Leader of the Pack Ch. 07

"He had set it up that Jenna was supposed to kill you. When she did then the people he's gotten to inside your pack were going to attack the rest of the pack and his people would come out of hiding and then he was supposed to take over. Obviously it didn't work." Aislinn looked upset. She didn't like thinking about all of it. At the mention of people in his pack Cullen tensed and had to remind himself to let her finish.

"He also mentioned that he had given me the 'gift of the change.' Whatever that means. And that he would finish it when he got me back. I guess I did notice some things about myself that had changed after I left him. I was stronger and faster. I could smell things better and my vision and hearing got better. I never understood it but I didn't have time to think about it, what with all the running. I don't really know what it means or what the change is for certain. But I think I can guess that at this point. I don't think anything would surprise me after everything I've seen and been through. My visions got stronger as well. And sometimes when I saw myself in them I would be something on all fours. I never really thought that it was anything more than a dream form of some kind. I mean I've dreamt that I'm other people I know or that I'm a shadow or that I could fly. So why not dream that I was an animal? I never considered that the animal thing might be part of the premonition until I started to figure you out. And even then I never really took that idea seriously. In my visions I'm on four legs but I've never seen what I am. And Rafe's statement didn't include a description of what he'd changed me into. I never actually saw all those animals change into people or vice versa but I don't think that it would be a big jump to guess that they could." Cullen nodded.

Aislinn stopped and looked contemplative. She was trying to think if there was anything else she knew that Cullen might find helpful to know. Not to mention if she told him everything right now then she'd be able to say honestly that she didn't have any more information. "Um, I've heard him use the word druid. Between that and him calling the compound the Circle and the research I did when I had that luxury I was able to draw conclusions and make connections about that. But it's not like the original druids in Europe from 500BC kept records or books so that I could figure out what he was thinking he was. But I could pretty much guess he wasn't the Winston Churchill kind of druid. I also know that Rafe has some weird vision of cultivating a 'perfect Circle.' I don't know what exactly that meant but I heard the phrase more than once. He has a crazy vision of something and he's been planning to get it for years.

"I know from the vision in the restaurant and from the ceremony that he wants the standing stones for some reason. But you should have figured that out by now. I'm guessing from the whole druid connection and the Stonehenge associations that he either wants them for sentimental reasons or he thinks there's power there. I don't know for sure on that one either. Really I don't know anything. I just have a lot of partial information. Just enough to make Rafe keep coming and not enough to do me any good."

She took a deep breath and moved to stretch. Cullen watched her quietly, realizing that he had almost forgotten she was naked during all of the seriousness. It was all he could do to keep from going after her breasts as he watched her change positions and get comfortable again. "Anyway, that's how I met him and why I don't know if I'm human and how I knew about the stuff with you and the ceremony. Did I leave anything out? Oh yeah," she added sarcastically. "My full name is Aislinn Brianne Stevens."

Cullen noted the sarcasm in that last and knew that her self defense mechanism had kicked in and that he better be careful or he'd be sleeping alone after the meeting. And he definitely didn't want that. So he ignored the tone and focused on the information he still needed that she hadn't already answered. "Do you know where this compound is? Can you find it again?"

"Yeah, I think I could if I had to," she said uncomfortably. "But I don't really recommend it. I mean, not that I don't think you guys aren't pretty tough or anything, but as far as the animal kingdom hierarchy goes I think lions, tigers, and bears would probably beat a wolf on the brute force and damage scales."

Cullen smiled at her. She certainly was a thinker. And he had to admit that she was right. Well as far as most of the pack was concerned. An alpha, by nature, put him above the rest and he had more than a decent chance of being capable of dealing with the kinds of things she was talking about. However, the average lycan probably would have a tough time dealing with the average were tiger. "I may be a bit tougher than you think," he said. "But you're right in general. Especially if he has the numbers you seem to be implying. Cullen was becoming increasingly more concerned. It felt good to know what he was up against at the same time there was a sinking feeling coming from it all. And Aislinn's answers were creating more questions.

Then there was the one question that he didn't really want to know. "Do you know who in my pack is aiding this asshole?" Aislinn shook her head no.

Cullen looked over at the clock. He wondered where Sarah was with those clothes he'd sent for. He had promised an hour and he intended to make good on that. He smiled trying to stop his brain for what brief time he had left before dealing with the council. He could tell that as far as Aislinn knew she had told him everything. It came across in her tone and the expectant way she kept looking at him. As if she was waiting for him to kick her out and be done with her now.

Cullen decided that at the very least he needed to make sure she was okay before they headed downstairs and she had to deal with everyone. He pushed all the frustrating information she had just given him out of his mind. He reached out and ran a hand over her shoulder and down her back smiling wickedly as he did. "We could both use a shower."

Aislinn smiled back. The relief she was feeling at the fact that he was still interested was almost overwhelming. "Trying to wash my scent off of you?" she teased.

"Nope," he said as he stood up offering her his hand. "I fully intend to re-mark my territory the first chance I get." She raised her eyebrows at him as she took his hand and he pulled her up into his arms. He held her tightly to himself and breathed her scent in. "But I haven't had a shower in a day or so and, while you might not care, there are a few people who might. I just thought it would be fun to bring you with me. Though, I would be just as happy if you wanted to walk around with my scent all over you, advertising that you were in my bed. Less competition that way." He grinned at her devilishly.

Aislinn's face fell a bit. "Something occurs to me," she said. "I mean it's not like I didn't know you were in charge around here. But I guess I just didn't really think about it in terms of where things have ended up. I mean. What exactly am I dealing with here?"

Cullen looked at her carefully. She had the right to know. He was impressed that she knew the right questions to ask and worried that the answers might scare her off at the same time. Well, I guess it's my turn to be worried about being dumped. He had never been in that position before. "How likely are you to run away from me if you don't like what you hear?" he asked only half kidding.

It was Aislinn's turn for the reassuring smile. "Pretty unlikely as long as you tell me that you want me around and prepare me for whatever is going to happen when we leave this room. Or we could just stay here forever?" she suggested hopefully.

He grinned at the joke. We may be too close of a match, he thought and wondered what the fates were getting him into with her. "If only. I wish we could hide up here. But seeing as we can't…" He considered his answer carefully. "Alright, you were honest with me and it's not like I'll be able to hide the kind of thing you're asking about. Let's jump in the shower and I'll explain while we get cleaned up. I don't have much more time left before I need to get downstairs."

Aislinn finally took his hand and stood up to go with him. He nodded toward a door on the far wall and Aislinn headed for the bathroom. Cullen grinned devilishly as Aislinn walked in front of him toward the bathroom. He loved the swing of her hips and the fact that she was naked certainly added to it.

She glanced back at him and chuckled when she saw his huge erection. "That didn't take much."

"With you it never does," he smiled.

As they walked into the bathroom Aislinn looked around at the enormous room. She had never seen a bathroom so big. There was an entry area with a small couch and a plush navy carpet on the floor. The tiles were gray marble looking and they led up to a large tub in a raised platform with steps leading up to the edge of the tub. The tub looked like there were Jacuzzi jets in it and it was impossibly deep. Cullen noted the impressed look on her face as she examined the tub. "Maybe later," he said as he read her mind. "We don't have time for what would happen if we got in there." He grabbed her around the waist and drug her to the shower stall on the far wall. "I actually don't tend to us the tub much. But with you around I might be inclined to spend some leisure time in there." As he was talking he turned the knobs on a walk in shower that was in the back corner of the bathroom and put his hand in the stream to see if the water was warm enough.

Aislinn let him pull her into the streaming water of the shower. "I just haven't had a real bath in a while and that is some tub. But don't let that change the subject. You were going to tell me what's downstairs."

Cullen thought about making joke about the casino and restaurant being downstairs but decided that he didn't have time to mess around at this point. He grabbed up the soap and lathered his hands then much to Aislinn's delight started to run them over her body instead of his own. She giggled as his hands slid over her and he started talking. "How often do you watch the discovery channel," he asked more seriously than she liked.

"Not often in the past seven years. I haven't had cable. You don't really mean-"

Cullen cut her off. "No it's not quite that barbaric, but the principle is the same. And you, mo mhúirnín bán," he added making her smile and working his way over her breasts with his soapy hands, "are in the pack alpha's bed. Unfortunately I've been around for a long time. After a certain point I stopped thinking I was going to find one woman I wanted to commit to," he paused trying to think of how to put the rest of what he was going to say.

Aislinn was a little amused by the way he was staring at her breasts and running soapy fingers around her nipples. He looked like he was concentrating on something vastly important. She couldn't believe he was that nervous talking to her about it. He reminded her of a high school kid trying to ask a girl if she wanted to go steady or wear his ring. She leaned into him and reached down to his erection. As the soap from her body ran over it she began gliding her hand up and down along its length. "So I get two things out of what you've just said. Firstly, there are several women, who might want to beat me up. This being a pack of wolves and the strongest of them is the one who should be in the alpha's bed. And secondly, that maybe you think that you might be interested in making some kind of commitment to me," she said tentatively, afraid to hope.

He finally looked her in the eyes. "You are certainly clever. I'll give you that. You can turn me down," he said. His stare was intense. It was like he was trying to get inside her head. "But really that's a conversation for when we have more time than we do now and for when you really understand what you'll be getting into if you agree to it. Just think about it," he said hopefully. "But as far as the first one goes, yeah there's a number of women who'll try to put you in what they think your place should be. I personally don't care if you end up an omega. But they'll think that if they make you look bad enough in that respect then I'll lose interest. So they'll try. The rest of the pack will probably be curious and inquisitive but not dangerous. I suggest you stay away from any women who seem to be trying to pick a fight. It's worse than an actual wolf pack in the regards that it's not just physical prowess. There's an element of mental prowess that goes along with it. Brute strength can really only get you so far. And I have had a tendency of preferring the higher ranking females who've offered over the lower ranks. So you can count on the ones trying to cause you trouble being good fighters and thinkers as well. As far as the men go, you shouldn't have any real trouble with them. Except that since I've shown interest in you they might try to find out why." Cullen seemed to growl the last part.

Aislinn just stood there feeling his hands running along her body and stroking his erection and listening. "Okay," she said curtly. Aislinn was starting to think he was just trying to add her to a pack harem or something. She didn't know what to think. She certainly didn't want to share him, regardless of what the hell he was or wasn't. But she couldn't stand the idea of leaving and never feeling him cum inside her again. Her stomach was in knots and her brain was spinning. "Don't worry too much. A person doesn't survive on the streets for seven years without learning a couple things. I can take care of myself."

He moved his hips into her stroking and his eyes rolled back into his head momentarily before returning to the conversation. She pulled her hand off of him finally, noting his disappointed reaction to the loss of attention. She grabbed up the shampoo and poured some into her hands, sniffed at the nonexistent smell and started washing her hair.

Cullen watched her soap her hair and couldn't help but reach out and toy with her breasts some more. This was taking longer than he should allow it to. "I'm not doubting that you can take care of yourself in most circumstances. But you aren't lycan and they're going to have trouble with that. And although you may be able to hold your own against a human in fight, Aislinn, these women aren't going to be nice enough to stay in human form. That's not how pack rank works. They're going to try to test you and there won't be anything I can really do about it. I probably won't even be around when they decide to mess with you, if they're smart about it."

Aislinn noted the concern in his tone. "Really, Cullen, I'll be okay." She turned away from him and leaned into the water to wash the soap out of her hair. She breathed out heavily. "Just one last thing," she added unhappily. "Not that I won't consider it if it's what you're looking for, but I just want to know up front. Perfectly clear so there's not any confusion. Are you expecting me to join the ranks of all these women you have sex with and just wait around here for my turn in your bed? I mean I was kinda getting the impression that you wanted more than that and I don't want to misinterpret what's going on here."

Cullen realized the mistake he'd made in what he'd said and wished he could go back and reword the whole thing. The hurt in her voice was almost palpable. He stepped up behind her, the water streaming over them as he pressed against her. His erection found its way between her legs and pressed into the slippery wet that was still there. "I've never wanted any of them the way I want you," he said softly into her ear. "I'm not very good at this. But I give you my word that I'm not trying to add you to any ranks the way you think." He pressed his erection as deeply into her slit as he could get it from their angle and listened to her moan. "You are one great big long list of things I've never felt or done before. Every instinct I have is telling me to take you and claim you and it's been all I could do to stop myself from acting on that."

Aislinn wasn't positive what he meant by 'claim' but from the way he was talking she could tell that it was incredibly serious. Aislinn felt his cock pressing into her and after what he had said she needed more of it. Aislinn stepped so that her legs were spread further apart and leaded forward until she had her hands braced on the wall of the shower under the shower head. She looked back over her should to see him eyeing her dangerously. Molten amber flooded his eyes and he was breathing heavily. "What are your instincts telling you to do now?"

Cullen's emotions were too close to the surface. Aislinn just seemed able to push his buttons exactly the right way without even trying. Before he could push the wolf back down he grabbed her hips and plunged into her. A low growl issued from his throat. On arm wrapped around her waist to hold her still and the other arm reached under her to grab and torture one of her breasts while he pounded into her roughly. Aislinn let out an appreciative moan that pulled Cullen's wolf further to the surface and his hands began to shift.

Aislinn felt claws rake her beast. The pain mingled deliciously with the pleasure and she gasped. The water hit them as they moved together. Aislinn tried to adjust her hips to get more of him inside her but she couldn't manage the right angle. She let out a needy moan. "Harder, Cullen," she begged.

When Aislinn's words registered in his mind Cullen felt his wolf slip just a little more and his body shifted further. He felt fangs grow in his mouth and his face shift barely into his lycan form. He was holding it all back by a thread. But Aislinn's moaning and begging was more than he could handle. His wolf wanted her too badly.

Aislinn felt her body yanked upright. Water hit her in the face and she closed her eyes. His arm around her waist was like steel. She felt the claws on her breast leave and then felt her head being pulled to one side. She let him move her how he wanted. She could still feel his massive cock thrusting into her. Her hands reached for something to hold onto but only found the slippery walls of the shower. Then she felt the piercing pain. Cullen bit down on her neck just where it met with her shoulder. She drew in a sharp breath. It was a strange sensation. Something about it brought her over the edge. She felt heat pool in her lower belly and the pleasure rolled over her. Her body trembled with the sensations and she cried out as he forced himself into her repeatedly through her orgasm.

Cullen tasted the blood as it rushed into his mouth. She was sweet and her cries were needed and the combination mingled in his lycan mind as pure pleasure. As she climaxed he held on and forced himself up into her over and over again. Her pulsing walls brought him over the edge. Cullen started to fall forward as he lost control of his muscles through the convulsing pleasure of their orgasm. He released the hand he had holding her head to the side and caught himself on the wall of the shower.

Aislinn was finally able to open her eyes as they moved toward the wall. She only barely registered how close they both came to falling over. She reached out and helped Cullen to catch their fall as he came back to reality. She could feel his hot breath on her shoulder as the pain and pressure from his bite began to sink in. Cullen heard her whimper and pulled his mouth from her. He had left a very definite bite on her shoulder. A strange combination of pleasure and guilt swept through him at the sight of the bloody bite mark on her shoulder.

Sarah's voice jarred him out of the moment as she called into the bathroom. "If you both are finished," she said angrily, "I have those clothes you asked for."