Arranged Mate Bond

12.- Taking risks and following orders

Aiden’s POV

Samantha placed some blueprints on my desk and came to stand next to me.

“What’s this?” I asked her, anxious to get this over with. It didn’t sit right with me to leave Brooke alone. She didn’t know a lot of shifters around here, so the thought of leaving her to fend for herself wasn’t exactly appealing. The meeting had been uncomfortable enough with everyone sneaking glances at her. As much as I hated to put her in that position I knew they were just curious to find out more about their Luna. But I wasn’t going to willingly put her through more unnecessary awkward moments.

“Expanding plans,” Samantha said, smiling brightly as she took her eyes of the blueprints. She shifted a little closer to me as she turned to fully face me. “I told you before that I had some great plans to expand. So I thought it might be better to just show you.”

Looking at the blueprints again I instantly noticed the space she planned to add. It was a great idea, but I really didn’t see why it was necessary to expand the pack office. We had more than enough space to overlook the pack businesses and I had an office at the mansion.

Thinking of a way to let Samantha down easily I started to speak. “I really appreciate the effort you put into this idea, but we have larger concerns at the moment.”

Samantha rolled her eyes and turned away from me. “Like what? Learning your little mate on how to be a proper Luna?”

The tone in Samantha’s voice annoyed me. The thought of her mocking Brooke angered me for some reason. Without it really registering my mind I grabbed her arm and made her face me.

“I know you well enough to know that look. So I’m only going to warn you once about this. You’re going to treat her with the utmost respect and put aside whatever personal feelings you have regard her. Understood?”

Samantha’s brown eyes widened as she stared back at me, shocked from my sudden outburst. “You care about her?” She sounded surprised.

I took a step back, taken aback by her words, but recovered soon enough. “She’s my mate. Of course I care.”

“But I thought after Em-.”

“Well, you thought wrong.” The hidden threat behind my words made Samantha lower her gaze out of respect.

Ever since we were kids Samantha’s parents pushed her towards me with the hope that she might have been my mate, but when we came of age it became clear that she wasn’t meant to be with me. However, that didn’t stop her from trying to get close to me. It was only when I introduced Emma to the pack that she backed off. Samantha never got along with Emma and when she died Samantha was back again. So it didn’t surprise me that she wasn’t too fond of Brooke either, but that didn’t mean that I was letting her disrespect Brooke in anyway.

“I’m sorry,” Samantha murmured right at the same time the door flew open.

John appeared from behind the door wearing a serious expression. The kind that meant something was going on.

“What is it?” I asked him, not waiting for a greeting. When it came to the pack being in any kind of danger pleasantries were tossed to the side.

“Rogues were spotted near the borders on the west side of the territory. Kyle told me they were trying to pass through,” John explained without missing a beat.

“So they haven’t crossed the border yet?” Samantha jumped into the conversation. As annoyed as I was with her interfering now wasn’t the time to discuss that.

John, who seemed just as irritated, raised an eyebrow at her and deliberately turned to face me when he answered. “They haven’t crossed yet, but I don’t trust it.”