Chapter Five
Aaron
“Change of plans,” Leo announced from the front of the table inside their conference room. His eyes were practically glowing with how his anger radiated from him.
Aaron winced. He had a feeling that this was because of what he’d shared with the guys about the dream from the night before. Bas had already put his fist through the wall. A very nice wall in the conference room that was never going to be the same.
“What change?” Aspen asked from the seat next to Aaron. He was wringing his hands while rocking back and forth in his chair.
Aaron wanted to pat Aspen on the back and let the little fae know that everything was okay.
Leo and Bas’s anger was toward the threat to the family not at them.
Going with his instincts, Aaron did rub over Aspen’s shoulder.
He’d initially been against having Aspen in the room as they discussed the hyena pack, just to protect Aspen from the evils of the pack.
Bas had insisted that Aspen was part of the team and could decide if he wanted to sit in the meetings. Aspen had insisted he did. Still Aaron worried. Aspen was such a sweet kid. A breath of fresh air in the office when the rest of them were used to dealing with the worst of the worst.
The dark feeling from the dream had remained with Aaron hours later even after sharing with Carter. Once Aaron had explained everything about the hyena pack and their suspicions, not holding back any longer, he’d felt empty and cold.
Carter had insisted on putting on an old movie and sitting with him until Aaron had fallen back asleep. It felt like he’d gotten a few hours of restful sleep with his mate by his side. It was getting harder for Aaron not to think of Carter as his mate. He didn’t know what to do anymore.
“We go hunting,” Bas declared. He was still vibrating with fury.
Aaron tuned back into the conversation happening. He understood that Bas was angry, although they needed to be careful. Aaron wasn’t exaggerating that there was something wrong with the hyena shifters. They were just pure evil.
“Hunting,” Aaron repeated. “You want to hunt down the hyena pack?”
“They are threatening my mate!” Bas yelled.
“In my dream,” Aaron pointed out. “That’s not exactly something that the council is going to believe. They wrote off my dreams and visions years ago.”
“Then we won’t go to the council,” Bas insisted.
“What are we going to do with them then? Call the human police?” Aaron asked. He didn’t want Carter involved. Even though Carter had tried to reassure Aaron that he was there to help, the human cops weren’t equipped. “With what proof?”
“We don’t need proof,” Leo said.
Rising slowly to his feet, Aaron shook his head.
What was his friend talking about? Just killing the hyenas?
They weren’t killers. Not again. This was supposed to be about helping people.
The council might have gone in and wiped out who they declared the enemy, for the safety of them all, but Aaron had never agreed with that philosophy.
“I won’t act like the council.” The first case that they were up against was made harder when it affected people that they cared about.
And about the town they’d decided to finally settle in.
Home. The word meant something when Aaron hadn’t had that since he was too young to remember.
Cutting corners was a slippery slope. They had to be better than the council that had trained them. Aaron knew it in his heart.
“That’s not what I meant,” Leo said quietly. “We have enough intel right now. The file from the council and your dreams. That is plenty to move forward with. But we’re not going to use the council or the human police. I vote that we call Lucifer.”
“You want to send the hyenas to hell?” Aspen asked with a tremble to his voice.
Aaron patted his back. Most fae didn’t have the same prejudice against demons like humans did, but Lucifer was still intimidating to be around if you didn’t know what an absolute sweetheart he was.
“If this is the pack that killed the family of Atlas, the new mate to the demon prince Belphagor, then it’s right for them to handle this.” Leo caught Aaron’s eye, giving him an imploring look.
“I don’t…” He’d only heard rumors of the new mating that had taken place within Lucifer’s tight circle.
Belphegor’s human mate was the talk of the family in the group chats, but so far as Aaron knew no one had met him.
Atlas had lost his family to a pack of hyena shifters.
It had to be the same ones. At least Bas seemed sure it was.
“Everything that I’ve found leads back to this pack being the ones that killed humans,” Bas told him.
“Including Atlas’s family. I spent all morning on the phone with Bel, putting the pieces together.
Since the demons can read auras, they’ll know what the hyena pack is guilty of.
We’ll have the ultimate proof. That’s better than turning them in to the council any day. A trial will take too long.”
“What about the police here? Carter? The fires?” Aaron worried that pushing Carter out of the case wouldn’t go over well.
This might be better though. Save their friends and town without having to put Carter in danger.
He knew his first thought shouldn’t be about his mate, yet Aaron couldn’t help but worry about what Carter would think.
“Humans can’t handle this,” Leo said. “You know that.”
“Hold on.” Spinning on his heel, Aaron took a few minutes to think. This was happening so fast. And yes, Aaron realized with the threat that they couldn’t wait around to see what would happen, but he just wanted to make sure this was handled right. For all of them.
It was important to make certain this first case of their new company was done right. That they could prove to the ones that they hoped to help that they were trustworthy. They would need to work with both the paranormal community and humans in the future.
“Talk it out,” Leo said. “Tell us what you’re thinking.”
Aaron appreciated Leo’s words. It always helped when he could get his thoughts in order. “We want the paranormal community to come to us. To trust us. Not think of us like they do the council, but we need to work with humans too.”
“You mean Carter,” Bas said.
“He…”
“He’s your mate,” Bas said quietly. “And you don’t want to disappoint him.”
Aaron nodded. Then shook his head. “He’s not my mate.
” Not yet. Maybe not ever. Aaron still didn’t know what to do.
Carter was everything that Aaron could want for a mate.
He was handsome, brave, and had a kind heart.
He’d even taken in the three rescued pups.
Aaron was halfway in love with him just for that.
Carter might gripe and complain yet he’d gone all in for Aragon, Legolas, and Arwen.
“Yet,” Bas replied with a scowl. “He’s not your mate yet.”
Aaron didn’t want to get into it. His friends wouldn’t understand.
It was obvious that Hudson already thought Bas hung the moon.
Bastian might have worried about how to tell Hudson, but he would never have rejected the mate bond.
Leo didn’t have a mate to worry about impressing.
Not that Aaron was trying to impress Carter.
It was easier to not tell Carter than be rejected.
“I get it,” Bas told him. He approached Aaron and gripped his shoulder. “You haven’t told Carter that you’re mates even though I know you’ve had the chance. You know you’re going to have to have that conversation sooner rather than later.”
“That’s not what we should be focusing on,” Aaron reminded him. Panic was trying to take over his thoughts, and Aaron couldn’t allow it. Not now. “We need to decide what to do about the hyena pack before they hurt someone else.”
Leo nodded. “That’s right. Axel has the family locked down on high alert. No one is to be alone in town or on the property. They’ll keep the mates safe until we catch them.”
“That’s okay for today but how long can that last?” Aaron asked. The guys had jobs. And would the hyena pack go after the humans in town if they couldn’t get to the mates?
“I don’t know,” Leo confessed. “Which brings me back to the change of plans.”
“Hunting,” Bas said.
“Stopping the hyena pack,” Aaron clarified.
“Fine.” Bas huffed. “Capturing them.”
“Then we’ll call Lucifer to come pick them up,” Leo said.
Maybe it was better to accept help from their friends from hell.
Plus, Belphegor did have the right to face the pack that was accused of killing his mate’s family.
He’d explain things to Carter the best he could.
Maybe it was better to disappoint Carter now before things went farther between them.
“How are we even going to track down the pack? My dreams are a little clearer, but we still don’t know where they’re hiding at. ”
“That’s where I come in!”
Aaron snapped his attention to the door as Stryker strolled in with the strap of his backpack over one shoulder. Stryker’s mischievous grin brightened the mood in the room instantly.
Bas frowned. “Stryker?“
“What are you doing here?” Aaron asked, amused.
This just had chaos written all over it.
Out of everyone in the family, Stryker still believed there was some secret the council was keeping.
Stryker was certain there were underground facilities or something evil happening.
While Aaron didn’t approve of the council’s methods, he also didn’t go along with Stryker’s conspiracy theories. It was fun to hear some of them though.
“You need to find someone. Or a pack of them,” Stryker stated as he placed his backpack on the table. “I’m the best.”
Aaron glanced from Stryker to Leo. This was actually brilliant. He was good at using search engines on the internet. Stryker was better. He was really the best.
“How are you going to find them?” Aspen asked curiously.