The C.E.O. Alpha's Fated Invitation

Chapter 5: Game Plan

Chapter 5: Game Plan

Aiden’s mood sours as he is reluctantly forced to leave Isla at her house outside of his pack’s borders. His mate living outside of his pack and, much worse, in unclaimed territory, does not sit well with the alpha.

Leaving Isla wasn’t easy for Aiden. For werewolves, being away from your mate after you’ve found them is dangerous. Short-term separation isn’t so bad. However, leaving your mate for long periods of time is dangerous; it can cause their wolves to go mad.

Aiden, being an alpha, heightens this aspect for him. His emotions and senses are heightened more than those of an ordinary werewolf. Needless to say, leaving Isla was torturous for Aiden. His only true happiness from here on out will be his mate, his one and only.

The ride home is quiet. River has retreated to the back of Aiden’s mind to sulk from being away from his mate now. The separation will be the hardest on River. Wolves are more dependent on having their mates than their human counterparts are.

One thing is for sure: Aiden needs to get Isla inside his pack borders. Even if she doesn’t live with him, he and River will feel a lot better with her living within their territory. Only then will they feel she is safe.

When Aiden finally arrives home, he groans at the sight of Sage’s car still in his driveway. “I told her I don’t need her help,” He says to himself. He knows Isla is his sister’s friend, but she’s his mate too. He’s even more annoyed that his sister got to know his mate before he did.

Meanwhile, back at Isla’s house, she and Hazel sit in the living room. Hazel is worried about the alpha being here. She’s a wolf without a pack; most alphas don’t take kindly to that. The only thing stopping any alpha from attacking her is that she’s not a rogue.

Hazel left her pack for a good reason, though most werewolves would see her as a traitor for what she has done, siding with the enemy. However, Hazel doesn’t see it as siding with the enemy; she did the impossible. She saved many lives by accepting her mate.

Hazel fears Alpha Aiden might know the truth about who her mate is and plans to use Isla against him. Hazel hates what her mate used to be, but he changed for her. He hasn’t hurt a single soul since he accepted her and his mate.

Hazel was forced to leave her pack when she knew Alistair was her mate. When he finally fell for her and accepted her, she had to leave, knowing what her pack would do. He would be captured, and she would be kicked out of the pack and deemed rogue.

She and Alistair had no choice but to go into hiding. So instead of tradition, to keep them safe, Alistair took her last name, Taylor. Alpha Aiden could ruin everything. ‘Why was Isla with that Alpha?’ Hazel wonders to herself. Worry and fear fill Hazel at the thought of what he might be doing with Isla.

“Where were you last night. Why didn’t you come home?” Hazel almost demands that Isla answer the question. She wouldn’t normally worry about her, unlike her father. Alistair is constantly worried about her and for good reasons. Hazel worries for Isla, too, but she’s a little more lax with her.

“Ugh, I’m 21 now, Hazel, I’m not a child. But if you must know, I got drunk, and Aiden took me to his house to let me sleep it off. It was a wild night. He even saved me from Drake. He crashed the party and tried to harass me.” Isla explained everything that she could remember happening last night to her stepmother.

Hearing Isla’s explanation, she is relieved and hopeful that this all might just be a big coincidence. However, that is short-lived when Isla mentions she got a tattoo she can’t remember getting.

Hazel sharply looks at Isla with a twinge of fear showing in her eyes. ‘Tattoo? I wonder if…’ Hazel wonders. “You got a tattoo? How drunk were you? You can’t even sit for two seconds for a shot at the doctor’s office.” Hazel is also a little surprised that Isla would get a tattoo due to her hate for needles.

“I know, I was so wasted. I don’t even remember it, but here it is. I’m not even sure what it’s supposed to mean.” Isla points her wrist to Hazel to show her the mark left on Isla.

Hazel instantly recognizes the tattoo for what it truly is, an alpha’s mate mark. The realization of Isla and Aiden’s encounter was no mere coincidence, but fate hits Hazel hard.

“Are you okay? I know it was dumb, but that’s what your 21st birthday is all about, right? I was supposed to make all these dumb and stupid mistakes.” Isla notices the emotions going through Hazel’s expression. She thinks Hazel is upset because she drunkenly got a tattoo when, in reality, it goes so much deeper than Isla could have ever imagined.

“I’m fine, I’m glad you had a great birthday,” Hazel assures Isla everything is fine. However, fear of the future sinks deep into Hazel. If the alpha accepts Isla, then their lives are about to be turned upside down.

Back at Alpha Aiden’s house, he’s found that not only is his sister sitting inside his house, but Sienna and Robin have joined her. “What the hell are you two doing here?” Despite Aiden having asked the question, he already knew the answer. They’re here to discuss Isla being his mate as well.

“Uh, game plan,” Sienna says as if it’s the most obvious thing ever. “Game plan, for what? Isla, she’s a human and has no business in our world.” Robin puts her two cents in. “Robin!” Sage and Sienna yell defensively.

“What, I’m just saying a human as our Luna doesn’t look good, and she’s not strong enough to be our Luna. She’s human, or are you forgetting that little detail?” Robin says in her defense.

Robin has never been fond of humans due to her past. Why would she befriend Isla if she hates humans so much? The answer is simple: her mate, Enzo. It was important to Enzo for Robin to get along with Sienna, his sister. To make friends with Sienna Robin, she somewhat made friends with Isla since Sienna was always with her.

Aiden’s anger boils at Robin’s words. She is supposed to be the Beta Female of the pack, meaning it is her responsibility to show great diplomacy and respect. Sienna shows more diplomacy than she does. That’s saying a lot because Sienna tends to live on the edge and tests limits. Although there is one notable difference, Robin is a beta by mateship, while Sienna was raised in a beta household.

River comes forward in Aiden, growling in warning. “She should learn some respect. She’s lucky I’m not ripping her head off for disrespecting my mate.” River says to Aiden through their link.

“It would do you well to remember who it is you’re talking about and who I am,” Aiden warns Robin. Robin bows her head in respect, realizing her alpha is going to accept a human for his mate and Luna.

“As for you two, I don’t need help with my mate. I can win her over without you.” Aiden tells his sister and Sienna. “Oh, please, Isla is the definition of hard to get.” Sienna scoffs.

Aiden smirks, “Hard to get? Then why did she ask me out?” The surprise and shock evident on Sienna’s face shows Aiden that his human mate can feel the mate bond, and that he could be any happier about.

“She did what?!” Sienna is rendered in complete disbelief. For as long as she’s known Isla, she has never made the first move. Isla’s not a traditionlist but she is shy. Making that first move must have been hard for her. Sienna finds herself feeling proud of her best friend.

“Yeah, she asked me out,” Aiden says, pushing the fact in Sienna’s face. “She’s feeling the bond already? I thought it took humans weeks before they could feel the bond?” Sage asks confusingly.

Typically, when a human is mated to a werewolf, it can take weeks before they can feel the bond. It should be noted that this is with ordinary werewolves. An alpha mate bond is stronger.

“I’m an Alpha, Sage, you know the bond between us will be different.” Aiden shrugs. An alpha mate bond is stronger and almost undeniable. An alpha needs their mate more than any other ranked wolf. The Luna is the only person with the power to tame the alpha.

Aiden sits down in the armchair and crosses his arms. “What do you have?” The alpha asks as he leans back in the chair. He decides to give them a chance. He’d be stupid not to hear what they have to say, as they know Isla better than he does.

Sienna and Sage smile while Robin rolls her eyes. Robin isn’t convinced that Isla being Luna of the pack is such a good idea. “Well, first, where are you taking her on your first date?” Sienna excitedly asks.

Aiden chuckles, “I’m not, she’s taking me out,” he admits. Sage laughs while Sienna pales in worry. “Are you insane? Isla has never planned a date before. She’s never even asked a guy out before. Do you know how long it took Drake to get her to say yes? Then you just walk in, and she finds all this confidence. You’re in uncharted waters.”

River and Aiden growl at the mention of their mate’s ex. “Sorry, alpha, but Drake is history. Isla wants nothing to do with him.” Sienna realizes she may have upset the alpha by mentioning Drake.

“It’s fine, just don’t do it again,” Aiden warns. Isla is his mate and only his. Knowing that another man has touched her pisses him off, even if he has no right to be. Aiden has had his fair share of ‘acquaintances’, or rather, benefits as an alpha.

“Now, when I need your help, I will ask; until then, get the f**k out of my house,” Aiden says, feeling annoyed. It was bad enough that he had to leave his mate behind, but now the mention of Drake has further soured his mood. The three girls, seeing that Aiden is in no mood, and understandably so, they go to leave, only for Aiden to stop them.

Before the girls are able to make it out the door, Aiden stops one girl in particular, “Not you, Robin. You stay back, we need to discuss a few things before you leave.”

Robin swallows, knowing she’s in trouble for something to do with Isla, which causes her to further resent the human girl.

“Aiden, are you coming into the office today? Or are you busy with your newly found mate?” Before Aiden can speak to Robin, he gets a mind-link from Enzo. It might be Saturday, but the weekend has never stopped Aiden from working. An alpha’s job never sleeps. He is always on the clock.

“No, I have some things to work out today. Maybe tomorrow. I need you to take care of everything today.” Aiden mind-links back. He delegates his alpha duties to Enzo while he works out everything that needs to be done about him finding his mate.

“You got it,” Enzo answers. As the pack's beta, he knows exactly what to do. Aiden couldn’t ask for a better beta than Enzo. Not so much can be said about his mate, Robin, though. Aiden has had issues with Robin in the past regarding humans.

If Robin even once attempts to hurt or sabotage Aiden’s chances with Isla, she will be severely punished. Robin can leave the pack if she cannot accept Isla as the pack’s Luna, human or not.