The Alphas Fated Mate

The Bonfire Night

Aria felt the woodsy scent of Liam envelop her senses. "You seriously can’t smell that wonderfully woodsy scent on him?” she asked her friend Bonnie.

“No Aria, and as tempting as it is to sit here all night watching you sniff Liam, I’d really rather go to the lake so I can check out some of those hot country boys we went to school with. So get your cute little behind off the floor so we can leave,” Bonnie replied, unamused.

"Just let me grab my boots," Aria said as she stood up. She then asked, "Are you riding with us or following?"

"Following that way if one of us wants to leave early the other won’t have to leave too," Bonnie reasoned.

"Sounds like a plan," Aria agreed.

An hour later, Aria pulled into her favorite fishing spot at the lake. It was filling up with all of her old high school friends. Some were gathering wood to make a bonfire for when it got dark. A handful of guys were already fishing off the bank, and a group of girls stood nearby, immersed in gossip. Bonnie had already parked and made her way over to join the girls’ chatter.

Climbing out of her truck, Aria held the door open for Liam before unloading her fishing gear. She cast out her lines, then decided to go mingle with the girls. Other than Bonnie, she didn’t know them very well. They’d all run in the same circles back in school but weren’t close.

A couple girls nodded at Aria, acknowledging her. One who was clearly feeling tipsy threw her arms around Aria's neck, pulling her into an awkward hug. Bonnie gently directed the girl's attention elsewhere, "Jenna, I think I just saw Paul pull-in. Didn’t you tell me you were looking for him?”

Jenna's eyes lit up as she slurred, "Yeah, where is he?" She locked eyes on Paul in the parking lot, straightened up, and sauntered over trying her best sexy strut.

Aria mouthed “Thank you!” to Bonnie, who mouthed back “Any time,” before returning to her conversation.

"Poor Paul, he has no clue Hurricane Jenna’s about to hit him," another girl named Maddy giggled beside Aria.

"I feel bad for him, but I really didn’t want her spilling that beer down my back," Aria replied with a smile.

"So what’s your dog’s name?" Maddy asked.

Looking at Liam standing attentively beside her, Aria answered, "Oh this is Liam."

"Cool name. So what kind of dog is he?”

"I'm not sure. I found him hurt in the woods beside my house a few days ago and he’s just been with me since. Mr. Harris thinks he might be a wolf hybrid.”

"Wow that’s nice of you to take him in. I’d have been frightened to go near him if I’d seen him in the woods. He’s just so large!" Maddy exclaimed.

"I didn’t even think of him being dangerous. I heard his howls and just felt the need to help,” Aria explained. She thought about it—who honestly runs into the woods like that? Most people would’ve heard the howl and ran inside, but she'd felt compelled to help.

Maddy broke into her thoughts, "Well you’re definitely braver than me."

"Maybe," Aria replied, clearly distracted. Could it really be that simple—that she was just braver? It seemed like something more, yet she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She looked down at Liam, his ocean blue eyes on hers. So breath-taking, with far more wisdom behind them than a dog should have.

"Blu, don’t look now but Trace just arrived," Bonnie whispered in her ear. At the same time, Liam broke eye contact, turning his attention towards the parking lot.

"He isn’t coming this way is he?" Aria asked, turning to Bonnie instead of looking for Trace herself. She needed to be sure he was at a safe distance. When Bonnie didn’t answer right away, she asked more urgently, "He isn’t coming over here is he, Bon?"

Hearing the quiver in Aria's voice and the use of her full name instead of her nickname, Bonnie finally refocused on her friend. "No, he’s not coming over ... yet. But he hasn’t taken his eyes off you since he noticed your truck in the parking lot."

"Crap! I really hope he isn’t moronic enough to make a scene with everyone here.”

"He has that oh so perfect reputation to uphold so I doubt he will," Bonnie reasoned.

"That’s true, he likes everyone to think he’s the good guy."

Aria kept her distance from Trace, sticking close to Liam and Bonnie, until it started getting dark. Most people gravitated towards the roaring bonfire or snuck off into the woods for alone time, like Bonnie, who was now having a “talk” with her high school crush behind some trees.

So Aria sat on the bank with Liam, trying to avoid the rowdy group by the fire that included Trace. Every time she checked that he was at a safe distance, she found his eyes watching her, a wicked grin on his face. How she ever fell for his good guy act, she didn’t know. Seeing him now, there was no question he was bad news.

Making sure he wasn’t looking, Aria snuck off into the dark to do some fishing. With no moon, the lake was cloaked in blackness so she knew Trace couldn’t see her. Feeling secure, she settled on the grass with Liam beside her.

Running her fingers through his fur, Aria felt Liam tense. Was he growling at her? No, he wouldn’t. Looking around, she nearly growled herself when she saw who had Liam’s gaze locked on.

Walking right towards them with that cocky grin was Trace.

Aria snapped back to alertness as Liam stood, growling with pinned back ears. Keeping her hand stroking his fur and schooling her emotions, she looked up. "What do you want?"

"We have some unfinished business, Aria. I thought I’d come keep you company and we can finish what we started,” Trace said, a wicked gleam in his eyes that sent a shiver through her.

Not wanting to seem weak, Aria stood and looked him dead in the eye. "How can you be this thick headed? What from our last encounter would make you think I wanted to spend time with you ever again? Let alone finish what you unsuccessfully tried to start." Liam moved between them, crouched low, ready to pounce with a rumbling growl.

"Now come on Blu you know I was just playing. Just call off your mutt and we can talk this out,” Trace said bravely, daring to step forward. But Liam cut him off, snapping his jaws in warning.

Anger seeped into Aria’s voice. "One, only my family and friends call me Blu and you are neither. Two, Liam is not a mutt. Three, stay the hell away from me, Trace. I’m not interested!" To drive the point home, Liam let out a ferocious growl. Trace put his hands up in defeat and started backing away. He looked furious, clearly not ready to give up, but Liam had won Aria this round.

Once Trace was a safe distance away, Liam relaxed and came over to rub against Aria's side. She slid back down the bank, resting her head on him. She couldn’t help thinking that if she could find a guy even half as loyal and caring as this dog, she’d marry him in a heartbeat. She chuckled to herself—had she really just wished for a guy who acted like a dog? Usually it was the other way around.