The Jaguar's Mate

TWELVE

Olivia slammed the door open and walked into her shack ready to tear someone’s head off. Tamara and Nico were having an agitated conversation when Olivia entered

“OMGoddess Olivia! you were gone all night, seriously?”

Tamara inquired, worried more about their dilemma at hand than Olivia being gone all night, she often spent all night in the jungle.

“Yea Olivia, and why do you reek of wolf?”

Nico asked with one eyebrow up and arms crossed. Olivia opened her mouth and closed it again.

“Seriously? You are not going to tell us? You are covered in his smell!”

Tamara whined and closed her arms too

“Did you tell him?”

Nico inquired wondering if Olivia had finally told Aiden the truth and hoping he had reacted properly or he would have to rip his heart out.

“Tell me what?”

Aiden walked inside and stood behind Olivia, close enough so that their bodies touched. 

I DID NOT! SO SHUT IT

Olivia sent her siblings a mental warning and spoke quickly before anyone

“Yes, I did tell him about the Laxton oil company representative that just arrived in town.”

Aiden placed his arm on her shoulder and began to unconsciously rub the side of Olivia’s neck only with his thumb. The gesture was possessive, Nico and Tamara were stunned that Olivia just let it happen, she always hated public displays of affection, even from them. 

“So? Is he going to start digging for the pipeline today himself or something? That is why you two interrupted us? Can’t you do anything without your sister?”

Aiden said with exasperated frustration, they had sent her a mental warning about the man’s arrival right after she had pleasured him. She then flipped her switch and became extremely angry at the fact the guy had arrived, breaking the moment and running back to camp without him being able to do the same for her.

“Excuse me?”

Nico growled the question while Tamara looked at Olivia with her mouth wide open at the fact that Olivia was hesitating her response while both men growled.

“Nico, stop growling please”

Olivia astonished both of her siblings when she reprimanded Nico first instead of Aiden, and a slow smile began to spread on Tamara’s face. 

“Seriously Olie? What about him?”

Nico said outraged, but he also pretended to be hurt, he really wasn’t because he knew the truth.

“You too Aiden, that’s enough”

Olivia said annoyed that this had to be a thing about them and not the actual issue. Aiden immediately stopped growling, and pulled her even closer while he lowered the hand that was in Olivia’s shoulder and placed it above her waist. His hand now rested right under her breast, brushing fingers on the base of her full mounds. Olivia relaxed against him right away.   

Nico whistled in annoyance and Tamara giggled at the sight, this was not their sister.

“Whew okay so what’s the plan?”

Sam’s question broke the silence and everyone turned to look at him as he entered the shack.

Sam became aware that something had happened and then noticed the way Aiden was holding Olivia like he owned her.

“Alpha, are you okay?”

Sam asked, genuinely concerned that Olivia had put him under some sort of spell because he was acting like he owned a woman they had just met a couple of days ago. 

“I am okay Sam. Tamara and Nico where just going to explain why they interrupted us”

Another growl escaped Aiden’s throat and everyone flinched unexpectedly

“Aiden!! Enough! Please tell me where the guy is and at what time he arrived”

Olivia’s reprimand quieted Aiden but he did not loosen his hold on her. It was Tamara who spoke next

“It is not just that he showed up. The excavation and site preparation construction company seems to have been hired. They have begun to transport the machinery needed to clear the land. So far there are a few forestry mowers, a couple of bulldozers, some track carriers and stomp grinders, ohh and also--”

“ALRIGHT! I think we get it Tami!”

Olivia responded furiously, they were planning to clear sections of the forest floor already and there hadn’t even been a contract signed for the land yet. 

“Olivia, that's not the worst part...”

Nico said cautiously as Olivia’s eyes were flickering yellow with anger

“What could be worse??”

“I went to town last night when I heard he arrived. He arrived shortly after you two went to look for the elder but I didn’t want you to be distracted so that’s why I waited until morning. He of course didn’t know me but I remembered him from the picture you showed me. Olie… he isn’t human”

Nico said so with worry, something he not always showed.

“Was he a werejaguar or a werewolf?”

Aiden asked more so because he was worried that another male jaguar would show up and take Olivia from him. The selfish thought made him feel guilty and suspicious at his odd attachment to her. 

“No. he smelled different, a mixture between wizard and something else. I couldn’t recognize the other scent though.”

Nico said so with a frown, he did not like this one bit. 

“Okay well let’s not overthink anything. He has no legal right to this land yet, so that is where our focus should be. The government is already under pressure with the protests organized in the city and we are getting more and more people every day for the protest here. On the other hand we unfortunately did not find a trace of the elder last night, we looked almost all night. So we need to keep searching and figure out who will be chosen as the next elder if she does not show up or if we find a body.”

“Are you sure you guys weren’t distracted and looked thoroughly?”

It was Sam who asked the question, but he directed it towards Olivia, an unspoken accusation in his voice. Tamara opened her eyes wide in expectation of Olivia’s reaction and Nico stifled a snort.

“Sam, are you questioning your Alpha’s ability to track?”

Aiden spoke with steel in his voice and Sam realized he wouldn’t be able to investigate Olivia’s intentions with Aiden present. 

“No Alpha. Sorry.” 

Olivia let out a sigh

“Sam, the woman we are looking for is called Maria. We have known her for many years and she is very kind. I am very worried about her and really hope we found her alive, because she would never sign up these lands for money or power. I am not sure I can say that about everyone.”

Sam nodded, still unsure about Olivia’s intentions. 

“This is what we will do. Tamara, Aiden and Sam go and speak with the pack and the humans at the camp. Move everyone to the area where the machinery has been placed. Nico, go into town and organize another search party for the elder that extends to the two neighboring towns. I will go speak with the Laxton representative, I’m guessing he is at the 5 star hostel isn’t he?”

Olivia gave away the instructions with so much authority that Aiden was speechless, was she telling him, an Alpha, what to do?

“Yes Olie, he is. I should go with you since we don’t know what we are dealing with”

Nico said so more than asked.

“No, I am going with her and you can keep your task. Sam and Tamara I’m sure won’t have a problem dealing with the pack and the humans on their own.”

Aiden spoke in an uncompromising voice and everyone knew they wouldn’t be able to convince him to separate from Olivia.

“Fine. That will work out, let’s go.”

Olivia spoke trying to suppress the relief she felt at the fact he did not want to part from her. She walked out of the room and everyone followed her out, parting ways so that each could complete their task. 

Aiden reached for her hand and intertwined his fingers through hers as they walked to town.

“Olivia about before--”

“Aiden stop, we don’t need to discuss that”

“I know. I just want you to know that it meant something to me. All of it. I would go on that exact same run with you over and over again.”

Olivia looked at him sideways and smiled when she spoke

“Well, we can continue searching. And when we are done searching we can go hunting”

He smiled back at her, glad she seemed to feel the same way even if she did not say so. 

“Olivia there is something I need to ask you..”

He hesitated unsure how to approach the topic without being rude 

“What’s the matter?”

Olivia asked trying to keep an even tone, she hoped he hadn’t realized she was his mate yet, she needed more time.

“Helios has been insisting quite a lot. He wants to know if you would be willing to let him smell your scent. Please.”

Aiden spoke every word carefully, trying to read her facial expressions, which seemed like a mask, except for the flash of what he thought might have been fear.

“Aiden...I..I can’t do that. It's really dangerous with this many people around, especially near the jungle with other male jaguars possibly present.”

She half-lied. She could obviously find a way or take him deep into the jungle or be careful, but she wasn’t ready for the commitment he would ask of her. She knew that the moment he recognized her, he would want to mark her and become even more protective and controlling, after all that was the wolf’s nature.

“I thought you could smell a male jaguar, that they couldn’t cover their scent completely?”

“Yes we can, but if they are in proximity. The females have a stronger scent and we have been hiding it for so many generations now that when they smell it, it's very obvious.”

Aiden stayed silent, he didn’t want to put her in danger but he felt she didn’t want him to know either.

Olivia felt so guilty about the exchange, so she thought she should give him something to hold on to. 

“What about this, let’s take this week in our nightly runs to find a safe spot, free of people and possible jaguars, so I can release my scent for Helios.”

“And for me??”

Aiden said with a whine that didn’t fit him and Olivia laughed softly.

“Silly, you are the wolf, and the wolf is you!”

He smiled and yanked her closer to him, they had arrived at the hostel. The walk seemed shorter than he remembered after running for miles in the jungle, she sighed.

“Ready to talk to this guy?”

“Ready”.

...

The man sat in front of his computer trying to coordinate the arrival of the rest of his team by the end of the week. Moving the machinery to start the land clearing had not been a problem, but they were still working to clear the permits with the government because of the locals. Having an indigenous community involved in the affairs of the land always proved difficult to overpass, but not impossible. The phone rang and he answered at the second ring.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Jones there is a Ms. Fierro and a Mr. Conley that would like to speak with you”

“Tell them I’ll be down in 5 minutes.”

He hung the phone and gathered his briefcase and laptop, making his way out of the room and down the steps to meet his visitors at the first floor. He knew much about both of them already, his in-town contact had filled him in on Ms. Fierro in depth and every local was willing to talk about her. He knew about the Alpha too, his investigators had done a thorough job of finding all the information needed. The wolf had a reputation in the environmentalist community and it would be hard to fight a PR battle with him as the face of this protest. He had to get rid of him first. 

Olivia and Aiden sat at the small lobby waiting for a man they didn’t really want to talk to. Olivia had convinced Aiden to avoid showing affection to her because she didn’t want the man to look at them unprofessionally or use that to his advantage. Aiden agreed but he didn’t like the fact he wouldn’t be able to demonstrate she was off-limits. 

Olivia twitched her nose and glanced at Aiden, then back towards the steps

“Do you smell that?”

She said in a disgusted whisper

“Yes. I’ll explain later”

Aiden whispered back as the man they both smelled approached them. They stood and shook his hand as they introduced themselves.

“Good morning Mr. Jones, I am Olivia Fierro”

“And I am Aiden Conley”

“Ms. Fierro, Mr. Conley. It’s nice to meet you, please sit. Call me Rick please. How can I help you?”

Olivia could hardly stand the man’s scent, it was repugnant, like hard boiled eggs that had sat in the sun for too long. She did not know how Aiden could handle it so easily. 

“Rick, we noticed your machinery has been moved to the site where you and your company suppose you will clear the land. With all respect Rick, this is an insult to the community and you will only find that it was a waste of time and manpower to move this machinery here. This land will never belong to your company”

Both men stared at Olivia’s blunt and confident response, Aiden felt proud but worried she would anger the man, she clearly did not understand who she was dealing with.

“You must understand our concern here Rick, moving this machinery to the site assumes you will be going through with a project that hasn’t been officially signed.”

Aiden said so more calmly, trying to ease the atmosphere

“Listen Mr. Conley, I have every right to prepare for what is to come, as much as you have mobilized hundreds of people in the protests in the city and more here.”

“Rick, you are forgetting our efforts are noble, while yours well, we know what they are. I have amazing contacts in the renewable energy sector that will be contacting you with proposals that can turn around your company in a staggered manner. That way production and profit will not be affected.”

The man laughed, a slow raspy sound that inflamed Olivia’s eardrums.

“Ms. Fierro that’s truly very kind. However unnecessary as this pipeline will go through as planned, I assure you. Unfortunately I still have work to do, it was nice meeting you.”

Rick stood up, he didn’t want to give much away on the progress they were really making to get the signatures for the land. 

Olivia and Aiden stood up as well, Olivia hiding anger and Aiden apprehension. 

“Your plan won’t work Rick. This land is protected”

Olivia said so with an involuntary growl.

Rick began to walk back towards his room, but first he turned his head only and spoke with malice

“It will, little jaguar. You’ll see.”

As he walked up the steps Olivia stood frozen in place. Most of the town did not know she was a werejaguar, few people knew. How did this man know her identity?

“Aiden, how does he know?”

She turned to face him, worry in her voice.

“Come on, let’s head outside”

Aiden said as he made his way out, looking behind his back to see if the man was gone. 

“Aiden what is it? How did he know?”

“Olivia, that smell coming from him is because your brother is right, he is not just a wizard. He is also half-demon”.