Stronger as One (#1, Completed)

16. Aurelie Moreau

RILEY

After the other night, I would be able to recognise that voice anywhere, even without turning around. My pussy clenched at the memory of our wild time together, so I was disappointed to see that we were not sitting together. In fact, I was not sitting with my pack either.

The table where I was meant to be seated was not too far from the Blackwood representatives but it was much closer to the front of the room and Alpha Macalister's table. It was a bit strange that I was placed there but seeing as this was my debut, I wasn't quite sure what the etiquette with the sitting was like.

Slowly I made my way to the round table which was nearly complete, with the other 7 guests having taken their seats already. It was predominantly elders shifters and their mates but there were two younger guys who had their back to me as I neared my seat. Well, at least I was meant to sit between them which was a relief seeing as the rest of the people at the table did not really look like an exciting crowd.

I placed my hand on the back of my chair to pull it out when the dark-haired guy on my left turned around and gave me a confused look. I was not sure why he was looking at me like he expected to see someone else. Or maybe it was my hair that drew his attention? I had to admit though that I was probably also not giving a great first impression as I found myself staring at his perfect face. He had piercing blue eyes that I could easily lose myself in and a bad boy look that practically screamed "wolf". What was it with me and finding all shifters ridiculously hot?

"Well hello there. Can I help you, miss?" he asked and his eyes changed from confusion to something much more dangerous, as he put his hand on top of mine. I didn't mean to judge the guy but the way he spoke to me and looked at me made me feel like he was planning to snack on me and I was just going to let him. Cocky was attractive at times but he seemed a bit over-confident, like he was God's gift to women....or whichever Goddess ruled his kind!

"Not really. I was just trying to take my seat." I removed his hand from mine and pulled the chair out.

"Here?"

"Does it look like there is another free chair at this table?" I said to him mockingly.

"Maybe you got the table wrong, sweetheart", he smirked as if I was some lost little girl who needed his help. What was this guy's problem? "Or were you just looking for an excuse to sit next to me?"

"Ha, why on Earth would I ever want to do that? I don't know you and I have already figured out that sitting next to you this evening must be my punishment for some sin in my life!"

I heard a loud chuckle on my right side and I turned around to find a gorgeous, elegant man with dark blonde hair and green eyes looking at me and the dark-haired idiot all amused. Great! Please, whichever deity is out there, don't let me be sandwiched by two idiots tonight!

"You have to forgive my friend, miss. He thinks that he has a way with words and yet the lack of basic manners makes me wonder sometimes why we are best friends." Oh! Well, I didn't expect that. Looks like at least one of my companions tonight had a brain and manners. I heard the idiot on my other side growl in disagreement with his friends. Definitely a wolf, that one!

I found myself wondering what kind of shifter the gentleman on my right was. He felt a lot more refined and charming than wolf boy. You know, the type that would take you out to a nice dinner before you go to an art opening or the opera, and then you spend the rest of evening talking about culture and philosophy over a bottle of expensive wine. Can't say that I had dated his type before but I often found my past dates lacking in that aspect- a great body and self-assured attitude were always good but this girl needed more to keep her happy.

Sometimes I wondered if my expectations for guys were so complicated just to protect myself by finding them all lacking something because, let's be honest, I was never going to find one guy to give me everything I craved. The bad boy who would challenge me for domination and who would give me the dirty, rough sex that I needed at times, while also being able to turn into a perfect gentleman, stimulating my mind and charming me with his thoughtfulness, care and loving.

Don't get me wrong, if it wasn't for his ridiculous attitude, wolf boy would have probably had me soaking my panties but his smugness was rubbing me the wrong way. I was nobody's toy and I couldn't stand guys who thought they had the upper hand with women.

"You don't need fancy words and etiquette on the battlefield, Aiden, and that's what counts. People here forget that they only get to enjoy these pompous events because warriors like me keep things under control and remove any threats to their previous lifestyles." Yay, another guy suffering from the Big Man syndrome. We really needed more women leaders in the world!

"A skilful warrior will know how to strategically act in and out of the battlefield, and how important it is to blend with the surroundings until it is time to strike, even if that meant demonstrating some manners at an important event. Then again, you strike me as the kind that might blow out too quick." I gave him a smug smile, pleased with my double entendre.

"And what would you know about one or the other, little girl?" He skeptically raised one eyebrow at me.

"Little girl? You can't be more than two-three years older than me. And if you think that age beats brains or experience, you clearly are lacking more intelligence than I thought. Not to mention that you are talking to the Blackwood Head of Security and Training, so if you ever need someone to show you how to have your arse kicked by a woman, I would love to help you out." My eyes were burning with passion. "As for your other skills, I have my doubts that you would be able to deliver an impressive performance there either, contrary to what your bimbos might be telling you to please you."

He looked speechless, while the blonde gentleman looked pleased. It was him, in fact, who broke the silence.

"This is truly entertaining to watch but perhaps I should clarify that Rafe here was caught off guard as we are expecting a guy from the Moreau family to join, so he didn't know that he would have his arse handed to him by a beautiful, fiery woman instead. And this is really a compliment that fire dragons rarely give out!" So he was a dragon. His beautiful smile made me feel much calmer and I found myself cooling down from the outrage that his best friend had sparked in me.

His friend- Rafe, from what I understood- looked at me with a neutral expression. "Yes. In case you haven't noticed, the name tag on the table says Riley Moreau, so unless you happen to be him, I stand by my earlier statement that you have the wrong table."

So that's what this was all about? Never had my name led to a funnier situation. True, I used it to confuse people at work as people always seemed to get weird when they found out that a woman would be protecting them but I hadn't anticipated this.

I let out a genuine laugh and both boys looked at each other with confusion. Time for the kill move. "Aurelie Moreau, at your service."