FULL NOVELXO Chapter 37 - The Council
It’s a week after the fire incident and I am on my way to visit Kaden again. I have not seen him in four days and there is a restless need within me to be close to him again, to feel him and touch him, breathe in his scent as he holds me close.
Matt parks the car overfilling with supplies as I thank him for the lift, getting out to see that the evening sky had darkened slightly. Although it was still light outside, I could see the moon peeking out from the clouds drifting past it.
I walk through the gap in the tree line, greeting some of the boys who are working on the house. Kaden is so lucky to have such amazing friends who are there for him even in the hardest of times. The house is quickly being fixed and my guess is that it will be back to normal again by next week because they are all using their supernatural speed.
I had a major in-class exam this week and thankfully Kaden understood why I couldn’t come over. My whole time was spent studying and although I feel like I didn’t do well, I tried to remain positive and hopeful. But now, I’m free to see my mate again and my body is already tingling in excitement.
I thank Chris as he holds the front door open for me before passing me. Stepping into the house, I see that the stairs are completely done and the inside of the house is clean from the black soot that covered it before.
“Kaden?” I call, placing my bag on his couch before walking to the patio doors to see if he was sitting outside.
“Hey, Luna. He’s in the woods.” Owen smiles, nodding towards the forest.
I thank him and start making my way into the woods, the eerie atmosphere scaring me slightly. I can see numerous guards placed around Kaden’s home, my eyes widening at how excellent they were at hiding in the shadows.
Continuing on, it doesn’t take me long to find him. But this time, it’s Ajax who greets me instead of Kaden. I realize it’s a full moon and Kaden can shift whenever he wants today. His ears perk up before relaxing, acknowledging my presence before he stands.
Something is terribly wrong.
I stare into Ajax’s eyes and they’re not the vibrant blue I’m familiar with, instead they are stormy and filled with hurt and sadness. The bond twists achingly the second his eyes meet mine and I frown at the emotion I’m feeling from Kaden, who is no doubt residing in the back of Ajax’s mind.
“Hi, Ajax.” I smile softly, scratching behind his ear when he walks up to me.
He purrs in content before nuzzling his head against my stomach, tongue darting out to lick my cheek making me shriek in surprise. I laugh and wipe my skin with the end of my jumper, patting his head as he sits back down on the grass.
“What’s wrong?” I finally ask after a few minutes of silence.
“Human is in pain. He shifted when he couldn’t take it anymore.” Ajax replies, closing his eyes as I run my hand through his fur.
“What? Why?” I whisper, biting my lip in worry.
Ajax opens his eyes again but they glaze over momentarily before he looks back at me. Standing, he nuzzles my neck before licking my mark. I smile softly, pressing a kiss to his head which elicits another purr.
“I love you, little mate.”
“You’re leaving?” I pout, wanting to spend more time with the gentle creature.
He nods, understanding in his eyes rather than the frustration he mostly shows whenever Kaden wants to take back control on a full moon. My body stiffens at that, realizing that if whatever happened was enough for Ajax to obey without complaints then it must be serious.
We say out goodbyes before he walks away to change behind a tree. I wait in the clearing for him, my ears picking up on the sounds of bones breaking and clothes rustling. I look up when Kaden makes his way back to me, trying hard not to let any emotion slip past the tough mask he had put on.
“Kaden...what’s wrong?” I murmur worriedly, grabbing his hand the second he’s near.
“Not here. Let’s go back to the house.” He murmurs, grabbing my hand and leading me back.
We make it to the house in no time and head up the stairs into his now clean bedroom. He sighs and takes a seat on the bed, turning to face me and it’s only then that I notice fear in his eyes. For the first time since I met him, Kaden is scared. My chest tightens in pain and I cup his cheek, rubbing the pad of my thumb across his clean shaved skin. He lets out a shuddering breath before closing his eyes and pulling me down so that he can rest his forehead against mine.
“What happened?” I whisper, fear rising within me when he only shakes his head and wraps his arms around my waist.
I straddle his waist and wrap one arm around his neck, caressing his cheek with my right hand. I let him take his time as he hides his face in the crook of my neck and inhales my scent deeply. His once tensed muscles start to relax slowly and I stroke his hair to help him calm down.
But just when I start to think he’s okay, his body starts to tremble and a broken sob finally escapes him. I gasp quietly and my own eyes start to fill up with tears over hearing him cry. He holds onto me tighter and I let him cry out his frustration and anger, his body wracking with sobs as he lets his tears fall on my shoulder.
I don’t hush him or tell him to stop, I just hold him because I know that him letting it out will make him feel lighter after. So, I support him and rub his back in soothing circles, pressing kisses to his temple and cheek every now and then.
“I-I didn’t do it Luna, why can’t they just leave me alone?” He whispers, pain etched in his voice.
“Who Kaden? Tell me what’s got you so upset?” I reply, pulling away and wiping his tears with my thumbs.
He doesn’t answer and instead takes out a folded piece of paper from under his pillow. I then notice that his hands are shaking and his breathing is becoming short and panicked which makes me take the paper out of his hands and set it aside on the bed.
“There’s a panel of elder supernatural creatures called The Council in our world. I received this letter from them today.” He sighs, pulling away but refusing to meet my eyes. “They’re summoning me to court, Luna.”
“What? Why?” I frown in confusion, glancing at the white piece of paper that lies abandoned on the blanket.
“There’s been twenty-three murders around the world in some packs. I didn’t know about this until I got the letter.” He replies shakily, absentmindedly rubbing my waist.
“That’s horrible...but Kaden, how does this concern you?”
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “My father was once a good Alpha. I’m an only child so it made me the heir to take over his position one day. Everything was perfect, we were all happy...but one day it all fell apart.”
My attention was solely on Kaden as he opens up to me about his past. His eyes hold a faraway look and I can feel our bond twisting slightly in sorrow and immense hatred.
“My father became greedy and craved to have power over all other packs. My mother tried to stop him but ended up getting killed by her own mate.” He growls, a shocked gasp escaping me. “He started training me, but used harsh and brutal ways. The whole pack could tell that he feared something or someone. When I couldn’t bear the training anymore and begged him to stop, I was punished. That’s how I got those scars.”
“Oh Kaden...” I sigh sadly, hating the way how he tried to act like nothing troubled him.
“The Alphas of the affected packs are the ones my father tried to take over a few years ago. They knew I had been thrown out of the pack but they think that these murders are my doing so they all got together and raised the matter to the Council.” His voice is now shaky and weak and my heart hurts to see him like this, he looks so broken and confused. “The Council sent out investigators to these packs and they found many rogues camping out by the next territory. After being tortured, every one of them said that I had sent them to destroy those packs.”
“How long has this been happening? Did they say when these murders started?” I ask, grabbing the letter and scanning the words.
“Since July, but I moved to Berlin last May.” He rubs his face tiredly, staring at the letter I’m reading with confusion.
“Won’t evidence of you moving here be enough for them to drop the case?” I ask, putting the letter back down on the bed.
He shakes his head with a heavy sigh. “I flew out of the country a few times for my business. They’re probably going to do a whole search of when I moved here, where I went and who I met.”
“Were you in the same places where these murders have taken place?” I ask, trying to make sense of this situation.
“No. Most of my meetings were either in America, Canada or Australia. These are all over the major European countries.”
“Okay, but they would probably counteract that with the fact that you may have connections and hired those rogues, which you didn’t, but it’s what they’ll think.” I bite my lip as I rack my brain to come up with some sort of solution. “You need a solid defence before you go. When is it by the way?”
“I have to fly out next week and once they ask me about where I’ve been then I’m assuming I’ll be coming back with investigators.” He explains, folding up the letter and putting it back underneath his pillow.
He stands and gently places me on the bed before pacing the length of his room, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “First, Ace tries to burn me alive, the house still needs to be fixed and I can’t leave it all to the guys. I know the rogues is all Ace’s doing, that f*cker! I don’t even know if I can prove I’m innocent. Moon Goddess knows how long Ace has been planning this for. What the hell am I going to do?!”
“Kaden,” I stand quickly and grab his hand, pull him closer so that he stands between my legs. “Please don’t worry so much, everything is going to be alright. We’ll talk to Rico and inform Axel about this letter. Calm down, okay?”
“How am I supposed to calm down when a psychotic idiot is after me and I’m -”
I sigh before pulling him down by the collar of his shirt, making him cry out in surprise. He starts to fall on top of me but I twist us at the right moment, my dark brown hair falling around us like a curtain as I hover above. Cupping his face in both hands, I press light kisses to every inch of his face.
He groans my name softly and I smile, chuckling when he pulls me down so that our lips meet. I slip my hand under his shirt and feel him tense when I caress the side of his waist. Biting softly on his bottom lip, I pull away to trail kisses down his heated skin.
“Fuck...Luna.” He growls, sitting up and smashing his lips to mine in a passionate kiss.
I moan softly and wrap my arms around his neck as he places me on his waist. He runs his tongue across my bottom lip and I immediately open for him, letting his tongue engage in a heated battle with mine. I can feel electricity thrumming between us along with his dominance. Eventually, I let him win and take over the kiss, loving how he pulls me impossibly closer and wraps his arms around me tight.
We pull away gasping for air and I rest my forehead against his, keeping my eyes closed. I feel overwhelmed with how addictive his kisses are and I crave for them all the time. Kaden Reid is my addiction.
“We’ll be okay.” I whisper, pressing a firm kiss to his forehead before pulling him into a hug. “I’ll always be here for you, Kaden.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” He murmurs, pressing a soft kiss to my neck which causes me to shiver.
I lay with him for a while just playing with his hair but when his eyelids start to droop I sit up and cover him with the blanket before tracing my fingertips over his tattoos or caressing his face. He especially loves it when I play with his hair, a sleepy moan escaping his lips as he turns to place his head in my lap.
I chuckle quietly when he nuzzles his cheek against my thigh and lets out a content sigh, his body relaxing completely. When I am sure he is asleep, I gently pull out from under him and replace myself with a pillow under his head.
Making my way downstairs, I see the boys in the sitting room on the couches, taking a break from work. I send them a small smile, asking if they’re hungry to which they nod eagerly. I chuckle and open the fridge, hearing footsteps behind me.
Turning slowly, I stare at the boys who have decided to crowd around me. “Um...what’s wrong?”
“We want to help.” Chris shrugs, a cheeky smile on his lips.
“Let’s make homemade pizzas!” Derek yells, slamming the bag of flour down on the counter.
“When did you get – you guys had this planned?” I ask incredulously, crossing my arms as the boys start rummaging around in the kitchen loudly. “Guys, quieten down. Kaden’s sleeping upstairs.”
“What happened anyways? A letter came for him midday and he became really quiet after that.” Rico questions, taking out some toppings to put on the pizzas.
“Kaden will tell you later.” I smile, not wanting to dampen anyone’s mood.
“Um...how do we make the bases?” Derek asks, biting into an apple as he leans against the counter.
Everyone turns to me and I chuckle, shaking my head as I make space on one of the large counters in Kaden’s kitchen. We work on making the dough from scratch, Rico and Derek rolling the bases after it has set and everyone else preparing the toppings and sides to go with the pizzas.
“Derek!” I whisper-shout, pointing at him with my knife just as he is about to throw a handful of flour on Matt. “Don’t. You. Dare.”
He pouts before nodding, lowering his arm and I smile in satisfaction. And then, there is flour in my hair and on my face. I huff in anger before cracking an egg on top of his head. Derek cries out in surprise before playfully glaring at Chris who is laughing, flinging a slice of cheese at him.
I run crazily between them all, trying to stop one from throwing food at the other. But I only find myself getting smacked with ingredients, my clothes soiled and my hair sticky with ketchup, egg yolks and flour dripping onto my neck.
“Stop it!” I scream, effectively making them freeze.
They look like adorable puppies as they stare at me with a guilty look, mumbling out their apologies. Just then, Axel, Natalie and Leah step into the house before bursting into laughter over the mess we have made. And to make matters worse, Kaden descends the stairs, staring at the mess in shock.
“What the hell?” He growls, glaring at the boys who all point to me.
“Your mate started it!” They all shout, making my jaw drop.
“I didn’t, I tried to stop them!” I yell, glowering murderously at the boys who refuse to meet my eyes.
“Everyone shower one by one whilst we clean up this mess.” Kaden orders, narrowing his eyes at me when I not so subtly punch Derek.
“Luna, get upstairs and shower.” He states, picking up two mushrooms and a slice of cheese from the floor with an unimpressed look.
“Of course, it’s your mate that gets to shower first.” Derek grumbles, whining about how he wants to change out of his dirty clothes.
“Shut up.” Kaden rolls his eyes and as I make my way up the stairs, I stick my tongue out at Derek who glares at me in response.
The sun has set when everyone has showered and now we are all sitting on the couches in the living room, watching a movie. Everyone has their own homemade pizzas and there are sides of fries, spicy chicken wings, mozzarella sticks and a selection of cold drinks.
“Everything okay?” I hear Axel murmur to Kaden, feeling his body tense up before it relaxes. “You’re not paying attention to the movie.”
Kaden doesn’t answer for a while but I know he has to tell Axel and the others of what is happening. I send him an encouraging smile when his hand grips my hip. He sighs and lowers the volume of the television, making everyone protest.
“I’m being summoned to court by the Council.”
“What?!” Axel thunders, making me wince at the loudness of it. “Why?”
Kaden takes out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and hands it to him before turning to the rest of the group and explaining. “The packs that my father tried to take down when he was alive are experiencing deaths of their pack members. The Alphas got together and raised the issue to the Council and they have reason to believe that I am finishing what my father failed to do.”
“That’s bullshit, how can they just blame it on you?” Rico growls, everyone looking just as tensed and worried as him.
“The rogues camping around their borders said that I had sent them. I know this is Ace’s doing.” He snarls angrily, pulling me closer and inhaling my scent.
“We need someone on our side who knows exactly how to deal with the Council. Shit, Dad’s visiting another pack too.” Owen mutters, running a hand through his hair.
“I know someone.” Kaden states quietly, a faraway look in his eyes.
“Who?” Natalie questions, taking a bite of her pizza.
“Vulcan Romanov.” He smirks humorlessly, exchanging a knowing look with Axel and Rico. “Looks like I’ll be flying to New York tomorrow.”