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

Her ample body flooded in preparation for their joining. The woman’s grip tightened around his neck. She moaned and her back bowed, crushing her breasts into his chest. Aidan’s body tensed as his shaft hardened.

Was this it? Was she the one? He waited a beat, but felt
nothing...
beyond the usual physical pleasure.

Disappointed, he slowly released her lips.

Face flushed and panting for air, it took the woman a moment to recover her composure. She nudged his shoulder with her head, encouraging him to return. Her yellow-green eyes searched his longingly, even as her brow furrowed.

Aidan knew what she wanted. It was the same thing
all
the single females of the Moonlight Kin pack wanted when they came to his bed, but he couldn’t force himself to take a bondmate. No amount of lust or sexual gymnastics would make it happen. Werewolf nature didn’t work that way; though there were times he’d like it to be otherwise.

He stared at the gorgeous Were, her eyes still clouded with desire. Aidan couldn’t deny the attraction sparking between them, but there’d be no love lost when they parted ways.

Her beauty and attentiveness didn’t change the fact that this was nothing more than a chance at the lottery to her, a way to better her position in the pack. When she left his bed, there were fifteen others—literally—waiting to take her place.

Each more determined than the last to try her luck at becoming Alpha female of the west coast pack before the end of the moon run.

Unfortunately for this woman, sex held little interest to him now that his wolf had determined that she wasn’t a match. His withdrawal made that obvious, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying to
forge
a bond. They all tried.

Send her away
, his wolf snarled.

The next female Were on the list currently waited down the hall in a small parlor for her chance to ‘test’ the Alpha. Aidan opened his mouth to tell this woman to leave, but stopped short when he spotted the determination in her lovely eyes.

“You are not my bondmate.” The fact left no room for misunderstandings.

“I know,” she said.

“If we do this, it means nothing.”
Take the opportunity to back out gracefully.

She shrugged. “I understand. I’d still like to…”

Did she understand?

Really?

Or was she simply hoping he was mistaken? As if such a thing were possible.

Aidan scrubbed a hand over his face. “As you wish.” He’d fuck her like he did all the others, then send her back to the east wing, where she’d stay until the moon run next weekend.

Before he had a chance to act, the female Were hooked her foot around his leg to drag him closer.

Aidan growled, holding the urge to rut in check in order to remind her who was Alpha.

The woman immediately lowered her gaze and moved a small distance away. He would not allow any Werewoman to make demands upon him, especially one who wasn’t his mate. It could lead to misunderstandings within the pack and unnecessary power struggles.

Aidan didn’t play favorites. His wolves knew it, but that never stopped them from trying to change his mind.

To prove his point, Aidan rose out of the bed, leaving the woman tangled in the sheets. Naked, he strode across the room toward the French doors that led out to his balcony.

Not even a willing female in heat could hold his wolf’s interest for long, once she’d been ruled out as a mate.

Aidan was beginning to believe nothing but his bondmate would satisfy his growing appetite and ease his restlessness. Years of searching and countless bedmates, only added to his discontent.

Sex shouldn’t be one long fucking audition
, he thought.

A flash of gold caught his eye, stalling his hand on the door latch. His gaze wandered unerringly to the framed photo of the dark-haired child seated on his father’s lap.

Two sets of amber eyes stared back at him, confirming that the wolf had bred true. Aidan’s fingers hovered over the shiny frame. He drew his hand back, as if it had been singed.

Damon looked so damn happy holding his son. The toothy grin aimed at the camera would shame a Labrador.

Stupid pup
, Aidan thought, then shook his head.

If he hadn’t gone to the east coast to save his cousin’s ass, Aidan was convinced that he wouldn’t be suffering from this incessant longing for a mate now.

He’d succeeded in saving his cousin’s life, but the act came at a steep cost. Damon had ended up bondmated to a female Hunter—a very
human
hunter.

A fate worse than death in Aidan’s mind. It was one thing to fuck one or accidentally eat one, but you didn’t
bond
with humans and you certainly didn’t convert them.

Technically, there were no Lycan laws against mating with a human, though Aidan had searched high and low to find one, convinced they should exist.

The best he and the other Lycanian Elders had come up with was an obscure reference in an ancient text that mentioned two instances of wolves successfully bonding with humans. Two, out of the thousands of years of Lycan history. Even Vegas wouldn’t take those odds.

Aidan glanced at the woman in his bed, taking care to conceal his ambivalence. He’d spend a few useless hours with a Werewoman any day, if it meant avoiding Damon’s fate.

Saddled to a human. He bristled. Never!

Damon’s recklessness coupled with the added pressure from his fellow Elders cemented Aidan’s resolve to remain true to the pack, true to his bloodline. Someone had to now that Damon had failed.

His gaze settled on the photograph once more.
Why did he have to look so damn happy?

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 exactly 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.