Ayla’s POV
Well, that was exhilarating and humiliating all at the same time. Not only did I stand and stare like a complete idiot, but I also did it in pink slippers, and I couldn’t even say hi to them, not even a nod or a slight indication of greeting!
Five minutes earlier
“This is my mate and Luna of our pack, Laura,” Michael indicated to his love. The boys greeted her respectfully; neither went to touch her, though it was not respectful to touch another’s mate, not even in greeting.
“My son, Mason, who you have already met,” Michael continued. “And this,” he stopped, looking around, confused. I knew he was looking for me.
“Please don’t see me,” I silently pray, taking a minor step back.
“Ah, there you are,” he points right at me. “Ayla, what are you doing down there? Come over here,” he said with a smile.
My stomach drops; I don’t want to go over there. It was the last thing I wanted to do. I was happy to admire from over here.
“Oh, crap, he’s now ushering me over; Laura looks worried.” I steady myself and make my way over. My slippers make a shuffle flop noise as I walk the ridiculously long way from one end of the foyer to the other.
“Why did we need such a bloody big foyer? I’ll have to bring it up next time I get a chance,” I silently talk to myself as I walk over; all eyes are on me, especially the three Werewolf Gods.
“This is Ayla, my adopted daughter” Michael finally formally introduces me.
“Hi, Ayla,” Aiden smiles; I melt right then and there.
I know I have to reply, but my lips won’t move, so I nod at him; it was more of a weird jerk. My face flames again.
“Nice slippers,” Axel points out, then winks at me.
“No, don’t wink at me,” I frantically think; what do they think they are doing! There is only so much one girl can take; I have had enough for one night.
“Uh, you okay, love?” Archer asks
“That’s it; I’m out of here” I can’t do this anymore. It’s just too much, and I look pathetic now.
“Uhuh,” I mumble, then turn to Michael. “Can I be excused, please, Alpha; I don’t feel very well,” I plead with my eyes.
“Oh, of course, sweetheart, let us know if you need anything,” he tells me with genuine concern.
I was pale as shit when I saw myself in my mirror once I was safely back in my room again. I looked awful like I had seen a ghost or something.
“What the hell was that” I stammered out loud.
There was nothing I could do now; I needed a shower and probably hide; it’s not like I can show my face downstairs for a while after that display.
Aiden’s POV
The drive from our territory to the Winter Moon’s territory took five to six hours. My back was killing. I wouldn’t say I liked long car journeys.
Father insisted it was my brothers and I that represented our clan. The shadow Forge pack is the leading pack of the shadow clan, and our father was the Beta to its Alpha.
Our Alpha has a daughter of the right age to have gone instead, but he and my father both agreed we needed a good strong appearance, and triplets would show that—especially ones who are top of every physical ranking in our pack. We were hard-pressed to be beaten by anyone in our pack right now.
Axel wasn’t too keen on coming; he asked why he would want to spend time with stuck-up wolves from a far-off pack who think they are better than us. He would have preferred to stay behind and waste his time with she-wolfs that weren’t his mate.
Archer didn’t care; he was happy doing whatever. He’s always been that way. He’s so laid back that he might as well be horizontal.
“How long do we have to do this for,” Axel asks
“I have no idea; father said it will be five days minimum,” I reply; Axel huffs; he didn’t wanna be here.
My brothers and I had just turned twenty, and neither of our mates had made themself known to us. Axel didn’t care, though. He was having way too much fun with single she-wolfs to worry about settling down. On the other hand, I would die for my mate to hurry up. I heard it’s the most amazing feeling when you find your mate and connect and form that bond. It’s something I have wanted for as long as I can remember.
Archer doesn’t talk about it much, so I don’t know how he feels about these things.
Once we arrived on the outskirts of the pack house. You can instantly see how wealthy they are. The driveway alone was gigantic! More extensive than I had ever seen. Our pack territory was a lot smaller than this one. Even Axel sat up and paid attention.
“Maybe it won’t be so bad here after all,” he said with a smile.
Archer had fallen asleep; he could sleep anywhere and at any time. It made me jealous sometimes.
I push the little black button; the window slowly makes its way down. Looking through the blacked-out glass was never as nice as looking right out the open window, plus I love the wind on my face.
“Wow, look at this place,” I encourage my brother to see. “Remember, we are here to try and form and maintain alliances with this pack. They are the ones who will be getting the power shift this time” my brother rolls his eyes at me.
“Aiden, we all had the same briefing as you; trust me, we know how important this is,” Axel reminds me.
As we pulled up, the massive oak wooden door was pulled open, ready for us to go straight in. my nerves were a little high but nothing I couldn’t handle.
Then it hit me, a scent I had never smelt before. Black cherry and Cream, damn, it was intoxicating. Goosebumps shot up my arms and across my neck.
“Who the hell is that” I mutter.
I couldn’t wait for my brothers to move any quicker; I had to get in there and see who that scent belonged to.
Running my fingers through my hair, I took a deep breath. There was no need for someone as big as me to feel like this. I straightened my black shirt; my father insisted we look smart, so I agreed to the shirt, but that was all. I paired it with a pair of black jeans and brand-new trainers. I looked pretty good, I thought.
The wind blew past me, quite strong this time; it brought the mystery scent with it, making me dizzy. I push forward and up the steps.
There was no time like the present. I went straight for the Alpha. I could tell the owner of my new favourite smell was off to my left, but I had to do this properly.
“Hi, Alpha Michael, I’m Aiden Chase,” I say with a smile, wanting to whip my head around and search.
“Welcome, Aiden”, Alpha Michael said,
I know he said something else, too, but I was distracted. My muscles twitched under my shirt. It was becoming too much; I had to find out who it was.
I casually turn my head, first to the right, knowing they weren’t there, then I turn to the left. And there she was. She was beautiful and equally as shocked as me. To the point, it was funny. I couldn’t hide it on my face; I did try, though. She went red when I grinned, making her even more gorgeous with her auburn hair and golden eyes. She was perfect. But she wasn’t a full wolf, not yet anyway. It’s easy to tell who had had their first shift, but she hadn’t.
How on earth was I so drawn to her then?
“Ah, hello, I’m Michael” I hear the Alpha speaking again. my brother had finally arrived; he took his time. I looked back at my mystery girl. She was still watching me intently.
Axel introduces himself, and I see him jerk slightly; he had just caught a whiff of her. I lean in and tell him to look at a gorgeous little redhead to his left. When he does, she physically takes a step back.
Could she be affected by both of us too?
Eventually, Archer appears, and I closely watch my mystery girl. She does seem to be having a hard time with us all here.
“This is going to be fun,” I could tell, and my brothers agreed.
“Hey, guys, I’m Mason,” I hear the younger man in front of me say. Instantly, I don’t like him.
Ayla’s POV
My mind races as I allow the hot water to wash over me. I need to get those boys out of my head. I could still smell them. It was driving me crazy.
Stepping out of the shower, I quickly towel dry myself and my hair. Wrapping the damp towel around my body, I step out of my bathroom and into my bedroom.
“Mason, what are you doing here” I gasp, tugging my towel tighter around my waist.
“My dad sent me to check on you,” he sneered. “It’s clear to see you’re fine, though.”
“I don’t feel great; I’m about to go to bed” my voice trembles ever so slightly; I hate that he scares me still.
“Your well enough to take a shower though” he paused and took a couple of steps closer. “You better not be up to anything; if you ruin this for us in any way, you be sorry,” he growled.
I step backwards, trying to keep the distance between us. He was on me like a flash, pinned up against the wall; he pushed himself hard against me, and my hands shook as I tried to tug his strong fingers away from my neck. He wasn’t squeezing, just holding me in place.
“Make sure you don’t show me up; I swear your life isn’t worth it” his voice was so menacing.
Mason finally let go of my neck, but not before he slammed the back of my head into the wall and stormed out of my room. I clutched my head and let the tears fall; I didn’t dare cry out as things would only get worse for me. So instead, like so many before, I allowed myself to cry until the pain became more manageable silently.
“Please don’t let these new ones be like him.”