Mate to Match

Unfeeling

Jax won't let me go until the whole backyard is clear. I keep sitting on the chair he's given me, feeling totally useless as pack members all around me bustle with activity. I suppose I should take the time to process what's happened to me in the last couple of hours, but I'm too keyed up to do so.

I feel Aiden's eyes on me every so often. I try to sneak glances at him when he's not looking, curious to see him commanding his pack. He moves fluidly between his people, issuing orders like he's done it all his life. He's sure of every word that comes out of his mouth. Whenever someone questions him, he sends them packing with a scowl that could put Wolverine to shame. I'm both enamored and alarmed; I've never been around someone that was this certain of their place in life and this comfortable telling other people what to do. It makes me think he was raised to believe that the whole world should bow down to him. Hopefully, that doesn't include me.

When the last of the guests have cleared away, he stalks into the pack house without so much as a glance at me. I'm confused until Jax says, "Come on, he wants to see you."

"Didn't seem like it," I mutter under my breath, getting up.

Jax sends me an amused look. He leads me into the pack house and up the stairs to the top level. Thankfully, no one else seems to be around to ask us any uncomfortable questions.

I've never been this high in the house. After my dad died, I was given a room on the second floor and the top floor was closed off. It contained the rooms of the dead Alpha and Luna and was kept shut out of respect. Now, I suppose they've refurbished the space for Aiden. The sitting room Jax takes me into is sparse. Its black and white colors make it seem cold. There aren't even any pictures on the walls or trinkets on the tables. Everything is clean and new. If this is any indication of Aiden's character, I might be more screwed than I realised.

Jax asks me to sit on a luxurious black sofa. He knocks on a door on the far side of the room and leaves through the door we entered through. I am left there all alone, waiting for my unfeeling mate to come speak to me.

The sound of the door on the far side opening makes my heart pick up. Aiden walks through, his obsidian eyes fixed on me. He's lost his tux jacket and tie and the top two buttons of his shirt are undone. The white skin of his chest shows through the gap. For some reason, I can't take my eyes off it.

Aiden walks over to stand in front of me. He's so tall that I have to crane my neck up to look at his face. His hair is mussed as if he's been running his fingers through it. I have the oddest desire to do that to him, just to see how soft his hair feels.

To my surprise, he drops onto the sofa beside me and sprawls out, resting his head on the back of it. He still hasn't taken his eyes off me.

"Are you okay?" I blurt out before I can stop myself.

His eyes widen. He sits up straighter and clears his throat, uncomfortable for the first time since I've met him. I can tell he's not going to answer my question.

"Where do you live?" he asks me.

"About a mile away, in my dad's old house."

"You'll be moving into the pack house tomorrow," he says. "No more waitressing either."

I gape at him, my mouth open. "You want me to quit my job? How am I supposed to make ends meet then?"

His lips thin. A scowl appears on his brow, making his eyes sparkle like dark flint catching the light. "Make ends meet?" he spits out, a low edge to his voice. "You think I'm going to let my mate scrounge for scraps like a peasant? I am more than capable of providing for you."

What am I supposed to say? A thrill has gone through me when he said the words 'my mate', but I don't appreciate his utter disdain for me and everything I've worked so hard to achieve.

I fire back the only response I can think of right now. "And what do you expect me to tell the people at the diner when I quit? Because I don't see you shouting to the skies that I'm your mate."

"I don't give a f**k. Make an excuse."

I have to admit, it stings that he won't give me any pushback on the mate thing. What do you expect, Raina? I chide myself. It's not like he's going to announce it at the next pack meeting.

"What if I say no?"

He turns to me slowly, anger radiating off every pore. "Then I'll drag you back here and lock you in my room until you learn to behave."

I swallow hard. His words have set all sorts of thoughts loose in my head, most of them not at all innocent. I'm almost tempted to disobey, just to see what happens.

He seems to have divined my thoughts, because his gaze widens upon mine and his lips part in a silent gasp. My eyes are drawn to them. I remember the feel of them upon my skin when he kissed my neck in the woods. I desperately want to feel them again.

Before I know it, Aiden has moved much closer to me. His gaze flits between my eyes and my lips. He seems unsure, as if he's looking for permission. Heat pools in my core. Even with my reduced abilities, I can smell the musk of my arousal in the air. He must be bathed in it.

A growl sounds low in his throat and I can't help it anymore. I close the distance between us and attempt to smash my mouth to his. At the last moment, he moves so that my face is buried in his neck. His scent fills my head. I bite down on the skin of his neck, helpless to restrain myself.

"Raina..." he moans, fisting his hands in my hair. He pulls me away, breathing hard. His eyes are burning like coals.

"Please," I beg, "let me mark you."

His eyes widen in shock. He flings me away, standing up in a flash. "Mark me?" he snarls, "You - a rankless, half-blood brat - you want to mark me?" I can only stare in defeat as he begins to pace the room. "Who sent you? Alexander? Roderick? Are you even actually my mate?"

I have officially had enough. I get up with tears in my eyes. "f**k you," I spit at him. Turning on my heel, I march to the door.

"You live here from tomorrow, Raina. That's an order."

I don't bother to reply as I slam the door on my way out.