Leader of the Pack Ch. 25

Okay guys, I am sorry about all the chapters that I posted so quick without a proofread. I kinda hammered them out relentlessly and just posted them. I'd like to let you all know that I currently have an editor looking over the entire manuscript so far and I will eventually go back to the beginning, add proper foreshadowing (now that I know how it ends!) and fix the issues that I've found and that people have so kindly pointed out. At this time feedback on intrinsic issues is much more helpful than "did you notice that comma splice on page 2" , but comment as you like. All is helpful. Although the edited version is not the exact same thing as what you're currently reading. Changes were and will be made. I might actually send this out to see if some lovely publisher somewhere will be interested in putting it to good use. So I don't know if the edit will make it to Lit or not. We'll see. Until then keep reading, keep commenting, try and ignore the spelling and grammar. Sorry. It happens when you write so much in one sitting and your brain works faster than your fingers.

Also I'd like to dedicate this chapter to all those lovely readers who begged me to let Cullen and Aislinn have "wittens". That's what you guys are calling them. I didn't come up with that one!

*

The pack at large slept significantly later than they normally would have slept. There was almost no one interested in breakfast. Cullen actually opened his eyes at roughly the same time he normally would have. But he growled at himself, wrapped Aislinn more tightly in his arms, and went back to sleep as he listened to her purr and breathed in her scent.

Around noon a few of the omegas knocked on the main door to the alpha's room. If the bedroom door hadn't been left slightly open on the sitting room they probably wouldn't have heard the knock. An annoyed growl from inside almost sent them away but then Aislinn called come in. Cullen grinned without opening his eyes. He liked the fact that she was getting confident enough to speak up like this was her room as well as his.

Aislinn sat up, holding the blanket over herself to see who it was. Cullen growled and tried to pull her back down in the bed. "Whoever it is it can't be good. You should have let me scare them away."

Aislinn sighed. "But there are so many people here. We should be downstairs already."

Cullen popped one eye open. "That's my line." He rolled onto his back and looked at her. "What had Makeda been telling you?"

"What makes you think it was Makeda?" Aislinn grinned and headed for his door, taking the blanket with her and wrapping it around herself, to see what was going on. He watched her in amazement. She had come a long way in so short a time.

When Aislinn poked her head out the bedroom into the main room, there were three omegas bringing food in. "What's this?" She walked out of the door and toward the little group.

The man who seemed to be in charge looked distressed when he saw her standing there. "You don't have to get up, Mistress. We'll bring it in to you. Keith sent up breakfast or lunch. There's a little of both."

Aislinn smiled and headed back into the bedroom. Cullen was lying there with his hands behind his head, not caring that he was completely naked and there were three people walking in behind Aislinn. He was impressed when Aislinn completely ignored the looks he got from the pretty omega who was helping with the trays. Aislinn got back into bed and laid down against Cullen's side, putting her head on his shoulder and draping her arm across him, taking the blanket she had wrapped around her with it and covering the parts of Cullen she didn't want the girl to look at. Cullen grinned and kissed the top of her head. She wasn't really jealous or upset by the situation. Just making sure the girl was aware of the fact that he was claimed.

Cullen sat up, forcing Aislinn to sit up as well. She was meticulous about keeping herself covered. Cullen figured that it would be a long time before she got completely over that. There was a small possessive part of his brain that kind of liked the fact that she kept herself for him. Then there was the lycan part of his brain that was amused and wondered why she thought she needed to cover up. She was beautiful and should appreciate the fact that people enjoyed looking at her. He leaned over and kissed her cheek as the omegas set up the trays. She smiled at him knowingly. She had caught the entire thought process and was just keeping her comments to herself. He kissed her again.

The omegas smiled at each other and finished putting the trays of food together. There was way more food than either of them would eat. Aislinn's stomach was bothering her a bit and she wasn't really hungry. But she smiled gratefully at the omegas and said, "thank you" as they left. When she got strange but appreciative looks from them she shook her head. The door closed and Aislinn looked over her plate. "You know it really isn't right that no one ever seems to be grateful of the omegas. I know the rank thing and all is important, but I feel guilty when I say 'thank you' and get looked at as if I've just given someone a present."

Cullen pulled a piece of bacon off the tray and popped it into his mouth as he settled back into the bed. "You're probably right. 'Thank yous' wouldn't kill anyone. But I have to point out that the Arnauk omegas are generally treated better than most. You were just raised with a different idea about rank. If they want to be more appreciated then they should work a little harder and get themselves out of the omega role."

Aislinn looked at him contemplatively then went back to her breakfast. She poked at a waffle covered in strawberries and whipped cream. "So what's on the agenda for today?"

Cullen took in a deep breath and let it out as he thought about that. "Clean up. Why? What are you concerned about?" He could feel she was pushing in a particular direction.

"The books that caused all this trouble are still at Tairneach manor."

He growled. If he had gone after those damn books back when she told him about them in the first place…

She interrupted his thoughts. "Not to mention the original implication was that I was supposed to stop someone else from getting the books away from the Tairneach." There was a level of confidence in her tone that made him look at her differently.

He nodded. "Alright. When we're done eating, we'll head down to the rooms that the Tairneach were put in and get Jenna to tell us where the books are." Then he pulled her to himself and kissed some whipped cream out of the corner of her mouth and licked his lips.

She giggled at him and they ended up laying back in the bed and kissing some more as his hand explored her breasts, pinching at one nipple and then another. He groaned as his cell rang. Aislinn reached over him and picked it up, knowing that he was finding her new sense of initiative amusing. "Yeah," she said into the phone.

"Aislinn?" Keith's voice was a bit bewildered.

She laughed. "Yeah, what do you need?"

Keith laughed with her. "You two didn't finish the ceremony yet. Since when do you qualify to answer the great and mighty alpha phone," he teased.

"Cute," she said offhand as she lay across Cullen's chest and his hands ran over her butt, sliding his fingers between her thighs and probing into more sensitive areas. "I reiterate. What do you need?"

"Oh," Keith teased. "You've been taking lessons on how to talk mean to underlings. Cull can be pretty good at that when he wants. You know, the angry insistent tone, short snippy sentences…"

"Keith," Aislinn insisted. Then her breath hissed out as she stifled a moan when Cullen pressed his fingers against her clit and began circling the little bud. Her legs spread involuntarily as he slid a finger inside her and she accidentally knocked her tray off the bed.

Keith laughed whole-heartedly as he heard the tell-tale hiss of breath and then the crash in the background. "I see. That's pretty much my answer. I just needed to know if and when you two were coming downstairs. But I can tell you're busy."

Aislinn bit her lip and glared at Cullen over her shoulder as he played with her. Cullen laughed and took the phone from her hand, refusing to quit toying with her. "We'll be down in a bit." Keith always asked the same question when he called. Cullen knew the man too well.

"Fine. But do you want anything specific done with the Tairneach in the mean time. They're getting antsy. Jenna's distraught. She keeps asking if she can see her father again. You have any idea what that means?"

Cullen hadn't gotten around to telling the others what Aislinn had told him about how she had dealt with Jenna. "Yeah, I do." His hand slowed in his assault on her body and she looked at him questioningly. "I don't know if she can do it again or not. We'll deal with it when we come down. But you've given us a bargaining chip. That is unless you can get her to give up the books and notes Rafe left behind without arguing."

"I'll see what I can do. I'm pretty bored at the moment. After all the excitement recently this sudden down time is disconcerting," Keith said. Cullen heard some knuckles crack on the other end of the line. "I could do with an interrogation," he said in mock macho mode.

"Don't ruin the fact that she seems willing to call an end to the fighting," Cullen said seriously.

"I'll behave," Keith answered like a kid. "Don't worry. Have fun. Play with Aislinn a bit and then come down to real life. There are a lot of people waiting down here for you. But they're all being patient and understanding."

Cullen and Keith hung up the phone and Cullen tossed it across the room then grabbed Aislinn and flipped her onto her back, knocking the other tray onto the floor beside the bed. Aislinn laughed and tried to get away as he grabbed for her hips.

"Not so fast," he growled and caught her before she could get off the bed.

She giggled and he hiked up her hips, taking a minute to look down at her wet lips before lining himself up and trusting his ready member into her. Aislinn growled happily and pushed back against him. Cullen took his time. Long slow strokes forced greedy moans from Aislinn. She fisted the sheets on the bed and tried to push back on him harder, but he held her hips solidly and tortured her. She wiggled wantonly and he closed his eyes feeling her cunt clamp down on his cock. He brought her to the edge but wouldn't let her come.

Aisinn began begging. "Cullen please," she said desperately. He growled. He couldn't argue any longer. The fluttering of the walls of her sex against his cock was driving him nuts. Her moaning and begging made it impossible for him to resist. He repositioned himself behind her, gripped her hips hard and began thrusting hard and fast. Aislinn's breasts swung with each thrust. She moaned and writhed beneath Cullen. He listened to her voice get more intense and raise in tenor. When he felt her tense beneath him and her cunt clamp down on his engorged cock he doubled his strokes so that they'd both come at the same time. They groaned and their bodies jerked in unison as he emptied himself into her.

Aislinn felt the waves of pleasure flood over her and the heat as he came inside her and she let out one last happy groan before collapsing onto the bed in bliss. She lay there as he fell to the bed next to her. "I don't know how I survived without you," she said in a soft serious tone.

Cullen didn't know why what she'd said reached into him like it did. Maybe it was the way she said it or the way she felt in the back of his mind when she said it. He pulled her to himself and held her tightly in his arms as they lay cockeyed on the bed. He kissed her shoulder and nibbled lightly at the scared mark he had left there. "I love you too," he said softly in return.

***

They showered quickly, forcing themselves to behave. Though, Cullen couldn't resist a little extra soap on the areas of her body that he liked best. By the time they got downstairs pretty much everyone was in the great room talking about what had happened the night before. Sarah was still laid up so Keith had helped Cadifor deal with the majority of the questions. In the end Cullen only had to smile, nod, apologize for having invited everyone to a battle instead of a mating and play the role of diplomatic host again.

The room full of people were in an oddly good mood for what had happed. Lycan's in general didn't mind a good fight as long as they won and since there were relatively few casualties, thanks to the druids, the minimal loss wasn't bringing down the atmosphere. The druids and the lycans mingled and talked. The druids wanted as much information about lycan culture as could be absorbed in an afternoon and there was no one who begrudged them answers after all the lives they'd saved the night before.

There was almost the feel of a family reunion about the place. Cadifor was smiling widely. The entire affair had gone better than he had ever dreamed it could. Cullen stood next to him and just watched all the different alphas and the druids talking in friendly tones.

"Nothing unites people like a common enemy," Cullen said flatly. "Will it continue to be this pleasant once the excitement has died down?"

"Don't be so pessimistic," Cadifor scolded. "A good start is better than what we had, however the start may have occurred."

Cullen nodded and looked around the room. She was standing near the large fireplace at the far end, flirting with Makeda. "Those two have certainly taken to each other," he said with a hint of jealousy. Aislinn looked up from her conversation and met his gaze. There was some amusement in the back of his mind. Then she went back to her talking with Makeda.

"Makeda tends to have that effect on people. I should know. I must say she has taken to Aislinn more than I would have expected." Cadifor grinned. "They do put on a good show. You'd best keep an eye on that one. Someone's liable to try and grab her from you." Cadifor's eyes never left the two women.

"She's already claimed," Cullen reminded him in low tones.

Cadifor laughed and looked at Cullen again. "So she is," he said and clapped Cullen on the shoulder. "I intend to be here for the actual finish of what you started last night. I'll not miss a chance to taste her when you're willing to share."

Cullen nodded feeling increasingly more possessive by the minute. Then there was a quiet voice in his mind. You've nothing to be concerned about, she said to him. Cadifor smells like wet hound dog. Cullen burst out laughing and Cadifor looked at him with curiosity. "Private joke," Cullen responded to Cadifor's quizzical stare.

After a reasonable amount of time and mingling the four alphas headed down a guarded hall. There were betas stationed at each door in the hall. Cullen knew that if he walked outside he would find a similar lineup of betas by the windows as well. Due to the fact that the rooms ended up being used as prisons the omegas that would have been in this hall were sharing rooms in a different wing. It had been incredibly inconvenient considering the number of extra guests they already had and the fact that they had to have guards. But the feds hadn't shown up this time and there had been enough high ranking lycans to watch them. So it worked out, if not well.

Cullen looked at Cadifor. "I just thought of something. Did you call the feds off?"

"What?"

Cullen got a concerned look and Aislinn sighed in frustration as she understood what he was concerned about. He could feel the 'I told you so' coming from her. But she didn't say it. "I usually get a call from Stevens when there's any commotion. This is the first time in years that I haven't heard from them when there was some kind of uproar. And when you consider the reports they received and the fact that the Council was involved with them, it's just strange."

Cadifor nodded. "I'll look into it," he said.

As they reached Jenna's door Keith was coming out. He shook his head. "She's not really in a talking mood. I was nice about it," he said in answer to Cullen's raised eyebrows. Keith's usually mirthful voice was somber. "That's not the same Jenna." He looked at Aislinn. "Whatever happened with you two really hit her hard. She's a real downer at the moment. She won't talk to me at all. She either asks about Aislinn or sits crying." Keith stretched. "Now that you're all here acting nice and concerned I can go back to me. I don't like the serious bit. It just doesn't feel right."

When Cadifor looked at Aislinn questioningly she shrugged, trying to make the situation seem less dramatic. "She finally really talked to her father. I don't think she expected what she heard."

Cullen snorted. "If Brennus came to his sensed and stopped coddling her then I can only imagine."

Cadifor and the others looked confused. "Brennus is dead," he said harshly.

Cullen gave Aislinn a gaze that told her to just explain. Aislinn took a deep breath. "It seems that one of my talents involves," she paused while she thought about how to say it. "I can call the dead." She looked over at Cullen and felt a tug at her soul as she remembered the night before. He had been dead. She didn't really know how she had brought him back. But he had been dead. She fully intended to talk with someone in the Circle about what had happened. But for now she was just grateful that it had. Cullen looked at her uncertainly in the silence. She hadn't told him and he didn't seem to know. "I took Jenna into the stone circle and called her father's soul to her. I didn't really know if it would work or that I could definitely do it. But there have been enough times lately that I had an idea and it just worked out. So I tried it and there he was. Brennus Tairneach. Something tells me though there was more to it than just me. Don't ask me to explain, because I really don't have the answers. I just know I can do it."

Makeda looked at Aislinn with a new light in her eyes. "Talking to the dead can be a very powerful skill. When added to your other apparent talents, woman, one has to wonder exactly how powerful you truly are."

They all stared at her and Aislinn was getting uncomfortable. "You're not the only ones wondering that," she said and turned to knock on Jenna's door. She wanted out of this conversation. There was no answer.

Aislinn opened the door and stepped in. They others decided to wait in the hall. But Cullen kept the door open so that he could keep an eye on things. Jenna was sitting on the bed staring at the window with her knees drawn up to her chest and tear streaks on her cheeks. She had the red ruby ring in her hands and was twisting it round and round with a lost look on her face as she stared out the window.

"Jenna," Aislinn said softly.

Jenna turned her head to see if it really was Aislinn. She had been hoping to see her again. Though she figured after everything that had happened there was no way Aislinn would be willing to speak with her. Jenna knew that if their positions had been reversed she wouldn't want to. "I didn't think you'd come."

Aislinn shrugged. "Keith said that you wanted to talk to me about your father."

Jenna's eyes lit up when she realized that there might be a possibility that Aislinn would let her talk to him again. Though she was cautious. If their positions had been reversed there was a very good chance Jenna would just torment Aislinn with it and then leave. It was either that or Aislinn wanted something. Jenna felt a bit of hope when she realized that she still had one bargaining chip. Keith had been trying to get the books out of her. Jenna was willing to bet that was what Aislinn was here about as well. Afterall she was the druid. Not Keith. "Will you take me to him again?"