Her Werewolf Bodyguard

Chapter 1

12 years later

Ariana stood in the kitchen when the others arrived. A large black SUV pulled into the driveway and five men got out. Her heart skipped a beat, as usual, when her eyes landed on Nick getting out of the passenger side. His jet black hair was combed neatly back, a striking dark against the royal blue button-down shirt and black pants he wore. His face this time was impassive, as it always was when business had to be done. She knew there’d be a smile for her though.

Quickly, she took off her apron and tidied herself in the reflection of the oven. Not that it would matter to Nick. He never looked at her as more than anything but the child he’d rescued all those years ago, but it didn’t stop her from trying. It was frustrating that the only man who didn’t give her the attention she wanted was the only man she wanted attention from. Untying her hair so that it swirled around her face and shoulders, she hopped back over to the stove and took a spoon to taste her sauce.

Mac’s voice could be heard first. She’d always remember Mac as the red wolf who took on Jason and helped save her. “...skull bashed in, blood everywhere. His last words were ‘He wants…’ and something else but it was garbled and I couldn’t understand it.”

“We’ll talk to Liam about it and see if he knows anything.”

Ariana looked up as they passed and smiled. 

Mac, overly gregarious as usual, noticed her cooking and smiled broadly. She gave a tiny wave and her heart thudded once when Nick finally noticed her as well. His impassive expression melted into a soft smile which made his already beautiful face heartbreakingly so. Her breath caught in her throat.

“You guys go on to the den. I’ll catch up.” Nick waved them off and then wandered into the kitchen to lean against the counter. “What are you making?”

She shrugged a shoulder and smiled. “Just a tomato sauce. I’m experimenting. Do you want to try?”

He nodded and walked over to stand over the pot. His scent was intoxicating and she forced herself not to inhale too noticeably. He bent to the spoon and took a small taste, his tongue running over his lips to get the last of the sauce off.

“Delicious, as always. Have you ever thought about doing this for a living? You’d be amazing.”

Ariana laughed and took the spoon away from him. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious,” Nick insisted. “You shouldn’t waste talent like this.”

“But who would take care of Liam?” she protested. 

Nick rolled his eyes. “Liam is the Alpha. He can take care of himself.”

“Yeah, but--”

He cut her off. “I know why you’re here every day, from morning ‘til night. You don’t owe anybody anything. You know that, right?”

She lowered her eyes. She did not know that. 

“If the situation was reversed and your father could’ve come to our pack’s aid he would’ve, no questions asked.”

She turned abruptly back to the sauce and mixed it as if her life depended on it. “I have to do something. I’m the most useless one here. Looking after the house and Liam gives me some sort of purpose.” When he opened his mouth to protest, she cut him off. “I still can’t shift, Nick. There’s something wrong with me.”

He was silent for a moment, thinking of what to say to her. 

“I’m twenty-two. I should’ve been able to do it by at least thirteen.” Tears pricked her eyes as usual when the subject was brought up. 

Nick took her shoulders and turned her back towards him. A thumb and index finger tilting her chin up until she was forced to look at him. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You suffered a lot of trauma at a young age. Maybe that has something to do with it.”

“So, what? I go to therapy? There’s not a lot of werewolf therapists out there.”

“You know you can always talk to me.”

Ariana gave a brief smile and turned away. “You have more important things to attend to than the ramblings of some girl.”

He laughed at that. “Some girl? Come on, Ari, you know you’re important to me. We’re friends and friends are there for each other.” He squeezed her shoulder briefly and then backed away. “I have some business to attend to with the pack but I’ll be back to talk after, okay?”

She nodded and watched him walk out of the kitchen, her eyes straying further down than they should’ve. Somehow it hurt even more when he paid attention to her because it only made it clear to her how much he only regarded the two of them as friends. 

*

She waited around as long as possible, but the door to the den stayed shut long past nine o’clock that night. Whatever business the pack had must have been serious to have them still talking. Taking her jacket off the hook by the front door, she grabbed her purse and headed out to her car. 

Her apartment was in town while Liam’s house was about twenty minutes outside of it. The daily commute took about a half-hour, sometimes forty-five minutes, but she didn’t mind. She turned the music on and just zoned out and it was kind of peaceful. Liam always made sure she had the best and her car certainly was that. 

Her thoughts couldn’t help but stray to her earlier conversation with Nick, about the fact she was descended from one of the most powerful Alpha’s ever and she couldn’t shift. Children could shift. Why couldn’t she? Was Nick right? Was it because of what happened to her when she was a child? Like a mental thing?

It was so frustrating, she wanted to punch something sometimes. It was like that monster Jason took everything from her. Her family, her pack, and now her identity as a wolf. Even though she lived with the Silver Moon pack she was not technically one of them. Liam wouldn’t let her pledge fealty to him until she could shift. It was a source of embarrassment for him, she was sure. He’d treated her like a daughter since she was ten years old, but without her ability to shift she was vulnerable and put the whole pack in jeopardy. She knew he was just waiting for the day it would happen and she was terrified she’d never be able to give him what he wanted.

She sighed and pulled into her building's parking lot and got out of her car. The night air was crisp and cool and she raised her face toward the starry sky and inhaled. Although she couldn’t shift into wolf form, her senses were still heightened. Smell, taste, healing, etc. 

Something was wrong.

She smelled something. Something she hadn’t smelled in a long time. Adrenaline hit her full force and she whirled around. The lot appeared empty but she could still smell … one of them. Was it Jason? Or Derek? It had been so long ago and their scents had intermingled with each other. 

Something whirred past her, knocking into her shoulder. She stumbled backward into her car. Nick. She needed Nick. Digging around in her purse for her phone, she closed around it but never got the chance to use it. Something barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. Her hands skidded over the asphalt and her phone went flying across the lot. Rolling over onto her side, a shadow fell over her and she looked up. The last thing she saw before everything went dark was a black outline of a man against the streetlight.