Aaron Ch. 06-10

"I don't think so. I think your mother was probably preyed on by one of the monsters hanging out in this town."

"I'm not from here originally. The foster service brought me here."

"Oh. Okay. Well we may be able to track down more information about you and your family, but right now the biggest focus is simple, you sweet Emily are not and never will be a monster." Kate paused and hugged Emily close. "If you can see that Aaron and I aren't monsters, you must be able to see it for yourself too."

"Well it sure explains why I kept hearing voices in my head the last few years. Apparently that was my wolf trying to reach me."

"So you managed to talk?"

"I wouldn't go that far. I cried and begged and eventually she rolled her eyes at me and let me change back into me."

"Oh dear. Well I'm sure you'll chat sometime soon."

"Where did Aaron go?"

"He's mad at me." Kate said and then huffed.

"I'm not mad." Aaron came walking up. He gave Emily a smile, "Hi Emily."

"Hey. Glad you got the bad guy before he hurt Kate. I was really worried about her."

"Yeah I think that's why your wolf came forward. I'm just really pleased you were smart enough not to run into danger."

"You're mad at her for trying to help you?" Emily frowned. "Man you're both stupid."

"She scared me." Aaron growled.

"And you scared her. You're even."

"What?" Aaron looked at Emily, then Kate and back at Emily.

"Just because you're a guy doesn't mean only you can worry about your partner. Just because she's a woman doesn't make her fear you were hurt any less real than your fear for her."

"You are too smart squirt." Aaron looked at Kate. "I'm sorry baby. Forgive me?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"No. Not. Whatever." Aaron pulled her into his arms. He kissed her till she was breathless and then asked again, "Please forgive me?"

"I forgive you."

"Cool, now this place is giving me the creeps, can we get out of here?" Emily interrupted.

CHAPTER TEN

Kate and Emily sat in the motel room. Aaron had gone to a briefing of the team. Kate knew he hadn't been keen to leave them as not all of the bad guys had been rounded up but he had trusted her when she had said she wouldn't do anything to put herself or Emily in danger.

Okay so maybe he had trusted that she wouldn't put Emily in danger, he seemed fairly certain she had no concerns with placing herself in harm's way.

"No offense Kate, but this motel room is as bad as the place I've been living."

"We weren't exactly spoiled for choice."

"So you and Aaron been together long?"

"Few days. It's hard to explain."

"A few days? You have got to be kidding me. You two act like you've been loving and fighting on each other forever."

"It's a wolf thing."

"Oh shit that's right, mates."

"You know about mates?"

"Well duh, I certainly don't believe in the 'imprinting' thing in Twilight."

"Don't even get me started. Okay so yeah, we've known each other our whole lives but only recently mated."

"So you didn't know he was the one all along, at first sight?"

"Wolves cannot scent, um sniff, out their mate until they are twenty-one. If one of the mates is over twenty-one and finds their mate they are asked to wait till the other mate turns twenty-one before they mate, but can begin forming a bond, or I guess dating."

Okay so you've been mates since you turned twenty-one? Thought you said it was recent?"

"Long story short my mother did something to me and Aaron couldn't smell me."

"You couldn't smell him either?"

"I hadn't seen him since I turned twenty-one. I went to the city before my birthday and did my first degree, when I completed it I went straight into my second."

"You have a degree already and now you're becoming a doctor?"

"Yeah. I'm apparently an over-achiever." Kate grinned sheepishly.

"You'll be a great role model for your new sister then." Emily smiled back. "How long before Aaron gets back?"

"I know he'll be a while, there were two groups of our team dealing with two events at the same time. They need to gather the facts and deal with the wounded and dead. The human victims will get treatment and will also have their memory of the attack removed. There is meant to be a meeting tonight of the higher level bad guys here and their bosses from out of town. Aaron will want to assist with that..."

"You can go if you need to Kate. I'll be fine."

"Honey, I am sure you would be. If I felt the need to go I would. Although I don't think Aaron would be happy if I even mentioned joining him. Truth is I am a bit shaken up about today. I've never been involved with anything like that. We all do basic training. We all know how to fight. But Emily I've never seen wolves go at each other with the intention to kill before. I've never seen people or wolves die."

"I saw that werewolf die, Aaron tore through his throat. Are you telling me others died?" Emily moved to sit down. "Fuck did Sophie? I don't even remember seeing her after the fighting started."

"Sophie is alive. She's been treated. She will have to go through counselling and rehab if we can get her too. Some of that lot will refuse our help. There was an older women there she was killed before we arrived. Out of the five wolves, onsite when we arrived, three are dead, two are being questioned but will probably not be of any help."

"If they can't help they'll be killed?"

"If my alphas are in charge they will be given every opportunity to save themselves. However other packs are involved and not all alphas are like mine. Some don't give second chances."

"Okay this is getting pretty scary. Do I have to obey your alphas now?"

"It is a bit more complicated than that. Wolves that don't have a pack are a danger to everyone and put themselves at risk too so I would recommend you join a pack. Personally I want you to join my pack. I've been around a few other packs and I think mine is the best of course. Besides if you're my sister I want you near me."

"Okay so how do I join up? Is there an application process, a test?"

"Well after you get to know your wolf and us a bit you can ask the alphas to accept you as one of the pack. If that happens there is a small bonding ceremony to link you to the pack."

"Okay well I think I can handle that."

"Of course we can see if we can find your mother and father too."

"I am pretty sure if they wanted me I wouldn't need to be going on a hunt."

"Well I wouldn't be sure, my best friend and one of my alphas, Luna, thought her dad had left her. She has just recently been learning that isn't the case at all. The bastards that have been causing trouble here took him years ago. They are also responsible for getting her mother into drugs and prostitution."

"Yeah Jolene is a mess. Although there aren't many examples of women in this town that doesn't apply to."

"Emily I'm about to be really rude. Aaron is trying to talk to me. Maybe you can check out the fridge or telly or something?"

"Your phone didn't ring."

"Oh yeah, wait till you learn how to communicate with me telepathically, so cool."

"Yes. That is totally cool. Say hi from me, I'll see if I can find us something to eat and something to watch."

"Thanks."

"Aaron, sorry I was just excusing myself from Emily."

"Are you both okay? Is she handling everything alright? I never checked your injuries before I left. Are you healing?"

"Aaron we're both fine. She is coping fine considering how much she is going to be learning I'm trying to go easy. She hadn't really taken in the details of the fighting so it came as a shock to know others were hurt and killed. I'm healing fine. How about you?"

"I'm good. Kate the bigger battle was with the other team. They are all okay but there were more wounded and dead from the locals. The meeting tonight is going to be crucial to turning things around here. I need to be there Kate. I should be with you and getting out of here but I need to be part of the team too. I'm torn. I want to help Katie but I am worried about us. I know you want to break the bond and I don't want to give you more reasons to hate me, to want to leave me, to think I don't love you..."

"Shut up Aaron. I'm sorry. I don't want you distracted with me right now. You need to be there and you need to be focused. I wasn't fair this morning, we can talk when we get home. I won't ask Thorn to break the bond the second we arrive."

"Of course I'm distracted. Kate if you break the bond, if you leave me, I'll be nothing."

"Aaron Donald, listen to me. You are not and never will be nothing. I'm not going to hold you up now, we will work this out later. Be safe Aaron. I promise we will work this out."

"I love you Katie. You and Emily stay in the motel. Please don't leave the motel. I couldn't live if anything happened to you."

"Stay safe Aaron. See you when you get back."

"Okay so what are we watching?"

"Aaron okay?" At Kate's nod she continued, "Awesome, we have amazing sandwiches if I do say so myself, and we have only one choice really, well unless you want to watch the Justin Bieber concert?"

"So back to the one choice?"

"Ever After."

"Great, I can totally get behind that." Kate dropped onto the other end of the couch ad picked up a sandwich. Her moan of pleasure as she bit into the almost two inch thick club showing her appreciation. "Fuck that's good."

"Well eat quietly I like this movie." Emily glared at her then broke into a smile when Kate poked her tongue out. "Love you too, now shut up."

"I'll grab drinks."

"Only a couple of beers and some coke in the fridge."

"So you don't like coke?"

"Can't stand it."

"Okay so we are under strict orders not to leave the motel so I'm not sure what we can do about that."

"Okay I have a plan." Emily pulled out her phone and pushed a few buttons, "Hi, I'd like to order a couple of pizzas, meat lovers and barbeque chicken, thin crust, I also want a bottle of 7up, a bottle of orange juice and two iced coffees." She paused and rolled her eyes at Kate. "Yeah, it is me. I'm over at the motel with that chick that's in town, turns out she's my sister, so I'm getting to know her." Another break in the conversation, "Yeah I have the cash and I'll see you when you get here." She disconnected the call. "Sorted."

"You trust this person?"

"One of the only people in town that I do."

"Then good work, but I'm paying for this. You'll need to keep some money for your move, besides Aaron will probably eat well over half that food."

"I have money Kate. I get by okay with my part-time job and I don't really have many costs."

"Where do you work?"

"At the pizza place I just ordered from."

"Then I can probably help you get part-time work when we get home. The pack have a few businesses but in your case experience in the food service industry is going to be a great foot in the door."

"More importantly what about the local school?"

"Great school, I went there myself."

"All those years ago?"

"Oh shut up and watch the movie."

They both laughed and turned back to the television. Drew Barrymore was rescuing the old male servant.

It was less than fifteen minutes later that the knock on the door came. Emily jumped up and went to the door. "Bailey. Come in."

"I can't hang out Em, it's pretty busy tonight."

"Just come and meet Kate. I can't believe my sister found me. She really must be blessed to have a sister as awesome as me."

"Wow, I see you're struggling with this. Really doubting yourself and no self-confidence at all."

"Kate, this is Bailey. He's the closest thing I have to a friend."

"Hi Kate. Don't take that the way it sounds. She could have had more friends, she's just really, really, really selective."

"Oh and after a day and a half with her I just thought she was crazy and unlikable."

"Yeah, I can see how you could be confused. It took a couple of years before she grew on me."

"Like mould?"

"Exactly. We've lived together for four years now and been friends for only half that."

"Well we know the reason for that. You were still sulking that I took the best bedroom."

"Best bedroom? In that house there is no fucking best."

"Okay although this is very interesting I'm smelling the pizza and missing the movie."

"You want to stay and watch?"

"Did you miss the bit about me working and it being busy?"

"Oh right. Hey Bailey, I um, fuck, I'm leaving."

"You're leaving? You can't leave Em."

"I can. My sister, I'm going to stay with her. I have to get out of here."

"You can't leave me here without you." Bailey really looked like the news had hit him hard. His already pale skin going greyish.

"Bailey, I'm sorry. I know we were meant to get through this together and then get out and go to college. I'm just going a bit early."

"Without me. I was going to go wherever you went. I wanted us to have each other."

"Look, you're getting out of here Bailey. We will be on the phone all the time. It will be okay."

"Emily, I want more than phone calls and texts. I wanted to go together."

"Leave together. I know."

"No, go together, be together. Us."

"Bailey, you've never shown any..."

"You just don't see it. Shit I could have jumped you and you wouldn't have seen it."

"I'm sorry Bailey. I'm really sorry. I love you. You know I love you. But I..."

"You're not in love with me. I know. I just wanted to give you time. When we got out of here and could breathe. I thought once we were out of here you would see us, see me differently." He placed the pizzas and a bag of drinks on the small table and headed for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow at the house?"

"I don't know, I think we're leaving pretty early."

"You need to come and get your stuff Emily. Fuck, don't just leave without saying goodbye. I know you're feeling awkward right now, shit, me too, but we'll be okay tomorrow. I'll get over this. I won't get over losing you as a friend."

"You will never lose me as a friend." Emily wrapped him in a hug. "I don't know when we'll leave or if I'll make it by the house, but I swear no matter what I will be driving you crazy with how much I text you and call you."

"You better. If you can't make it back to the house I can pack up your stuff and send it to you."

"I haven't got much anyway." She shrugged. "I'll let you know."

"Okay, see ya Em." He opened the door and stepped out.

"Wait, here." Kate came forward with the money for the food order. "Bailey, once I get Emily settled at school we will have you out to visit I promise I am not stealing your best friend."

"You'll look after her until I can get there right?"

"I will look after her forever."

"Okay. I'm glad she has you." He grinned, "Go watch the movie."

Kate and Emily watched Ever After and began watching a Nicholas Spark movie before Aaron came back. He walked in the door looking like he'd been in a war zone. "Aaron?" Kate was on her feet rushing forward.

"It isn't my blood. I'm okay. Kate I'm okay." Kate stopped less than two feet in front of him and he pulled her into his arms. "Oh Katie. Baby I want to get out of this shit hole. I want to get out of here. Shit I need to get out of here."

Kate held him tight. "Shhh baby, I've got you. You're okay. We're okay." She stepped back slightly, "Emily, I'm going to help Aaron get cleaned up. Watch the movie and don't leave the motel okay?"

"I won't go anywhere." Emily spoke quietly and watched the two of them leave the room. "I'm glad you're back Aaron. Kate tried really hard to look like she wasn't worrying the last half hour or so but she was."

"Yeah whatever." Kate said and Aaron chuckled beside her.