"I'm sorry would you care to repeat that?" Austin asked looking at Aislinn in disbelief, "Because I swear you just said you wanted to invite the enemy over."

It was Richard who answered. "It makes sense." Turning he looked at Kaiden although he made sure he kept his rigid stance close to Aislinn's chair. Neither man nor their wolves was comfortable right now knowing just how close a threat was to her.

Kaiden sighed weighing the options in his head. He let out a low groan his eyes closing as he ran his hands threw his dark black glossy hair causing it to stick up all over his head. "I don't like it."

"It needs to be done."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Richard grunted in response. Kaiden turned to his Beta. "Call up Alpha Stanley invite him, his Luna, Beta and the Beta female to dinner."

Austin looked taken aback but didn't question the order, "He'll demand to bring his third and at least a guard."

Kaiden scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair again not liking that he knew they were going to be outnumbered and there was nothing he could do about it. "I know don't offer it. He will demand the guard you will counter with his head warrior, it's what he will prefer and it will contain their numbers." A stiff nod from Austin before he was heading to the main office and conference room located on this floor where a phone was located.

"Oh and Aus," His Beta paused turning to look at his Alpha, "the invitation is from the heir of the Silvatori's." At his raised eyebrow Kaiden smirked at his friend. "No need for them to know beforehand what they're walking into. Plus there is no way that my father will have let word spread yet so we might as well use it to our advantage. All hell will break loose soon enough we just need to try and get in front of it as much as we can."

With that Austin left to go make a very uncomfortable phone call. It was times like this he hated being Beta. Calling an Alpha especially one that is not your own is not a pleasant experience and he had no doubt that this time was not going to disappoint on that front.

Hearing his friends murmuring to himself reminded Kaiden of his own phone call with an Alpha. He had completely forgotten he had woken to a call from his father. Letting out a groan he realized he must have left his phone upstairs. That was not going to be fun.

Today was turning out to be one of massive understatements. To say that Kaiden's father had been less then pleased and less then understanding was only one such example of the clusterf*cks that were piling up around them as the hours dragged by.

Kaiden eventually hurled his phone against a random wall in frustration after the nearly 30th call from his family. If it wasn't his father screaming and threatening, it was his mother sobbing, or else it was some combination of his siblings; yelling, pleading and cursing him. The phone shattered into a million pieces on the cool marble of the floor and blissful silence finally filled the house.

"Thank the gods! The goddess and every d*mn lucky star!" Austin groaned from the den that they had discovered after breakfast. It was filled with an even larger TV then the one in the living room, plus a full selection of every game console and combination of games and entertainment service imaginable, a full surround sound system and huge theatre worthy seating. The boys were in heaven.

"Jesus your family is f*cking intense!" Blair added in as the silence soothed their aching eardrums. Sometimes werewolf senses were seriously a pain in the ass.

Kaiden ran his hands over his face and through his hair for what had to be the thousandth time that day, letting out only a grunt in response to his friend's comments. His throat was sore from screaming, shouting, fighting and growling back at his father and the rest of his over-bearing family members. He honestly didn't understand their reactions. His brother Anthony would simply pick up his role as heir. Of course he hadn't been training as long and he was a complete idiot but his father had years before he absolutely had to step down, he could learn. Didn't they see he had to do what was best for his mate? How could they not understand that?

Speaking of his mate she had disappeared just after breakfast. Walking past the den where the guys and Olivia were all playing some game involving a lot of explosions and blood he let the bond pull him through the house.

Making his way to the thick security door centered in the middle of the house, he headed down the flight of stairs that lead to the first concrete and steel encased lower level. Unlike the top floors the downstairs was an absolute fortress. Thick cement steel reinforced the walls, floors and ceilings. Military grade security doors blocked every entrance and hallway. Video surveillance monitored every inch. While electronic locks controlled by keypads and fingerprint access secured all movement within it. It was designed with the sole purpose of withstanding an army. And it terrified Kaiden that it might have to be used to do just that. His heart squeezed at the thought of just why this place had been designed, why it had to be so secure, and that at the very center of it would be his mate. His wolf growled in his mind. Nothing. Absolutely nothing would touch her.

It didn't take him long to find her. The hallways here were simple, clean and bright. White walls white tiles. It was designed for practicality not comfort or style. This level held training rooms, the infirmary, a gym and a conference room and office for what Kaiden would assume would be attack prep. The lower level would hold the armory, cells, secure bunkers and the security suite from which the defense systems could be monitored.

Kaiden found Aislinn in one of the training rooms. He had to suck in breath when he saw her. He didn't even realize Richard stood near the door his arms folded over his chest as he leaned against the wall until he heard him grunt. Even then he could barely tear his eyes away from her.

The thin willowy frame that was always hinted at under her clothes was on full display now as she expertly trained on heavy punching bags. Her hair was pulled back and off of her face, making her neck seem even more long and elegant. Her short black spandex workout shorts meant that her long, long, legs with their smooth soft skin were on full display. The simple black sports bra left her impossibly small waist and absolutely flat stomach uncovered. Her delicate shoulders, lithe arms, and her nearly naked back nearly brought him to his knees. She was a sight to behold.

Sweat glistened on her skin. Small rivets catching in the light making her already supple and dew kissed skin even more tantalizing. His body and wolf were hyper aware of everything, her scent was thick with her sweat and called to him. He breathed the heavenly smell as his eyes devoured the sight of her.

Her skill and the speed that she moved only acted to further increase his lust. No matter how delicate or frail she could seem, watching her now he could see that she definitely could far and beyond hold her own. She moved with a confidence and grace that made it seem like she was dancing rather than fighting. Every step flowed, she used every bit of energy, power and momentum to her advantage never wasting one ounce of it. Kaiden felt hypnotized as he watched her move. Her body following the lines of thousands before, gracefully and as deadly skilled as any warrior alive. She transformed every inch of her body until she was moving in absolute harmony until she was nothing more than a living breathing lethal weapon. She was death itself. Kaiden felt his eyes widen as he watched her work. The beauty, the skill, the absolute deadliness of his mate captivating him.

He had no idea how long they stood there. How long they watched her continue to move never faltering, never tiring, absolutely relentless as she worked form after form in an endless never ceasing battle.

It could have been just minutes or hours hell it could have been days later Aislinn finally felt the first twinge. Knowing what it meant she slowly and painfully she let her mind open. Her body slowed. Her consciousness widening until with a shuddering breath her control shattered and she collapsed to the floor. Her body heaving on the cool sweat soaked mat as her lungs and heart was at last allowed to feel her fatigue. Gasping she struggled to drag in lungful's of air, no longer inflicting absolute control on her body it began to spin and splinter wildly out of her control. This was the part she hated, where she would fly apart as her body tried to process what she had inflicted upon it. She felt her body begin to convulse. Her muscles spasming from the hours of pure torture she had reigned upon them. Her head spun from dehydration. Black spots danced across her vision, painful nausea swelled in her gut pushing bile up her throat as blood began to drip from her nose and onto the floor.

Kaiden's heart stopped. It actually fully stopped as he watched her fall to the floor. Her body beginning to violently twitch and convulse on the black mats of the training floor. When he smelt the scent of her blood hitting the air he nearly lost control of his wolf completely. Richard and him moved together, sprinting across the space before collapsing on either side of her body as she continued to fight to get gasps of air into her body. A trail of heavy thick blood poured from her nose as her eyes rolled spastically in their sockets. He had no idea what was happening.

Before they could do anything though Aislinn's body finally went limp. Collapsing as her eyes fluttered closed and her breathing evened out into a shallow gentle rhythm.