A mark on his neck

"It means…," Aiden suddenly touched my lips with his in a gentle kiss. However, for me, it wasn't only a kiss. It was a demand to wake up.

I'm not weak anymore, as I have the power of a werewolf. It made me use my werewolf strength and roll Aiden over, so I sat at his chest, smiling triumphantly. He arched an eyebrow, as I slipped down to his torso, then took his hands and pressed them to the bed near his head. I could see the reflection of my own eyes in his, and they were bright amber. He could use his wolf to put me back, but he didn't.

"It means what?" I asked, looking deep into his eyes. He tried to seduce me by leaning his head closer and kissing me, but I pressed him back to the bed. Aiden grinned.

"It means they don't know a lot about you as someone not allowed them, but they feel you mean something to me. They can't hate, as they already like you." Aiden said calmly, staring into my amber eyes. Suddenly, his eyes changed to amber, and he stood up, in one quick move, but it happened so fast I didn't even have time to blink when I was already in his arms. My legs were wrapped over his torso, my hands wrapped over his neck, and his hands on my hips and my butt, holding me. "And it means I will never allow you to blame yourself for something you're not guilty of."

"So you pressed me to the bed to say it?" I asked, feeling a little puzzled over all of this. Aiden came to the kitchen, put me on the chair on the table, and squatted down in front of me. He started caressing my cheek with his hand, making my skin blush.

"No. It was a flow of passion, but I took control over it faster than I did something very bad," he grinned, looking into my eyes.

"Something very bad?" I arched an eyebrow, while he laughed and stood up, then pressed his back to the table and crossed hands over his chest.

"You know you're too beautiful, don't you?" he mocked me.

"What were you going to do?" I asked, remembering his tight grip and knee between my knees. Suddenly, he turned his head to the left side, pointing at some small thing on his neck, as if a tattoo.

"This."

I needed to stand up to see it better and understand what it was. The tattoo on his neck happened to be a bite, a very old bite, that was dark red. I suddenly saw a flash of light in my head, and a picture of me biting his neck hit my head.

"What?" I whispered when the picture in my head ended. I moved my eyes up to Aiden, seeing his calm facial expression. If he can read minds, then he just saw what I've seen. I didn't even understand when my fingers happened to the mark on his neck and started stroking it. Aiden's body flinched, but he definitely liked my actions. "It's mine?"

"Claiming mark. You claimed me a while ago," Aiden turned his head at me, but I was busy studying the mark on his neck. I couldn't remember when I did this to him and under which circumstances.

"How… How did it happen?" I was too shocked to think rationally.

"It was my birthday party. There were a lot of girls around me, we were unofficially dating at that time. You never showed your jealous side until one of the girls tried to kiss me in front of you," Aiden chuckled, attracting my attention. I suddenly straightened up and looked at his facial expression. He was joyful, which could mean he doesn't blame me for doing that. "Honestly, we should do it before, but we didn't, and… You disappeared without my mark, while I had yours."

I sat back in the chair, shocked. Aiden chuckled, went around the table, and disappeared somewhere behind the door. I still couldn't believe that I lost my head that much that I marked him in front of everyone, and what's worse, hasn't got his mark back on me. Maybe, if I'd see that mark on my neck, my memory would return to me faster?

I heard footsteps coming into the kitchen, and I put my head up at the perfect time to see Aiden coming inside with a small box in his hand. He put that box on the table near me, then went to the stove.

"I'll prepare…" he looked at his watch, then continued," A dinner for us."

"Can I help you?" I turned to the box on the table, opened it, and my eyes rounder. It was a photo album!

"No," he answered as if being one hundred percent sure I'll want to look through the album right here and now. Oh, I forgot. He can read my mind!

I heard him starting to cook something, coming from the fridge to the stove and back, but my mind was lost somewhere around this album.

When I opened it, it was a good-looking boy with shining blond hair and deep blue eyes. Yes, his eyes were fully blue and the brown spot he has in his left eye now wasn't visible. I knew who he was. Aiden.

"That's me when I was ten," he said, and I heard him, but haven't moved my eyes even for an inch from his photo. I just turned the album page, seeing Aiden again, but probably when he was twelve. There, on the next page, I saw him hugging a red-haired girl and I knew it was me. The girl has my eyes and my face type. Plus, my hair color…

On the next pages were a lot of photos of me and Aiden: playing, laughing, rolling around, swimming in the forest lake, playing "who's faster" in the forest. All the album was full of our photos, our precious memories, and they waken up some memories deep in my head, mostly related to the photos I've seen.

After some time, I finally closed the album and pressed it to my heart.

"Can I keep it?"

"It's yours," Aiden put two delicious plates on the table, removed the box, and sat in front of me, "I made a copy for you a while ago. Now let's eat. I'm starving."

We eat that delicious rice with meat and vegetables to the last piece of meat, then cleaned after ourselves, when his phone rang. I asked if I can make tea for us, and while he was talking, I was making tea. However, as Aiden stayed in the kitchen, I could hear his talk.

~𝐀𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧~

I expected William to call me again, giving his urgent report, but the owner of the number was different. It was Mark, and I know why he was calling me. A few days ago, Mark and Victor sent me their "sniffers teams" to help me investigate the area of the forbidden forest, where those strangers, who attacked Letty settled. He was probably calling to get some information about that, and I can't refuse him telling. His sniffers helped me a lot.

"Hey dude, how's life?" Mark started, and I sat on the chair at the table, feeling the conversation would be a long one.

"Hey, Mark. It's fine, and yours?" I looked at the Letty, and how carefully she was pouring the hot water into the cups with tea.

"Fine. Calling you to get some news about my sniffers. Any results on those strangers?" Mark started without hiding the truth of the call. That's what I appreciate in him a lot.

"I was about to call you and say thanks as they helped me a lot, but some things distracted me, and then I lost a thought," I said as an excuse, however it was one hundred percent truth. "We figured out the settlement in the middle of the forbidden territory was made to district us. They haven't lived there even for a day."

I looked at Letty who just put two cups of tea on the table, then took out some pastry and put it on the plate, and was about to take a seat, when I took her hand. She turned around and looked at me, then, understanding everything from my gaze, sat on my knees. I kissed her cheek.

"So, where do they live?" asked Mark, hearing nothing on the things going on here, probably as he was doing something while talking with me. Probably, writing a letter or making some notes in his notebook.

"Probably on the edge of the black forest, somewhere in the area where two of them chased Letty. She got there without knowing it was dangerous, but thanks to Moon God she had a car and ran away from them. I sent a few guys to sniff that area around." I took a sip of tea and started stroking her cheek. She blushed and wrapped around me. I smiled.

"So, you still don't know their intentions? I mean, why did they attack her?"

"Not at all. However, I'm sure their so-called Alpha wants to take my place," I said and saw how Letty straightened up and looked at me with shock in her eyes.