Page 76 of My Shy Alpha

With a small squeeze of my hands, he softens his voice. “I know you can. In just a few days, you’ve handled more than I ever would’ve expected from my mate. And everything we’ve already been through in this short time–” My heart twists as his voice cracks with emotion. “...Has already meant the fucking world to me. No one has stood up for me like you did since–”

Noah cuts himself off, shaking his head with an embarrassed, weepy smile. Our emotions amplify each other, stacking until we’re bleary-eyed and overwhelmed. I let out a sob at the deep ache in Noah’s heart, wiping his tears away. But despite his flushed cheeks, Noah doesn’t drop my stare.

“I haven’t had anyone this close to me, maybe ever, Aliya, and I get the feeling you haven’t either.”

My heart flips at the serene way he says my name, gliding over every letter like he’s savoring it. “I haven’t. It’s all new, but that’s not a bad thing.” I trace his palm with my thumbs, and his grip softens.

“When I look at you, I see someone powerful. More than you’ve probably been given credit for.”

After genuinely believing I came off as weak - especially to an Alpha leading a pack of twenty thousand Lycans - I’m so surprised that I’m speechless.

An ache tenses Noah’s worried stare. “But also in the sense that I see someone who’s been strong for too long. Way too long.”

I chew on my lip, desperately staving off a deep cry. But as Noah strokes my head, it slips out - a whimpering gasp for air as my walls collapse.

He catches my tears with his thumb. “Before you, no one told me this either, but you don’t have to be strong with me, okay? I’ll never think less of you for it.”

His words drag me out to sea like a riptide, carrying me to a new depth of connection I’ve never shared with anyone. Slipping my arms around his neck, I whimper through tears as I ease our salty lips together.

Noah leans into my touch, encompassing as much of me as his arms can hold. His kiss consumes my focus, strengthening my core into taking another breath. And another. Soon, we’re kissing tenderly and slowly, our tongues tracing every ounce of affection we have for each other until my heart wildly thumps through the endorphins squeezing it.

But Noah gently pulls back. “I don’t want you to push yourself for me. I want to form our bond in a way that feels good for both of us, which means we can take as long as we need.”

I suck back tears as I nuzzle into his neck, embarrassed by my swollen features. “I don’t want to make you wait.”

“I’m not waiting. Nothing about holding you in my arms right now is waiting.” Noah hugs me to his chest until I’m snug in his lap with no gaps between us.

Neither of us plan on separating an inch. Noah dips his head to look into my eyes, and I rest my head on his shoulder to meet him halfway.

“We grew up in different cultures, so maybe that’s where this is coming from. But when I say you’re my mate, I mean for life. I know it’s different for humans, and I’m okay to take it slow.” Noah plants a delicate kiss on my cheek. “B-but I let you mark me because... all my instincts point to you. There’s no doubt in my heart.” I grip him tighter, absorbing every shy, soft-spoken affection - his heart laced into every syllable. “But for now, I’m just getting to know my mate, and I’m happy with that. It’s the best experience of my life.”

Oh, God, I love him.

Overwhelmed by my love surfacing, I kiss his mark as softly as I can, hoping he can feel it. Noah lets out a helpless sound, burying his head into my shoulder.

“I feel that connection with you too, Noah. I really do. That’s what terrifies me. What if I ruin the best relationship I could ever have?”

“What if I ruin it between us?” He asks. “What if we both do?”

I swallow hard, tracing his eyes. Everything in me says that’s impossible.

As long as I don’t let my fears get in the way.

“If this only lasts a month, a year, or twenty years, would you still want to be here with me, right now?” Noah’s question sounds rhetorical, but as we cling to each other, I know it’s not. I know if I told him I don’t want to be close to him - that I changed my mind, or that this is too risky for my heart to withstand - he’d walk away, just for me.

But that’s not what I want. My heart has no problems showing itself when it comes to Noah. Around him, I’m allowing my heart to finally show up on the outside. And he’s holding it like the scarred recluse it is.

I’d do the exact same for him. Based on what he just told me, maybe I’m supporting his heart already, and I just don’t realize the depths of my importance.

“You’re right,” I say. “No matter how long it lasts, this is where I want to be. I’ve waited my whole life for you. I knew it was you, the second I saw you in the forest.” I grip him closer, losing all care about how ridiculous I might sound. “I used to see you in my dreams.”

His breath halts. When it returns, it’s shallow and rapid, his pupils dilating. “W-what do you mean?”

“It’s kind of funny, actually. The dream ruined my dating life. No matter who I met or how open-minded I was, nothing could compare to my literal dream guy.” I laugh at myself, and Noah breaks into a soft smile.

But his focused stare lets me know he wants to hear every word I have left to share. Nuzzling the tips of our swollen noses, I close my eyes before I can second-guess myself.

“I’d have this dream where I’d be walking through the forest, looking for someone. Someone I didn’t know.”

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