Lady and the Wolf [Book One, Lady and the Wolf Series] -Published-

Chapter Twenty-One: Confessions

Van smirked when Aiden huffed in defeat. Aira wasn't sure what they were talking about, but she certainly wasn't thrilled to find out.

"Lock the door." Aiden's face showed defeat, and Drake moved to lock the door. They didn't need a nurse to come wondering in when they were in the middle of this little show, Aira supposed.

As soon as they heard the lock click, Van let go of her face, and she turned to watch Aiden. His eyes were closed as if he was concentrating on something and then she all but screamed in terror as she moved towards Van. The man caught her just before she fell out of the bed but put his hands on either side of her head to keep her focused on Aiden. His grip like before was like the Jaws of Life as she tried to look away. Her back was to his chest, and she could feel him chuckling softly at her reaction.

Aiden's teeth had sharpened into canines. His eyes turned to slits like cats. His nails grew into razor sharp claws and even his skin seemed to look thicker, rougher and not... human. If that wasn't supposed to be as scary as what Van and her father could turn into, then she was grateful they had picked Aiden.

"The only difference with Drake and I is we can control what we want to change..." she heard Van mutter and tilting her head when his grip loosened, noticed his fingernails were now sharp, dangerous claws scraping against her temples. They looked even scarier than Aiden's if that were even possible.

She was thankful her father stepped in when he did. Otherwise, she might have passed out again. "Okay, that's enough," he snapped, eyeing Van more so than Aiden. "You're both scaring her."

Aira tried to push the thought away that Van was actually enjoying her reaction. She supposed this was some sort of sick payback for how she treated him over the phone days prior. If that were so, she was glad she had hung up on him.

After her father had stepped in everything was back to normal. They even looked human again, almost, anyway.

Aira had to regain her composure or risk stuttering when she muttered disdainfully, "Next thing you know, you're going to tell me you're a hundred years old." This was insane!

She almost hit the button and called for a nurse when Van and Drake swapped amused looks. "Two hundred, was it?" Drake asked, trying to hide a small laugh.

Van's tone was bored as if he were asked the same question often. "I thought you were keeping count?"

Aira watched in horror as they seriously tried to do the math, determining their age. She was too stunned to even register Aiden's voice as he said, "You know you're old when a doctor and a businessman can't calculate those numbers."

Van didn't find that funny. "Watch it, pup, or you won't live long enough to call yourself old."

Aiden made a zipping motion over his lips and sat back down with a grin. What really made Aira nervous was that they couldn't even remember the year they were born. She made a promise that if BC were in that number, she would make a run for it.

As Drake and Van argued between each other about the years they were born — they were tossing up between 1780 and 1812 — Aira felt Van absentmindedly place his hand on the crown of her head, as if subconsciously trying to calm her down. She looked up and realized she was right. He was still talking to her father as if she didn't exist.

Aira didn't get the chance to think much more about the situation when an uninvited visitor stormed into her hospital room, breaking the lock on the door while they were at it. Her gaze was fully fixed on the gorgeous raven-haired woman as she moved to stand in front of Van, waving a newspaper in front of his face. The woman's frown and creased eyebrows let Aira know Jillian hadn't come to wish her a fast recovery.