Aaron Ch. 36-40

"You seem calm. What changed? Thought you'd be on your way the second you got a lead."

"I would have but I got a heads up to wait a day. I'm playing this more careful."

"Your family appreciate that. I know we cannot relate to how it was for you out there, but for us, not knowing, worrying, man you need to be careful. Mum couldn't live through that again. We need you home safe."

"Yeah, based on how long she kept me locked in that house after I got home I think she made it pretty clear what would happen if I ever put her through anything like that again."

"So tell me about where you are going and what you know."

***

Katie sat with Emily and the boys and laughed as she listened to them planning how they would be dividing up the rooms and the household chores. "You guys, how about we take a step back and pick a house first."

"We like any of them." Gabe advised, and then immediately pointed to one of the three, "Although that one is my favourite."

"Why?"

"The backyard is big enough to invite friends and family over. Dad is right next door so even though we are going to be living with him part of the time and you part of the time we'll kind of be living with you both all of the time."

"Yeah, that makes sense Gabe, I love the pool too." Emily chipped in.

"Awesome, that big room above the garage will make a great flat for Em and her mate later on too. Then we can still all stay together." Mickey pointed to what had clearly been a flat above the garage.

"Mate? Emily is far too young to have a mate." Gabe rolled his eyes.

Kate and Emily looked at each other and then both communicated with Michael. "Mouse, you can't say anything. Aaron and his brothers will keep Emily and Glen apart."

"Please don't say a word Mickey, I swear I will pay you back a hundred times over if you keep this secret." Emily begged.

"Gabe wouldn't say anything. He's just a bit slow to see things. But he loves you Emily and we both like Glen." Michael paused, "If he's the only one that doesn't know he'll feel bad, think we love him less. He's pretty insecure sometimes."

"Shoot, I never thought about that. Okay, okay." Emily braced herself, "Gabe, I've found my mate already. It's just we cannot say anything you know how protective all the Donald brothers are."

"You've found your mate?" Gabe stood up, "Emily that is awesome. Have we met him? Aren't you too young?"

"Calm the farm, sit back down. First, agree to keep this between just us."

"I'm your brother Emily, of course I'll keep your secret, but I'll kick his butt if he doesn't treat you right."

"Thanks Gabe."

"Mickey, promise Emily you'll keep her secret too." Gabe gave his younger brother the instruction and missed his smirk completely.

"Oh, yeah of course. Three musketeers forever. Totally got your back Em."

"We can't ever let this slip out. Aaron would send Glen away." Emily watched Gabriel put two and two together.

"Glen. Glen is awesome. No wonder he's so cool to us."

"He'd be cool to you even if he and Em weren't mates. He's a good guy." Kate corrected. "Glen is old enough to know his mate, Emily can't scent him yet but I am sure they will be perfect for each other. In the mean time they are best friends and when she is old enough they will take it slow."

"Sure. Slow. Mates always plan to take it slow, but I doubt that ever happens." Gabe laughed. "She'll get a whiff of him and pounce."

"GABE!"

"Yeah I know you are like the mumster but you know I'm telling it like it is."

"What the heck is a mumster?"

"You know, a mum crossed with a sister."

Emily and Mickey laughed hard as Kate gasped horrified. "Never call me the mumster again."

"Fine."

"I told you she wouldn't like it, you are such a doofus." Mickey laughed again. "So we're going with this house then. When do we get to move in?"

"Well it's already empty but it will still be a month or so, it takes a while to buy a house. I'll let Thorn know this is the one."

"Lame. We'll have to stay here when you guys head back to the city."

"Actually no you won't. You guys and your Dad are going to move into our apartment building. The pack own the whole building and there are a few empty units at the moment."

"Yes! Not that we don't like it here but I miss school and Emily said there are heaps of the pack at the school but lots of humans too. I can't wait to go."

"Why are you so excited about humans?"

"We've never left our pack grounds before Dad brought us here. Well apart from one time when we went on a trip to an amusement park with Dad and a few of our old pack."

"Is that normal for your old pack?"

"They keep pretty separate, but I think most of the adults go to town now and then. The kids went maybe a couple of times a year. Dad worked too much to take us and probably wouldn't have taken us that time but something bad happened and he took us for the day."

"She that can't be named, lost a baby. Dad had kept us away for a while but the rest of the pack were getting weird too, so he took us off for a day. When we went back we moved into a different house and she didn't come with us." Gabe spoke calmly, but his eyes said he knew there was more to the story.

"How long ago was that?"

"Four years or so. But enough about that, we should go see Luna and Thorn, make sure they buy the right place and plan what we're doing tomorrow."

"Most of the visitors will be going today or in the morning. So I thought in the afternoon we could go out on the boat." Mickey's screech of excitement indicated the idea had his seal of approval.

"A boat. We're going on a boat. Then we're going to live with Emily and Katie in the city and go to school with humans. This is going to be the best year of my life."

"Calm down Mickey. It will be great, but you have a lot of life left that is all going to be awesome. We both do." Gabe put his arm around Mickey's shoulders, "I know you just want to get on with it, everything right now, but even if it takes a little bit of time, from now on it will be good for us, I promise."

"I know. Luna read me a bit of her book. I'm calm now. I just can't believe how much has changed and how quickly."

"We have a family now Mickey. A big one. So I guess there will always be heaps going on. It will always change and yet be the same."

"Ok you two, you both are jiggling your legs and you're sort of shaking. I don't know who you are trying to fool here, but neither of you are calm." Emily looked at Kate, "Kate I think we need to let these guys run off some energy."

"Sounds good to me, okay everyone let's get furry."

***

Kate ran with her brothers and Emily for an hour. They were deep in the woods when suddenly she felt a presence with them. She stopped and looked around herself. The boys picked up on her emotions quickly and looked around worried also. "There's someone watching us and they aren't pack."

"They aren't even wolf."

"Thorn, Luna, there's someone in the woods." Kate alerted her alphas.

"We're coming, Scouts just saw a couple of humans on the road."

"They smell different. Not like anything I've smelled before."

"Hunters. They're hunters. We need to get out of here." Gabe warned.

"Gabe, I'm sure we're fine. Hunters wouldn't be on our land."

"What you can smell is the spray they buy to try to hide their stench mixed with ammunition. We had a problem with hunters once at our old pack. The alpha taught us all how to spot them."

"Shit." Kate moved to stand between the presence and her boys. "Emily stay hidden with the boys." She then opened her link to the whole pack. "Hunters in the woods to South of the lake."

"Kate, shit, Kate, don't you dare get hurt you hear me?"

"Ahhh Aaron everyone can hear you. I have Emily and the boys with me. We were out for a run. There's nowhere to hide here. I'm going to run and hopefully they'll follow me."

"NO!" Aaron's scared command was the only one louder than that of Emily and the boys.

"There's no other choice."

"Kate, stay where you are. Luna and I are about to intercept them." Thorn's alpha voice had a slight husk as he worried about his pack. "We're in human form travelling on quad bikes."

Kate, Emily, Gabe and Michael moved into a close huddle, hidden as much in the scrub as they could. It wasn't more than a minute when they heard the bike engines.

Then shouting, "Hey who are you and what are you doing on our land?"

"Your land? Thought this was public property we were going to hunt some deer but we just saw a couple of wolves running through a little while ago."

"This is private property and the wolves are protected."

"Yeah, well nobody needs to know they didn't attack first, right? You hunt many up here?"

"Never. We are members of a group that encourage and educate about preserving their habitat and saving the species."

"You get put up to that by the women? No real man would miss the opportunity to kill a few." The voice made the upper lips of all four wolves huddled in the woods curl upwards and low snarls emerged.

"Shhh we don't want him to come after you guys now." Thorn ordered.

"Kate, I'm almost there with clothes for you all. Please keep calm." Aaron pleaded.

"He wants to hunt wolves Aaron."

"I know baby, please, take a deep breath and stay with the others."

"I want to hunt him."

"Thorn and Luna are dealing with him, and the others are getting photos and evidence to look into who they are and where they are from."

"Fine but if he says anything else or even steps in this direction I'm not making any promises."

"God you're sexy when you get fired up." Aaron came into sight smiling. He handed her and Emily clothes, "You two first, the boys and I will close our eyes."

"They're leaving but I have a feeling they'll be back." Luna advised.

"The guy that was speaking definitely. He was evil." Kate continued aloud once she was in human form, "You guys can open your eyes now."

The boy were quick to change but while they did Aaron pulled Kate and Emily close, "You two are determined to keep giving me grey hair. How many times are you going to scare me?"

"Oh yeah blame the poor defenceless women and children walking in the woods." Emily pouted.

"Defenceless? Have you met Kate? She's a fierce, feisty and tough woman. She'd have taken the whole lot of them on."

"Well, not at once." Kate grinned.

"Which is why I was scared shitless she would get shot before I could get here."

"You forgot how smart I am. I would have lured them to separate and then attacked them one by one. They would have no chance to fire."

"Just be quiet. I can't handle continuing to picture how many ways that could have gone wrong."

"Hey Aaron." Mickey gave Aaron a smile, while Gabe thanked him for the clothes.

"Mickey, Gabe. These women are going to be a handful, it's a good thing there is three of us."

"So you are back in this? You and Kate sorted?"

"I never left. I was just giving her time to finish getting her stuff sorted and spend time with you before she had to worry about her doofus mate and sorting him out."

"Told you Mickey, over twenty they all go stupid. This one just seems to be worse than the others. Like a mate can do better being left alone? I'm not even sure if we should be encouraging Kate to stay with someone so daft. He's going to be bringing the family average down. Kate and Emily are smart. You're well above your age level. I'm a borderline genius."

"When you think about it he could be handy, an insight to all those 'below average' ones we will need to survive in the future." Mickey grinned at Gabe who frowned. "Besides we're family now so we can help him."

"Fine, but seriously keep up your studies. Em, that goes for you too."

"So I can stay? Be part of the family?"

"We can negotiate access visits." Kate smiled, "No need to rush these things."

"That seems damn unfair considering everyone else rushed in, instant sister, instant brothers, and poor me I have to be patient?"

"It is a virtue AJ." Emily laughed.

A few seconds later an order went out to the whole pack, "There will be no changing or going into the woods for anybody until advised. No going off anywhere on your own either until the safety of the pack is confirmed."

As one the pack agreed with their Alphas without hesitation. Only the eldest of the pack had ever felt the fear of such a threat before but even the youngest were well trained and informed of what had happened before and could happen again.

It wasn't long before the group were out of the woods and slowly walking towards the lodge.

"You lot need to get in here. Luna and Thorn are on their way and I think we will be finding that was the last run for a while." Alex slaps Aaron on the shoulder as he gets close. He swung Kate around as soon as she was within reach. "Hey you. I was worried I wasn't going to get to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

"Yeah, I've got the information I was waiting on, all packed. I was going to head off after we all breakfast tomorrow but I guess Thorn and Luna will want a word with the whole pack tomorrow so I'll wait till then."

"Shit Alex, I can't even get a read on things clearly at the moment. Whatever you do, don't you dare get hurt or disappear on us."

"Promise. Besides mum would kill me."

"There would be a queue." Aaron muttered, struggling to hold back his jealousy that Alex and Kate were still touching.

"Shit. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I swear I was just shocked he was leaving." Kate pulled back from Alex and snuggled into Aaron's side. "We should hang out a bit tonight." "Aaron, I want to try and get a read on Alex and what he's going into. I'm doing better but there is no way I can get anything in this crowd."

"Okay baby. I'm sure any insight would be good." Aaron spoke to Alex, "Bro, me, you and Kate should hang out after dinner. How about you both come to Harmony's place?"

"Think everyone considers it your place now Aaron."

"No. I think Luna and Thorn have a plan for it."

CHAPTER FOURTY

Kate, Aaron and Alex were having a couple of drinks and hanging out. The evening had started a little awkward but after joking about some of the stuff they had got up to when they were younger Kate and Alex had relaxed and Aaron now secure with Kate and himself was pleased to not feel the flare of jealousy that had been attacking him every time he saw her with his brother.

"So you show Kate the latest painting?" Alex asked Aaron.

"Yeah, she has demanded it goes in the new house."

"The boys and Emily are going to be blown away when they see it." Kate smiled, "Of course it will hang in our family home."

"Shit, I love the sound of that Katie. I can't believe how happy I am for you and this idiot. I knew you were my sister since we were teenagers but knowing you now really will be, forever, that makes life good."

"You think it makes your life good? Brother, she is my life. I can't believe I nearly missed out on the one who would make me feel this whole, this crazy, this..."

"Accepted?" Alex put his hand on Aaron's shoulder, "I know you think nobody saw you Aaron but some of us knew you and loved you before you learned to love yourself. Of course you are loved and accepted. That girl was crazy about you long before she caught your scent. Why else do you think you both clashed so much?"

"I was not crazy about him." Kate blushed. When Aaron let out a low disappointed sigh she corrected his brother's words and eased his disappointment, "I wanted him to love me like I loved him. I wanted him to want me. I hated that he liked spending time with every other girl in the country yet avoided me. I couldn't understand why we couldn't be together longer than an hour without arguing or pissing each other off. I wasn't crazy. I needed him before I even knew what need was. I somehow knew he was the only one that could ease my pain."

"Well you're stuck with me now baby. No changing your mind." Aaron winked at her, "Besides I was the crazy one. Crazy dumb-ass that never admitted how much I loved you. Never listened to everything that was telling me you were perfect for me. Never listened to my mother who told me kids pick on the ones they like. I thought she was just trying to make me feel better."

"She told me that too." Kate leaned into Aaron and rested her head on his shoulder as he pulled her closer. "When you um decorated my hair she told me you were just wanting me to pay attention to you and I guess I let myself believe it was a declaration of war because I'd taken Alex from you."

Alex stiffened at the shocking memory, "Hell, I forgot about that. The glitter and glue were bad but we were all kids and the whole class were laughing but then you picked up those scissors and cut it right off, everyone just went dead quiet and had their eyes bugging right out."

"Don't talk about it anymore," Aaron spoke quietly, "I had nightmares about that for months and woke crying every damn night."

"You did not." Kate saw the look in his eyes as he spoke and realised he was telling the truth. "Oh."

"Change the subject."

"Okay how about you tell us everything you can about the mission and where you are heading Alex?"

"I don't want to put anyone in danger so I can't say too much. Not even to you guys. You know I love you both, but I know you two. If you don't hear from me for a couple of days you'll freak out and try to come in for the big rescue and then you're both in danger."

"You said it was going to be fine. If you know the shit is going to be flying you need back-up." Aaron felt fear licking at his skin. Kate tried to soothe him with her closeness and by rubbing her hand on his forearm.

"I am not going in alone. I am well prepared. I feel confident about the operation. You two on the other hand will be going in unprepared and emotional, hence the risk."

"Okay so tell us what you can without too many specifics." Kate spoke calmly and then as Aaron let out a breath, added, "I'm going to hold your hand as you tell us."

"What the..?" Alex moved back slightly. Aaron growling at her words instantly. "You trying to get me killed?"

"Aaron, I need to touch him to help me get a read on the situation. I just want to see if I get any warnings he needs or anything that can help. Please?"

"Alex put your hand on the table and let my Katie place her hand on yours."

"I love you Aaron. Trust me. Trust Alex. I only want you. I've wanted you forever. I am yours."

"I know and I do trust you both but until my wolf is better at this, has completely claimed you and filled you with at least two pups, he's going to hate any male touching you. An unmated male, that's never going to be easy. Even then he'll hate it, but by then you may be able to acknowledge pack and family without him growling, maybe."

"Shit that should not make me wet."

"Baby, who you fooling? You were wet the minute you leaned up against me, your heart pacing itself with mine, our breath mingling. My wolf growling sent a shiver right though you, and it wasn't fear." Aaron grinned at his blushing mate.

"You two need to stop your mental fuckery because I can smell you both and I sure as heck don't want to be sitting here when you decide to screw on this table." Alex interrupted.

"Shit, I'll go get us a couple of drinks and calm down a bit. Alex don't touch her, please, my wolf can handle her touching you, but he isn't going to cope if he sees you hold her, any unmated wolf, hold her."