“I’m right here, babe.” Aiden rushed through the door. “Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke. We’ve got problems.” He snuggled up next to me and wrapped me in his warmth.
“Pack problems?” Anxiety sped my heart. I needed him by my side, but I was the root cause of recent problems with the pack, and Micah was probably spreading more discontent.
“I’m staying with you until I know you’re going to be okay.”
“I’m fine. How about Micah and Diana?”
“Shhh. After the stunt she pulled with you, I had her locked up. We have some time.” His chest rumbled with a growl.
“So it was her?”
“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t act quicker when you mentioned her aggression toward you. I should have had her put in chains. The thought of what she did to you.” His muscles tensed.
“I’m okay, baby. Look at me. I’m alive.”
“Thanks to your … our vampire allies.” He turned to Alyssa and nodded. “I owe you my life in debt.”
“You don’t owe us anything. Fallon is my buddy. I’d do anything to save her,” Alyssa replied.
“Either way, please know that so long as I am in charge, you will always be a friend of this pack. Call on us anytime and we’ll be there to assist you.”
“It works both ways. We’re here for you too. Though, you know, with my track record,” Alyssa giggled. “You might not want to make such a pledge.”
“Yeah, baby, Alyssa has troublemaker written all over her. If she’s not causing it, she’s probably asleep.”
Aiden turned to me and looked deep into my eyes. “You are my life. If you’d died, I would have too. I don’t care how many times I have to save Alyssa’s ass, it will never make up for the gift she and Lysander have given me by restoring you.”
“Damn, baby, you really know how to sweet talk a girl.” Even in my injured state he could still make me melt. Damn, that man was good! And he was all mine.
“You’re my world, babe, and I can’t wait to make it official in front of the entire pack.”
“Well, first we have to see if I pass the test, right?”
“She’ll pass,” Alyssa said a little too cheerfully. “There’s no way she doesn’t turn. I just know it.”
“Thanks again for the vote of confidence, Lyss, but we won’t know until it happens,” I said. “Fingers crossed, though.”
Aiden’s mouth hardened. “Yes, we need to ensure the transition worked. After all that happened … but I don’t see a reason for it to not have worked.”
“What exactly did happen? It was all a blur to me.”
“I’d called for the pack to stand down. I wanted to control your transition myself. Diana ignored my call and rallied the other females to follow her.”
My eyes widened with shock. The other females? How many did she and Micah have on their side? How long had they been spreading their discontent? “Diana is a conniving little bitch, isn’t she? How many did she have?”
“I’d say about half the pack. She and Micah have been attempting to assume Alpha roles. Micah I could understand. He openly challenged me. But Diana … she’s overstepped big time. I have her in lockup pending punishment, so we should be able to rest easy and let you heal.”
“What does all of this mean for us?”
“Nothing. Once we’ve proven your transition, I can officially take you as mate. That should make everyone happy.”
“Should?”
Aiden pulled me tight against him and held me as if he never wanted to let go. “Try not to worry.”
He was hiding something. Why hadn’t he mentioned answering Micah’s challenge? What if Micah won?
Aiden stroked my hair and pulled me close. “Focus on the good stuff now. Once you’re feeling up to it, you get to transform. And I can’t wait to see that fur coat.”
Chapter 9
Ignoring my protests, Aiden snuck me outside into the chilly forest for my first transformation. Even though I ached and complained with each step, I was shocked at how fast my wounds were healing. Just the mere fact I was up at all astonished me. What was even more amazing was the array of scents I could discern. I’d had a great nose before, but now it was ten times better. I was smelling things I never knew had a scent before. Even the breeze had layers of aromas: crisp clean snow, thick cloying dirt, and pine just to name a few. The stew of fragrances begged me to find each source. I found myself limping to each tree to see what new smell would greet me.
“There’ll be plenty of time for that once you’ve shifted into your new form.” Aiden’s voice was firm and reassuring.
“And how do I go about it?” I’d seen Aiden do it plenty of times, but there was never a discernible trigger. It just happened. And it appeared effortless on his part. One moment he’d be my ruggedly handsome man, and the next, he’d be growing a dark fur coat.
“Your first time might be a little uncomfortable. As a turned wolf, your body is not accustomed to the changes it is about to undergo.”