The Silverclaw Chronicles: Where will Fear take You?

Or Tranquility?

Chapter Five

Aiden

When Kyle and I get outside to Jessie's car, I want to be shocked by how much stuff there still is to carry inside, but the sad thing is that I can't be. I know my sister and she is an expert shopper. We finally get everything in our arms and start making our way up to Jessie's room.

"We really need to install an elevator when we are in charge," Kyle says with a smile.

I laugh at him and reply, "Yeah, for all of these emergency shopping trips, right?"

We both laugh as we make it to Jessie's door. I expertly knock without dropping anything and she opens the door. As I unload my arms, I look around to see if I can spot Amelia anywhere. This would be the perfect opportunity to introduce ourselves, but I don't see her.

"Jessie, where is Amelia? Dad wants us to introduce ourselves to her." I ask trying to sound nonchalant, but the pounding in my head and chest is increasing again for no reason.

"Oh sorry. You will have to wait until the party. I sent her in for the first shower." She answers and starts shooing us out of her room.

"Thank you for bringing everything up. You guys should start getting ready soon too, especially if you don't want to be upstaged by the other guys that Mom invited."

"What are you talking about?" I ask confused.

"Mom invited your classmates from the neighboring packs as they all need to find their mates too. She said that she couldn't invite all of their single she-wolves without inviting them too. This party is going to be huge," Jessie adds. "So go on because we all have to look fabulous."

"Yep...we should go. I know that you need all the time you can get for that." I add teasing my little sister.

"Hey! That's not nice!" She shouts, but then she smiles as she elbows me in the gut.

We leave her room and decide that she is right and we should both get ready. It won't take us nearly as long as all of the girls, but might as well get it over with. "I will see you back downstairs in a little while, Man." I tell Kyle as he nods and then runs down to his room.

I find myself just letting the hot water of my shower fall down on me as I try to figure out how to get this pounding to go away. Maybe it is just from all the worry and frustration of trying to get to the bottom of this situation, but who knows. I get out of the shower and wrap a towel around my hips. I walk out into my room and start getting ready. Mom has my tux waiting for me in my closet. She really is the best.

I am ready in no time and with a final toss of my hair, I look in the mirror and feel pretty good about my appearance. I walk into the hallway and start downstairs. I know that all of the girls are still getting ready in Jessie's room and I feel a strange pull to go knock on her door, but I stop myself and just keep walking. Kyle meets up with me on his floor and we go down the rest of the way together.

"What's wrong with you?" He asks me quietly.

"I wish I knew. The pounding is getting worse again and I actually would like to enjoy this night." I tell him a little frustrated with the whole situation at this point.

We make it to the ground floor and find that the entire dining hall and great room have been pretty much cleaned out. They have been totally transformed and look like a grand ballroom. The food is all setup at the far end of the room with a few tables if people want to sit there to eat. The wall of glass doors are open to the outdoor dining area, which has been cleaned out as well. There are some tables out there too, but there are twinkling lights hanging above the patio so that more dancing and mingling can take place out there. The DJ is setup between the indoor and outdoor areas so that dancing can take place in both locations. If Mom is ever tired of being Luna, she could start a party planning business easily.

I walk over to where Mom is standing with Dad, Keagon, and Carly. "Mom, this looks amazing! I can't believe you did all of this just to welcome us home." I tell her as I give her a big hug.

"Oh Aiden, I love doing it and I know that tonight is the night! I can't explain it, son, but I can just feel it in the air." She says as she hugs me back. She is so determined and I can only hope that she is right.

People from other packs start to arrive and there are people everywhere mingling. Kyle and I are making the rounds with our parents to make sure that we meet everyone and introduce our classmates to them. We are only thirty minutes in when I realize that I have already met so many people and still nothing. Mom squeezes my arm, reminding me to be patient, but my head is starting to kill me and the ache in my chest is getting worse. I know what I have to do and so I just keep moving with a smile on my face as I am introduced to more single she-wolves.

Amelia

I didn't realize how much is involved in the getting ready process for most girls. I shower and then work on my hair as I was instructed by Jess to do. She said that it had to be in long beautiful waves down my back and she would do the rest. We all gave each other manicures and pedicures to match our dresses. Makeup and hair stations were setup and everyone went through until we all looked like models...at least all of them did. I finally slip into my dress, which I do love, by the way.

When I turn to look into the mirror, I am actually shocked. I do look really pretty. I am wearing a sleeveless navy and light blue embroidered lace A-line dress with a plunging V-neck, natural waist, open back, tiered skirt, and shimmering little stones on it. I do a signature twirl before I even realize what I am doing and I bit my lower lip when I realize that I actually think that I look pretty.

Jess comes over to me smiling. She puts her hands out and gives me the jewelry that she wants me to wear. They are a gorgeous set of blue gemstone crescent moon earrings with a gold ring of diamonds circling the middle of the moon and a matching necklace.

"These have been in our family for a long time. They will look perfect with this outfit." She says as she latches the necklace around my neck and I slip the earrings in.

We all put on our shoes and are ready to "Make our Entrance" as Jess keeps putting it. When we open the door, I am actually excited about going downstairs and have fun with all of my friends. As we get to the stairs, we see Addison and her friends are walking down to join the party now too. The crazy thing is that not even that can change my mood. I am really looking forward to this. My heart is still racing and pounding loudly in my head, but not even that is going to upset me tonight. I am going to enjoy this night.

Jessie

Even though Addy is trying to upstage us with her entrance, I just don't see how she is going to be able to pull it off because we all look HOT! I link arms with Laura and Aims, keeping my head held high as we descend the staircase, not letting Addison get to me...not tonight. Even from a distance, I can feel all eyes on us as we walk into view. Mom rushes over to join us and start with some introductions. We make the rounds and I honestly can't believe how many people are here. Laura keeps up with us for a little while and then she carefully ducks out to join Colton and the other kids their age on the dance floor.

Mom starts to introduce us to some of Aiden and Kyle's classmates, but I can tell that she is really scanning the crowd to find Aiden. She wants to let him meet all of the new girls in our Pack before the other Alphas and Betas, but as always, she is being the gracious host first and foremost. I can't even count the number of times that our hands are kissed and I swear I can see a slight blush on Aims' cheeks.

As we make a turn toward the main dance floor, I see Addison with her arm wrapped around Aiden's vying for his attention. I want to gag when I see her rub her hand across his chest and then up to his cheek, trying to get him to hold eye contact with her. The problem is that I was so busy being disgusted by her obvious display that I didn't see what happened with Aims. The only thing I knew is that all of the sudden she is leaning against me and whispers that she feels dizzy. We are very discreet and make our way over to a few chairs to sit down for a few minutes and Mom goes to get her some water.

"Aims, what happened?" I ask her, totally concerned. She has her hand on her chest and I can see that something is wrong.

"I don't know. I felt alright even with my heart pounding, but then Luna pointed out Aiden and Kyle. I looked over in their direction and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't even know how to explain it." She says quietly.

Mom gets back with her water and tells her to drink some. "You girls probably need to eat and drink something. You have been locked up in that room for hours." She adds while she looks around the room to make sure everyone else is still having a good time.

"Amelia, as soon as you feel up to it, I would love to introduce you to Aiden and Kyle."

Amelia just nods her head and takes another drink of water. "Mom, go ahead and have the other girls meet them. I will bring Aims over in a minute." I tell her and she looks at Aims to make sure that is alright.

"Really...I am feeling better already. We will be right behind you." Aims adds and Mom goes over to the other new girls to take them to meet the future Alpha and Beta.

We sit there for about ten minutes and I look over to see Mom excitedly introducing Aiden to Vanessa and Mandy, but then she has a moment of disappointment on her face that she hides instantly. Aims and I stand up and start to make our way over to them. When we turn around, I realize that Aiden has beaten us to it and is almost to us instead.

Aiden (A few minutes earlier)

This place is packed and so far still nothing. Addy is trying her best to hang all over me and scare the other she-wolves off, but luckily it isn't working. Mom makes her way over to us with a few more new girls, but these are the ones that have recently joined our Pack. They are beautiful, but they are not the one. I try to just convince myself that it is alright and I just need to enjoy the party. Maybe even have some fun, but the pounding in my head is just about to become unbearable. It is like the Jumanji game is calling out to me, but amplified by 10,000. I am just about to excuse myself when I look up and see Amelia and Jessie.

I start to move forward almost without realizing it. Kyle and Mom are both trailing after me and I have no idea what happened to Addy as it feels like everyone else is disappearing. I make it across the huge, packed room just as Amelia and Jessie turn around so that we are face to face. The minute that her eyes meet mine, I feel like time has stopped. I reach out to take her hand without even knowing that I am. I can hear Mom trying to formally introduce us, but it is hazy and sounds like we are in a private bubble. When I touch her hand, the pounding and the ache stop. She looks up at me with shock on her face, but also relief. I am not sure how long we are frozen in that moment, but it felt like an eternity.

Mom shook my arm slightly and partially pulled me out of my trance. "Aiden?" She said quietly.

I took my eyes off of Amelia for just a minute, but didn't release her hand from mine. "Yes, Mom," I said.

"This is Amelia Silverclaw." She repeats slowly this time as she is waiting to see what is going to happen.

I turn back to Amelia and say, "It is very nice to meet you." At just that moment, a slow song begins to play. "Would you like to dance, Amelia?" I ask and she still hasn't said a word to me.

She just looks up and smiles while nodding her head. I lead her out to the dance floor and pull her into my arms. I feel completely at peace. All of the things that have been bothering me all day are just gone now that I am with Amelia. I have never heard of a mate bond feeling like this before, but I know that I am meant to be with her. The tranquility that I feel with her in my arms is the most calming and amazing experience I have ever had. Dear Moon Goddess...how long do I have to wait until she is of age and can feel the bond fully? I already know that I will do whatever I need to for this woman, but I also know that it will be very hard to be away from her now that I have found her. I am definitely going to need help with this.

Amelia

I am in the arms of Aiden, the future Alpha of our Pack and the man that I have been a nervous wreck about most of the day, but I feel calm. Well, maybe calm is the wrong word, my heart is still racing and my breathing has increased slightly too, but the pounding in my head stopped the minute he touched my hand. The ache in my chest disappeared when he touched me. I don't understand what is going on at all. All I know is that being in his arms like this feels so right.

When Aiden moves his hands to my bare back to hold me tighter, I have to catch my breath because of the sensations that rush through me. I always knew that I thought Aiden was attractive, I mean who wouldn't. I just never let it be known to anyone or ever thought that I would be face to face with him or chest to chest as we are now. I know that I have to say something to him, but I am not quite sure what to say.

I look up as his eyes meet mine and I feel like I can't breathe. He is gorgeous! I take a breath and say the first thing that comes to my mind, "It is very nice to meet you too, Aiden."

His smile grows and mine does too. "How have I never seen you before at any Pack events?" He asks.

I shrug my shoulders and reply, "I am not sure. I've only been here for a little over two years. I was always around, but I stayed off to the sides with my parents most of the time."

He pulls me closer and I lay my head on his chest. He lays his head against the top of mine and I can feel him discreetly sniff my hair. It makes me giggle softly and I know that I have to be blushing, but none of it matters. I pull back ever so slightly to look up at him again so that I can ask, "So what do I smell like to you?" I can't help but laugh lightly, as he knows he was caught.

"Actually...you smell like the air outside after a fresh fallen snow." He tells me with a smirk on his face.

"I am not sure if I should be flattered and happy about that or not." I reply with a smile.

"Of course you should be happy about it. I have always loved it when it snows." He says, but then he quickly adds. "What about me...do I smell like anything specific to you?"

I don't know if I should answer this or not. He does have a very specific smell, but everyone does, so none of this necessarily means anything. Although no one has ever told me that I smell like snow before. I look back up and can see hope in his eyes as he waits for me to answer. "You smell like fresh spring rain." I say quietly, but of course he can still hear me.

"When is your birthday?" He asks.

"Not until March, why?" I ask back even though I am starting to realize why he wants to know.

"I see." He says as he pulls me flush against him again.

As the song ends, I expect that he will release me, but that doesn't happen. The music speeds up, but we are still moving at a slow pace on the dance floor. The next thing I know, someone is tapping Aiden on his shoulder. He pauses and turns to see who it is.

"I thought that I would come out here and try to meet Amelia too." His friend, Kyle says to him.

"Sure. We can all go over here for a few minutes." Aiden replies, pointing over to a few couches. I just nod my head quietly.

As we walk over to the couches, Aiden keeps his hand securely on my lower back, guiding me along with him. I see Jess, Luna Micaela, and Alpha Marcus all rushing over to join us. Jess comes over to us and pulls my arm, starting to move me closer to her, but Aiden quickly grabs my other hand, sitting down and pulling me towards him. Jess huffs, but sits down on my other side.

"What are you trying to pull, Aiden?" She boldly says to her brother.

"What are you talking about, Jessie? I was just dancing with Amelia." He replies to her calmly, still not letting go of my hand.

"Aiden, son?" Luna Micaela says, looking at her son with big questioning eyes.

"Yes, Mom." He responds.

"Could you step outside with us for a moment?" She adds.

He looks hesitant, but nods. He turns to me and has a serious look on his face. "I will be right back. Can you wait right here for me?" He asks.

I am not sure what to say, but Jess looks completely disgusted. "No...she can't!" She says with a defiant tone. "We are going to go and dance with all of our friends. We got all dolled up so that we could have fun tonight."

He looks at his sister with concern in his eyes, but doesn't look angry at her defiance. "Alright, I will catch back up to all of you. Make sure to let Kyle join you. He needs to have some fun too." He says out loud, but it is obvious that he has linked something to Kyle, who just barely nods his head.

Aiden lets go of my hand and I sit there with Jess for a minute. "What the hell was that all about?" She asks, pulling me to my feet and out on the dance floor with everyone from school and a few from other packs. Kyle follows right along with us.

"I don't know....honestly!" I tell her.

She shakes it off and says, "Okay...let's just go have some fun!" We all start dancing and Blake even comes over to join us too.

Aiden

I step outside with my parents to a slightly quieter place, but it is hard to move away from Amelia after finally finding her.

Mom wastes no time at all and just asks, "Aiden, what was that all about?"

I look at her with a huge smile. "She's the one, Mom." I tell her as her entire face lights up.

"Really?" She says, just wanting confirmation, and I nod yes. She hugs me excitedly.

"How is this going to complicate things with the King?" Dad asks, bringing me down from the clouds.

"I haven't thought about that. It could actually make things easier though, Dad." I tell him.

"How do you figure that?" He responds.

"Well, when I go back to finish my training, Amelia can just go with me." I explain.

"Son, she is going to have to finish school before she goes anywhere. She isn't even of age yet, so she won't fully feel the bond until her next birthday." He retorts.

"Dad, I won't leave her here while I am gone for a year. I finally found her and you can't expect me to be away from her like that."

"Aiden, we aren't trying to make things hard for you at all, but you know that we will have to figure some things out because your dad has a point that she has school and is still only 16." Mom says calmly, trying to defuse two Alphas before we go overboard.

I take a deep breath. "We can talk about this later. Right now, I would really like to go and spend time with my mate."

"Alright, son. Let's enjoy the night and discuss this more tomorrow." Dad agrees. "We are both very happy for you that you found your mate."

I give them each a quick hug and start to walk back onto the main dance floor with them. I can instantly find Amelia now that I know her. She is dancing in a big group of students from the high school along with Kyle and a few others from different Packs. As I look out at her, I feel so happy and complete for the first time in a long time. I know that she has been through so much, but now it is my job to make sure that she is safe and happy for the rest of her life.

Mom places a hand on my shoulder and says softly. "Don't get upset, honey." She urges me in a soft voice.

I look back at her puzzled and then reply with a smile. "Mom, I'm not upset. How can I be upset when I finally found her?"

"I'm sorry. I just thought that you might be angry about the other young men dancing with all of them." She says, still holding an inquisitive look on her face.

"I am going to have to deal with some of that, Mom. She isn't even of age yet and I can't just mark her no matter how badly I want to." I told her while I tried to decide in my head if there is anyway that I could actually go ahead and take her as mine, but I knew that was wrong, so I would never do it. Then something did come to my mind that I wanted to ask Mom. "Mom?"

"Yes, Aiden."

"You never told me that it was like a base drum was pounding throughout your entire soul until you made contact with Dad?" I say looking for her answer.

"What?" she says raising her eyebrow.

"All day since I first saw her this morning, I have felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest, but it wasn't even my heart beating. It was like I had a drum pounding in my head and through my core all day. It lessened some as the day went on, but then when I was closer to her it got worse and louder again. It didn't finally stop until I held her hand." I explain to my mother as she listens with amazement showing on her face.

"Aiden, I didn't experience that. In fact, I have never heard of the mate bond presenting itself that way." She says now, looking slightly concerned. "Are you sure..." She starts, but then stops herself.

"Really?" I say and then I try to get her to go on. "What do you want to know, Mom?"

"Nothing...I am very happy that you found her. I guess it was the right decision for us to bring her here to the Pack house." She says with a smile, but I can tell she is worried about something.

"What is bothering you though?" I ask again.

"It isn't bothering me. I am curious about what you are telling me." She explains and then she hesitantly goes on. "I was just going to ask if you are sure, but that is a silly question because, of course, you are sure." She pats my arm lightly.

"Yes, I am sure." I tell her reassuringly, but now she has me curious about the way that our bond presented itself to me. Mom has always been a bit of a history buff, especially where it concerns the Moon Goddess, so I have to ask her thoughts. "Why do you think this is so different?"

"I wish I knew, but you know that all mate bonds present themselves slightly differently depending on those chosen by the Moon Goddess to be matched. This could have something to do with Amelia and her background. It can be from the type of bond that the Moon Goddess has forged between the two of you. There are so many possibilities, but the first thing we will need to do is speak with Amelia about what she has felt today, if anything at all. Then it may be time to do a little digging into her history. We need to help our future Luna know as much as she can about where she comes from and understand more about her origins. I don't even know that much about the Silverclaw Pack, but I know some historians that might have more information to help us." Mom tells me going into full Luna mode. She is now not just thinking about me as her son, but as the future Alpha and Amelia as the future Luna.

As I look out at Amelia, I am not sure what I am hoping for except that I want to be with her and I pray she will feel the same. Then I stop...was it her heart that I have been hearing all day? Why would it have been pounding so hard for so much of the day? Was the panic that I felt because I needed to be near her or because she was experiencing that much fear and anxiety? I know that my little Luna has been through countless tragedies and I am sure they have left her scarred, but that was all knowledge that I had gained from simply reading files about her. I need to understand better from her what she has been through so that I can help her start to heal! There are so many questions surrounding Amelia and her life that the King wants answered immediately, but right now all that matters is that I find a way to get her through whatever she is battling so that when she is ready, we can be together completely!