Page 7 of Freeing My Alpha

I laugh. “I loved it. But my mom didn’t.”

Noah tilts his head, studying my expression. I’m still smiling, but there’s no denying the tumultuous ache from my side of our bond.

Maybe classifying my situation as “never taught” is putting it too lightly. The more I think about it, the more I realize life trained me into not only a subservient woman but also as little of a Lycan as possible. Every curious, wolflike childhood memory ended in shame.

Rainn calls out, “Over here, everyone!”

Noah and I follow the pups to Rainn. A part of me is dying to participate, but to do so, I’ll have to ask how to track scents in the first place, and that sounds humiliating.

These pups entrust their lives to Noah and me with full faith we’ll keep them safe. But how can I when I can’t sniff out danger unless it’s shoved in my face?

As Rainn explains the intricacies of scent tracking, my eyes gloss over. My heart races and my chest burns, embarrassment sinking me further into Noah’s side without me realizing it.

But a soft nudge on my shoulder guides me away from the group. Hurrying away while the pups are distracted, Noah and I stop behind a nearby boulder.

I look up to find Noah’s gentle smile. When I can’t fully smile back, he doesn’t pressure me for answers: he sends me a wave of his soothing scent. My shoulders soften, but I’m tempted to cry.

Fuck, no, I am crying. One look at my mate splits my heart open, my tears falling within mere seconds of staring into his knowing eyes. I suck in a tight breath, tilting my head back to keep my tears from dripping on Sarah.

“Hey, it’s okay, gorgeous,” Noah whispers. I bite my lip, shaking my head no, but he wipes my tears with his big thumbs, retaining his smile. “It is, sweet Omega. Here, let me hold her, and I’ll show you what to do.”

I suck back tears, stirring Sarah awake. Before she can melt into fussy tears with me, Noah bundles her into one arm. I cover my mouth, but I bust out laughing through my tears anyway; Sarah looks so small against Noah’s chest that it looks like he’s tucking a football into one arm.

His eyes widen. “What? Am I doing something wrong?”

“No, not necessarily.” I laugh. “She just looks like a little mushy pile of baby clothes when you hold her like that.”

Noah shuffles Sarah over his shoulder. Planting one massive palm over such a tiny back, Noah flips my heart with his bright grin. “Better?”

I giggle as silently as I can, sneaking behind Noah’s shoulder to check Sarah’s expression. After a quick rub over her eyes, Sarah flops in complete trust of Noah, her cheek squished against his shoulder and leaving her lips to hang open.

“Oh, Noah, she’s...” I bite my lips. She’s totally asleep.

My heart stops when Noah peeks over Sarah’s head to meet my eyes. For a second, I feel like I’m looking far into the future. My eyes are still watering, but this time I’m smiling.

“Come here.” His low, rumbling whisper sends a warm buzz through my stomach. “Look right here with me, and tell me what you see.”

Deflating a little once I remember why Noah took Sarah from me in the first place, I follow Noah’s point to the boulder beside us. It’s covered in moss, bugs, leaves, and more—so much that I can’t pinpoint a majority of the details on it.

I’m not smiling anymore. The more I look, the more overwhelmed I become.

Noah rubs my back. “There’s no wrong answer. What’s the first thing you noticed?”

I clear the tears from my throat, standing up straighter. “Moss.”

“Hell yeah, there’s a lot of moss. That shit’s endless, and so many different kinds are mixed into each clump that it’s a complete mindfuck, right?”

I sputter out a laugh. “Shh, they have little wolf ears.”

He slaps a hand over his mouth, glancing at the pups behind us. When he turns back to face me with wide eyes, my cheeks hurt from smiling. Noah breaks into delighted giggles, kissing my wet cheek.

“It’s overwhelming though, right?” He asks.

I bite my lips as my stomach knots into my spine.

God, why is this hitting me so hard? All I can do is nod to keep from crying more.

Noah gives me rapid shoulder rubs. “You’re not alone in that. It’s super overwhelming for all wolves. Especially before they’re given any tools.”

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