The waitress came back with the bill, and Nox swiped her card without looking, leaving a generous tip as well before standing up.
"Could I give you a ride?" Nox asked Aylin, who nodded. Any minute spent with the Alpha was well spent. Nox smiled at her, helping her out of the booth and guiding her out of Alon, her hand firmly placed on the small of Aylin's back.
They walked out of the cafe`/bistro, heading to an electric blue Aston Martin. A man with ruggedly handsome features, hazel eyes and dark brown hair, dressed in a black suit, walked up to them, handing a black and silver key fob to Nox before entering a black, tinted SUV that was parked near them. The action went completely unnoticed by Aylin, who, as a car enthusiast, felt that her taking the subway to this location today was all so that she could sit in this beautiful beast, something that was beyond her wildest dreams.
"You like cars, it seems," Nox said, watching her expressions with a small smile of amusement. Aylin nodded, her eyes shining with uncontrolled excitement at the sight before her. Nox chuckled, the myriad of expressions on her mate amusing her, especially how she seemed like she would hop up and down in joy any second now.
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In the SUV, Dale, who had handed the key to Nox, watched as Nox not only smiled but laughed, all in one sitting. He did not doubt it now, the beautiful woman next to his Alpha must be her mate! He was so excited and happy for her, as the only other time Alpha Nox smiled was with Alpha Jackson, whose visits could not be as frequent as the pack wished, as they all wanted to see their Alpha relax.
He smiled, before mind-linking Duncan Balor, the Beta of the pack. 'What is it, Dale? I'm kinda busy right now.' Balor said through their link, sounding exhausted. Dale frowned. 'You sound tired, didn't I tell you to make sure you got some rest?' Dale said, his earlier objective forgotten. 'Don't worry, I'll be fine. This isn't what you wanted to talk about though, was it?' Balor spoke, reminding Dale of his objective.
'Right! I'm sure that Alpha Nox has just found her mate! I can see the two of them as we speak.' Duncan jolted at this news, his fatigue forgotten, as he processed what he just heard. If this was true, then it was a blessing from the moon goddess! Their Alpha would finally stop leading the pack alone, which she had done for the past three centuries.
'I'll wait for her to tell me myself, but if this is true, then we have just received the best news since the pack's founding!' He spoke, his chipper tone betraying his excitement. 'I'll start making the necessary preparations to welcome our future Luna to the pack.' Duncan spoke, ready to break off their link, but Dale was still not done.
'Get some rest as well. I better not find out you pulled any form of all-nighter or you'll have hell to pay when I get back.' Dale said, his tone stern in clear admonishment. 'Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll be fine, I promise I'll take some rest.' Duncan said, consoling his mate before he got upset. 'You'd better.' Dale huffed before Duncan broke off their link. Dale then linked Lila, informing her of the news as well, knowing that she'd tell Francene.
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In the Aston Martin, Aylin buzzed with excitement as she ran her hands over the beautiful interior of the car, a squeal of happiness bursting out of her as Nox started the car and the powerful engine roared to life. Nox revved it a little, eager to hear more squeals from Aylin, the sound doing wonders to her ears.
Aylin giggled happily as Nox backed out of the parking lot, the cute, sweet little sound replaying in her head over and over as she committed it to memory. She drove out of the parking lot, eyes on the road as she spoke.
"Do you live here or are you staying at a hotel here?" She asked, breaking Aylin out of her bubble of happiness. A dark shadow crossed her features, dampening her spirit for a second.
"I used to live with Damien, but I can't go back there now, so I don't have anywhere to stay right now." Aylin said, her words igniting a dark wrath in Nox's body, the wrath triggering her pheromones, that spread to Aylin, swirling around her, covering her in Nox's scent like a protective shield and a claim, that Aylin was hers and no-one else's.
Aylin's pheromones responded in kind, wrapping around Nox in turn, both her and her wolf flattered by the Alpha's actions. She shyly placed a hand on her alpha's arm, using it as a support to reach over and kiss Nox on the cheek before speaking, surprised by her own boldness.
"I'm really alright now, don't waste your anger on him, he doesn't deserve such an honour." She spoke, the words having the calming effect desired, and coupled with her own pheromones, made Nox relax completely.
"Alright, we're going to the hotel I stay in. I will take us to a mall first, so we can buy you clothes that match your beauty. How does that sound to you?" Nox said, turning to glance at Aylin before keeping her eyes on the road in front of them.
"Can I get something from the apartment first? There's something I can't leave there." She said, her eyes pleading. Nox sighed, she did not like the idea one bit, but she grudgingly followed Aylin's directions, till they arrived at an ordinary, mildly run-down apartment building. She frowned. This was where her mate used to live?
"I'll be right back." Aylin said, stopping Nox from following her with a kiss to her cheek. Nox thus grumpily sat in the car, waiting somewhat patiently as she watched Aylin disappear into the building. She idly watched people enter and leave the building,looking out for the light-brown hair with blonde highlights that indicated the presence of her mate.
Nearly half an hour had passed and Nox was done being patient. Stepping out of the car, she donned a pair of shades she found in her centre console, locking the car behind her before walking into the building, following her mate's scent as she ascended the stairs.
She got to the fourth floor and could hear muffled yelling and screaming. She followed her mate's scent till she sensed her behind the last door in the lane, where the sound of yelling and screaming seemed to be coming from.
She opened the door, which did not seem to be locked in the slightest, immediately locating her mate, who was shielding herself from a heavyset male. She stepped into the room, her cool look and intimidating aura the only things that hinted at her fury. She opened her arms, and Aylin, seeing that the man was distracted, ran into her mate's arms, shaking, her skin pale and her pupils blown wide, the only expression expressed here being fear.
"Who the fuck are you?" The man asked, his initial shock replaced with anger. Nox ignored the man, turning instead to her mate, asking her softly, in a soothing tone she did not know she could produce;
"Is this Damien?" She asked, gently stroking the shaking omega's hair. Aylin shook her head, answering her mate.
"He's- He's friends with Damien, I've seen him on several occasions, I- I didn't know he'd be in the apartment when I walked in! I-I also had no idea he'd try to force himself on me- I-I couldn't- I couldn't push him far enough away!" Aylin said, the fear her and her wolf felt transmitting to both Nox and her wolf, reigniting the wrath she had previously felt.
"Hey! Don't ignore me , you fucking bitch!" The man said, trying to provoke Nox.
Nox picked Aylin up, positioning her in her arms like a princess and releasing her pheromones so that they comforted and relaxed the trembling omega in her arms. She turned to the man after making sure that Aylin was safe, her glare irritating the man, who lunged at her.
In a swift move that even Aylin didn't see, Nox held the man by the throat, lifting him off the ground with no effort whatsoever, squeezing tighter and tighter as the man gasped for air. Her wolf had wanted to get a hit in as well, extending Nox's nails to claws, digging into the man's neck and drawing blood, satisfying the vexed wolf. Nox turned to Aylin in her arm, the man still gasping for air.
"Do you want me to kill him?" She asked, gaze never leaving Aylin's face. Aylin thought about it. She was not naïve. She knew that once weeds weren't rooted out, they grew to try and kill the good plants. She wasn't gonna let a future security issue grow. After considering all of this, she nodded to Nox, who broke the man's neck in one move, swift and deadly.
Nox mind-linked Dale, who had followed them in the SUV, not irritated at the thought of them trying to guard her, since it came in handy today. 'Dale, get one of you to the fourth floor, you'll find me outside a door. There's a rat that's gonna start stinking up the place, and we can't have that.' Dale instantly knew that that rat, as Alpha Nox called it, must've tried to do something to her mate.
She was ruthless, no doubt, but she rarely killed personally and it was never without good reason. That's just who she was. Benevolent to her allies and Merciless to her adversaries. Dale immediately sent a man to collect the body, heading with him to the fourth floor and meeting the Alpha, who held her still pale mate in her arms with a concerned expression on her face.
The process took no more than five minutes and Nox was back in the car with Aylin, choosing to just drive with Aylin in her lap, since the omega was clinging to her shirt and wouldn't let go, not that Nox had the heart to move her.
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In Nox's arms, Aylin snuggled closer, her fear having long since abated, in fact, it was gone the moment Nox consoled her with her pheromones. She was taking full advantage of the fact that Scarlett wanted to pamper her and she didn't mind the feeling of being pampered by the Alpha. She let out a contented hum, still resisting the urge to burry her nose in Scarlett's scent gland, as that was an incredibly intimate gesture, so she'd leave it for another day.
A ringing noise broke her out of her thoughts, and Scarlett answered the call through the car's sound system, a male voice filling her ears.
"Hey Scar! How are things going over there?" The voice said, and a wave of jealousy washed over a surprised Aylin at the familiarity in that man's voice and the nickname to her mate.
"It's sorted now, in a month or so things should be back to normal. Thanks for the concern, Jack." Scarlett spoke, a small smile on her face, a gesture that made the green vines of jealousy tighten around Aylin's heart. Who was this man? As she was thinking this, a female voice murmured something to the man, it seemed.
"Oh, Scar, I'd called to ask if you were free tomorrow, we can plan a dinner and I'll do the introductions. " Jack spoke.
"Sure thing, tell me when you have the place booked. Will it be here or back in Aspen?" She asked, and Aylin could feel the rising irritation.
"We're already here, so I'll just send you the location. Tomorrow night is fine, right?" Jack asked, to which Scarlett responded.
"Sure. I have introductions to make as well, so that works out fine." She spoke, a smirk on her face that mesmerized Aylin, making her nearly forget her jealousy.
"Damn Scar! I leave you for one day and you've already hitched yourself? Where's the fairness?" Jack whined, making Scarlett chuckle.
"Yeah yeah, you dramatic little shit. See you tomorrow." Scarlett spoke, still smiling.
"Take that back! Anyway, see you tomorrow Scar, I'm excited to see who it is." Jack said, and Nox could tell he was smiling.
"Yeah, same here." Scarlett said, a fond smile on her face as she cut the call.
Aylin was sulking at this point, miffed at the fact that there was a man who could refer to her mate with such an affectionate tone, yet she was supposed to be the only one. And what the hell was with Scarlett's fond smile at the end? That was supposed to be a luxury that was reserved for her only! She already did not like this Jack guy.