Chapter Nine
The sun was still full in the sky when Kouga had shed his armor and passed out on the furs that made his bed. Between restless nights, Kagome and pack business, he was in sore need of good news. Not to mention sleep. Day or night, it didn't really matter. The others would make it without him for a few hours.
As much as he struggled to hold onto the sleep that had pulled him under, something sweet was pulling him back to the surface. His nose twitched at the familiarity.
Kagome.
Her scent was translucent, but still there. And so was she. He inhaled again, dragging her into his lungs and turned onto his side. "I'm not even going to ask why you're here." He muttered groggily and pulled her warm body into the shelter of his arms, cushioning his body against her back and tangling his legs with hers.
He had the distinct feeling that this wasn't why she'd come. She wanted to talk? Well, she was just going to have to wait. Maybe it was the flowers. Maybe it was that last night they'd spent tangled in each others arms and bodies. He didn't care. It wasn't the first time Kagome had sidled up to him for comfort. His or hers.
Kagome had a kind heart and where a kind heart was concerned, it never ended well.
He inhaled again and brought a fistful of her hair to his nose. He could still smell her on the tips of his fingers from where she'd brushed his hand when she'd taken the flowers. Her scent lingered but it was weak, fading into nothing.
His nose twitched.
He opened his eyes.
Kouga stared down at the auburn hair clenched in his fist and looked down at the body spooned against his. His lips curled into a silent snarl and he tensed. He didn't remember falling asleep but judging by the position of the sun, he'd slept a good portion of the day away.
His chest rumbled as he released her hair and braced a clawed hand against the small of her back and shoved her away from him. What right did she have to be in his bed? She wanted his respect but she was losing it with every day that passed.
He heard the sickening sound of her body hitting the opposite stone wall and he cursed, clearing the distance between them in a single bound. "God dammit, Aayme." Kouga snarled and cupped her head in his hands, tilting her head back and away from him as he examined her face and then her neck. "Are you alright?"
He was her Alpha—not a brute. He moved his hands over her body, pressing them against her ribcage and then around to her back.
She brushed his hands away and right the fur over her shoulders, brushing the small pebbles that had fallen into her tangled hair. "Just my pride." She said with a small laugh.
Kouga winced. There was no "just" when it came to pride. Not for a Wolf Demon. Pride was everything. "Dammit. Aayme..." He said again. If it wasn't one thing, it was another and Aayme was an increasingly other.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. What was he going to do with her?
What was he going to do about Inuyasha?
What was he going to do with Kagome?
He was level with Ayame so he didn't have to bend down to peer into her eyes. "You need to stop, Ayame. Now." He didn't like the loss of control. Shit like that happened everyday—it was a way of life. But he was an Alpha—her Alpha—and he couldn't take his anger out on her like that. That was his pride on the line.
If he didn't have control, what good was he for the Pack?
As often as she disobeyed him, he let her. That was the problem. He let her. It was a problem he didn't want to face. It was easier to just pretend and ignore the face of innocence begging for his attentions when he knew his attentions lied elsewhere. He grimaced. Sooner or later, that was going to case problems. Ayame was steadily becoming a problem that he didn't want to face. That was the steadfast truth.
The Pack saw it constantly, the way Ayame acted as if she was the Luna of their pack.
Sooner or later he would have to deal with her.
He would rather later than now.
He didn't not like her. Ayame was pretty. She just wasn't the one for him. Perhaps if he hadn't met Kagome. But he had met Kagome.
He sighed heavily when she crawled beside him and then positioned herself kneeling beside him. He read nothing in her position other than submission. Smart girl, he thought.
She did, however, speak.
"The Elders have been gathering." She said.
He pinched the bridge of his nose this time. "I'll deal with them." He was doing it more often than not in a years time span. What he did or how he ran his Pack was his decision. As long as he kept them safe and prospering, he didn't see a problem. He was doing both.
He scrubbed a hand down his face, his shoulders sagging. "What am I going to do with you, Ayame?" As often as she pissed him off, he couldn't stand the thought of hurting her. That was an insult to his pride and heritage.
"Don't answer that." He added.
She obeyed his command and bowed her head in a form of submission. Knowing her, though, submission wasn't what she had in mind. Not for long. Out of respect for him as Alpha, she was keeping her mouth shut.
He exhaled. "You have a role, Ayame. I suggest you start abiding by it." All he wanted to do was lead and rule his pack. It wasn't that hard. They had to follow him without question and they had done so for numerous years.
With regret already taking place, he pulled Ayame into his arms and settled her against his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. The girl was madly in love with him and the insignificant promise he'd made to her. When was she going to let that go? It wasn't logical or warranted.
"I know, it's just that..." Ayame murmured, her head tilting down.
Kouga shook his head. "Don't ruin the moment, Ayame." So much for their non-existent truce. He didn't let her go, though, just sat near Indian style. The moment was completely innocent for him and knowing how she was probably taking it, his consciousness ate at him. She was good at making him feel guilt where she was concerned. Where Kagome was concerned, there was no guilt involved. If Ayame got hurt because she refused to believe his attentions for Kagome, that was her own failure.
How many times had he warned her?
She shifted against his side and wrapped her arms around his waist, linking her fingers behind his back. Ayame didn't care what he said or how he said it. That was who she was. Just as willful and just as foolish. He sighed and returned her hug half-heartedly.
"I'm sorry about how I've treated you lately, okay?" He said because he owed her that much. He was frustrated and angry and Ayame just happened to be on the receiving end.
Too bad a certain half-demon mutt wasn't in the same position.
Ayame dropped her auburn head against his shoulder. "I'm alright. I'll live."
Sometimes he really was clueless, wasn't he? He was hurting for Kagome, but wasn't Ayame hurting for the very same reason?
She was definitely a wolf, though, because she never backed down. She turned her head and kissed his shoulder but kept her body from touching his fully. There was nothing sexual in her touch or body, but her intent was clear. She wanted that small intimacy.
She'd done worse. A lot worse than an innocent kiss to the shoulder.
One of her hands moved idly to stroke his chest and he caught her wrist. "You're ruining the moment, girl." That had the desired effect because she tensed beneath his arm.
"I'm not a girl."
Kouga looked down at her. "Then stop acting like one." She was always trying to prove herself, her worth and that she was everything he needed in a mate. She probably was, but his heart and pride wasn't in the same place as hers.
"You're the one that..." Ayame started and Kouga almost let a chuckle loose because she would have argued the point with him.
She turned her head and inhaled, sniffing at his arm and then she jumped over his gently restrained arm so that she was in front of him. Kouga reached out and gripped her forearms when she nose-dived into his chest, sniffing at his collarbone.
"What are you doing?"
"You smell like her."Ayame said, sniffing against his bared chest again, as if to reassure herself that what she said was undeniably true. "You smell like her."She said again and her words came out low and hauntingly. Accusing.
Kouga tensed and set her back away from him. He almost lifted his arm and would have smelled himself, but he believed her. Her look was too accusing. Too disbelieving.
He smelled like Kagome. How could he have forgotten that? He had no reason to wash her scent from his body and while the thought hadn't even crossed his mind, to be honest, he had nothing to hide. Not from Ayame, anyways. From Inuyasha, perhaps. Maybe even his pack.
Maybe even Ayame.
"I'm around the humans plenty enough."
"That's not what I said. You smell like her."
"I'm around her plenty enough."
She kept her shoulders beneath his, but Kouga had the feeling she was rearing up over him on the inside, trying to assert her feminine dominance. Her eyes were burning and what he saw wasn't tears. She was angry.
His eyes narrowed. "Leave her alone, Ayame."
It wasn't that he didn't trust Ayame where Kagome was concerned. He didn't think she was that foolish. His entire pack knew he respected Kagome so in turn, they respected her. She had earned their respect and more. But Ayame had caused problems before. She was prone in making it common knowledge that SHE was Kouga's intended.
Good times, good times...
"It's not what you think." Kouga finally broke down and sighed, running a hand down his face. He couldn't afford to let her think otherwise.
"More like smell, Kouga." The tang of jealously echoed in her voice.
He grimaced. Smell. He smelled like Kagome. She was all over his body. How could he have missed that? "I'm around her all the time, Ayame. In her home—with Inuyasha." He felt the need to add and the dogs name tasted sour in his mouth. Inuyasha. Another stain on his soul. He knew his words were ringing home, even if Ayame still doubted what he said.
If he was good at anything, it was avoidance.
"I like you, Ayame. You're in my pack for a reason, not just because of your skill. Don't make me regret that." Kouga stood and pulled Ayame to her feet. He leaned down and kissed her forehead again before pushing her towards the entrance of the cave and outside.