Chapter 20 (All the cards on the table.)

***Laura’s POV***

I stared at Aiden, big bad wolf? He said with a grin but I don’t know if he was just kidding or telling the truth. Since I have seen Sue shift into that beautiful lion; I have no other course of thought than to believe that he will shift into a wolf.
*“Um, for me to shift, I have to take off my clothes.”*
My father got up and left for the bathroom, Susan sat down next to me and covered her eyes, hinting for me to do the same. I shrugged and covered my eyes. Well mostly anyway, I was curious, what girl wouldn’t be after all those dreams I have been having.
I had covered my eyes totally for a second; but then I heard the zipper of his pants and decided to have a peek. I felt myself begin to heat up as I watched through my fingers, his body was perfection, he wasn’t huge like a body builder but he had muscles.
I watched as he removed his pants, as he was standing to remove his briefs he suddenly looked me right in the eye and smiled, the smile said it all. He looked at me as he slowly removed his briefs, one slow inch at a time.
My face was so hot that I could feel the heat radiating into my hands, still I couldn’t look away. I felt like a naughty school girl getting her first look at a naked boy. His eyes never left me they were glowing like blue flames, once he was done striping; he stood up with another cocky smile watching me looking him over.
He was every inch male, I couldn’t stop looking at him and then my eyes reached his groin; he wasn’t just male there he was impressive, to my embarrassment I felt my panties getting wet, then to my shock he shimmered faster but similar to what Susan had done, it happened so fast that I didn’t believe my eyes at first.
I lowered my hands and stared at this huge, magnificent wolf, jet black fur that had hints of blue like raven wings when the light hit it, at first it seemed almost like none of this was real; when I looked the wolf into the eyes, not only was the wolf there but I knew that I was also staring back at Aiden.
He walked up to me and put his head on my lap, I placed my shaking hands on his head burring my fingers into his thick fur. He let out a half growl have moan sound of pleasure as I moved my fingers around and scratched his ears.
Then he pulled back and I could of sworn that he was smiling as he jumped up onto the couch with me and Sue; then started to nudge Sue out of the way and onto the floor, as he sat his fuzzy but down right on my lap. He was so big and heavy that I had all I could do to breathe.
He took up all my view, all I could see was black fur as his fuzzy tail wrapped itself along my mid-section. I felt his power as he let out a loud howl, I felt in that moment that he was in some way claiming me and giving his protection.
My father walked back into the room at this point, didn’t even so much as blink an eyelash at what he was seeing, he looked the wolf right in the eyes…
*“I thought that it was customary to ask the fathers permission first.”*
With that he jumped off my lap as I felt cooler air surround me, he picked up Aiden’s jeans with his teeth and ran into the kitchen behind the counter. The next thing I knew Aiden was walking back in to the room, wearing only his jeans and a smile of satisfaction.

***Aiden’s POV ***

I was encouraged when my mate accepted her friends Lion, that meant that she was not going to go running and screaming her head off through the streets. As I removed my shirt I could feel her eyes on me, I smiled, at first pretending that I didn’t know.
Suddenly I could smell her arousal and I looked her right in her beautiful eyes, to my surprise she didn’t shy away, so my little dove has bold curiosity and passion. I smiled as I slowly removed my briefs, I could sense her temperature rise and her arousal deepen as she took in all that was her mate.
That’s right little dove, this is all yours look all you like. I shifted quickly into Ares and together we watched our mate uncover her eyes and look us over. Ares decided that looking wasn’t enough anymore. I cautioned him to be patient but as always he had a mind of his own, when he laid his head on her lap and she reached out, I knew that she was going to accept being out mate.
Then Ares the dumbass jumped up on her and shoved her friend onto the floor, letting out his claiming howl for all the world to hear. What shocked us both was our mates father, he come strolling in there like it was just a normal everyday thing, stating that in no uncertain words that we were being disrespectful.
Her father was an enigma, how did he know so much perhaps there was more to his story that he was willing to share at least right now anyway, can’t say I blame him, no one here is a friend per say yet. That will change, the fact that my mate has special talents is another interesting turn of events.
I put my jeans back on and stroll into the living room like I owned it, it was the only way to show strength; that I was not going to just up and leave because her father thought I was being too forward with his daughter. She is Mine now. She doesn’t know it yet but she will, I will make sure of it.
I sat down next to her on the couch as her friend Sue gave me a dirty look as she got up from the floor. The look said it all, that if she didn’t know that I was Laura’s mate, that that whole scene of her being pushed on the floor could of gone a very different way, if she chose for it to.
I gave her a smile and looked down at Laura, she looked flushed and tired but other than that she seemed to be accepting everything well. I think it was a good thing her father showed up when he had though, having him her gave her someone to ground herself to.
Pride swelled up inside me, my mate is strong, intelligent, kind, independent and brave. Not to mention she has a smoking hot body and he scent drives me wild. It takes all my control to sit her next to her and not pick her up to carry her to the bedroom.
Then her fathers voice took me out of my admiration…
*“Are you planning on telling her everything or are you just going to wing it and hope for the best?”
“This isn’t everything yet? What else is there to tell me Aiden?”*
I reached down and took her hand in mine, instantly the sparks were there and I sucked in my breath to control my reaction, she needed a calm mate right, now not some have crazed horny wolf trying to hump her leg.
Ares gave me a scoff at that thought, turned and sat down, I felt his stare in the back of mind he felt insulted. I gave him an inward shrug.
*“This isn’t going to be easy and I don’t know any easy way to say it so I am going to be blunt, Laura, you are my forever mate. The only mate I will ever have. We are already bound in smaller ways; I know you feel it too, you just don’t understand what it is because you are human.”*
She just stared at me and looked over at her father, he gave her a nod and she turned back to me, I could read certainty and uncertainty in her eyes. I know she felt the connection through our dreams and that she feels them now.
For a human though I am not certain how she would process those feelings, perhaps I should explain more, but before I could she spoke…
*“Do you mean mate as in soul mates? Or do you mean something else, forgive my words here but I am uncertain how to put it, do you mean something like when dogs go into heat kind of thing?”*
I looked over at her dad and he was all but outright laughing at me, he knew exactly what was going on and he was letting me sweat it out instead of giving a hand in explaining, suppose I deserved that after his comment about not going to him first. That way was so old school that I thought Laura would get offended.
*“Yes, I mean as in soul mates and a little of the other one, but not like you are thinking. When we find our mates it is for life, there are no others before them.”
Suddenly her eyes grew wide with recognition…
“That rose that was in my car that day, Oh, my that was you wasn’t it and not Devin.”
“Yes, that was me. At the time I thought that I had lost you, that I was too late and you were going to be another, you being human I thought that perhaps that was the best path for you and that it would be wrong for me to interfere. So I left the rose as goodbye.”
“Then you went running off in a fury and I had to follow you to make sure you were alright.”*