could I deny that man? “Yeah. Let me have a hot soak and some aspirin and I’ll be ready and waiting for you.”

“This will be the shortest meeting in the history of the Olde Town.” He pulled back and flashed his devilish grin at me. “Be right back.”

I’d had enough time to read half a romance novel while I soaked in the tub. The hot water, lavender oil, and chamomile really helped to relax my sore muscles. And, thanks to the pain killers, my headache had all but vanished. I felt like a brand-new woman, all hot and ready to enjoy some time with my man. The only problem was, my man was nowhere to be found. That was a little troubling.

For a guy who’d been dead set on getting back for a little romp in the sack, he was certainly taking his time.

I tossed on a pair of jeans and my favorite red UNLV sweatshirt and decided to go for a little walk through the halls. Best case, I’d run into Aiden doing paperwork in the office. Worst case, maybe I could have another chat with Brady and clear the air. He’d been pretty adamant that I needed to just go through with the transition. As antsy as I was, anything was better than sitting in the room wondering what was going on.

It didn’t take me long to run into someone, but it wasn’t who I’d been hoping to see.

The douchy-looking guy, Micah, with the faux hawk stood chatting with Brady at the reception desk in the main lobby. I couldn’t quite make out what they were talking about, but from the dirty looks both of them gave me, it wasn’t a conversation I was welcome to.

Why was Brady giving me hateful eyes?
That bothered me more than the fact he was talking with a guy who I knew was no fan of mine. Brady may not have liked that I wasn’t a wolf, but he generally liked me as a person. I needed to get to the bottom of this.

“Where’s Aiden?” I asked in my most commanding voice as I walked to join the pair.

They ignored me.

I cleared my throat. “I said…”

“We heard you.” Micah stood and sneered. “You can drop the attitude. Your bark doesn’t scare me.”

I was taken aback by his defiance. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Micah’s icy blue eyes matched the coldness of his glare. “It means, human, that I don’t like you, I don’t appreciate your attitude, and I don’t think you’re right for this pack.”

“That’s not for you to decide. Brady, back me up on this.”

Brady heaved a sigh. “Micah, you’re treading on thin ice here.” His tone had all the intensity of a sleeping dog and just as much effect. “She is Aiden’s.”

Beyond the negativity directed toward me, the way they talked made me sound like property and not an equal partner in the relationship. But that was an argument to have on a different day. 

“You know I’m right, Brady,” Micah replied. “Don’t be afraid to admit it in front of the human. Aiden is whipped by this human. No offense.”

It was becoming abundantly clear how unhappy various members of the pack and the council were with an outside becoming one of their Alphas.

Micah turned his chilly gaze back in my direction. “And, beyond being a human trying to meddle in the affairs of our pack, you’re also part of that vampire clan.”

“Yes, I am friendly with the vampires, and so what if I am? That vampire clan is part of this pack.” He was grasping at straws if he thought his accusation held water. Turning on your allies is never a good idea. “And if you recall, Alyssa—one of
those
vampires—was the one to rescue Brady when the Acta Sanctorum had him caged like a common dog.”

I looked to Brady for support, but he remained unusually tight-lipped.

“They’ve hurt as much as they’ve helped. And we tolerate them because at times they can be useful. Don’t be so quick to award them any medals of honor. In case you had forgotten, they’re the reason Connor died.”

Brady winced at the mention of his father.

Too soon. Bad idea. Connor’s body had just been laid to rest; now was not the time to dig it back up and drag it into a petty squabble.

“And that vampire Alyssa—do you deny that she is your best friend?” Micah jabbed a finger at me.

“Yeah, Alyssa and I are best friends. So what?”

“So… that means when they gear up to take on the Saints as they’ve been planning to do, who do you think they are going to come to? Us. And of course since the Alpha is mated to their best friend, we’ll all be asked to put our lives on the line… again. Our pack is still in the process of rebuilding. We can’t handle another war. But if Aiden takes you as mate, it’s a guarantee.”

My headache was coming back with a vengeance and my blood pressure started to soar. Now the truth was coming out. His dislike of me had nothing to do with me not being a werewolf. I’d have been willing to bet he’d been the one heading up the ‘committee to force me into being a werewolf’ when I still sat on the fence. Now that I’d agreed, he had to find another way to incite dissension in the pack.

I crossed my arms and tightened my jaw. “So, what are you demanding then? That Aiden and I split up? Will that satisfy the pack, or you?”

Micah waved his hand at me as if batting away a troublesome fly. “Oh, we know that won’t happen. You’re his mate no matter what you are.”

“Then what, Micah? It’s clear that nothing he or I do will please you.”

“Well, if you must know, I think we need new leadership.”

And there it was, the truth!  It all boiled down to a power grab, and Micah was the one ready to snatch it up. “And I’m assuming you want to take that role?”

“I have the support of many prominent members of the pack.” He looked over his shoulder to Brady. “I’m a pure wolf. I was born and raised in this pack. I meet all of the criteria, so, yes. I do think I would make a good candidate for Alpha.”

I shot Brady my best
what the fuck
look. “Are you seriously considering this? Backing him instead of your brother?”

Brady held up his hands. “I have not officially given my support to —”

“Hold on,” I interrupted. “Not one day ago, you were pushing me to make the change because you knew Aiden was the right man for the job. Now you’re not so sure? You’re his brother. You have to support him.”

Brady took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he turned to Micah. “He makes a strong argument for the preservation of this pack. We must think of our own right now, while we are weak.”

“And, I have no problem taking any pack female for mate, and issuing in a new generation of Olde Town wolves.” Micah added as if that sealed the deal.