Chapter 5

AARON

5

Just when I had started thinking I'd finally adjusted to life in The Wilderness Pack, my damn animal decided to get his fur ruffled. Over what, I had no idea. But ever since I woke up, he'd been pushing me to go to Keane's cabin. Irritated with whatever had gotten under his skin, I gave in to his demands and headed over there as soon as I finished breakfast.

Rapping my knuckles against the front door, I flared my nostrils when I caught the trace of an unfamiliar scent. It had a sweet note to it, almost like my favorite candy, and made my mouth water.

"What's that smell?" I asked Keane when he opened the door.

"Thora's stew." He glared at me. "But you can't have any because my pregnant mate is scarfing it down like she hasn't eaten in days."

"I don't think that delicious scent is stew." My brows drew together when the second half of what he'd said registered in my brain. "Laina is finally past her morning sickness?"

"More like meat sickness," he muttered, waving me into their cabin. "The time of day didn't matter. Only the kind of food."

"Whatever the cause, I'm glad to hear it's gone."

I followed him into the kitchen, coming to a sudden stop when I spotted someone I didn't know sitting across from Laina.

I'd never paid attention to what women looked like before, but I couldn't help but notice her curves and that I towered over her by a foot. Her dark blond hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and my fingers oddly itched to pull those long locks down so I could feel how soft they were.

Head tilted to the side, her blue eyes were curious as she looked up at me. "You must be Booker."

"Nope." My brows drew together as I wondered why she assumed I was my former packmate. "Aaron Kemp."

"Oh, sorry." She ducked her head, but I didn't miss how her pale cheeks filled with a pretty pink color. "I'm Cressida Crawford. Ramsey only mentioned one other wolf besides Rome who was part of Keane's pack, so I assumed you were him."

"That makes sense." I shot a glance at Keane. "If she was only telling you about members of the pack, then she wouldn't have brought me up since I'm just staying here for a while."

"Unless you pull your head outta your ass and take me up on my offer to join the pack," Keane grumbled.

Laina rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you asked nicer, he'd actually consider it. Nobody wants a bossy grump for their alpha."

Keane's eyes heated as he smirked down at his mate. "You love how bossy I am."

"Momma," a little voice cried out.

Keane and Laina jumped to their feet. He placed his hand on her lower back and murmured, "Don't worry, baby. I'll get him."

"Except he's calling me," she said, following him out of the room.

"They're probably going to be busy for longer than they think," I warned Cressida. "Their cub is a handful."

She stood and gathered the empty bowl and spoon in front of the spot where Laina had been sitting. "I guess I'll just clean this up and see if I can figure out which cabin Keane was talking about."

"Cabin?" I echoed.

"Yes…um…the alpha is letting me stay here for a little bit," Cressida explained as she rinsed off the bowl and spoon before putting them in the dishwasher along with a couple of plates, forks, and three mugs that were in the sink.

"Did he mention which one you'll be using?" I asked, wondering what had brought her to The Wilderness Pack.

She nodded. "Yes, it's supposed to be next to Booker's cabin."

I figured that was where he'd put her if she was going to be here for a while but didn't want to assume. "I can show you where it is."

"I wouldn't want to be a bother." She tugged on the end of her ponytail, wrapping the hair around her index finger.

"No bother at all," I assured her with a smile.

Her lips curved into an answering grin. "Only if you're sure that you don't have somewhere else you need to be."

The laugh I huffed out held no humor. "My time has been my own since I became a loner years ago after being rejected."

"Rejected?" she gasped, pressing trembling fingers to her lips.

Although I had been able to speak about my rejection without feeling the usual sorrow only a few days ago, I struggled with telling this beautiful woman about how I hadn't been good enough for the woman fate had paired me with. Especially since I found myself wishing that Cressida was the woman I'd been destined to spend the rest of my life with instead. "Yeah."

I didn't understand the hope that suddenly shone from her bright blue orbs. "And there's zero chance that she'll come back into your life?"

"None." I raked my fingers through my hair, shaking my head. "Even if she did, neither I nor my wolf would accept her as our mate. That bridge wasn't just burned, it was blown to smithereens."

She stood and rounded the table, stopping at my side. "You're absolutely, one hundred percent sure about that?"

"Yes," I bit out with a nod.

Her animal swirled in her eyes, a mixture of colors unlike anything I had ever seen before. As though he sensed her, my wolf's fur stroked against my arms, and his howl rang out inside my head.

I didn't understand what was going on. He'd never reacted to a woman like this before. And I never expected him to since it went against everything I had been taught about fated mates.

Then she reached out a trembling hand and placed it on my forearm. The skin-to-skin contact felt like a shock straight to my heart. And my dick.

My eyes widened as I glanced down at my crotch, stunned to find my hard length pressed against my zipper. The desire that coursed through my system was unlike anything I had ever felt before—even during those brief, disastrous minutes I spent with the human who had rejected me. "What the fuck? How is this possible?"

"I've chosen you as my mate," she announced, her plump lips curving into a huge smile that only made her more beautiful.

"Chosen me?" I echoed, my brows drawn together. None of this made any sense. I never should have noticed how gorgeous she was. My wolf shouldn't have reacted to her. And my cock definitely shouldn't have gotten hard at her touch. "That's not how this works. Fate decides the pairings, and there are no second chances."

"For the vast majority of shifters, that's true." She bit her bottom lip before adding, "But there's one exception—for my kind."

I was about to shake my head, but then a memory from when I was five popped into my head. One of the girls in my kindergarten class brought a book about a mythical creature with special powers to school. No lock was strong enough to keep them imprisoned. Their horn contained healing magic that could only be accessed if it was given with their consent. And if they shared their soul with a human, that person could choose the person they spent the rest of their life with, unlike any other shifter.

My classmate had been devastated because she'd somehow lost the book, and it had been her favorite. I hadn't understood the odd gleam in our teacher's eye when she'd told her it would probably turn up sometime. Not until now.

"You're a…a…unicorn?"

"I am," she whispered.

I blinked at her in shock, trying to wrap my head around what was happening. Wondering if it could possibly be true. "I thought that was all just a bunch of fairy-tale bullshit."

"If only it were that simple." She shook her head with a sigh. "Except then I wouldn't have been here to meet you, and I never would've known what I was missing."

I didn't understand what she meant by that but didn't think to ask her to explain because I had bigger things on my mind.

"You really shift into a unicorn? With a magical horn that can heal people? And you can choose your fated mate?" I rasped, my heart racing so hard that it felt as though it would beat its way out of my chest.

She nodded, her lips curving into an understanding smile. "I really shift into a unicorn. When I'm in that form, my horn does have healing properties, but not in the way that most people expect. I can even draw on that power a little as a human and imbue it into a healing hug. And not only can I choose my fated mate…I just did. You."

She was the answer to my every dream and prayer. But I was afraid to believe what this gorgeous woman was telling me. "This better not be a fucking dream. I'm not sure I could survive missing out on the chance of forever with you."