Leader of the Pack (63 page)

Enchanted couldn’t even begin to describe how Aislinn felt. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Seeing one of the faeries fly closer, she held up her hand with her palm up to see if the little light would come to her. It darted and danced about her head and she thought she could almost hear it whispering to her.

As the singing slowed and quieted, the lights began to flicker again until they vanished with the end of the song. The lycans stood still and enraptured by what they saw. No one knew if they should applaud or thank the druids. Malik and the others exchanged pleased glances, and each of them in turn approached Cullen and Aislinn, kissed Aislinn on the cheek and wished her long life, children, and happiness.

Malik was the last of them. “I’ve never seen so many of them come to our song,” he said. “You must have a fair number of gentry living here. It shows your care for this place and each other.”

Aislinn smiled at him, curiosity evident in her eyes. “I don’t understand. They live here?”

“They live everywhere,” Malik replied, having to hold himself back from a more detailed explanation. “But prefer places like this. They came to listen to the song. They don’t always.” Malik kissed Aislinn’s cheek and bowed to her the way the lycans had been doing. Then he walked away as the others had done.

* * * *

The Tairneach thought they were imagining it at first. They could hear singing echoing though the woods. It was beautiful, almost like a church choir in a cathedral, and a number of them stopped to listen without realizing it. Jenna thought she was losing her mind when the lights started to dance about the woods. They were too far off to make out, but there were definitely lights.

Maon caught up with her. “Does that look like someone with a flashlight,” he whispered and pulled her back behind a tree.

Jenna shook her head. “Don’t be a fool. Why would any of the people here tonight need a flashlight,” she growled as she stared into the trees ahead, looking for someone with a light, just the same. She couldn’t think of any other reason there would be lights.

Between the singing and the lights, the woods were taking on an eerie appearance. The Tairneach suddenly had the strong feeling that they were being watched and were not welcome.

* * * *

Cullen spared a fleeting look for all the pleased lycans around them and grabbed Aislinn around the waist, pulling her against himself. He breathed her in and growled as he stared intensely into her eyes.

Something about the way he was looking at her made her blush. “It’s time isn’t it?”

“Well, we’re all here,” he said. Then he leaned in and nuzzled her face. Aislinn giggled and kissed him.

With the little display, growling and howling signaled the audience approval at the beginning of the ceremony. The moon shone brilliantly through the green leaf canopy, and people still felt the enchantment that the song and the faeries caused. Affectionate cuddling broke out all around the clearing. They would wait for Cullen and Aislinn to begin before they went any farther, but people were pairing off in anticipation. Some of them howled eagerly, encouraging Cullen to get going.

Aislinn broke their kiss, noticing all the eyes focused on them. Cullen could feel her shell of confidence starting to crack. He put his hand on her cheek and drew her eyes back to his. “Look at me, not them.”

Aislinn could see in his eyes how much he loved and wanted her. Holding her gaze, he kissed her again. His hands found the catch at the back of her neck to release the halter top on her dress. He couldn’t help the heated growl that issued from his chest as the top of the halter fell away, exposing Aislinn’s breasts.

Aislinn forced herself to watch Cullen and ignore the growling calls from beyond the stones, as his arms slid around her waist and he pulled her in for another kiss.

Lips peppered feverish kisses along her jaw and down her neck. He nibbled at her collar and she groaned with the little pricks of pain as his teeth scraped skin. She twined her fingers into his hair as he kissed down her chest and her breast to draw one nipple into his mouth. His hands on her back supported her as she arched toward him. Aislinn’s needy moan heralded that she was finally relaxing. “Take my clothes off,” he ordered impatiently.

Aislinn’s eyes swirled with amber. She began pulling at the buttons on his shirt, laughing and struggling to push him away so that she could get to the rest of his buttons. Cullen growled in annoyance with her overly delicate touch and ripped the front of the shirt apart, tearing the last couple buttons off. Aislinn pushed the shirt and jacket over his shoulders, wrapped her arms around him, pressed her naked breasts against his chest and kissed him.

Cullen slid his hands down her body and over her hips to push dress off, leaving Aislinn standing in only a black thong and the jewelry he gave her. The diamonds sparkled magically in the night around them. Cullen stepped away from her and let the crowd get a look at the woman who belonged to him and howled loudly into the night. The possessive declaration was echoed by the others as they watched him drop his pants to the ground and approach Aislinn again.

With a vicious yank he ripped the thong off of her body. Cullen paced around her, trailing a hand along her hip, and she watched him walk purposefully behind her. The proof of his intent stood hard in front of him. His eyes were molten, swirling amber. Cullen reached out and drew a suddenly clawed hand down her back. As he stepped up to her, the men and women in the clearing began shedding their own clothing.

Aislinn felt his hard cock jab her lower back when he pulled her against him. His hands reaching around her body to maul her breasts, while lips burned kisses and bites along her shoulder. If anyone present noticed the evident bite mark already there, no one dared question it.

* * * *

Jenna heard the howling and looked around at her bewildered men. The charge was nearly stopped by the singing and strange lights. “It had to have been the druids,” she said loudly, trying to re-instill confidence in her men. “Regroup and start the attack. The mating has begun,” she growled.

* * * *

Without warning, Aislinn felt energy surge from the circle. “No. Not now,” she cried angrily.

Frightened confusion stopped Cullen. He hoped she wasn’t telling him ‘no’. When she dropped to her knees and put her hands to her head, he knew that it had nothing to do with him. He felt her mind drift and watched her try to fight it. Uncertainty forced the smiles from the faces of the watching lycans.

Finally, realizing that she couldn’t fight it, Aislinn gave in. The Fates wanted to tell her something now, and she wasn’t going to get out of it. As she relaxed into the vision, it felt as if she was flying haphazardly up and out of her body, above the stone circle. She looked down briefly to see Cullen kneeling next to her and trying to bring her back to him. She could hear his voice in her mind, but the Fates weren’t letting her respond to it this time. Suddenly, she was torn away from the stones and through the trees. She didn’t have to go far. She felt as though she was being yanked from one lycan to another. The beasts that she was seeing were more frightening than she could have imagined. One after another. Aislinn’s heart was caught in her throat. Then she landed in front of Jenna. Aislinn stared at the angry woman, trying to discern what she was supposed to understand. Jenna was fiddling with a ruby ring on a chain about her neck.

She only stood there a moment before being snapped back to herself. Her eyes opened to see Cullen’s concerned face. “She has some kind of ring,” Aislinn said. The image blazed fresh in her mind. It was important for some reason.”

Cullen nodded. He didn’t understand what that had to do with anything. “It was her father’s. Brennus wore it ‘til the day he died. Are you alright?”

Aislinn nodded. “They’re just north of here. In the trees. They’re huge.” Cullen looked into her frightened eyes. “And there are so many,” she whispered.

Cullen stood up and eyed the surrounding alphas with intent. Each watched with uneasy anticipation. Anyone less than alpha didn’t have any idea what was going on, but the alphas saw it on his face before Cullen even called out the warning. “We’re under attack. They come from the north,” he said, in a low deadly growl. Then he shifted to his hybrid form and howled the warning to the rest of the Arnauk. The other alphas joined their voices with his and the entire reservation reverberated with the sound.

* * * *

There was no misinterpreting the howling. It was obvious that the Tairneach were spotted. Jenna’s mind worked quickly to assess the situation.
We’re not as close as I wanted, but we can still make the circle.
Her men were all uneasy and disorganized. The strange singing and then the lights had more of an effect on the Tairneach than Jenna was willing to concede.

“Muin! They know we’re here. Attack,” she screamed into the wood, before shifting and howling her advance. The Tairneach charged through the trees toward the cabin, the stone circle, and the packs gathered for the celebration.

* * * *

Mack and Celia were inside the cabin squabbling. Celia was self-conscious. She had started gaining weight and didn’t want to go out to the main gathering. The doctor said there were at least three, and she was already picturing herself as a whale. Mack was ecstatic, but no matter how many times he told her that she was pregnant, not fat, it didn’t seem to sink in. Mack was in the process of telling her that they owed it to Aislinn to be present for this, when the unsettling howl from outside stopped everyone still inside the cabin cold.

“Muin! Can’t we have just one ceremony go normally around here,” Celia swore angrily. She started to shift and Mack grabbed her by the arm.

“You’re not going out there,” he growled at her as he shifted.

Technically we’re not mated yet. Even if we were I wouldn’t let you tell me what to do.

Technically we are mated, but more than that you’re pregnant. I’m not going to lose you again,
he said to her with a tone that had her pausing.
Not like this.

She sighed, giving in against her nature.
Don’t get hurt
. Celia let her hybrid form slide off of her, leaned in and kissed him on the muzzle.

Having established that Celia would stay safe in the cabin, Mack jumped and bolted out the door, leaving Celia to direct the confused visitors inside the cabin and let everyone know what the howling meant and why the Arnauk all shifted and charged out of the cabin without warning.

A short period of uncertainty and outrage caused some havoc, while the strangers who weren’t warned computed the situation. They couldn’t believe that any pack would have the audacity to interrupt a mating ceremony, let alone a ceremony that sanctioned by the Pack Council. As rage filtered through the lycans in the cabin another wave of hybrids charged out to join the fight.

* * * *

Aislinn stood to shift and go with Cullen, but Malik’s voice stopped them. He sounded strangely strong over all the howling and commotion. “She’ll be of more help here,” he said simply.

Cullen growled. While he didn’t want to leave her behind, he didn’t really want her anywhere near the dires or what was about to happen. He considered Malik’s comment and decided that it was excellent excuse.
Stay,
he ordered and started to turn toward the woods.

“Don’t you dare pull that bullshit on me,” she growled right back. “You’re my mate not my father.”

Cullen growled back angrily at her. He could see Cadifor and Makeda charging into the woods with others. His place was in the front of the charge. He already missed that.

Malik reached out and placed a hand on Aislinn’s arm. “If you help us, fewer men will die.”

Aislinn turned indecisively to Cullen, then back to Malik and she nodded. The instant he thought he could trust her to not follow, Cullen bolted for the woods. Aislinn was amazed at how fast he moved. As he entered the tree line, a terrible fear twisted in the pit of her stomach and a tear dropped from her eye for no reason that she knew of. She was terrified.

“So,” she turned to Malik, “what can I do to help?”

“You’ll know when it’s time.”

Aislinn’s eyes opened wide in anger. “You did not just say that. I let him run into that alone and you’re going to go all druid on me?”

Malik couldn’t hide the grin on his face when she said that. He swallowed to stop himself from laughing at her. It was an odd feeling to have in the middle of the situation they were in. “He’s far from alone in that fight. I can’t tell you what to do because I don’t know what to do. You are a strange one Aislinn. You’ve learned to give in to the Fates enough that you can bring messages back from premonitions. That isn’t an easy feat. Yet, you haven’t learned to extend the faith beyond those situations. Usually a druid learns to trust the Fates in all ways before he has enough strength to surrender his will in a situation as uncontrollable as a premonition. You really are quite intriguing.”

Aislinn was speechless. “This isn’t the time or place for lessons. If you don’t know what I can do to help, then why did you stop me from leaving with Cullen? I can definitely help him.”

“I felt that you would be of more help here,” he said. “That’s all.”

“Fine,” she growled, wondering if she could catch Cullen if she followed. “What are you going to do?”