The Council Ch. 09

"The confusion you're feeling is natural, Alexei," he said calmly, moving slightly to try and ease the pain in his hip where he'd connected with the ground hard. "The wolf gene brings out your protective instincts where your mate is concerned and you react accordingly when you feel she has been hurt. Protecting your mate is the basest instinct a wolf has."

He watched the vampire's expression carefully still seeing the murderous fury in his eyes but also a hint of alertness, as if he was listening carefully. "You want to hurt me and it's conflicting with your need to protect Cedar," he continued in a soothing tone. "You know that hurting me will hurt her. So you're kind of between a rock and a hard place at the moment. To protect her you need to hurt me and yet, to protect her you can't hurt me."

Alexei growled loudly, fury lancing through him as he took a step back from the wolf. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!" he hissed, beginning to pace up and down in agitation.

He knew what Aaron said was true because he couldn't bring himself to hit the other man again. He wanted to, so very badly, but he kept seeing Cedar's face every time he tried . All this because she had bitten him? He wasn't used to feeling this confused, of having his actions hampered by anything. It was completely infuriating!

"You hurt her!" he finally growled stopping to glare down at the wolf once more. "You had no right!"

Aaron kept his tone even, his expression non confrontational. "We had an argument," he agreed. "Siblings do that, Alexei. We'll sort it out. We always do. Your reaction to it is quite strong though. Possibly because of your vampire genetics at odds with the wolf gene. That could take a bit of work to balance out but I don't see it as an insurmountable problem."

Alexei stared at him with a confused frown on his face. Did insanity run in Cedar's family because her brother sure was talking as if he was a few screws loose somewhere. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Aaron got up tentatively making no sudden moves. "Do you want to continue feeling this level of confusion and irritation?" he asked with a small smile starting to tug at his lips. "You're going to have to work at finding some inner balance with the wolf part of your nature, Alexei. I can help you with it. It's part of my job as Beta to help new pack members integrate."

The vampire stared at him as if he was insane. The stupid dog thought he wanted to join his pack? He didn't know where he got that notion from but he was damned well going to disabuse him of the fact. "I do not want to join your stupid pack," he hissed softly.

That brought a frown to Aaron's face as he considered how to respond. He didn't want to keep the vampire's fury too elevated but Jared's words at the pack meeting were playing on his mind.

"You would force Cedar to leave the pack?" he asked carefully. "Because that's the only option open to her if you can't learn to control your reactions. She would leave in a heartbeat to be with you, Alexei. She's as much as said so already today."

Alexei stared at the wolf in shock. He had no intention of forcing Cedar to leave her pack, her family. He knew how important they were to her, how much it would hurt her to have to give up the only life she knew. He was astounded she would be willing to do that for him.

He opened his mouth and then closed it again. He was suddenly aware that the red hot fury within him was subsiding, that his need to kill the wolf in front of him was easing quickly. Again he was struck by the almost untenable position he was placing his woman in and how she hadn't said one word to him about it. Not one complaint from her sweet lips that she would have to leave everyone and everything she loved because he was too stubborn to bend his ways to accommodate her needs.

He groaned loudly and raked a hand through his hair. "This is because she bit me?" he asked in a calmer tone, though still clearly angered. "You're telling me I have no control over this stupid reaction? "

Sensing the danger point had subsided Aaron relaxed more, his natural humour bubbling up at the vampire's perplexed expression. "You can learn control but the basic emotion is there for good," he answered smiling. "It's usually not that hard to master but like I said, you have your own vampiric nature to have to deal with too so it could take a while longer for you. I can help though."

Alexei stared at him suspiciously. "Why would you want to?" he countered in a quite tone. "I came here to hurt you. If you'd shifted to wolf form I would most probably have killed you." He saw little point in hiding anything from the wolf. He would have killed him if he had shifted.

"Lucky for me I didn't shift then," Aaron remarked drolly shaking the dust off his jeans and quickly checking that all his bones were in one piece. Thankfully he hadn't sustained any real injuries and whatever bruises he'd received would be gone before long.

He looked at the vampire in front of him and sighed deeply. This was Cedar's mate and he couldn't deny it. The best way to make amends with his sister was to help her mate if he could. "I'll help because it's my job in the pack to do so, Alexei," he said quietly. "I'll help because it will make Cedar happy if I do and maybe she'll speak to me again some time soon," he added.

The vampire regarded the wolf, trying to give enough time for the last vestiges of his rage to subside. He almost groaned again when he felt his more logical, cool headed vampire nature regain control. He had almost killed Cedar's brother because he'd lost control. She would have hated him forever if he had hurt Aaron.

He knew he needed to learn how to control the wolf reaction within him. He also knew that he would never allow his wolf to leave behind her life for him either. Which meant he had to learn how to function as part of her family unit, her pack.

That her brother was willing to help him after what he had just done was quite surprising. But then he could see the compassion and responsibility in Aaron Alexander's eyes. He had the same level of commitment to the pack as Cedar did and he appeared to be doubly sincere in wanting to help because it was his sister's mate.

"If you hurt her again I will make you sorry," he finally growled softly, reaching his decision and wondering what the hell Andrei would say when he told him about it.

Aaron smiled. "You know, you never even stopped to ask if she hurt me too," he said ruefully, watching surprise cross the other man's face for an instant. "There are always two sides to any argument, Alexei. It's a good starting point to try and keep that in mind the next time your instincts flare up. It can help you counter the instant aggression long enough for some reasoning to be done."

He started walking back to his car. "Just for the record," he added. "I love Cedar very much. Hurting her isn't something I take any pleasure in doing and it's a very rare occurrence for me to do so and vice versa. I'll stop by tomorrow to speak with her. I was just giving her some time to calm down. She wasn't willing to make up earlier when I tried."

Alexei stared at his retreating back. "When will you help me with this integration?" he asked in a slightly peeved tone. It was bad enough he was going to have to do this for Cedar. Having to ask a wolf for help grated on him immensely. He just wanted to get it over and done with but it appeared Aaron had other ideas. Couldn't they just do it now?

"Where are you supposed to be right now, Alexei?" the wolf countered with a laugh turning to face him as he reached his car and dug into his pocket for his keys.

"Fuck!" Alexei groaned raking a hand through his hair. He'd completely forgotten he was supposed to be feeding his woman. "Out getting her some takeout."

Aaron laughed louder, shaking his head. He'd had a sneaking suspicion that his sister had no idea what her vampire was up to at the moment. "Then I suggest you get to feeding her," he smiled. "I don't have time to teach you tonight, Alexei. I have my mate to pick up and I'm already running late as it is. Plus, it's not an instant thing to learn. It comes with time and practice. I'll arrange a schedule with you tomorrow when I come over."

He climbed into his car, leaving the vampire staring after him as he drove off. He was surprised to find himself amused by the other man. Considering the amount of flak his relationship with his sister could cause the pack, Aaron actually found himself starting to like the vampire.

His fiery temperament was just what his sister needed to keep her in check and he could see how completely lost the other man was when it came to her. Maybe having a vampire in the family wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

*****

Cedar woke up slowly, stretching automatically and turning to burrow in beside Alexei only to find the bed empty and the spot beside her cold. Her eyes flew open and she pushed her errant curls out of her face as she blinked in surprise. She hadn't woken up to empty bed since her vampire had arrived back from Ecuador and she was little perturbed to find him missing. Where the hell was he? Usually he was waking her up with his very talented hands and mouth seducing her body.

She sat up and scented the air, relaxing slightly when she heard the sounds of the coffee machine downstairs. At least he hadn't left without waking her. She started to smile and then she froze as the scents below started registering.

"Fuck!" she hissed, flying out of the bed and grabbing her robe. She could scent Aaron in the house along with Alexei. Her vampire had appeared to be okay last night with the whole fight thing but that didn't mean he wouldn't be tempted to hurt her brother now that they were face to face. Aaron had to be insane coming over to her house. He wasn't stupid, he would know that Alexei wouldn't be pleased that he'd upset her.

She flew down the stairs and then halted in surprise, her mouth gaping open. Her brother was perched at the breakfast bar, an easy smile on his face as Alexei poured out three mugs of coffee. Her eyes were riveted to the vampire, searching for any sign that he was about to explode.

It didn't slip past her notice that her mate was bare-chested with just his jeans on, his hair mussed up as if he'd only dragged his fingers through it to keep it out of the way. He looked so bloody hot she wished her brother wasn't in the room so she could attack his sexy body right there in the kitchen.

But her brother was in the room and she wasn't talking to him. Why Alexei had let him in she had no idea. He knew she was mad at Aaron. She was a bit peeved that her vampire wasn't reacting a little more irately towards her brother. Not that she wanted him to hurt Aaron in anyway but still, he was her mate. He was supposed to feel protective towards her.

Both men turned to face her at the same time, Aaron shooting her a slightly sheepish smile while Alexei let his gaze trail slowly down her body and back up again with a very heated look in his eyes. He immediately abandoned the coffees and crossed the room to her, gathering her body close to his and fastening his mouth securely to hers in a kiss that literally stole the breath from her body.

It was all she could do not to moan out loud as desire immediately rushed through her body. Alexei broke the kiss reluctantly, trailing his tongue lovingly against her bottom lip before he raised his head and smiled his sexy smile at her. "Morning, sweetheart," he said in a slightly husky tone. "You have a visitor."

His reminder that Aaron was present was enough to make her stiffen and move away from him. She glared at her brother, her eyes wintry as she impaled him with her angry gaze. "So I see," she answered tartly moving to retrieve one of the mugs of coffee.

She almost smiled at seeing the three mugs. She wondered if Alexei had heard her wake up or if he'd made three because he intended to wake her after doing so. Probably the former, his hearing was so much better than hers. She turned to regard her brother again.

"What are you doing here, Aaron? I thought I made it more than plain that I didn't want to speak to you yesterday?" Her tone was tart and very unfriendly but it didn't faze her brother one bit.

He grinned at her widely. "That was yesterday," he quipped back. "Today is a whole other day, Cedar."

"I still don't want to talk to you so get out," she snapped irritably turning to look at Alexei. "I can't believe you let him in. I don't know what you were thinking."

"I was thinking that you can't afford to replace a whole new kitchen," he drawled back with a smile tugging at his lips as he joined her across from her brother. "And holding a grudge doesn't strike me as who you are as a person." He dropped a quick kiss on her outraged lips and then picked up his own mug of coffee and sipped with an expression of pleasure crossing his face.

"Come on, sis," Aaron cajoled with his most winning smile. "You know you can't stay mad at me for long and I am really sorry for what I said yesterday. I wasn't thinking straight at the time. I was worrying about Jen and the babies. I know I was totally out of order. I didn't mean what I said, I swear it."

She continued to glare at her brother only she was including her vampire with her dark scowls too. How could Alexei turn into such a traitor overnight? He had been angry with Aaron last night and today he was treating him like they were best buddies?

"I'll fix your cupboard door for you," Aaron smiled, eyeing up the kitchen door which was hanging off one of its hinges. "Unless Alexei wants to do it," he added with a quick glance at the vampire. "You know you're crap at fixing things, Cedar."

Alexei growled softly and speared Aaron with a sharp gaze. "Do I look like a carpenter?" he asked drolly though the thought of trying to repair Cedar's damaged door actually seemed a little appealing.

He growled again and looked at his woman. Was this something to do with the mating thing? Was he suddenly going to want to start building and repairing things for his mate? He would need to ask Aaron about it later but he wouldn't be very pleased if that was how he was going to start reacting. It was just so wrong!

Cedar stared from one to the other as if they had both suddenly grown horns and a forked tail. What on earth was going on between those two? She could feel her anger at her brother waning. His apology was sincere and she understood why he had reacted the way he had. And Alexei was right, she didn't hold grudges.

She sighed deeply and felt herself starting to relax. "Fine, fix the damned door before you leave," she said slightly less tartly than before. "I'd be waiting for hell to freeze over before Alexei got around to doing it."

"Damned straight you would," her vampire retorted with a snort but he was smiling too, obviously pleased with his reconciliation efforts working out so well.

"I'm sorry too, Aaron, about what I said," she continued with an apologetic smile for her brother. "I was just reacting out of hurt. I didn't mean it either. You know how much I love Jen. I'd do anything I could to protect her and the babies."

Aaron jumped down from his stool and walked around to give his sister a warm hug. "I know, sis," he answered quietly, relieved that she was forgiving him and they were okay again. "I was an ass. I promise I'll do my best not to be such an idiot again. I was just worried about you too but I can see now that Alexei will take care of you, even if he is as crap at fixing doors as you are."

His deliberate taunt had the vampire snorting in irritation and pulling open kitchen drawers until he found what he was looking for. The bloody wolf was challenging him and he wasn't about to let him get the better of him. He picked up the screwdriver and proceeded to examine the damaged hinge on the cupboard door.

Cedar burst out laughing, looking from Aaron to Alexei and then back at her brother with a slightly puzzled expression on her face.

Aaron smiled too, pulling his sister away to the seating area and sitting on the sofa beside her as the vampire started to puzzle out how to do some manual work with his hands that didn't consist of ripping someone apart bodily.

"He came to the compound last night," he quietly informed his sister, calming her instantly when she started to react angrily. "No, don't get mad, he didn't hurt me much. It appears the wolf gene is reacting within him and he needs some direction on how to deal with it. I've agreed to help him."

Her mouth dropped open as she stared at him for a long moment and then looked back at her vampire. This was the first real indication that the wolf gene was having any effect on Alexei. She couldn't even begin to imagine how at odds the gene would be with his vampiric nature.

She turned back to her brother with wide eyes. "You're helping him?" she breathed softly.

Aaron smiled gently and brushed her cheek lightly. "He's your mate, Cedar," he sighed. "And it's my job to help new pack members integrate. He doesn't want you to have to give up your pack life so he's willing to learn. For you."

A huge rush of emotion welled up inside of her and she felt her eyes fill with tears. Aaron would do this for her, to help her mate? Alexei was willing to try and accept pack life for her? It was all too much and the tears spilled over. "Thank you, Aaron," she whispered tearfully giving him a big hug as she sniffed quietly.

"I warned you what would happen if you made her cry again!" Alexei suddenly hissed at their side, his hands reaching for Aaron, his expression furious.

"Alexei," Cedar laughed through her tears placing herself quickly between them and cupping his face gently. "They're happy tears, not sad ones. Aaron just told me about last night, about what you're willing to do for me. And what he's willing to do too. I just can't believe I have two such wonderful men who love me so much they'd be willing to do this."

Alexei stared into her beautiful, tearstained faced, his heart thumping painfully in his chest at her words. The emotions he had felt in Andrei's office welled up inside him, the unspoken words he hadn't acknowledged to his brother hovering on the tip of his tongue.

Neither heard Aaron quietly leave as they stood locked in each other's gaze.

Alexei touched her wet cheeks reverently, brushing a thumb over her trembling lips lightly and feeling her breath rush out against his skin. "I love you, Cedar Alexander," he whispered softly, feeling a rush of exaltation flood through him as he said the words.

Joy flashed across her beautiful face, more tears flooding her eyes as she smiled tremulously at him. "I love you, Alexei Romanov," she whispered back.

He groaned with relief at hearing her say it. They were the three most wonderful words she could ever say to him. He kissed her lips gently. "No more games, sweetheart," he breathed against her mouth.

She wrapped her arms tightly around her vampire, her body thrumming with joy and happiness as he surrendered as completely to her, as she had to him.. "No more games, my love," she sighed happily.

His kiss turned deeper, his tongue snaking into her mouth and rubbing sensuously against hers. She moaned and pressed against him, suddenly stiffening and pulling away much to his annoyance. "What?" he growled irritably.

Cedar laughed softly, shaking her head at him. "First voyeurism, now exhibitionism?" she asked lightly seeing understanding cross his face as he glanced around for Aaron and smiled when he found him gone.

"You're too practical sometimes," he laughed, pushing her lightly until she fell back onto the sofa with a laugh of her own.

He knelt before her, his big hands releasing the tie to her robe, easing the dark blue silk from her luscious body. "I can't get enough of you," he breathed deeply, his hands cradling her breasts almost reverently as he slowly began to stroke the soft flesh.