Strip me bare, Alpha

Chapter 21

“Christ” The Beta –well, former Beta- huffed and rose from the couch. He rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension off his muscles, and paced around the room.

What was he going to do, knowing that Donovan, Jade, Volk and Macy were walking straight into a death trap and not being able to do anything? Jake was going crazier each passing second, and Aiden observing him wasn’t helping at all. He whipped around to bark something at him, but he beat him to it.

“The only thing preventing you to help them is you”

“What?”

“You’re not Donovan’s Beta anymore. You don’t have to follow his order of staying here, babysitting me”

Jake chuckled sarcastically, although Aiden had a point. “Right, so you can escape”

“If Donovan loses, I lose. Why would I want that? I told him I’d help, but he’s too bullheaded to actually listen. And he made a mistake”

Ire rose on Jake’s chest. “Yes, his mistake was listening to you! Did you use those magic stones on him too?”

“The only stone I’m wearing is the one that prevents werewolves to feel my scent, the one that brings my other half to light. Donovan made the decision on his own, but I didn’t mean that. He made a mistake by not taking you with him,” When Jake froze at his words, Aiden continued. “The thing is, you do can do something. You can listen to me, we can make a plan and we can go help Donovan take that motherfucker down, or you can stay here and torture yourself about not doing anything. Chose carefully, chose as the intelligent Beta you are, because your decision can change your friends’ fates”

Damn him and his hypnotic voice.

“What do you suggest we do?”

Aiden grinned. “Technically, you’re the Alpha while Donovan is not on duty, so it’s your word that matters instead of that of those twins. I suggest you tell the pack your situation, you tell them their Alpha and Luna’s lives, as well as their own, are in danger, and you recruit whoever is willing to fight. And then we head over Ravens’ territory before shit hits the fan”

Jake exhaled. Listen to him, Jake. He’s right. I feel a weird sort of comfort in his words.

Me too.

“So? You in or not?”

“Yes,” He nodded. Adrenaline and relief and hope pumped in his veins. We can do this. “I’m in”

“Great” Aiden nodded too, and suddenly stood up. Jake was tall –not as tall or broad-shouldered as Donovan, but still tall-, but this guy was tall. Tall and lean and what he lacked in bulky muscle (even though he did have the faint lines of a really nice musculature) Jake imagined he made up in agility and speed. He had, after all, climbed inside Donovan’s house and the trees of the forest to watch the mating ritual without being heard or seen by anyone.

Without Jake noticing it, the hybrid had closed the distance between them. With everything going on he hadn’t taken the time to really see what Aiden looked like. He had jet black hair, rather long in the front but cropped short at the nape, and dark chocolate eyes staring straight at his own as if he was searching for something, an aristocratic nose and then his pink, parted lips—

Whoa!

Jake took a step back and snapped out of the daze. No, no, he was definitely into women.

His eyes looked away from Aiden’s lips and focused on his free hands. “Donovan cuffed you. How—“

“He used silver handcuffs,” The other man replied with a slightly husky tone that sent a shock down Jake’s stomach—No. Women. Women. “Silver only works on werewolves, thus only on half of me”