Chapter 46 (Caroline)
Taming the Beast
âSo⦠heâs my⦠protector?â I asked slowly, a little shocked by all this new information. Keegan looked at me and nodded.
âSheâs Luna? But sheâs human?â he asked shocked as his eyes flickered to me. I rolled my eyes.
âI canât wait till you change me so I donât have to hear that all the time,â I muttered to Keegan. Aiden eyes went wide.
âYouâre changing her?!â he screeched. Keeganâs grip tightened around my waist. He tensed and shot me a look before he looked back to Aiden with a clenched jaw.
âWeâre⦠thinking about it⦠and sheâs not Luna yet,â he said hesitantly. I pouted as I looked at Keegan.
âI thought you said-â
âCaroline, not now,â he warned. I crossed my arms and glared at the floor. Okay, so maybe I was acting like Preston would have, but that just goes to show that Iâve been spending way too much time with him. Not that I was complaining.
âI accept your invitation,â Aiden said after a moment. I looked at him as my glare dropped. Aiden rubbed the back of his neck nervously as his cheeks turned pink. âPlus, I hate being a rogue. Itâs really hard,â he admitted. I smiled and wiggled out of Keeganâs grip. This meant I had an attractive new friend, and for some reason, that made me really happy. I walked over and grabbed his wrist. Keegan growled lowly with his arms crossed before I shot him a scowl. He rolled his eyes before he started walking ahead of us. I pulled Aiden along excitedly by his wrist. I donât know why, but taking Aiden in made me feel like babying him.
âLetâs get you showered and into some fresh clothes. You could probably fix some of Keeganâs clothes,â I said turning my head to look back at him. He blushed which was super adorable by the way.
Keegan only huffed and kept walking. He was like a pouting toddler who didnât want to share his toysâ¦
it was so cute. I decided to hold off on questions about Aiden until after he had a hot shower.
We entered the house through the front door. Instantly, all the guys looked at us and then to Aiden who I was still towing by the wrist. They gave Keegan a questioning look. Keegan only crossed his arms and rolled his eyes before he looked away from us.
âCaroline got a new pet,â Keegan said while scowling at the floor. I let go of Aiden and smacked Keeganâs arm as hard as I could as I glared at him. I know that it didnât hurt him, but he flinched anyway as he looked at me.
âI swear Keegan, one more word from you and youâll be in the doghouse for a month,â I yelled at him.
He looked at me incredulously as the guys started rolling from how hard they were laughing. Lena came down from the stairs and looked at the lot of us before her eyes landed on Aiden. She glared at Keegan.
âKeegan Porter, you know our policy about rogues,â she said slowly as she walked down the rest of the stairs and into the living room. The guys sobered up and watched Lena carefully. Keegan was about to say something but I beat him to it.
âAidenâs not going to hurt anybody! This creepy guy was going to kill me and he saved me. His eyes were purple. Keegan said heâs a Luna protector,â I said in a rush. Everyone froze and looked at Aiden who dropped his gaze to the floor. It was quiet for almost two minutes as no one said anything.
âNot possible,â Lena finally said, shaking her head.
âWe could test it⦠just to be sure,â Trevor said. I silently thanked Trevor mentally before I shrugged at Keegan. He growled.
âIâm not putting Caroline in danger just to prove that her lapdogâs eyes change colors,â he snapped at Trevor. I glared at Keegan.
âWhat did I say about the names?!â I yelled at him. He looked at me shocked.
âYou were serious about that?â he asked. I only crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at him. Oh I was dead serious. âCaroline, you canât be serious,â he said, almost trying to convince himself.
âKeegan, I was serious, and I still am. Youâre in the doghouse,â I said turning away from him. The guys all snickered. Even Aiden smiled a little.
âBack to this mythical Luna protector thing,â Gregg said after a moment.
âDo it,â I authorized. âCome at me Gregg. Keegan, stay back,â I warned. He sighed and looked at the ceiling before he went to stand next to his mom. Gregg stood and smirked before he came charging at me. By the rate in which he was running, I knew it was going to hurt. I squeezed my eyes shut as my heart dropped and waited for the impact but it never came. I heard a body slam to the floor before growling shook the house. I opened my eyes to see that Aiden had his hand around Greggâs throat.
Aiden was crouching about Gregg as he growled. Greggâs eyes widened as he looked at Aiden.
âHoly⦠crap,â Gregg breathed. Aiden released Gregg and stood before he looked at everyone else sheepishly. His eyes were that lilac color again. Gregg shuffled from underneath him and went to sit on the couch again.
âUnbelievable. First, the human mate, then, the human Luna, and now, our human Luna has a Luna protector⦠what is wrong with our pack?â Asher said, breaking the silence. I laughed before I grabbed Aiden by the wrist and dragged him up the stairs.
âKeegan, Iâm letting him borrow your clothes until I can take him shopping!â I yelled down behind me. I heard an exasperated groan before I smiled. I led Aiden to Keeganâs room and to the bathroom. I handed him a towel and a washcloth. âIâll get you a change of clothes,â I said. I went to Keeganâs drawers and pulled out an unopened package of Hanes boxers. I shuffled through his things and found a pair of dark jeans and a simple gray t-shirt. I walked back to the bathroom and set them on the counter for him. I turned on the shower and showed him how to change the temperature. He hesitated before he looked at me curiously.
âWhy are you being so nice to me?â he asked. I smiled at him.
âI donât know. Youâre different I guess. Iâm used to the guys being afraid to play with me or even hang out with me alone because Keegan will get mad, but with you, he wonât have a choice in the matter.
Plus, you seem like a good person; I want us to be friends,â I shrugged. He smiled and nodded once.
âWe can be friends,â he said. I smiled and moved in to hug him before I stopped.
âMaybe after you shower,â I said, scrunching my nose up at his dirt covered chest. He chuckled and nodded before he took a step back. âIâll be downstairs,â I said as I left. I closed the bathroom door behind me and jogged down the stairs to where everyone was lounging and talking and playing videogames. Keegan wrapped his arm around my waist and pressed me up against the wall as soon as my feet hit the even floor. He kissed me deeply, pressing me up against the wall. Memories flooded me brain making a soft moan escape my lips.
âYou werenât serious⦠were you?â Keegan muttered against my lips. My eyes shot open and I tried to push him off of me. His hands caught my wrists and held them against the wall on either side of my head. His lips attached to my neck and I let out a breath as my eyes slipped close.
âKeegan⦠get off of me,â I muttered/moaned. He growled and bit my neck lightly. I gasped and tried to move my hands. Keegan held them in place. âKeegan,â I tried again more sternly. He sighed into my neck before he finally let go. I pushed him away and glared at him.
âCaroline,â he groaned/begged as he ran hand down his face. I crossed my arms and snaked around him so I wasnât on the wall anymore.
âI was serious,â I glared at him before I headed for the stairs. I paused and turned back to him.
âAnd Aiden is staying in my guest room until we figure out what to do,â I said.
âWhat?! No!â he said shocked and angry. I glared at him.
âI wasnât asking you,â I snapped back before I spun on my heels and jogged up the stairs. By the time I got to Keeganâs room, Aiden was already dressed and ruffling his hair with a towel. He looked at me guiltily.
âIâm sorry⦠if Iâm causing trouble, I can leave,â he said quickly. I shook my head.
âAiden, youâre not causing trouble,â I said softly to him. My eyes flickered to the door quickly. âKeegan is the one acting like an ass!â I yelled over my shoulder. I was rewarded with a loud growl. I smiled before I looked back to Aiden who was watching me with amusement written on his face.
âDo you guys fight like this all the time?â he asked. I shook my head.
âWe almost never fight,â I answered. Aiden raised an eyebrow at me. I reached forward and wrapped my arms around him. âNow I can hug you since youâre wearing clothes and you donât stink so badly.
You actually kind of smell like Keegan,â I said with a giggle. He chuckled and hugged me back lightly before I pulled away.
âSo⦠will I be staying at a room here?â he asked looking around the room I shook my head.
âYouâll be staying with me and my brother and my three year old nephew. I mean, as long as you promise not to hurt anyone. Keegan thinks youâre a warrior wolfâwhatever that meansâbut youâre not going to hurt anyone who doesnât deserve it⦠right?â I explained. He shook his head.
âI donât want to hurt anyone ever,â he said honestly. I smiled.
âGood, then we can go now,â I said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down the stairs. Keegan was leaning up against the wall with a pout. My smile fell as I remembered the incident in the woods.
âKeegan,â I said softly. His face softened as he looked at me slightly scared expression.
âWhatâs wrong?â he asked automatically. I let go of Aiden and walked closer to Keegan.
âIn the woods when that guy was attacking me⦠he said somebody paid him to kill me. He said that with me gone, everything would return to normal,â I recalled quietly. Keeganâs jaw clenched before he closed his eyes to calm down.
âNo one is going to hurt you. Plus now you have a Luna protector whoâs going to be living with you so we have extra protection,â he said, determination seeping through his voice. I nodded gently.